Four

I started this blog four years ago today. The number of posts hides that fact incredibly well. I have to admit that I was quite shocked and a bit disheartened by my lack of diligence. All of this was only compounded by the fact that I was surrounded by college students deciding what fraternity to join-a decision that would affect the next four years of their lives and quite possibly beyond. The silence of their delibrating provided the quiet to ponder how I’d spent the last four years of my life.

When I first created this blog, I did so because I knew that I had been called to write. I knew that the Lord had given me the gift of words and that He had given me that gift for a purpose. I knew a gift surrendered to the Lord would never be wasted. I knew all of this and yet I didn’t fully know what to write.

The last four years have been filled with many life lessons, changes, challenges, and joys. Time has legitimately been focused on the people and tasks in front of me with those also becoming an excuse for not sitting down and writing regardless of knowing what to say.

However, as I sat staring at the date while I was repeatedly telling the men it was the 4th of February, I came to the realization that logged in to my account today-not because I knew that I should write-but because I needed to write. I needed to put the thoughts building up in my heart out there.

A page has turned with the transition from 2011 to 2012. The change from December to January remains to be one of the most anticlimatic of the past years, but the impact this year has had started on day one. This is the year to go deeper, to try harder, and to fly farther.

I would love to say that I will suddenly be a posting fool, but I can’t guarantee that.  I do know that my goal is to passionately pursue the Lord and all He desires to do this year. Already the words are bubbling up within and cannot be contained inside much longer. These words may not be stumbled across for ages, but I’m not writing them for whomever may be reading this. I’m writing them because they are the words He has put on my heart and I am singing them back to Him.

May I never be the same.

To God be the Glory.

 

 

 

 

Even in the midst…

It’s beautiful. The snow falling gently outside-it’s beautiful. It is also a force to be reckoned with. The snow has consistently been falling for 7-8 hours now. The falling gentle and elegant but also quite potent. A fierce determination in a continuous direction has  a powerful impact as it accumulates. I love how the Lord teaches through the world He created.

While pondering the snow and its glory, I also thought about how in a few aspects of my life I might categorize them as being frigidly restricted. Life is hard. We live in a fallen world in which a real adversary seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. Sometimes it is just the reality of life that causes the difficulty, and sometimes it is the war we wage that is not against flesh and blood.

Then in the midst of all of that, the Lord brought a couple moments today that could be categorized as nothing but pure hope. They were like the crocus, which can break through the ground and bloom even while snow continues to cover the ground.

And that tells me, spring may very well be closer than I realize.

“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Snow 2011

I’m currently curled up on my couch, snuggled under a quilt my mom gave me years ago. The fire is crackling…okay, it is actually a Fireside scented WoodWick candle, but it adds to the ambience. I’m staring out my living room window and surprisingly find myself to be a bit mesmerized and appreciative of the snow.
Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy snow and its beauty, but I also prefer the hope, renewal, and WARMTH of the spring months. I love the excitement that spring holds as life begins to bud and blossom once again. Who knows what the next season might bring? What new things shall grow in the place of the remains of last year?
As I ponder the snow and think back on those science classes about the unseen activity of winter, I am actually somewhat excited that inches of snow currently cover the ground. Granted I probably won’t be thinking quite the same thing when I scrape my car in the morning, but tonight I am reminded that just like the earth below the snow, the Lord is moving and doing even in this season of apparent inactivity in some aspects of life.
Winter will end figuratively and literally, and the promises that the Lord has planted will begin to push through to the reality I can see. This figurative thaw probably will not happen in the timeline I expect, especially since it hasn’t thus far, but tonight I am thankful that even in the midst of the wait-when everything still feels frozen and bitterly uncomfortable-God is still watering His promises.

So tonight, I chose to remain curled up in the warm embrace the Lord has provided for me in this season. He is ever so faithful. 

May all the promises the Lord has allotted to be fulfilled in 2011 bring Him great glory. I’m delighted to watch them come to fruition. Until then, snow on, Lord, snow on.

So you think you can…

So I love how I put into print that I would work more on writing. And here I am weeks later finally coming back to the blog to post. Ridiculous. Sigh.

Tonight is the first time in awhile that I have reached the end of the workday without running to the next meeting at church, catching up with a friend, or simply having a long to-do list at home. Therefore, I find myself curled up in a blanket while the storm thunders outside. Since I need background noise or I find myself making my own, I’m tuning out So You Think You Can Dance.

At least I was tuning it out until a young man named Alex performed. He danced to “Hallelujah” and captured my attention. Quite and reserved in the introduction, he left nothing behind when he danced. The judges were visibly moved and more than one person the camera captured had tears in their eyes. It was a picture of how all the details, passion, and work coming together can make 2 + 2=5.

The thing that brought tears to my eyes was the proverbial lightbulb that clicked on as I watched. What a brillant snapshot of how the Lord can multiply our efforts and do beyond what we can ask or imagine. I believe it is possible and that the Lord desires to do that, and I just saw a glimpse of what partnering with Him in that looks like. When I give my all, the Lord can multiply it and reach heights that I could never on my own. He can do that without me no doubt, but sometimes it feels like trying to drive a car with the emergency brake on when I’m  not fully cooperating.

So tonight I’m longing for a chance of my own to give it all. I may think I can, but I know the Lord will. Time to practice some steps with the Lord.

Write on

There is something so infinite about a blank piece of paper (or blog post).

The stories that could unfold are boundless.

Would it be a mystery? Would it be a melodrama? A comedy? A tragedy?

Would the words come together to create a masterpiece worthy of a great prize or would they settle at the apex of mere musings?   

I currently feel like the Lord has placed a blank piece of paper in front of me.  The thrill of that has only increased with the realization that He has not given me a pen.  For the last two years, He has been writing a story in my life that I can only begin to imagine where He is going to take it. I sense that one chapter is about to end and another to begin. And though giving full control of the pen to God has not always been easy, the joy on the other side is worth it.

The Lord is the author and finisher of my faith, and it has taken quite a lot of faith to allow Him to continue to author my story. I can’t begin to fathom all the times I have given the storyline back to God and expected that to be the end or all the times I have said, “I must be going crazy.”  However, with each passing challenge to continue to believe, my faith has grown. And as that faith has grown, the joy of watching God orchestrate this story increases.

Ephesians 3:14-21 encapsulates the story thus far. He has begun to root His love deeply within me  as He shows me more and more that He DELIGHTS in writing a story that is beyond my current comprehension, that He THRILLS at showing me how much He can do the impossible, and that He is LOVE. 

So, someday when I can fully share the story, the joy will be overflowing on the blank pages of what is to come.

 Write on, Lord, write on.

Remember the Titans

I’ve had a blog idea rolling around in my mind for a couple of weeks now, but each time I sit down to put it on paper another thought wrestles its way to the front of the line. 

Today’s is the 10-second clip from Remember the Titans where Rev runs the ball in for the game winning touchdown. I happened to catch the last half hour of the movie last night and did not expect the Lord to highlight something in a movie I have seen numerous times before. However, that is exactly what He did.

Isaiah 45:1-3 are verses that have been coming to mind frequently in the last few days, especially the part about how He will go before me and make the rough places smooth. I love that promise that when God leads and ordains, He prepares the way.

In the clip from Remember the Titans, Rev caught the ball and took off down the sidelines. While he checked for oncoming opposing players, he kept his main focus on the goal line and did not hold back. What gave him this confidence to put all his focus on the goal and not on having to sidestep opposition? Sunshine, his teammate blocking for him. He saw Sunshine running alongside and defeating all players trying to impede his race for the goal. 

This picture completely captured me when I saw it. When the Lord calls the play and tells me to run, my job is to run the race so as to win the prize. Obedience is my response. The Lord will prepare the way.

At the 30, at the 20, at the 10…Touchdown.

Spring

It’s Tuesday.

It’s the 20th of April 2010.

It’s a new season.

How to put into words the reality blooming within me?

“Behold, I will do something new,
         Now it will spring forth;
         Will you not be aware of it?
         I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
         Rivers in the desert.”

                      Isaiah 43:19

I don’t know about anyone else, but this spring feels as though it were a first for me. I had almost forgotten the feel of the sun’s gentle rays and the freshness of a light breeze. However, even with all of that, I sense that the rediscovery of spring has much more to do with what the Lord is awakening within me.

The core of that awakening? The deep realization that God can make roadways in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Nothing is impossible for Him. This knowledge is coupled with the reality that not only can He do this, He will. He has told me some promises, planted them deep within, and now I sense that some of those seeds are beginning to break through to the light of day.

Only God knows the time it will take for those promises to come to full fruition, but I trust that He is the faithful gardner. He will continue to water those hopes and shine upon them. He will protect against the frost of skeptical stares and faithless words.

I do understand that I must continue to work too. I perceive that the Lord is doing a new thing, and, going along with the plant analogy, I choose to turn my face to the Son and say yes. And part of that yes is daring to stretch.

Don Miller recently challenged his blog readers to write down three “what if” statements. Three things that they could do that might cause movement in their story. I can’t say that I know specifically what my three are as a couple things that come to mind immediately must wait for a yes from the Lord. Therefore, my first statement shall be: what if I consistently carved out a time to write daily? What might come out of those moments?

I pray you are experiencing your own season of the Lord breathing on hopes and dreams. May this spring be one that blows the farmers’ almanac out of the water with all the things that take place.

To God be all the glory.

Deep Thoughts

I’ve discovered that I’m starting to think in twitter sized thoughts.  While I find this somewhat hilarious, the reality of it hit me tonight. 140 characters may be enough to send a short shout out to the world. However, 140 characters is usually not enough when pondering God.

For instance, I can post Psalm 46:10 on twitter and still have 96 characters left to spare (you can check, I just did, I like my research). However, to truly dive into the reality of “Be still and know that I am God” much longer than a few seconds and many more thoughts are needed, at least for me they are.

For instance tonight, being still and knowing that He is God intrigues me. He is the God who created the universe. In six days He created the only world I know. He can cause the blind to see and the lame to dance. He can take the worst possible circumstances and experiences and create the most breathtaking beauty from those ashes.  And the amazing aspect of it all is that He not only can He does.

How infinitely unbelievable is that?! The Lord of lords and the King of kings delights in dealing gloriously in my life. He delights. He sat down (maybe He stood, I don’t actually know…) before the beginning of time and recorded the things plans He has for me. ME!? I realize He did that for everyone, but so often I forget to apply those promises to my life. The Lord my God cares for me. He longs to give me a future and a hope. In fact those are both within my grasp if I reach out and take them. If I learn to be still and seek His face. If I surrender my watch and ask God to tell me the times. If I stand still long enough for the God who is Love to wrap His arms around me.

And the additional delightful realization is that despite all those ifs listed above, God is still the same.  His promises do not disappear at midnight. Quite the opposite in fact-His mercies are new every morning. What an amazing, amazing, amazing God I serve. 

I hope you experience His love as well. He has unlimited supply and it can’t be earned. May you recieve all that He has for you this day. Delight in discovering the depths that can’t fit in a status update.

However, I think my next post shall be capture all my thoughts tonight in three short letters, “Wow.” To Him be all the glory.

Running in the Wait

“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”

This quote is giving me cabin fever. I know I’m a dreamer. I know that I want to accomplish great things. And I know that lots of work is required.

However, I also know that every journey has seasons and sometimes the great things are the successful accomplishment of the seasons. That may mean that months upon months upon months of waiting is the great thing of that season. The success is learning the ability to wait with eyes focused on the Lord, content in Him alone. 

In the long run (and the short one actually), that is a great thing, for in those moments I finally learn to let go and let God. And with Him, anything is possible.

Until the time that He tells me to go, I shall wait upon Him. “I will mount up with wings like eagles, I will run and not get tired, I will walk and not become weary.” By His grace and for His glory.

I do think I will go for a run. That always helps the cabin fever in the midst of the wait.

Working Title

I don’t know what the title for this blog post shall be. However you probably aren’t concerned with that as the title is the first thing that you saw when you arrived here. I don’t know who you are, though I have a guess one may be my friend whose voice rings in my mind even now.

You see, I’m sitting here tapping away on these keys becuase I know her words-”You should be writing”-ring with truth. I know I am supposed to be capturing the thoughts in my head and heart. So today I’m being intentional and carving out this time to record some electronically.

Thus far these two paragraphs have been a stall in the hopes that some brillant words would begin to populate the seemingly empty garden plot which is my brain.  I know I have tons of ideas planted in the fertile soil and goodness knows I have given them plenty of time to take root. Therefore I am waiting for the vividly bright tulip phrases or the delightfully absurd carrot top quips to poke through the topsoil and declare that they are here.

And you know what arrives first? A single shoot of green, and a shoot that I really have no idea what it is. Was that planted in the carrot row or the tulip row? Or maybe it is a radish? At this juncture and with my limited understanding of my veggies and flowers, the idea beginning to grow may not come to any clear identity for a few more days…at least.

Long story short, this blog entry’s title did not come to mind until the very end. Since a title is supposed to capture the essence of the piece or highlight something within it, a title cannot always be determined from the start of the writitng proces. In fact, the story may take such drastic turns before reaching the conclusion, it may be like trying to identify the veggie or flower planted the first moment a hint of green peeks into the sunlight.

So it is with life.  Many of the seasons cannot be comprehended or successfully titled until hindsight can be applied. This is why working titles are used until the story is complete, until the veggie can be clearly identified. Since I don’t know the direction the current plantings of this season, maybe I’ll use one of these working titles:

Just Keep Swimming

You’re Never Gonna Believe It

Another Puzzle Piece

Diving In

What would be a working title for your current patch of land?