Day Thirty-Seven: I Could Say More



You don't have to plow through on your own



   

    Jesus came into my adult life unpretentiously. I was prideful in my suffering and thinking, really God? You want me to believe in Jesus after all of this. God said "Blessed child-- you can come and let me show you or walk out the door. I will never force you." I can still remember the day I almost chose to walk out the door but something tugged at my heart and I am so glad I turned around. "Show me God. Show me who Jesus is."

     That day changed my life. God gave me a new perspective and made me whole, filling every crevice that was once empty. No person, place, or thing could fill those bottomless pits of emptiness. I began to walk with Jesus- he wiped my tear, called my name, held my hand, caught my fall, and whispered courage in my ear. There are so many other things that Jesus did that if I wrote them down one by one "I suppose not even the world itself could contain" them.
    I love reading God's word. It is amazing how much hope and encouragement one scripture can give you. Just when I have forgotten my first true love--- I remember, "There are also so many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one," John writes, "I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written (John 21:25). I know! And that is just in my life. How in the world can you explain that to someone else. I want to share those volumes with my loved ones. I want them to have the things Jesus does in their life so they can write their own books.
   Hear the words of Jesus in God's word. Jesus is the word and the word became  flesh and God's word does not return void. Just speaking his words sends out a mighty force into the world around you. What verse is speaking to you today? What is your favorite?
   A verse I like to call my life force is Hebrews 11:1-2, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." It is one that I speak out when attacked by the all the descenders of the world. It is full of God's power and always returns with more things about Jesus I can write in my book. "There are so many other things that Jesus did..." I could say more... but what is your story?

Day Thirty-Six: I'm Full, Thank You



Walking out of Darkness


    Walking out of darkness is still in the dark, you can see the light but haven't reached it. What would be different if you lived in the light? 
    God is bringing us out of the darkness to live in the fullness of Christ's grace and truth. This is where the overflowing Joy of living in his fullness comes from.
    What would be different if you lived ahead of the darkness? You would be walking in the light not one step behind it. You would be soaking up the fullness of Christ. Every place, every room, every situation you enter would beam with His holy brightness. You would live with the expectation of God's favor and grace. Such a  fullness  in Christ  would have you pushing back from the table each day exclaiming, "'I'm Full, Thank you."

STUDY GUIDE

Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 171-176
 Read  John 1:14-18
 Answer the questions in your study guide.
 Share a brief highlight or two from your thoughts and answers in a comment posted to the group. (Read guidelines and cautions posted August 1, 2010 before you post).
 Read the comments of others and share your thoughts and encouragement with them by replying to their comments. Identify which post you are responding to by addressing them and their subject or pasting a brief portion of their reply at the start of your post.

PRAY WITH ME:
Lord, teach us to expect the fullness of your riches and grace in every situation. Let your power and strength awaken us, let your confidence of faith consume us, and let your favor and grace fall upon us in every place and situation we enter. Let our lives reflect your glory and let our inner most being over flow with your mercy and grace. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Day Thirty-Five: He Loves Me

Looking for Love, It's out there somewhere!

     This day's study reminded me of the lyrics, "Searching for love in all the wrong places." Where have you searched for love and acceptance? Your school friends; co-workers, parents, siblings, or bosses? Your spouse or children, even? Why do you think that love always lets you down or at times can not meet your expectations of true love? I believe there is an inherit desire to be loved and accepted. Most of our conflicts are about the very struggle to find love and acceptance somewhere, often anywhere. Maybe we long for it from one person in our life who withholds it from us.
     When we don't find it there, we try other things to hide or soothe the disapointment. Maybe we resort to drugs and alcohol to cover up the pain or fool ourselves into thinking we have found a deep connection with others that party with us. It could be that you search for love replacements in material things or hide away in your work or the busyness of your life trying to dull the pain of disappointment.
     A lot of relationship conflicts can be solved when we learn to quit expecting perfect love from imperfect love givers. There is only one who can give us the perfect love we desire and I believe the inherit desire is in us to keep bringing us back to him. The desire for love and acceptance can not be satisfied through any other source than the source of perfect love himself. But through love and acceptance with the perfect source of love we can learn to love others unconditionally and offer them a conduit to perfect love.
   "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." 1 John 4:16 (NLT)

 STUDY GUIDE

Follow along inJOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 167-170
 Read 1 John 4:13-19
 Answer the questions in your study guide.
 Share a brief highlight or two from your thoughts and answers in a comment posted to the group. (Read guidelines and cautions posted August 1, 2010 before you post).
 Read the comments of others and share your thoughts and encouragement with them by replying to their comments. Identify which post you are responding to by addressing them and their subject or pasting a brief portion of their reply at the start of your post.

PRAY WITH ME:
Lord, thank you for your perfect love. Thank you for letting  us remain in your love and loving us unconditionally through Christ Jesus. Help us to come to know and believe fully in the love and acceptance that God has for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Day Thirty-Four: Call of the World

     Having had to say goodbye to my young Arabian mare, Mystic, this week; I have struggled with the whole letting go concept. I sometimes contemplate my relationship to the horses and to the ranch. Am I putting them before God or letting God use me through them? If God called me away to follow him elsewhere, how difficult would it be to walk away and leave it all behind?
     It's like the question, if your house was burning down and you had time to go back and get one thing (assuming all your loved ones were out safely), what would you go back and get? How hard would it be to leave it all behind? I suppose it takes a lot of faith to lose everything like the folks in New Orleans who lost all their worldly possessions in Katrina, or those who have lost everything in a fire or tornado. It's just stuff you might say but can  you say with certainty that you are not so attached to your home and possessions even your job or your passion for a hobby, that you could walk away joyfully having enough faith God will take care of you. Could you leave it all behind knowing that God has everything  you need prepared for you, out ahead of you?
     Having had enough money and enough stuff and even learned to live after the loss of love, I could set out today and walk away from it all. I don't think it would be easy. Like it or not there is grief in this stuff. But we shake it off, we rebuild, we say goodbye. We do that because we trust God's love for us. I do that this week because I trust God's love for Mystic as well.
    More than anything I want to be in God's sweet spot for me, whether it is here on the ranch using the horses to give him glory and minister to others or even if he calls me to leave it all behind. I trust God's place for me and know that that is the only place I will ever find true purpose and pure Joy. Purpose and Joy do not come from the things of this world. God calls us out of our attachments to the world, so that we can live in his sweet spot in the world.

Day Thirty-Three: Insecure Identities

        Busying myself with ranch work helped me ignore the worries trying to crawl up from my gut during my son's deployment to Iraq. "No news is good news," my son told me several times. I walked out of the barn to find out what had set the dog alarms off. Stepping out of a long black car, two men in suits stepped out onto our gravel drive and started walking toward the barn where I stood frozen in place. My heart raced and I recalled my son's words, "No news is good news. If something  happens they will let you know." For a second I thought this was the visit that every parent with a deployed child dreads. The thoughts of the day a military official shows up at your door with bad news linger somewhere just below your subconscious continuously until the day you hold that child in your arms again safe and sound on the homeland. Just short of collapsing I reminded myself that military uniforms, not black suits, would be the appropriate apparel to deliver any devastating news. Eager to confirm my presumptions, I am sure in a less than friendly tone I blurted out, "What do you want?" I may not have seemed very Christian-like to those two Jehovah Witnesses as I sent them on their way but I hope they realized how much of a start they gave me.  We don't get many unannounced visitors out here in the country and it was just really bad timing on their part.
      I don't know if I will respond any better if it happens again during my daughter's deployment to Afghanistan. However, I am armed with a new tool I learned at our family deployment briefing. The Army psychologist somewhat repackaged my son's 'no news is good news' advice. He advised us to rely only on the facts that we know and not to fill in the blanks with our emotions or imaginations. If you haven't heard from your soldier in a week or two, don't imagine the worst. Stick to the facts that you know- last time you heard from them they were fine. They are fine until you receive new facts.
       When you're weary, tired of struggling, or feeling insignificant or insecure, the same advice holds true. Believe what you know from God's word not what Satan wants you to feel from the lies and deception of this world. Stick with the facts that you know to be true. You are a child of God; a prince or princess in the Royal family of Christ. God loves you unconditionally. God knows what is going on in your life... he is not surprised by the men in black in suits. No matter what you think or feel is going on-- remember God has the plan for you; "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
        God tested John's character for many years of seemingly insignificance in preparation for him to receive a great prophecy and write Revelations. "If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things." 1 John 3:20 Don't let your desire for worldly significance overshadow who you already are in God's eyes: you are significant; fearfully and wonderfully made in your mother's womb-- God created your inmost being and His works are wonderful.

"Mystic's Quest"

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:6

If it wasn't enough that 2010 started out with a life-threatening injury to one of my dearest friends, my horse, Jazz, the year ended with the sudden death of a beautiful, arabian mare, Mystic.  I found her cast in a small ditch on Sunday and we could not get her back on her feet. My heart cries out, "Why?" but my spirit knows that God has a plan, even for her. And no one can argue there will be horses in heaven!! "The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean." Rev 19:14

Mystic came to the ranch in 2006 with her best friend Quest. An almost pony size mare that I had the pleasure of teaching to halter and lead. She was such a smart little mare and even after a long winter break always started her lessons right where we left off. She seemed to enjoy the ground games. Although she was always relunctant to let me reach out and pet her neck without a lot of desensitizing exercises, after our  games she would follow me around like a puppy dog. This year I had planned to take her through the levels of Dressage and prepare her for a small rider, just her size.

Of all the horses I have worked with, I was always the most relaxed with Mystic. She never did anything threatening and my whole goal was just to help her learn to trust us more. She taught me to smile and relax when I approach; something that doesn't come easy to a results driven type A personality. Disappearing from the herd a couple times last week, I was suprised when she would eagerly come up to me when I called and without hestitation let me scratch her nose. Still a little reluctant when I reached out for her neck, she certainly seemed happy to see me.

This was a great trial; one of my greatest nightmares come to pass. I do not hestitate to put my trust in the Lord because I trust the Lord knows how much my body and soul ache with grief. Quest had guarded her until I came down and found her and there was no doubt that Shafina and Galahad knew there was something wrong. When the vet came out, they galloped around her and called out to her.  I know they expected us to help her. They trusted us just as we had trusted the Lord. They are off on their way now; grazing and frolicking in the pasture. Did they forget? Or do they just trust in the eternal nature of God?

Though still lame, Jazz will survive. I  am thankful she is walking and growing new hoof. I came to terms with the fact I may not ride Jazz again. Turning my focus to the pasture horses, I was excited by my spring training plan for Mystic and Quest. Just out of arm's reach, as Mystic often positioned herself, it feels as though she slipped out of my hands along with another dream. As my young wrangler says, my little mare is now on Mystic's Quest. Mystic's quest to find the green pastures God has prepared for her in heaven where she will find peace and never be afraid. I, too, set out on Mystic's quest to find God's peace in all of this.

"Do not be afraid," says the Lord, "I am your shield, your very great reward." Gen 15:1

Day Thirty-Two: Under the Radar

    "Church life to [the early disciples] was moving in the adrenaline and excitement of the Holy Ghost at the risk of life and limb," says Beth Moore claiming, "We are all built for adventure."
      Feeling average, moving boldly and nothing happens, thinking you're out on your own, or being stuck in a rut are all common reasons we miss the Great Adventure. Looking for adventure on an average day may suprise you. What might God be doing in and through you when you don't see noticeable results or receive any recognition? Think outside your box- it's not about what God is doing to impact your life but rather how God is using your life to impact others.
      Will you go on the Great Adventure when no one else supports your efforts or seems excited about what God is leading you to do? This can be particularly scarey when your friends and family are warning you not to go. Will you step out in faith without their blessing and support? How do you know what is from God-- Is this his calling into adventure or blocking the path you should not go on?  Sometimes God really does want us to stay in the rut a little longer but not to burn out there. Are you paying attention to what is going on in the rut? What is God teaching you while you are there? How is that preaparing you or possibly using you to prepare others to step out with new excitement and boldness for Christ?
    Last spring I was so excited about where I thought God was leading me and just knew with every fiber of my being that last summer was going to be a big year for the ranch. I felt God calling me to use my own horse in a program to help the very people already soliciting the ranch for counsel. However, in early spring when my beloved horse, Jazz, had a tragic hoof injury that threatened her life, all my dreams for the ranch and Riding School and our Trail Riding fellowship were sucked away.  I was tempted to slip into a great depression, even contemplating selling the ranch. Why had God brought us here just to take away our dreams and the very purpose he'd called us here for?
    I can see now that not only was he teaching me to trust him every day but he was preparing others to catch the vision with me. This year, again, as we head into spring, even in winter, I am excited about what God is doing each day preparing us for an exciting year at the ranch. Over the last year, God has really had me under the radar; in little things and in big things.  Working with difficult people, God taught me to change my response without expecting others to change. Instead of coming out of a situation feeling hurt and unforgiving, God has shown me how to deal with hurtful people without becoming hurtful myself.  In same cases to shake the dust off my feet and move on.
    It is a process. Sometimes I fell on my face before the Lord, scared that Jazz was not going to recover. Other days, I walked boldly in faith with a small sign of hope God gave to encourage me even when her doctors tried to prepare me for the worst. Continuing to pay attention to God in the average day, when you feel alone in your efforts, or can't see noticeable results is challenging. Working with others who sabatoge your efforts or take credit for your success can tempt you to fight back with pride and hurtful responses. Remember you are far from average, you are a child of God. God has you under his radar. He is paying attention to every breath you take. No matter what anyone else believes about you-- God knows you as his beloved child. You are precious to him and he is with you in every moment preparing the way for you and calling you into the excitement of the Great Adventure.

WORDS OF THANKSGIVING!

Every breath I take,
Every move I make,
Every thought of thee
You created me,
I am thanking you!

Every Song I sing,
Every summer and spring,
Every flower I smell,
I got a story to tell,
I am thanking you!

Thank you for my job,
Thank you for my mom,
Thank you for my dad,
All the love I've had,
I am thanking you!

Every sight I see,
Every friend I meet,
Every tune I hear,
Wiping off a tear,
I am thanking you!

Every prayer I pray,
Every single day,
Every hug and kiss,
All the ones I miss,
I am thanking you!

Every dance I dance,
Every circumstance,
Every surf and swim,
All the places I've been
I am thanking you!

Thanks for my kids,
Thanks for my grandkids,
Thanks for all those I can bless,
Your Holy presence
I am thanking you!

Thank you for my sister,
And the one I never met,
Thank you for my brothers,
And the one I can't forget
I am thanking you!

Thanks for family and friends,
Thanks for love that never ends,
Thanks for kind acts from strangers,
And love laying in a manger.
I am thanking you!

Every river that flows,
Every plant that grows,
Every baby born,
You're amazing Lord
I am thanking you!

Every horse to ride,
Every cat beside,
Every loyal pet,
that I ever met
I am thanking you!

Thank you for your son,
Thank you your three in one,
Thank you for choosing me,
Opening my eyes to see,
I am thanking you!

Thankful to those who died,
Preserving country pride,
Thankful to those who stand,
Protecting this great land,
I am thanking you!

Every meal I eat,
Every sweet treat,
Every single day,
I will always say,
I am thanking you!

Every rain drop,
Every soda pop,
Every snow flake,
Every day I wake,
I am thanking you!

Thank you for the word of life,
that comforts all our strife,
Thank you for eternity,
Looking forward to see,
I am thanking you!

Thank you for love, peace, and joy
For patience, goodness, and kindness,
For faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
For the fruit of the spirit--
I am thanking you!

There is so much more,
Lord I can't even say
Everything I am thankful for
Everyday!
Thank you for life, thank you for loving me,
Thank you for calling me to be your own.

Day Thirty-One: The Right Hand of Fellowship



So Happy You're Here


     "What is the right hand of fellowship?" More Christian lingo, I thought. Wikipedia defines the Right Hand of Fellowship as an act of acceptance by the church to those deemed worthy. However, when those esteemed as pillars of the new testament church gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas it was because they recognized the grace given to them not because they thought they were worthy of it. I can only imagine that even though the church knew of their past sins they were confident they had accepted Christ as their saviour from those sins. "We know who you were, we know the grace you were given, and we are excited to see what God is going to do with you now."
     "James, Cephas[a] and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me." Galatians 2:8-10
     When I became a member of my new church, I had come from several churches that didn't have formal membership. I stood before the church and the pastor announced my decision to become a member. The pastor asked the congregation to, "Come and extend the right hand of fellowship to our new members." I just thought it was a greeting, a welcome, or a way to just meet the new people. Slowly as I grow in membership to the church I realize it is more than a welcome. How exciting! "Not a mere welcome to the church but rather 'Welcome to your new life in Christ!'"
    People love to belong. The need to feel part of something is why there are so many ways to identify yourself with a group. It is wonderful to belong to the Kingdom of Christ and when churches come together to celebrate that it is a very moving thing. If you've ever attended a Women of Faith conference or a Promise Keepers meeting you know how powerful that can feel. However, belonging to a small, local fellowship is a huge part of that Kingdom life. "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-26
     That fellowship begins by the recognition that others give you as a believer. Not only are you accepted for who you are but you are accepted for the grace that you have been given. It's more than unconditional love; it is being accepted as an imperfect human being perfected by Christ. The Right Hand of Fellowship is given as a formal acknowledgement of the grace we share between us."

Hard Work

 "So I decided there is nothing better under the sun than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in one's work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God."  Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NLT)

Pleasures from the hand of God

   Last night after putting up square bales in the barn with my son, I realized how blessed I was to enjoy hard work. There is a great satisifaction in a job well done. We worked together as a team, helping each other overcome our weaknesses, and laughing when the bales got the best of us. Today as I worked at my other job I felt the sting of last night's adventure on my knuckles and smiled. My body felt strong  from the workout and the reminder on my knuckles of that blessed time watching my son enjoying hardwork and team work made me smile.

   Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing if I wasn't spending my days off tyring to keep up with the ranch and my home. I can only imagine I'd be wandering around trying to find some unproductive activities to do to fill up my days. Each of my children relate to the ranch in different ways, all a blessing, and not one of them is afraid of hard work. 
   I am truly blessed with a job that I love and hard work on the ranch that I enjoy so much. And doubly blessed to be able to share it with others, especially when I get to share it with my children and soon my grandchildren.