faith to believe and strength to obey

God calls us to believe. God calls us to obey.

Faith to believe that He can heal, He can deliver, He can restore, He can forgive.

Faith to believe He will heal, He will deliver, He will restore, He will forgive.

Faith that says I will follow, though I do not see.

Faith that says I will go, though I do not know where.

Faith that says I will do, even when I don't understand.

Strength to obey. Obey when the directions don't make sense, when the idea seems ludicrous, when the concept seems foreign, when the path is debris filled.

Strength to obey when it would be social suicide, leadership dangerous, risk-filled.

Strength to obey when it is darkest night, loudest chaos, and most painful.

Strength to obey when weakness abounds, and weariness prevails.

God calls us to believe and obey.

in a garden

all the good stuff happens in the garden; the most poignant, most dramatic, most beautiful moments happen in a garden. Love, betrayal, healing...

consider creation of humanity; it occurred in the garden of Eden. Man was created; chiseled and muscular, handsome features, full of life and strength, with mission and purpose, Adam began. And then woman; Eve, soft and supple, beautiful, with long flowing hair, sparkling eyes, and lips that begged to be kissed. Love was made in a garden.

consider Solomon's passion for love, his description of his lover likened to a garden. A place of delight, of joy...." my lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies." Song of Songs 6:2.

consider Jesus' most human of moments, prostrate in prayer, anguishing that the bitter cup of crucification would be taken from him, was in the garden of Gethsemane, a place he knew well, a place of prayer. A garden, cool and still in the thick of night, shrouded in darkness, this was the place Jesus visited. And with a kiss, Jesus was betrayed in the garden, and led to death on the cross.

consider the new heaven and the new earth; a place where a "on each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding it's fruit each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Rev. 22: 2

there was a moment when I sat at the door of my 18 month old son's bedroom, watching, protecting, policing him. He was transitioning from sleeping in a crib into a big boy bed and he didn't like it at all. A nightly battle of wills began, where I'd tuck him in, pray, and then turn out the light, only to hear his bare feet padding across the room. I'd trudge back into his room, urging him back into bed, scolding and reminding him of his new bed. This would repeat until I'd sit at the door, on the floor, in the hallway, staring him down. Night after night, until finally, he'd connect that his new bed truly was his big boy bed, connect that I was truly serious about his requirement to sleep in the new big boy bed.

I'm hear again, years later, pondering about that moment. Remembering my tough, strict stance, policing and protecting, training and instilling a value. Only it's not about a new bed. It's bigger, more lethal, and much more troubling.

How did I get here? What do I do? He's too big to stare down, too strong to force my way...and yet he's still a fragile child who needs to be shown the right path.

Hopes and dreams meld into day to day drudgery, aspirations collide with the mechanics of hard work. There are no guarantees, only the promise of what we hope for. How do I point him in that direction? How do I encourage the passion of the journey rather than the results, the poignancy of the process, and the not success?

dust off my faith

dust off my faith,

take it down from the shelf,

open the book,

and read.

shake of my worry,

loosen the restraints,

pour out the stagnant,

and breathe in new air.

hour by hour,

sunrise by sunset,

the One who calls,

is near.

breathe in new air,

watch closely,

observe and listen and wonder and dream and hope and believe.

yes, always believe.

the art of losing me

so I am sitting in a conference, worshipping the God that I love, when I listen, really listen to the words of the song I am singing.

The song called me to the process of losing me.

The song inspired being consumed from the insight out.

as I listened and sang and worshipped, I wondered. I've been indoctrinated into the mind set, the system of beliefs that I need to find myself, be on a journey of self discovery to fully succeed. That the moment of perfection will be when I see my role, grasp it, pursue it, and thrive in it.

and yet, if I start of journey of losing myself, really losing myself in the path of love, in the quest for Christ following, then I am told I will gain everything.

it's counter to all I know, all I fight for, and all my actions convey. if I were to really lose myself, allow myself to be consumed, I am no longer.

I am no longer in control.

I no longer know.

I do not have the coordinates.

I am not the leader, but the follower.

I release, relinquish, resolve to give all.

and that's terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.

what about today?

in the space that we live in, on the planet called earth, in the country that we reside, on the street that we call home, things happened today.

someone was born today.

someone learned how to speak, or to crawl, or to walk, or to run today.

someone mastered the concept of multiplication today.

someone shared their snack today.

someone was kidnapped today.

someone was killed today.

someone was buried today.

someone believed in Jesus for the first time today.

someone called out for help and found a friend today.

someone met their future spouse today.

may 19, 2011. everyday ordinary and all together extraordinary.

what about today impacted you?

dedication prayer

Lord God,

We come before you today, praising and thanking you for hand picking these girls to be a part of these families...we acknowledge that it is through you that life is given and as breath was breathed in, physical life began. We ask Lord for another day to come when spiritual life will be a part of each of these girl's lives as well. A day when they will accept the gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ alone by crossing the line of faith and believing in you.

Lord God, as they grow may they, as daughters of the King, seek you first.

whenever they are sad, may they find comfort in you.

whenever they are weak, may their strength be found in you,

when they are feeling hopeless, may your light shine brightly,

when they know joy, may they thank you,

when they delight in blessing, may they worship you,

and when they find relationship in others, may they honor you first.

Bless their siblings, their parents. Give insight and understanding in the task of parenting.

Draw these families together in love, in peace, and in the hope of the kingdom to come. Bless them with more than they can possibly think or imagine.

We pray this in the name of Jesus,

Amen.