Giving God 7 Days

"I want God, not my idea of God." ~ C.S. Lewis

How much do you want God? And what would you give to show Him how serious you are about wanting to know Him and about having a relationship with Him; to experience His presence in your life; to hear His voice; to feel His hand upon you, daily leading and guiding you?

Would you give God a few moments of your time? Would you give Him a day or two...or three?

In these days of ALS ice bucket challenges and gratitude challenges sweeping through social media, let me throw another challenge your way, along with this question:

Would you give God 7 days?

Starting today, Lisa Whittle, author of the book 'I Want God: Forever Changed by the Revival of Your Soul', due to hit bookstore shelves on October 1st, is offering a FREE pdf with 7 days worth of devotionals, Scripture on which to meditate, reflective questions for you to answer, and some daily steps to take to walk with God in a new way.

You don't need to 'tag' anyone nor do you need to let everyone on social media know that you've completed each day's worth of devotionals and questions -- unless you feel moved to do so. Consider this a personal journey, one between you and God. So what you do with this challenge, should you choose to accept it, is completely up to you.

Interested? Intrigued? If you care to join me and so many other women who've already committed to giving God 7 days, here's your link to the page where you can sign up (and hey -- while you're there, why not check out what other folks like Sheila Walsh, Mark Batterson and Mary DeMuth are saying about 'I Want God,' and consider pre-ordering it?):

http://lisawhittle.com/i-want-god/

Soul revival is coming. Mine and yours. Are you ready for it?

Stepping Into Lent

Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return. Repent, believe, and walk in the way of Christ.

Photo credit

Today is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the 40 days in the Christian community known as Lent. 

Many throughout the world will set aside time today to attend church services and have ashes placed upon their foreheads in the sign of the cross by priests, pastors, ministers or religious laypeople; most will fast from all but one meal, and give up something they enjoy or of value for the next 40 days as a sign of self-denial and sacrifice. Fish, veggie dishes, fruit platters and other meatless fare will be the order of the day today and for the next 7 Fridays.

However, some Christian denominations don’t recognize Lent at all, so for them, this won’t be considered a day of any special significance.  

And, interestingly enough, there is no mention of Lent in the Bible. The closest thing to it that I can see, in my opinion anyway, is Jesus’ being led away into the wilderness for 40 days by the Holy Spirit, in preparation for His ministry. He had nothing to eat or drink. It was a time of cleansing, of purifying – physically, as well as spiritually.

Save for the moments Satan appeared before a hungry and humbled Jesus to tempt Him, and when angels came to minister to Jesus after Satan took off in a huff, He seemed to be all alone.

Yet nowhere do I read or get the sense that God abandoned His Son in that wilderness.  Perhaps Jesus was brought to this barren and solitary place, where all distractions were removed from Him, not only to be tested, but also in order for Him to be able to spend uninterrupted time with the Father in conversation and reflection, in preparation for what was to come. The joys and the sorrows.

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Lent to me, then, is to be a season of sincere reflection and preparation for those of us who call Christ our Lord and our Savior. A season where we make it a point to rest and spend time conversing with Jesus, free of distractions.  A season where we walk along life’s path, content to be closely yoked with Him in service as He teaches us His unforced rhythms of grace.  A season of temptation and testing.  

A season where we reflect on and acknowledge our rebellious and sinful nature and desire to repent of it.  A season of longing for our inner transformation, hungering and thirsting to be like this humble and obedient Servant King.  A season of preparing ourselves for whatever plans the Father has for us in the near or distant future. The joys and the sorrows.

Therefore, in my honest and humble opinion, the partaking of Lent should not be entered into lightly and frivolously, but intentionally and seriously. There’s no room for showboating or bandwagon mentality here. It shouldn’t be performance driven nor be done out of guilt, shame or family tradition.

And heaven forbid it should be seen as or turned into a kickstart for a new diet program or part of a health plan designed to get your body swimsuit ready, as I heard being discussed at great length on a local TV news show this morning.

Jesus was very clear about His loathing of acts being done for appearances sake, for the approval and praise of man, or done out of routine obligation or tradition. His strongest warnings were always towards the religious elite (Pharisees and teachers of the Law), whose motives didn’t line up with their actions (check out Matthew 23:13-36 for some examples of this and Jesus' words to these folks).  

A woman with whom I attend a Bible study on the book of Matthew said recently that Jesus was all about "living out the ‘heart of the Law,’ whereas the Pharisees had made it all about living out ‘the letter of the Law'."

Wise and truth-filled words indeed.

Now, PLEASE hear me and believe me when I say that I AM NOT criticizing anyone who has ever made the decision to give up something – coffee, chocolate, junk food, social media, television, meats, dairy products, etc. – during the Lenten season (been there, done that many a time). 

Neither am I pooh-poohing  someone’s involvement  in a Lenten challenge, like reading through the New Testament in 40 days (and believe it or get outta here, I'm actually taking this one on this year).

What I AM saying is we need to be so very mindful of our motives for doing so.  We should always ask ourselves:

"Why am I doing what I'm doing?"

"Who am I seeking to please?"

And if you’re not sure why – ask God:

  

“Is this what You want me to do, Lord?"

"Is this sacrificial offering pleasing to You?  Or are You looking for something else from me?"

"What do YOU want me to do or to refrain from doing?”

Can I tell you how hard I struggled this year to step in and find my place among those taking this always challenging Lenten journey, asking myself AND God these very same questions?

And, not surprisingly, His answers were revealed to me within the pages of Scripture, God's very Word to us:

What can we bring to the Lord?

What kind of offerings should we give him?

Should we bow before God

with offerings of yearling calves?

Should we offer him thousands of rams

and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

                 Should we sacrifice our firstborn children

 to pay for our sins?

No, O people, the Lord has told you

what is good, and this is what

he requires of you:

to do what is right, to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God. ~ Micha 6:6-8, NLT

And, when you have some time, check out Isaiah 58 in its entirety, for you may just find the answers to your questions there. 

The grace and peace of God be with you this day and always, my friends. 

One Word 2014 -- Wait

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.~Psalm 62:5, NLT

So here we are in 2014 and my new year is off to an interesting start. 

New Year’s Eve our washing machine decided it had enough of our family and promptly rolled over and died. Leaving behind a mountain of dirty laundry that needed to be done before my son headed back to work and my daughter to school.

New Year’s Day found me washing said mountain of dirty laundry at a Laundromat in a part of town where people generally try to drive, walk or run through as quickly as possible. Moving targets aren’t as easy to hit, don't you know? (NOTE: since I wrote this, a brand new, working washer has found a happy home in our basement!)

Ironically, it’s the same Laundromat where, in my younger, wilder, darker and much uglier days, I could be found doing my laundry on New Year’s Day, but always with the extra 'benefit' of a humongous alcohol and/or drug hangover. Never let it be said that God doesn’t have an offbeat sense of humor. I’d like to think this was His way of reminding me, on this very first day of a brand new year, of where I once was so long ago, and how far He’s brought me.

With this brand new year comes the challenge of a brand new One Word for 2014. If you’re new to blogging or to the One Word concept or just have NO FLIPPIN’ IDEA WHAT THIS CRAZY WOMAN IS BABBLING ABOUT, please follow this link for the 411: http://oneword365.com/

I’ve questioned, wrestled with, discarded accepted the One Word God chose for me to focus on for this year. But first, a few thoughts on last year’s word – Simplify.

Personally, I feel as if this word and everything that came with it was an epic fail for me. There were many times, whether consciously or unconsciously, I made choices that actually caused my life to become more complicated than simplified. 

Because really -- simplifying my life wasn’t only about going through my closets and cabinets, drawers and shelves, and removing all unnecessary clutter. It had to go deeper. Much deeper. Like going through the recesses of my mind, my heart and my soul and removing all the unnecessary clutter from THOSE PLACES.

Interestingly enough, in the final weeks of 2013, someone pointed out to me that God Himself was doing those very things (talk about your 11th hour redemption!), and I watched in (sometimes) silent awe as He scaled back or removed entirely much of what had become unnecessary and even harmful to my growth. It's a painful pruning process, this going back to the drawing board; this being sent back to Square One.

Simplify. Indeed.

This year, I’m aware I need to be more ‘hands off’ with my life while I allow God to be much more ‘hands on’ with it. Which brings me, in a roundabout sort of way, to my One Word for 2014:

WAIT

There are SO many other words out there. Stronger, cooler, more vibrant and hope-filled, sacred-sounding words.  Words that people will relate well with and perhaps shout AMEN! to upon reading them. 

But….‘Wait?’ Really now? Nobody wants nor likes to wait. Not in our gotta-have-it-now, what’s taking SO DANGED LONG, ain’t NOBODY got time for ‘dat, Instagram society.

Wait -- it’s like a dirty, four-letter word to some.  Yet I believe it’s so much more than

• drumming well-manicured nails on a table top
• tapping an Ugg or Nike encased foot on the floor
• heaving a dramatic Irish sigh, complete with major eye rolling

Wait. One small word, heavy and rich with meaning, encompassing some rather large life lessons for me. Like learning to:

  Be still
Be patient

 Trust

Obey

Listen

 Rest

 Have faith

        Hold fast

      Be at peace

Yes, there are so many other words out there that could have been chosen. Words I would rather have chosen myself. 

Because I don’t like to wait. I don’t do being still very well. Patience has NEVER been my virtue of choice. I have major trust issues. I’m often rebellious (understatement). I tend to be the exact opposite of what Jesus’s brother, the apostle James, reminds us we should be in James 1:19 – I’m slow to listen, yet quick to speak instead.  Too often I equate resting with being lazy, unproductive. My faith can get pretty anemic at times. My grip is weak. Peace is a much desired, yet foreign concept for me.

But it’s the word that the Lord seemed to handpick for me this year. Because as you can clearly see from my 'confessions' above, it’s pretty obvious I NEED it.

Wait. Wait before I speak. Wait before I act. Wait before I write. Wait before I hit 'Send.'  And after I've asked for help and guidance from the Lord -- wait for His answers before moving forward.

Wait. It should be quite the interesting year.

Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don't lose hope. Wait for the LORD.~Psalm 27:14, NIRV

Beauty All Around

Today on Facebook, the Mercy Ministries page issued this challenge: 

Look for beauty in today, take pictures of what you find.

So I did!  I do hope you enjoy them!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Divine Gifts of Challenges and Trials

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. ~ James 1:2, AMP


This morning, I opened up my  'Jesus Calling' devotional book and read the following:


"Let Me help you through this day.  The challenges you face are far too great for you to handle alone.  You are keenly aware of your helplessness in the scheme of events you face. This awareness opens up a choice: to doggedly go it alone or to walk with Me in humble steps of dependence.......so consider it all joy whenever you are enveloped in various trials.  These are gifts from Me, reminding you to rely on Me alone."**


Anyone who has never read this book as a part of their daily devotions can easily dismiss this as being just the creative, random writings of an author.  But believe me, it's not.  There are several peeps of mine (one being my darlin' friend, Toni, over at her Lakeside Lessons blog), who marvel at how uncanny the messages from this book can be for us on any given day, whatever our situations or circumstances may be.   I am on my second go-round of reading 'Jesus Calling'  and the messages, while the same as last year's, are never stale. 


So today's was yet again another right-on-time message from the Lord for me.   But truth be told, I did think, as I read the first sentence, "Oh no, Lord.  Challenges?  Will there be more?  In addition to all the OTHER ones I'm dealing with right now?  Really?? PULEEZE -- No mas, no mas!!!"

For the past month, I've been attending to my husband's every need since he had spinal fusion surgery -- helping him shower, getting him dressed and undressed, changing bandages on both incisions (one in the neck and one in his hip where they had to remove bone marrow),  making special meals for him since he can still only eat soft foods (soft as in mashed potatoes, Cream of Wheat, eggs, soups).   Taking on some of my husband's jobs here at home.  Trying to encourage him in his pain and frustration.  And --  just learning to BE STILL (big lesson for moi!) and sit with him, talking and watching movies together, which I'm seeing has actually STRENGTHENED our severely anemic marriage.  (Whoa, God -- what ARE You doing here?  So amazing!)


Yet, add all of this to the daily duties of a being homemaker, shuttling both kids back and forth to their respective schools and trying to find some quiet time to pray, read God's Word and journal/blog in the midst of it all and well, it has been quite challenging to say the least.  


In addition to all of this, I'm going through some rough waters with both my teen son and daughter.  Both aren't making good choices in their lives, continuing to do, say and be involved in things that as children of God, I don't think they should be doing.  There's just so much out there bombarding them daily, like a serpent holding out forbidden fruit, tempting them to "C'mon and try me!"  I've done and continue to do my best to teach them, lead them and guide them in the right direction, but they don't seem to be listening to me.  The sounds of warfare are deafening around here.  I feel tired, exasperated, discouraged, angry and at times, broken.


Challenges.  Trials.  Difficulties.  I sigh and wonder how many more of these challenges are on the horizon, headed my way today, and how much more I can take.

Yet, after reading through today's 'Jesus Calling' devotional entry, I am once again presented with something to consider, something Jesus wants me to know, to remember, to hold onto in the eye of the storm.


Challenges, trials and difficulties are very often gifts from God.  Yes, gifts.  Not the kind of gifts I'm certainly hoping for, but gifts nonetheless.  These Divine challenges actually help to remind me of my constant need for and continual reliance on my sweet Lord -- always Him, all of the time.  


Surrendering all of my (supposed) control and placing my total dependence on Jesus is to humble me, not humiliate me.  Humility is one of the virtues with which we are to clothe ourselves (Colossians 3:12), thereby making us more like Jesus, Whose very nature was one of humility (Philippians 2:1-8). 

In the midst of all of these current challenges, trials and difficulties, in the eye of the storm, Jesus wants me to look to Him continually.  To reach out to Him constantly. To cry out for His help, over and over.  I don't need to walk through all of this alone, a lesson our pastor taught so beautifully and creatively this past Sunday.  Jesus is here, and although it doesn't seem possible at times, I can experience joy in my journey. 


There is a song from the musical, 'Carousel!' which the character Nettie sings to Julie, a woman who finds herself drowning in deep despair.  I grew up hearing this song sung once a year at the end of every Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon, and it made me cry each time.  As a child, I always considered it a very sad song, but that is not so.  It is a song of great encouragement; a song that Jesus very well could be singing to us, as He holds out His hand to us, not only offering us these gifts of Divine challenges and trials, but this hope-filled, loving promise: "You'll Never Walk Alone."

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.


Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone. ~ 'You'll Never Walk  Alone, written by Rodgers and Hammerstein


You'll Never Walk Alone


Above is a link to a YouTube video, with Johnny Cash doing the vocal honors.  I could have chosen other artists, but I feel that his life of brokenness and his looking to the Lord in the midst of his own storms lends quite a different flavor to this song. My hope is that this song and the words that the Lord gave me to share today will be of great encouragement to someone out there. 

**excerpt taken from 'Jesus Calling,'  by Sarah Young, copyright 2008, all rights reserved.

To Fast Or Not To Fast

And so the Lord says, 
      “These people say they are Mine. 
   They honor Me with their lips, 
      but their hearts are far from Me. 
   And their worship of Me 
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. ~ Isaiah 29:13, NLT


Yesterday, I posted about the upcoming Lenten season and what I understood -- or more like misunderstood -- it to be.  I had such a warped vision of what God expected of me during this season.  Or perhaps it's better said, what God desired from me.


With regards to fasting,  I’ve come to realize over the years that this is not something to ever be entered into lightly or done mindlessly or out of guilt, fear, ritual or pressure. Lenten fasting -- or any other type of Christian fasting -- should never be viewed by me or by anyone else as just some church denomination’s ancient ritual, nor should we, as I once heard in a sermon, make ourselves into miserable people observing a miserable tradition.  


Instead, we should see Lent as a reordering and a ‘spring cleaning,’ if you will, of our lives. It’s a challenge and an acknowledgment that we are not yet what we are to be; a preparation for our ultimate transformation as followers of Christ, as well as a very personal offering and intimate act of love and worship between ourselves and the Lord.  

God wants my heart!!

I'm learning it's less about tradition and a sense of duty and more about my motive; more about my having a sincere, heart's desire to become more open to God's presence and my ears more attuned to His voice; more about drawing nearer to and becoming more intimate with God as a result of my putting aside those things that I often crave more than Him.  


And just what ARE those things that I crave and desire more than God?

A few years ago, while in one of my ugly self-righteous, Pharisee modes, I found myself looking at giving up things for Lent like chocolate, coffee, junk food, etc., as lame.  Kind of dumb and childish. Like, 'Gee, does God REALLY care whether or not I eat this 3 Musketeers bar? Why deny myself such a little thing?  And hey, isn't self-denial a form of punishment anyway?'  


But I recently came across a quote, again from the Lynne Baab book, 'Fasting,' from a 30 something teacher named Lisa whom Baab interviewed.  She said this:


"Denying myself something that I use for comfort is a great reminder of my desire to keep my relationship with God as my first and foremost priority.  Fasting challenges me to keep a perspective of Who I'm living for at all times of the day."  


Wow.  Speaking strictly for myself, I too often do use chocolate, coffee, junk food for comfort.  When I should be seeking comfort from God.  I'll admit I'm guilty of using Facebook to seek validation and relevance for myself from other people.  When I should be seeking those things  from God.  Because my relationship with Him is to be my foremost priority in life. Because He is my First Love.


So, when I choose to fast or abstain or however you want to refer to it, from something -- be it a particular food or drink or sweets; an activity, routine or a habitual indulgence - I do so NOT to prove to myself and everyone around me that I am strong enough to deny myself and make this 'great' sacrifice; I do so NOT to punish myself for some 'bad behavior' and  certainly not with the mindset that I can force God to give me or do something I want. 


No, when I fast, it should be out of a desire to greatly lower the volume on the constant noise around me and to remove the continuous distractions in my life, enabling me to spend more time talking with AND listening to God throughout my day (and really, that's what prayer is), allowing for that greater, more intimate relationship with Him.  And when I do fast from something, especially if it is from a meal, be it once or twice a week or even one particular meal a day, I need to utilize the time I'd spend eating or doing that activity by spending that time alone with God.  Because if I don't, it's just meaningless.  


So, some of the deeper, pertinent questions I’ve been asking myself lately have been:

* What have I firmly placed in top priority status, thereby knocking Jesus out of first place in my life?
  
*What things (foods, drinks, material possessions, body image,) do I obsess over? What activities (working out, blogging, shopping), what distractions (Facebook, Internet surfing, TV shows) and what desires (need for praise, approval, acknowledgment, love) have I allowed to totally consume me and to stand in the way of my daily communication with Jesus?   


*What idols need to be cast down completely or at least brought way down to the bottom of the totem pole status?

*What sins have I allowed to continually trip me up and entangle me and ruin my relationship with the Lord, breaking His heart and grieving His Spirit? What do I need to repent of?

*How best can I honor Christ with my life during these next 40 days?  What do I need to be doing or refrain from doing? 


Right now, I'm still praying about all of this.  


The Word of God tells me there is so much more to this challenge of Lent in Isaiah 1:11-15; in Isaiah 58:6-14 (and OH what a magnificent portion of Scripture this is!); in Psalm 51:10-12 & 16-17; in Joel 2:13; and finally, in Hebrews 13:15-16. As He always has, God longs for us to be in a loving relationship with Him, to love and be loved by Him.  

While the season of Lent is considered to be a somber, more serious time of preparation than Advent, it can also be a blessed, joyful time of intentionally seeking out Jesus, embarking on a journey to befriend or strengthen our relationship with the living Christ.  May it be so for you, should you choose to partake.


'Fasting has every bit as much to do with the attitude of the heart as it does to what is actually given up in the fast.' ~ from 'Fasting,' by Lynne M. Baab

Worship Song Sunday -- Take My Life (I Am Yours), by Michael Neale

Worshiping God is a lifestyle, more so than it is an act we perform on Sunday mornings at church.  

Talia Haughn, the bass player from one of my favorite bands, Seventh Day Slumber, posted this on her facebook page the other day, and it resonated deeply with me:

"Today, I want to encourage you to see yourself as God sees you -- blemish free, forgiven & beautiful.  I challenge you to worship Him in everything you do today...from brushing your teeth, to going for a run to cleaning the kitchen....because worship really is a lifestyle. And when we treat it as one, there's no way we can miss God's direction, love and grace in our lives."

Amen!

As this song states, we are God's; our lives are consecrated, set apart for Him.  Let's take on Talia's worship challenge today...and every day...give Him your life. Give Him your worship.  Living for our Lord -- however that might look for us --  is what we have been chosen and set apart to do.