Day Forty-Three: Just the Two of Us



Jazz's Heart

    God loves the world. How do I know this? Well, besides the fact that God's word boldy states:  "God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in HIm will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16),"  God  also lets me know on a personal level. Not only through the amazing relationship I developed with my best friend, Miss Jazz Tangent, but in little things that sustain me and give me Hope everyday.   

     Last spring when Jazz got hurt, the professionals had thrown in the towel. Her hoof was gone and her injury so severe it had compromised the coronary band; the place where the hoof grows from. As we proceeded through the most difficult days of preventing infection and wrapping and wrapping and rewrapping her injury, a team of veternarians and farriers had tried to prepare me for the inevitable. "No hoof, no horse." There was no hoof growing back. Jazz had gotten worse and quit walking on her foot, a sign the vet had told me that it might be time to make decisions about Jazz's future.

    Sometimes it is a good thing I live out in the country, because the conversation I had with God that day in the barn could be heard over long distances I am sure. I cried out to him, "Why had you given me this precious gift only to take it away?" I had been praying and had solicted every praying warrior I knew to pray with me that Jazz would be alright. "At least let her be able to walk and graze and live out her senior years pain free," I begged. But it had been four months and still no hoof growth was evident and her leg continued to swell. She had also been chewing off the bandages and reopening the wounds. It was very discouraging. 

     "God," I cried out, "I know that you love Jazz as much, even more than I do.  I am believing that you will heal her but I have to admit I am having a hard time holding on to that hope. Please let me know you are still here." 

      I walked over to Jazz's stall where she was laying down resting, no longer willing to get up and walk on her sore leg.  The longer she laid down without walking the more risk she was at of other complications. "I need a sign that she is going to be alright," I prayed. I laid my head on the rails and started to cry. Jazz stood up and hobbled to the gate to greet me. She pressed her head into my shoulder and I leaned my forehead up against hers. We stood there silently for several minutes. I knew in that moment that she was going to be alright. There were a lot of ups and downs in her recovery after that. But I never lost the Hope that God had given me in that embrace. I told the farrier there will be hoof. He again tried to tell me that he had conferred with two other farriers and they were not so optimistic. When things looked bad, I remembered that moment when Jazz got up and came to me. The vet seemed to concur with the farrier but I continued to assure both of them that she was going to suprise them, "Afterall I said, Jazz has a whole team of prayer warriers covering her with prayer and God loves Jazz more than I do."


Riding Jazz

        God has blessed me so much with Jazz's beauty, her power, and her friendship. God has blessed me with His willingness to walk with me through times of great diress. To show me that He is with me and to not let me walk through this world alone. It took almost nine months to see any signs of it but today, Jazz does have hoof growth. She is going to live, she is going to have a solid hoof, and I am still believing I will be riding her again someday.

       Some folks don't believe you should ask for signs from God but I know that God is not afriad to show me he is there when I ask Him to. We sometimes have this special exchange, when my spirit cries out and His Spirit embraces mine. God didn't just throw us out into the world and leave us shouting back "Best of Luck, kiddos" as he left. God loves the world. God loves us. God loves his creation. God loves Jazz.       

STUDY GUIDE
Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 203-208
Read John 3:16-21
 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 this beautiful planet; for the great beauty that surrounds us. For senses to embrace the beauty in a field of flowers, the flight of a butterfly, the majesty of the hills and trees and mountains, and for the creatures that share the planet with us. Thank you for the animals that enjoy being with humans; our pets are precious to us and give us such joy and companionship. Thank  you for teaching us about your unconditional love for us through our bonds with them. In Jesus name, Amen.


Day Forty-Two: New Wine

The NEW WINE flows with unending Love!

    I have had the most difficult time trying to write about the subject of NEW WINE. NEW WINE: The precious gift that Christ left us in his HOLY SPIRIT. A Holy Spirit that would fill us with more love and joy and peace than we can contain. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Gal 5:22-23)." With this fruit there is nothing lacking! Drink your fill and be satisfied.
     I could tell a hundred stories of the Holy Spirit intervening in my life so why is it so difficult to write a post about NEW WINE. Because to write about NEW WINE brings up thoughts and feelings about OLD WINE. Writing about OLD WINE is where I get really stuck. Not only is it painful to think about, to recall the memories but also to admit to them. Not only admitting that I had pain in my life that I tried to hide from in the old wine but the consequences of those choices each time were awful. 

     Old Wine-- the days when I thought alcohol was enhancing my life. It didn't take me three decades to realize that getting drunk was not enhancing my life. I thankfully learned early in life that drinking alcohol in excess lead to unhappy consequences. I got drunk to feel better about myself, my life, to hide from the pain and feel braver than I actually felt. Instead of enhancing my life, I lost my self-control; made stupid decisions; and got taken advantage of. Sometimes I look back and think of how lucky I was to have gotten out of some of those situations alive.

     Even when I wasn't getting drunk. Just "drinking responsibly," I can now look back and see how alcohol had negative effects. When I thought drinking wine was a great way of connecting socially, I can see how my few glasses of wine encouraged others to use alcohol in a negative way. Either by contributing to a person's alcoholism or fueling their own drunkenness to a point that was wrecking their relationships with others. What I don't understand is why it took me this long in my life to see how the casual drink affected those around me.     

     I don't drink alcohol because my 13 year old took a challenge to not let alcohol ever touch his lips. He asked me to join him and I could not refuse. It would be easy I thought because I barely drink a few glasses of wine a year. However, when you quit something that something is often illuminated in your life. I am now very in tune to discussions of alcohol in work and social settings. There is a lot of social bonding around alcohol-- like going out for a drink with co-workers or a family having a toast to an acheivement or milestone. "You can not toast with an empty glass," my grandfather always told us. But boldly stating, "I don't drink alcohol," has let me clearly examine the alcohol use in my life and what it really did without defending the part I played in it.

     "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery."
      Is abstaining from alcohol for everyone? I do not think that everyone is being called to give up drinking alcohol. But I do believe it is for the poor in spirit as God's word says, "Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;  let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more." Eventually, every growing Christian will confront the question. It conflicted my heart for several years as God tugged on my heart to step out boldly from the traditions of this world. I took the opportunity of my son's challenge to finally settle the debate and my eyes have been opened through the experience. For when we are coming alive in Christ, we no longer want to dull our senses with anything that might hinder our search for the Truth.

     The things we are searching for when we drink alcohol are not found at the bottom of  the bottle. The love, the peace, the joy we are searching for is only found in the NEW WINE that Christ left us when he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:25-27)"
                                                              ~~~

     "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)"

STUDY GUIDE

Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 199-202
Read John 2:6-11
 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, fill us with your new wine that overflows with love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Help us to remember to come to you for a drink when we are thirsty and to not follow the patterns of the world that only lead us to more anquish and pain. Instead fill us with your Holy Spirit and let us share with each other Songs from the Spirit and make music from our heart unto the Lord! In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Day Forty-One: Partying

Into Marvelous Light I'm Running

    We were made for social interaction on both a physical and spiritual level. Imagine being at a wedding celebration where Christ is mingling among the guests in the flesh. To be that close, to have a chance to go up and interact socially with your Lord and Saviour, even greet him with a hug, now that would be the ultimate social interaction. As many of my peers, I spent too much of my partying days covering up my emotions with alcohol that only numbed my sense of connectedness with others. What were we searching for? And what did we find? Our deepest longing for connectedness only resulted in numbing our ability to feel truly connected.
     I beleive God has put our desire to feel socially connected, loved and accepted, in our hearts to continue to draw us closer to him. When we come to realize that no one can completely know us or feel our inner emotions with us, it can make us feel let down and so alone in the world. If we choose to turn to back Him, we find the ultimate source of true love. One of the lonliest times in my life was after brother died. I tried to explain how I felt to my friends but all they could do was give me a hug and move on. My family all greived in their own private ways. As most people come to realize when they lose a loved one, no one, even those grieving, too, can understand your grief with you. It is the lonliest place on earth. But it is also a time when God draws closest to us and He himself has known grief and has walk in the flesh and knows our weaknesses.
     "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
     Sometimes it is hard to feel connected with God when our flesh is crying out for physical contact. I have found a special connection, a Christ centered party if you will, with God on my daily run. I find that near the end of my run when my physical body is at the point of exhaustion my spirit is alert and responding to the Holy Spirit of God in a most powerful way. I am not intoxicated in a way that numbs my senses but rather with the body's desires out of the way my spirit is heightened. I seldom do not experience some kind of spiritual interaction with the Lord in this sense. Sometimes it is so overwhelming I can't hold back the tears and God comforts my soul. Though I know my body will be pushed to its limits; I look forward to this social time with my Lord every day.
     Jesus was not antisocial, "Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. (John 2:2)" I believe that social character is still a part of our relationship with Christ today through our spiritual connection with the Holy Spirit. Don't forget to invite him to the party!

STUDY GUIDE

Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 195-198
Read John 2:1-5
 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, give us the joy of fellowship in your name, of genunine caring and unconditional loving relationships. Bring into our lives relationships that are meaningful, substantial, and blessed by your love and favor. Keep our spirits close to you and accept our invitation to socialize with us in your intimate and refreshing presence. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day Forty: John's Jesus

      I've believed in God as long as I can remember but I truly began a relationship with Christ in the spring of 1999. I was standing in a church in Lawrence, KS doing my best to avoid Jesus propoganda and convinced no one would convince me. "Where is the evidence?"  I asked. My beloved friend, Ineka, who I miss very much replied, "I used to ask for evidence and believed intellectually but now I just believe on faith."
       So I asked God to show me who Jesus was and having soon satisfied my intellectual thirst I began to seek Christ by faith and have been on that quest ever since. "For we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)."  If my life were examined for evidence of Christ in it, people would see Jesus in it as my provider of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness. The evidence for his unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness are abundant and yet, unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness are only received by faith not by intellectual pursuit.
        Although I started my quest standing in a church, it is outside the church that I found Jesus on a deep personal level. It is where Jesus meets me in my most private world that I couldn't share with anyone if I tried. That is where Jesus finds me driving down the interstate weeping and wipes a tear from my cheek. That is where Jesus finds me running on a trail as if running from my own heart and opens the floodgates of tears and lets them flow refreshing my soul. It is Jesus holding me through years of unanswered prayers so he could bring me to this place and present me with an even greater gift than I could have imagined on my own.
      There is no intellectual explanation for the unfolding of faith that happens in the very depths of one's soul. It is greater than a human mind can comprehend and more loving than a human heart can express. Sometimes you just have to believe it by faith and let it happen then look back and see the evidence Christ left in the wake.
     On day forty, Beth Moore asks,  "If your life were a Gospel like John's, who could people "believe" your Jesus to be?" If your life were examined for evidence of Christ, who would people think Jesus is?
  
STUDY GUIDE

Follow along in JOHN: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore pages 189-194
 Read John 1:6-13
 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 the big impact you make our lives by being in the small stuff. Thank you for allowing us to draw close to you in faith and yet, not lacking evidence of you in our lives should we seek it. Thank you for being a friend who wipes a tear or provides a hand to hold just when we need it most. Let the examples of our lives testify to the evidence that you are who you say you are; the lover of our soul. In Jesus Name, Amen.

3 Basic Human Needs

    After food and water, there are three basic humans needs which are referenced in scripture. Meaning & purpose is referenced in Ecclesiastes 3:22, "So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot," To love and be loved is in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love," and security & hope as referenced in Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

The Greatest of These is LOVE

    Our need for meaning and purpose, to love and be loved; and for security and eternal hope are fulfilled by the God who created us. No person, place, or thing can truly fulfill the needs that beckon in the depths of our human soul. People, no matter how hard they try, let us down. Places can not penetrate the depths of our hearts or souls and things lose their value quickly. But "God gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade (1 Peter 1:3-4)."

    There are books written on finding meaning and discovering your purpose in life. Some are biblical, some are not. Feeding on God's word daily is the best way to ensure that no matter what you are doing you are staying on the path He has prepared for you. Here is some food for thought:

Proverbs 20:5 The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Romans 9:21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Galatians 4:18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.

To love and be loved is something that humans search for all their lives. Those that find it realize that loving others is the beginning of being able to be loved. Without being able to love another, it is impossible to truly ever "feel loved." Knowing God's love for us is the beginning of being able to love others without unrealistic expectations on the returns of that love. 

Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

Security for today; hope for eternity.

Psalm 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

1 Timothy 4:10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Opening Trail Ride March 19

Plan to join us for the first trail ride of the season, March 19, 2011 at R4C Ranch. We'll be riding the trails at the ranch and meeting up at the retreat for an evening campfire fellowship.  Mark your calendars so you don't miss out. All horses trailered in must have a current negative coggins and up to date health certificate. Haul-in fees are waived for this ride!!

Our first overnight ride is scheduled for April 16-17 at Rockhaven Campground, Clinton Lake, KS.  Come join us for the trail rides, BBQ, and evening campfire fellowship.

Check back for more details.

Day Thirty-Nine: Believe It!

Do you believe that Jesus died for you and you will spend eternity with him when you die? Are you believing in Christ every day so that you may have life with him now? There is a difference.
 "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:31
There's more than eternal life in heaven. Yes, there is "life in his name" now.

Believing for Life

As I waited for a call from the veternairy hospital where my beloved cat of 13 years was under going surgery, I feared the worst. I waited for the call to let me know the surgeon could not repair her wounds as the vet had feared. He warned of a likely possibility that I would have to tell them it was okay to put her down. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. My 13 year old son sat beside me and put his arm around my shoulder and said, "She is going to be alright mom."
"You seem sure about that," I said.
"God knows how much you love her. I believe He is going to fix her," he said.
"I am going to believe with you." I decided. Together we prayed for the surgeon's hands. And after that I got up and prepared a place for her to rest when she got home. A few hours later the clinic reported that my precious cat was out of surgery and resting comfortably. The vet was amazed at the amout of damage he'd found but happy to report that he believed he was able to repair it all.
How often do we forget that Christ died for us-- now.  "So you may believe and by believing have life." Life now and forever. Life with Christ is filled with ongoing acts of believing and trusting in God's promises. Not only are we saved but we are being saved. Not only do we believe but we are believing.

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.