A Father Gives Good Gifts

For my quiet time, I am going through The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie.

This was a devotional I really wanted to go through as I work to move past the heartbreaks in my life.

I have spent years begging and pleading to God about my kids. I have cried out to him to bring Luke back to me. I have yelled at God for Luke not being with me instead of Jon, as I am obviously the better parent. I have cursed God for his unwillingness to answer my prayers. I have prayed, and prayed and prayed. Relentlessly!!!

Today in my quiet time I read this:

"I recognize that as much as I might want God to give me what I ask for, I trust that my heavenly Father know what is best. Sometimes his "good gifts" don't appear that way to my limited perspective. He gives me broccoli when I want ice cream. Sometimes he uses frustrating circumstances, unwarranted criticism, or disappointing delays to develop in me the good gifts of patience and humility. He calls me to trust him, to know that he is my wise and loving Father, and my ultimate good is his heart's greatest desire.

Would you be willing to stop pounding on heaven's door, to stop begging for God to give you what you believe is best,and to open your hands to receive the good gifts your heavenly Father wants to give to you?"

WHOA!!

Am I willing to STOP POUNDING, TO STOP BEGGING FOR GOD TO GIVE ME WHAT I WANT??? Is he giving me broccoli when I am asking for ice cream?

Yes!

Yes Lord. I will stop begging. I will stop pounding...and rest on the promises that YOU HAVE GOOD GIFTS to give to me. I am ready to receive them!

Faith Healers

I was watching Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). The subject of the episode was on Faith Healers. It centered around the MorningStar Revivals in Ft. Mill S.Carolina with Todd Bentley. Todd Bentley says he is a normal guy who believes in the power of the Holy Spirit who was given the gift of healing. Some say Todd Bentley is a false prophet. It's up to us, the viewer, to determine what WE think.

Lisa Ling tells that she grew up with religion. She mentions that she grew up going to church and bible camp when she was a young girl. She does a pretty good job of keeping any bias out of what she is reporting. This may be why I like Lisa Ling.

The episode follows a few specific people. A man named Steve, who has suffered a severe brain injury. Steve was in a car crash at 18 and left with a brain injury and a speech impediment. Then in 1995, he fell off a roof and was paralyzed in his lower body. His legs are both paralyzed, and he has come to the MorningStar Revivals Conference to be healed by God through Todd Bentley. He is 100% convinced that he will be healed.

Another story about a mother and daughter. The daughter, Debbie, has brought her mother to be healed of terminal cancer. Her mother could no longer afford the treatments that were above and beyond what her Medicare paid for. She sees God as her only source at this point.

I watched the hour long story waiting, wondering how this story would end up. Would these people be healed? Would the average person watching this show be turned off to the power of God? The REAL truth behind the fact that PRAYER DOES WORK? The fact that FAITH can move mountains? God does heal....he does heal through others.....I believe it 100%! I also believe that God doesn't always heal. How can a man promise miracles?

When Steve gets up to Todd Bentley, after three days of waiting, I sense how much Steve's faith could heal him. Unfortunately, he is NOT healed. He has not given up his faith. He is still waiting on God. Waiting for his time.

What about Carol, the mother with terminal cancer, will she be healed? I am so expectant I want her to be healed. At the end we find out that Carol's cancer had steadily been getting worse.

Lisa could have taken the road of: these people are quacks, but she didn't. She said she learned something there. She learned that lives could be genuinely changed. That hope could transform, and that faith could empower!

What is YOUR take on faith healers? If you have seen Our America, what do you think of Lisa Ling?

Church On Saturday Night! AMAZING!!

Acts – Chapter 17A from Hosanna! Church Lakeville MN on Vimeo.

Psalm 34:18

Today in my quiet time, I read Psalm 34:18. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
Yesterday I had a particularly difficult day, on the back of a difficult few weeks. My daughter has decided to live full time with her dad, again. My youngest son is making some decisions that are poor, and I feel his dad should be steering him more closely. When I sit back and reflect on how much my hands are tied, and how I have no control over the situation, I feel crazy. These children who I love so much, are in some ways lost to me right now. As a mom, it's the most frightening thing to just sit and watch. I also end up feeling so sad, lost and alone. I berate myself that I should have been more...tried harder. Some days I just want to move away. Move far away where I am not so close to the pain. Some place where distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Yesterday was a difficult day. I was feeling depressed and alone. Out of the blue I got an text message from my oldest son telling me that I am a good mom, and that he always felt loved by me, and that he loves me so much! OUT OF THE BLUE???? I think not. It was FOR SURE God's voice. I have no doubt that God was saying: Look Kari!! All is not lost. Don't forget about your oldest child!! All is not lost!!
Today the verse from Psalm telling me that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He was close to me last night, in the midst of my despair. I am so certain of this!!

September 11th

9 years later, our world is no less confusing!
However, today, I am just as aware that God has it all under control! Nothing will happen that isn't completely in his clutch.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Peace....it's what we crave!! Peace is what HE brings!!

Quiet Time Today

Today, during my quiet time, I was thanking God for being my reason. While I was praying, it occurred to me that I really need to LIVE like HE is my reason.
I hate that so often my relationship with Jesus is just lip service.
I just read it today: Matthew 15:8 Jesus says:
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Nobody WANTS to be like this....but when I take my eyes off of Jesus, even for a little bit, I lose sight of WHAT I AM DOING!! I FORGET WHAT I AM HERE FOR!
I FORGET THE ONLY REASON I WAS PLACED ON THIS EARTH: TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIM!! TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF!
After 43 years...you would think I could start to get it right! If not for His AMAZING GRACE.....

SO...
Today I want to live like I KNOW HE is my reason!!!
Somebody...hold me accountable to this!!

Words to Lift Me Up

This morning as I was driving to the gym, I was feeling a bit down, and wondering when this sadness would leave me. I was listening to The Refuge (my favorite radio station), and the Lord gave me two songs this morning to comfort me.
Music is my worship language, and the Lord speaks to me so often through music.
The first son was Big Enough by Ayiesha Woods. I've heard the song a zillion times, but the words were for my heart this morning.

Lyrics to Big Enough :
You turned water into wine - how extraordinary
Gave sight to the blind - and still I carry
My own load when you told me
To take your yoke ‘cause yours is easy

And I don't wanna box you in
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't wanna believe
That you're big enough - but you're big enough yeah!
But you're big enough Jesus

You turned darkness into light - keep my lamp burning
And you are my everything
There's no denying, your love is so amazing
And even though my problems seem typical
Nothing for you is ever too difficult
You never have reservations - love without limitations

Then, for some reason, the Refuge played Selah, which is kinda of OLD school for this radio station. But as I was listening, and singing, I realized the words were for me.


You Raise Me Up by Selah
When I am down, and oh my soul, so weary.
When troubles come, and my heart burdened be.
Then I am still and wait here in the silence.
Until You come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains.
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.
I am strong when I am on your shoulders.
You raise me up to more than I can be.

The Lord is so good to me.

What We Receive: We are SO BLESSED!!!

Ephesians 1:3-24 (New International Version)

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^a]">[a] predestined us to be adopted as his sons(DAUGHTERS) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he^b]">[b] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

¹¹In him we were also chosen,^c]">[c] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

¹⁵For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^d]">[d] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

This Verse Spoke to Me Today

2 Corinthians 3:18 (New International Version)

¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect^a]">[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Living Differently

Every day I wake up early to have my quiet time with the Lord. I am reading through the Bible in a year. I have one of those Bible in a Year things. This is now my third year with it...and I have been more diligent since Thanksgiving break...when I began again to make a new habit.
Each morning I spend time in reading, reflecting and prayer. Each day my prayer is to be somehow different...look a little less like the world to my friends and family. It is an earnest prayer...and each day I fall flat. It is often times so discouraging. Yet, I don't want to be one of those people who live life looking backwards, wishing I would have always done it differently.
After work yesterday, I went out to Happy Hour with a bunch of folks from work. On the way there I prayed for common sense, a quiet spirit, and NOT LOOSE LIPS!
You know how it went....
I was ok at first...but after an hour...the real me comes out....and I am suddenly engaging in all of the conversations. I am laughing at the coarse jokes. I am speaking things that do not bring joy to the Lord!
Each day is a new day...I am covered by His grace!
He gives me strength to begin each new day with renewed strength and purpose to try it again!

It's not too late

Today in church I was struck by what my real purpose on earth is.Why am I here?
I've been doing life like this is all there is... my stuff, my plans, my enjoyment.
I've lost sight of the bigger picture... my purpose as it relates to eternity.
What am I doing here that is going to LAST for beyond my lifetime?

It's the love that Jesus has for me that I should pour out on my friends, my family, my neighbors... so that maybe they will see Him.
It's the blessings He's given me that I should share with all those in need... so that maybe they will feel Him.
It's the courageous spiritual conversations that I should instigate... so that maybe they will know Him.
It really isn't about me... this gift of life... it's about passing it on.

Christianese

None of these are my words. They are from Seth Barnes, the guy who founded AIM. Adventures in Missions is where Seth works in Georgia. I actually subscribe to his blog. Here was the post I received last night.

Words have to convey the meaning we intend or they cease to work for us. So every now and then, we need to re-examine our words. For example, how is the word "Christian" working for you? I don't even know what it means anymore. Listening to it from outside the Christian milieu, it sounds too much like the word "legalist" or, even worse, "hypocrite." Used overseas in countries where the population is agnostic, it is an immediate turn-off for many, saying more about their perceptions of a bellicose American worldview or runaway consumerism than our faith. To them, the label "Christian" is a postmodern epithet.

In the view of many outside our evangelical culture:

• Christians tend to define their faith in terms of what they do (Bible studies, church attendance, etc.).
• Christians talk about love, but are insular in their lifestyles.
  
• Christians do cheesy things like singing "If you're happy and you know it."
• Christians tend to frown on parties and major on rules and traditions.

In the interest of engaging unbelievers rather than shutting them down, I'm trying to cut back on the Christianese in my vocabulary. When someone tries to pigeonhole me, I might say, "I'm someone who follows Jesus" or maybe I'll use the phrase Jesus-follower, as in:

• J-Fs look at what Jesus said and did and make that a priority.
• J-Fs are aware of their own junk and don't worry about yours.
• J-Fs are more interested in your actions than in what you say you believe.
• J-Fs are OK having a bad day and not trying to cover it up with a song.

Are there "Christian" words that don't work for you anymore? My sense is that there are a whole slew of words that those outside the Christian subculture don't get. Some of us need to get our clear our ears of buzz words. Check out this blog for help: stufffchristianslike.

As we seek to communicate hope instead of exclusion, it might be helpful to take a closer look at the words we use and ask if they bring people closer to Jesus or if they shut people out. Evangelism starts with our language and language changes every generation whether we're up for change or not.

*Some people like "Christ-followers," but even that sounds a little too religious.

Seth

I just returned from Georgia. What a crazy trip that was.
A lot of driving...and hard work as we pulled together Seth's apartment.
As I was in Gainesville with Seth, I realized that Seth is exactly where he is supposed to be.
I watched him with the youth at church, who practically tackled him when we walked into the room. (One of them even broke his sunglasses.) He is his own person there. Sure, he could have gone and continued the college road, but by choosing the road less traveled, he not only piled up a year of experiences, he returned home a man.
As a parent, this is your fondest wish for your children - that they will make their faith their own and learn to navigate this complicated world on their own. But it can't be done safely. It requires risks to raise radicals. I entrusted my son to God and He returned him to us as a radical, a young man who has had his faith tested repeatedly and who has seen that God can be trusted.
I am so proud of you Seth....and even though I miss you more than you will ever know....I can trust in the Lord knowing that He is using you in many ways according to His plan.

Swaziland,

Seth is currently in Africa, being used and completely humbled by the Lord.
Here was his last post from Swaziland...I wanted you to hear what he is doing and seeing:

I have so much to tell you and so little time! I am sitting in an internet cafe which is pretty cool, but the internet is very slow and not sure how I feel about everyone looking at my computer screen :-) Now on to what the team has been up to; One of our biggest ministries that we do is our Homestead ministries. It is when we head up the mountain and just build relationships with the people who live up there. My team goes all the way up the mountain and have been really blessed by the people we have met. The famly that really means a lot to our team are the ones who live close to the top. They have 30 people who live on one homestead. They asked us if we wanted to climb the mountain and help them carry fire wood back down for them. We jumped on the opportunity and woke up early to help them. They were so happy to see us that after we helped them, they took us on a tour of the wildlife reserve and we saw some monkeys. When we arrived back at their home, very tired and sweaty, they invited us to eat dinner with them. It was definitley an interesting meal, but I ate all of it. As if that wasn't enough, they gave me the Swazi name Sabejlo, which mean Chosen One. So now everyone I meet yells "Sabejlo!" (Word travels fast in the neighborhood when you are the only Americans haha) I am loving every second of being here and God is revealing more and more about Himself everyday! The team is really coming together as well. We went to the Mbabne Hospital today and visited the children's ward which totally broke my heart. They say that that is the hospital where people go to die and to see all of these children, some of them disabled and abandoned, makes me wish I could do more. We shared the hope of Christ with them and prayed for healing. Please keep the team and the people in Swazi in your prayers. They are beautiful people and have accepted me as one of their own in only 2 weeks. Thank you for your prayers so far and for the encouraging comments! Love you and miss you all so much!

Unexpected Words of Love

An old friend from the past, from my private Christian High School contacted me from out of the blue. After looking at my pictures, she told me that my family was beautiful, and that I looked happy! She mentioned that she had a friend like me. I wanted to know how she was able to NOT be judgmental towards me. I know this gal as a Godly woman. I was so very moved by her words, that I just had to put them on here:




Hi!
Two years ago I actually graduated with a Theology degree from Bethel Seminary.
It was a great experience - very freeing.
I have always been a person to ask questions and doubt and wonder about things...
In the evangelical world I felt rebellious,
but at Seminary I felt validated - that it was okay to not have everything figured out.
I also learned at Seminary that I really don't know much at all... and it is okay!
What a relief that I don't have to have all the answers!
In many ways I feel that the evangelical church is almost cultish.
We have all the answers and know the "absolute truth" etc..
While the church is so busy debating and pointing fingers at people, we have in many ways forgotten to actually look at the life Christ modeled and lived while on earth..
The past few years I have worked really closely in social justice areas.
I was a relief worker and really care about the poor.. the needy.. the outcasts - the forgotten.
In that time what I have found is a community of people who care
and feel the same way that I do...
but about 99.9% of them are not from the evangelical church.
They are people of all kinds of backgrounds and religious beliefs and lifestyles.
What I found is that when we all come together and work to love others
while loving each other we actually serve God in a really cool way.
I can't help but think the people I hang with must be the same
kinds of groupies Jesus hung with.
The Pharisees, Saduccess, zealots and essenneses
where too busy trying to protect themselves from "those people",
when in fact Jesus lived right in the midst of them.

The cool part is that I am learning more from them - then I could ever teach.
I just really am tired of the whole us and them thing.
I think all humans are created in the image of God and loved by God
and because God shows me grace everyday, I should do the same.
I know there are some scriptures that speak against homosexuality..
and there are other areas (like the gospels) where nothing is said.
I have also heard numerous passages on women in the church completely
misused and used out of context... in order to oppress and put down women.
I really don't know what I believe on the issue to tell you the truth..

but all I do know is that I am not going to judge anyone
no matter what issue it is that they are dealing with.

I just want to love and treat people with the dignity that they deserve.
That whole "love the sinner hate the sin" has been such a joke.
I don't know of hardly any evangelical Christians that actually do that.
And if they aren't being judgemental they are just plain avoiding.

Great to hear from you! Have a great day! Keep in touch!

Take care;