Rooted and Grounded

I have shared numerous times on this blog how much I love gardening. What I haven't so clearly written are the many lessons God's Spirit has taught me through nature and creation. One of the most profound, I pray I will never forget, was almost too dear to put words to it. It has something to do with a root-bound, climbing vine and the entanglements of this life.

But yesterday, when I read Ephesians 3:14-21, what struck me most was this phrase, "rooted and grounded" (verse 17). As a child of the King, I should want to be "rooted and ground in love". And I do...don't you?

Sometimes in Paul's writings I have to go through them piece by piece backwards to discern what he's trying to say. He was given to being wordy (a trait I know all too well!), with long phrases and even longer sentences. Had he had the same affinity for my favorite form of punctuation...we would be kindred spirits indeed!

So yesterday, when I read the phrase, "rooted and grounded in love", and it resonated with me...perhaps because I know this is the cry of every human...to be loved fully...I wanted to glean from the passage the "secret" for sinking so deeply into love that I grow strong, steadfast and able to withstand life's storms...all by the power of love.

Remember I said, sometimes I have to go backwards to understand Paul. Here's how it works. I'll print the original passage and then how I pull it out piece by piece in reverse so as to make sense of it.

Original
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19, NASB)

Actually, I had to break it into two segments. First verses 14-17a: Christ can dwell in my heart through faith by the powerful strength of His Spirit in my inner person. I receive the Spirit according to the abundance of the true character of God as He has granted it to me...just as every person in heaven and on earth gets their name from Him. I humbly bow to Him in recognition of His great power and movement throughout all of creation.

Next segment which is 17b-19: I can be filled up to completely full with God...without any room for anything else. This happens because I can know the love of Jesus which you cannot learn from a textbook. How do I learn the full expanse of this love, just as the holy ones did who came before me? By being rooted and grounded...sinking down so deep that I hit bedrock...in His love.

To link it back to the first segment, and if I can draw a correlation with nature...when the Love of Jesus is what I sink down into...when the very roots of my life are drawing up the lifeblood of His Love...when His Love courses through my veins utilizing the sustenance I need to run this race of endurance...when it passes through my soul and pushes out the toxic waste that life has allowed to seep into the fabric of my being...by the indwelt strength and power of the Spirit of God...my life becomes a transference...a release of pure...life giving oxygen, that quite frankly, our human race needs desperately.

Notice one thing: From beginning to end, I had nothing to do with it, save one thing...

All I had to do was sink down into His Love.

Amen!

More Thoughts On Pride

I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit puts lessons and wisdom together for me. After I posted a few days ago regarding pride, I've been asking myself, "If Paul writes that it is good to boast of our weaknesses, (see 2 Corinthians 11:30) then how do I remain humble?"

I want to glorify God and shout to the nations of His Love and amazing works...but how do I remember that it has nothing to do with me?

As I have been asking myself these questions, I remembered two things that recently happened. Of course  they fit perfectly into His teaching regarding pride.

The first, was that sometimes in our family, we belly laugh so hard that it embarrasses another member of the family. Laughter is good medicine. In fact, more and more research suggests just how potent it is. On occasion, the thing that makes our children laugh most is their parents' laughter. It occurred to me that taking myself too seriously could potentially even be unhealthy.

So I determined that I should strive to do one thing every day to embarrass myself...and hopefully my kids too!

Now, I don't want to be obscene or rude, demanding or unfeeling...but if singing a little louder in church, or doing a quick shimmy in the grocery store when an 80s song comes on helps me remember my place in life...then shake on baby!

The second thing that happened was that when I recently spoke in our women's Bible study, I did not allow myself to color my hair prior to speaking. I have been in desperate need of covering my gray, but throughout the preparation was hyper-aware that I should not touch up the color. I knew this was God reminding me to be authenticate. In fact, I did not want to purchase anything new to wear either...but was deeply concerned that the older women in our group could find offense from my holey...not holy...jeans. Funny thing though...I went to the Gap Outlet to get them as cheaply as I could and tried on six pairs before I could find one without strategically placed holes. Who knew simple living and humility could be trendy?!

Then today in my study, author Mary Englund Murphy described three different types of servants in the church. While I won't transcribe it all here, I was reminded that there are certain jobs that I have not sought out because they don't appeal to me.

Yes...there is the pride that still needs rooted out.

So today, I need to sign up for a job that I abhor and do it with love, compassion and joy.

After all my Saviour went through for me and the embarrassing lengths to which He would go to have relationship with me...there should never be any task below my station in life, should there?

Who North America- Indianapolis, Indiana

Whovians...and you know "who" you are...if you're in the Indianapolis area or soon will be, you must take a trip to Who North America. Sure you can order all things Doctor Who from their online store...

but where else can you see not only an entire room filled with a collector's exclusive items...

and rare autographed memorabilia...

and perhaps even a Transformer Tardis.

We were warmly greeted, shown the facility and left to explore on our own.

Me...the video game addict...simply had to play a few games of Doctor Who pinball...

even if I outright stunk at it!

There are treasures tucked in every corner...

and even up high...

you just never know what you'll see!

We were hoping the Doctor would let us in...

but had to settle for posing instead.

When wandering around the aisles of merchandise for sale, we were afraid to blink...

maybe.

But seriously...

if there is a Doctor Who item you want...

they probably have it.

Admission is free, but leave your wallet in the car if you don't want to spend any money. There were some sale and clearance items available too. I came away with a poster, two 1000 piece puzzles and a reusable shopping bag. Like Who North America's Facebook page to find out when they have scheduled Saturday open houses or participate in events like GenCon. Otherwise, if you contact Who North America via e-mail (found at the website link above), you can schedule an appointment like we did.

Geronimo! (or Allons-y! depending upon "Who" you prefer!)

Pride

Anyone near-abouts my age might have started humming "In the name of love". But that wasn't necessarily the direction I thought I was headed with this post.

Or is it?

You see, I've been thinking about pride...as in the kind that 'goeth before the fall'. (see Proverbs 16:18) At least that's what all of us who grew up in the church were told that we needed to guard against, almost more than anything I can remember...with maybe the exception of sex.

But several years ago, before our downwardly mobile lifestyle began, God's Spirit specifically whispered the word 'humility' to me. I knew at the time that humility was my next big lesson. I just didn't realize how humbled by my circumstances I could become. How could I have known? I couldn't...plain and simple.

And while I've read cute little sayings that remind us 'humility is one of those things that as soon as you think you have it...you've lost it,' God's clarifying humility a little bit more for me. Or rather, He's shining His light on some wisdom and discernment that myself and many others need to remember.

Here's what I've been noticing:  We are so concerned and hyper-aware that we do not want to be prideful...we are denying the glory to God for the things He has done!

Can I get an 'Amen!'?

Allow me to elaborate.

When I spoke in our Bible study recently, I shared with the ladies a Bible verse that perfectly describes me. "They shall eager utter (or bubble over with) the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness." (Psalm 145:7)

If you give me a chance, I am going to fill your ear with God's goodness and His righteousness. That is just who I am. I'm almost to the point where I simply can't help it anymore. For someone that used to be so terrified to speak up regarding Jesus and His workings in my life, it is nothing but Him that causes His goodness to just roll right off my tongue. I wish everything that came from my mouth were always as good as Him. (But that lesson is for another post)

There was another result of the lesson I taught on that day though (and with the help of Emily Freeman's book, A Million Little Ways)...I realized, this is what I was born to do! 

Sharing God's grace, the Love of Jesus and the discernment of the Holy Spirit either through home schooling, teaching a Bible study, writing a blog or growing a garden (yes...in my brain, it does apply!)...this is what makes me feel ALIVE! And I'm no longer going to apologize for it...sweep it under the rug...try to be something I'm not...or "humbly" shy away from acknowledging how God has gifted me.

Every part of my being is oozing with His goodness and I want everyone to know it! 

With the help of Freeman's book...which I can only read in small doses because it is chock full of godly wisdom...God's Spirit is helping me overcome the fear of my "first thoughts". I shouldn't downplay my gifts. And it is not pride that keeps me from doing so. How do I know this? Because James 1:17 tells us that "every good thing given and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Thus, if my heart is surrendered to serving God my Father and He chooses to use the gifts He's given me, it is not prideful to acknowledge the gift and, in turn, give Him the glory. I have even recently heard some people leading up to sharing something that they did...as clearly prompted by the Holy Spirit...and yet, quickly skip over the gift they were able to give away to someone in need! I completely understand that they did not want to sound prideful...but God is the giver of everything we have; He alone prompts us to be giving and kind (that does not come from our Enemy...ever!); and if someone is blessed by that gift...we should not shy away from giving Him the praise.

I will caution that Jesus told us to give in secret (see Matthew 6:4). As someone that has been the recipient of many generous gifts, I almost think this is more to protect the weaker one on the receiving end than to protect the giver from pride. This way, the recipient owes no one. There is no "one-upmanship". There is no burden lurking between the two parties involved. In other words, no strings attached. Also, as the giver, it frees me from taking any credit.

But, admittedly, when I am comfortable and have a rock solid relationship with the one to whom I am giving, I love being able to say, 'I hope we're beyond having to do the secret thing and that you know this didn't come from me. It's from God.' One of my dear friends said to me, upon receiving a gift from her, that she just didn't want any weirdness between us. With the confidence of the Holy Spirit, I could tell her, "No weirdness here. I didn't ask for the gift and it was prompted by the Holy Spirit...so thanks for being faithful to do it." See...God is worthy of the credit, not us.

What might this look like then?

Obviously, I'm assuming that we're not bragging about the gifts we've given to someone in need...directly to their faces. But I don't see any pride in admitting to a friend or companion in Christ that "God gave us this extra blessing and I am thankful He prompted us to share it." It also means living out daily what He leads us to do by the power of His Holy Spirit...and not shoving it aside because it doesn't seem "practical" or it looks "foolish". It's okay to say "I don't take credit for _________________ (Insert gift or talent here). It's what God is working out in me so that I can be the person He created me to be."

It's that simple. God is given the praise. I don't know about you, but I don't ever want the rocks to have to cry out in my place. (see Luke 19:28-40) I'm even beginning to think that when we don't acknowledge how God has gifted us, that is more evidence of pride than anything.

Is it not selfishness and pride that would cause us to deny gratefulness and thankfulness for God's gifts to us?

So here's where I'm at in my processing of this question, What makes me feel alive? Well, obviously, I feel most alive when I am doing, saying and living out the gifts God has innately programmed me to have. My continued existence is proof that there is still something He has left for me to do for His Kingdom that is on Earth as it is in Heaven.

I'm tired of being deceived by my Enemy into somehow believing that it's prideful to want to live out these gifts. I am, quite frankly, exhausted at shoving these gifts to the periphery of my life when God's Spirit keeps trying to draw them out to the forefront, which is precisely where they should be. It's a spiritual "tug of war" that I didn't even realize I was waging until this past month.

It's time, my friends! 

Time to start coming alive, live out the Vision God has for your life and to stop apologizing for it! Augustine is quoted as saying, "The glory of God is man fully alive." We all keep saying with our mouths that we just want to glorify God...I think it's about time our lives looked like it too!

Are you ready?

Go!

What Would It Be Like?

I acknowledge that my brain works a little "differently". That is to say...I question everything. You could surmise (and it has been said) that I'm a rebel. For some reason, God hardwired me to not only see the elephant in the room...but to ask the room full of oblivious people: Why the heck is there an elephant in the room and no one is doing anything about it?

Such is my life.

Now...I have happened to become quite comfortable with my hyper-analytical, logical and questioning self. But I recognize that it's not exactly easy for some people to share in my comfort. In fact, in the last few years, I've begun to notice that some people keep me at arms' length because I might discern a little bit too much. No...I am not going to point out the big, hairy mole on your nose...but I honestly don't understand how the Holy Spirit will sometimes lead conversations and bring thoughts to my head in a way that makes others want to squirm.

Believe me...I don't go seeking out these opportunities!

Keep that in mind as I share something I came across last week in the Bible study I'm doing. My brain is warped...and I'm not looking to pick a fight...I just don't want to back down from the proverbial elephant either.

I was reviewing the week's lesson to see if there was some material for blogging and this idea lept off the page. It follows fast on the heels of my Living the Vision mini-series. The entire study revolves around the life and lessons of Joseph, son of Jacob. [You can find a link at the bottom of the page.]

In the midst of our lessons regarding the betrayal of Joseph's brothers, author Mary Englund Murphy provides a column where we can list some things we think the world values versus what God values. (see page 62 of the study). On the day I read this, I specifically asked the Holy Spirit to give me some insight. Here's what I wrote-

The World Values:                                                 God Values:

Education                                                              Wisdom
Experience                                                             Passion
Great conquerors/competitors/heroes                   Humble servants
Power                                                                    Sacrifice
Indulge desires                                                      Delayed gratification

This is where I stopped, mainly because I ran out of space...but I think the list could go on much longer. And here's what I noticed...even most Christians I know are caught in the trap of the first column. I know I am!

It is so easy to place all of our faith in education and experience to pull ourselves up and out of less-than-optimal circumstances. But what if being savvy and wise and also passionate about life and work were valued just as highly.

If you think I'm blowing this out of proportion, then I'd love to have you analyze your opinion of fast food, retail and warehouse workers. I recently had a Christian hint to me that her summation of adults in one of these industries was that they must have made a "mistake" to be stuck there.

I almost blew up an entire post about this one...but I wasn't angry with the person for her comment and if she read it, I didn't want to make her feel bad. What absolutely frustrates me though is that even Christians have formulated castes and pecking orders to our society. I know I'm generalizing, but I think this person merely put words to a pervasive attitude that I have discerned.

*Why can't someone spend their life serving Jesus in a poor working class occupation, love people, be a light and live out redemption in an otherwise very dark place? Do we really only have to take a vow of poverty if we're going to go serve in a third world country? What if 'selling everything you had and giving it to the poor' (see Matthew 19:21) wasn't just your possessions...but also "selling" your idea of what it means to be successful...or "selling" your own comfort in order to give your very life away to the poor? Poor, financially yes, but the poor of spirit, soul and mind.

*What if, instead of obsessively following sporting events like the Super Bowl, Olympics or March Madness, we wagered our lives on humbling serving the people around us. What if your favorite "team", the ones that received our devotion and the one whose clothes and paraphernalia we purchased were the widows and orphans? Single moms, women rescued from trafficking, ministries that give to orphans and feed starving people...what if we bought the clothing they produce, the purses they make or jewelry they fashioned with their own hands. There are far too many organizations to mention here, but a few of my favorites are I Know Hope, It's Only Fair, Carabello Coffee and Hands Against Hunger. If you don't know where to start just contact me and I'll put you in touch with someone who can. I truly believe almost anything we buy could be purchased "smart" and with purpose. Maybe we could buy less and make it matter. I mean really? Does the NFL need one more dime of my money for their merchandise?

*What if, instead of glorifying the strong and powerful, like politicians and celebrities...we taught our children to look to those living sacrificially as role models? When a Disney kid grows up and goes rogue, or yet one more football player is arrested for brutality, wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to debrief our children? Wouldn't it be amazingly beautiful if their heroes were Mother Theresa, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pretty awesome Pope Francis? None of these people were (or are) perfect, but their contributions to humanity are astounding.

*What if, instead of buying whatever we want, whenever we want it, we set aside that desire long enough to seek the Holy Spirit's wisdom about whether we actually even need it or not? This is a huge struggle for me. When you live in the land of stupendously, outlandish plenty...why would you stop and ask if you even need to go to the store to buy that one ingredient that you're missing? Do we really need the latest iPhone, iPad, software update or gadget or are we allowing the marketing gurus of Madison Avenue to rule our very lives?

I guess basically I'm wondering if Jesus really meant what He said and if so...how come we're not living like it? If you read the Living the Vision series, you're probably sensing a theme here.

I may not know much...but I know when there's an elephant in the room and there's a humongous one lurking in most of our American-version-of-church lives: God, through Jesus, has shown us how He wants us to live, what our priorities should be, and why this life as we know it is not all there is.

In other words, we have been called out to be set apart...living lives of sacrificial love, peace and joy. Once again, I will ask so why aren't we living like it?

Winter 2014 Gardening Update

From left to right: lemon tree, recycled red onions, salad greens, recycled green onions, salad greens and pink chard

Since there is technically only one month left in winter, I thought I'd give you an update on how the indoor gardening has gone the first year. Overall, I'd give it a B+. If you're outside the U.S., I'd equate that to a modest success.

From left to right: lettuce bowl salad and recycled romaine lettuce.

It has been far from perfect, and I have not produced enough to completely replace any produce from the store. But I have been experimenting with recycling vegetables and it has gone fairly well.

I've also been able to supplement our purchase of greens slightly. With one full vegan (Abbey) and one attempting to convert...again (that would be me!)...we go through copious amounts of greens. My goal is to do an extended juice fast this May like I did in May 2013 and to harvest most of my greens directly from my patio or my friend's home where I'll also be gardening this spring.

In aquaponics tank, wheat grass, broccoli sprouts, basil and recycled celery in pot in foreground.

The aquaponics tank has not been the success that I had hoped. I have had one productive basil plant and can grow sprouts very well. Leaf lettuce just does not produce. I've also completely given up having a fish in the tank because they just kept dying. We do have a snail in it, but basically it is being used more hydroponically as I have to add bacteria occasionally to help the plants.

From left to right: lemon tree, recycled carrot top/greens, oregano, two pots of cilantro. Amaryllis bulb and sago palm in window sill.

If you visit our home, you'll see plants started everywhere now. The tomatoes and peppers have sprouted and I'm constantly starting new greens and herbs or recycling root vegetables. While the snow lingered longer than usual, the continuous gardening did help ease the winter "blahs" a bit.

Still...I have to confess that the dirt outside is calling my name and I am greatly looking forward to expanding to the patio and beyond!

p.s. The worms are doing great!

Living the Vision, part 6: Everything is Finished

**This is the last in a of a series of posts that are a more in-depth look at a lesson I recently taught to a group of women in our church. To read the additional posts, you can easily access them by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page or in the body of this text.**


Yes, it is finally coming to an end...sort of. See...I think this "Living the Vision"-thing is a lesson that never ends. When I shared how God is drawing me to "live like the vision is complete", it includes coming to Him daily and thanking Him that it is done, and asking Him to show me how to live like it...just for today. Today is enough to worry about, Jesus said. (see Matthew 6) I think He actually meant it, although it flies directly in the face of everything we have experienced in this life.

So to pull all of these posts together, I have taken a little longer to ponder and process for this final segment. It is by far the most potentially volatile and could conceivably be misconstrued on many different levels. Therefore, I am asking you not to take my word for it. Instead, go to the Holy Spirit and ask for His discernment. He has challenged us to
"...cry for discernment, 
Lift your voice for understanding; 
If you seek her as silver 
And search for her as for hidden treasure;
Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:3-5)

You also need to know up front that I despise "prosperity gospel" and "name it and claim it" heresy. The "power of positive thinking", might lower your blood pressure, but no where did Jesus equate blessings with wealth, happiness with stuff, or Christianity with an easy-street-pass for ever and ever. Amen!

With that disclaimer in mind, I still want to persuade you of something. This is why I used words like "revolutionary" to describe this "revelation" on how to approach God's will and even how I would pray.

The "thing" is this:
When the Holy Spirit lays a request or desire upon your heart for which to seek His will, wisdom or discernment...we should automatically accept that it is done!

Go ahead...think of something for which you have been praying. Ask these questions...

• Is it good?
• Is it within God's will?
• Can only good come from it?
• If I remember that God still gives visions and dreams; this world as we know it is not all there is and that God dwells in the fullness of time is there any reason why God couldn't complete this "thing" some day?

James teaches us that "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17) If only good will result from it...I can guarantee you the prompting is not from your Enemy. Again...I am not talking about stuff! We Americans have to stop thinking of prosperity, blessings, joy, and happiness in terms of wealth and stuff!

When I ask, "Is it within God's will?"...this isn't really as complicated as we make it either. I don't know how many times myself or others have absolutely agonized in prayer over someone's salvation. Is it God's will that a person be saved? Absolutely! If not, then Jesus died for nothing and His blood sacrifice was a waste.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us that, in fact, God wants everyone to come to repentance. Now...don't go around saying that I've become a universalist. Do I think everyone will be in Heaven? Actually, Scripture teaches that many will not. I am saying their salvation is complete. They still have the option to choose it or not.

But God also told us that if we delight in Him, He would give us the desires of our hearts. (see Psalm 37:4) As we delight in Him...His desires are reflected in our desires. If He lays upon my heart to pray for someone to seek a relationship with Him...I am 100% certain that for God...it is done!

We no longer have to agonize over if it's His will for someone to know Him. Instead...keeping the focus simple, as with the Vision for your life...when the Holy Spirit reminds us to pray for a person, we can confidently thank Him that "Joe's" (insert any name He leads you to) salvation is complete! It's done! Hallelujah!

The second part of that prayer is this...Now today Lord...draw them just one step closer to living like it! And then, when we see "Joe" being kind...or generous...or loving...or merciful...or forgiving...or anything that is good...recognize it, remember that "Joe" is on a Journey to becoming the soul God created Him to be and thank God for how you see Him working in "Joe's" life. Once again...I can guarantee none of those "good" attributes are anything "Joe" just drummed up out of the goodness of his own heart. No...Scripture also tells us twice that "every inclination of the human heart is evil." (see Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21) 

Do I think that all "good" people will get into Heaven? Bottom line...I am not God and I will never presume to decide who's in and who's out. What I do know is that Jesus said He is the way to the Father (see John 14:6) I just happen to believe that it absolutely does not matter how God chooses to bring a person to that conscious choice.

As humans created in the image of God, we just don't want anyone to suffer. But sometimes it takes great loss and great tragedy for a person to lean upon an Almighty God. Are we willing to walk through great suffering, loss and tragedy with someone...if it means they can spend eternity with their Saviour? Sometimes I think we want to make everything neat, tidy and pain free. But if someone had to endure pain and decimation in order to experience the full glory of God...wouldn't that be worth it? There is no fuller glory than knowing the redemption of a loving Saviour!

The other example I'll give is when we pray for a person's healing. I don't want to belabor the point, but suffice it to say no one has ever entered Heaven with a tumor on their back...or brain...or colon...or carried a congenital birth defect into eternity. And no matter how much we pray for healing in the now...none of us will be whole and healed until we stand before Jesus.

Can God heal in this life? Absolutely! Does He sometimes choose to do so? Again..a resounding "yes!" But we have to stop thinking that if we agonize in prayer just a little bit more...maybe He'll do it in regards to the loved one for which we pray. Too many parents are beating themselves up for not being faith-filled enough. And too many people begrudge a God that "chooses" not to heal them. 

If we can remember that this life as we know it is not all there is then when the healing occurs doesn't matter...because we know it will!!! Again...God dwells in the fullness of time so for Him your healing is complete...now for today...what do we need to do to live like it?

I would never belittle another person's pain. I also know there are parents with children for whom their prognosis gives great uncertainty as to what their future can hold. I just know that when I am praying as the Holy Spirit leads...I can confidently pray that for Him, that person is healed. But even better...there will be a day when I get to hear the story of how God healed them and how His presence was so real during their illness that they knew He was near.

For me, it does not matter if I hear their story in this life...or the life to come. I will hear it!

And Beautiful Beloved...you will one day have that amazing child look you in the face and tell you how they always knew you were there and they never missed one minute of what you did to love and serve them. And that parent or grandparent that right now struggles to remember your name will very soon sit across the table from you and remind you of your patience, care and joy during the journey of their slow decline.

You see...for God...there is only healing.

I've got to wrap this up, but thank you for hanging with me. I pray you do seek God's wisdom in regards to not only the Vision He has for your life...but how to live it out for today. But more than that...my prayer is that we can boldly and confidently believe Him. Instead of laboring painstakingly to effectively pray and drum up the faith to make the prayers come to fruition and agonizing over when and how the results will be revealed...we can embrace that for God, His will is already complete.

So why aren't we living like it???

*******************************

I would delight in hearing how God works this out in you and draws you closer into discovering His Kingdom is already at hand. Feel free to leave me a comment and allow me the joy of rejoicing with you! Amen!

********************************

See also the other posts in the "Living the Vision" series:

Part 1, God Still Gives Visions and Dreams

Part 2, This Life As We Know It...

Part 3, God Dwells in the Fullness of Time

Part 4, The Vision is Complete

Part 5, How Do I Live Like the Vision is Complete?

Living the Vision, part 5: How Do I Live Like the Vision is Complete?

**This is part of a series of posts that are a more in-depth look at a lesson I recently taught to a group of women in our church. To read the additional posts, you can easily access them by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page or in the body of this text.**



If you're still hanging with me through all of these posts, then God bless you...you are a trooper! While they've almost turned into a mini-book, instead of just a series of posts, I can't help but dream of how God is going to use this to speak to someone who needs to hear this:  God does have a Vision for your life...and...if you are attempting to let the Holy Spirit lead your life...you are most likely living it!

If we truly embrace, believe, seek, live out and embody this truth, what Holy Spirit power could He unleash upon your corner of the world? I said to our Bible study group, 'What if we all started chasing our dreams?'

I can only imagine the resulting beauty of lives that glorify the Creator that designed them for His specific purposes. Wow! Are you as excited at the possibilities as I am?

In last night's post, I promised to share some specific examples of how God has been living out the Vision in me since He brought together this revolutionary way of viewing His will. I know "revolutionary" is a huge word...but I am limited by words and can think of none more appropriate than one defined as "radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc." ( see dictionary.com)

Within five minutes of comprehending what God's Spirit was showing me on that night in early November, I took out a piece of notebook paper and made a list of how I could live like the Vision was complete. It wasn't a check list. It was a way for me to quickly put down on paper the reality and practicality of what He was teaching me.

The next morning, as Holy Spirit had instructed me to do, I woke up and said, "Thank you that the Vision You have for my life is complete. Now show me today how to live like it."

I will not deceive you into believing that every time I pray this prayer that I have an instant answer. Perhaps for the first morning though, God wanted to give me assurance that the lesson He'd shown me wasn't just my imagination. I don't know the mind of God or how He chooses to work in us, I just know that first morning when I asked, this one phrase came to mind:  Google...compost!

I know...not exactly what you'd expect God to say to someone looking for divine insight. But my beautiful Abba knows me better than anyone else ever could and here's the little bit of beautiful that He wanted me to know that morning:

Last spring when I was juicing for several weeks, I hated throwing out all of that pulp day after day. Multiple times I said to myself, or out loud, "I just wish I knew someone that composted so I could give this to them." I even considered filling a bucket and then posting on Facebook that I'd deliver it to the first taker.

Next, as I spent excessive amounts of dollars buying potting soil for my patio garden, I had vowed that I would no longer dump it in the yard off the patio like I have for several summers prior. I had promised myself that I would keep it and find a way to amend it and reuse it.

That morning, when the Holy Spirit nudged me to "google compost"...it blessed me in a way that I'm not sure I can adequately express. Basically...He knew what would get my heart pumping and move me passionately one step deeper into living out this Vision.

So I immediately googled "apartment composting".  [Okay, I have to chase a rabbit trail momentarily for two reasons:  Number 1- I never even thought composting in an apartment would be possible, and Number 2- I have Google's new ad campaign, "Even God uses Google!" Rabbit trail...done.]

The websites that first popped up were about vermicomposting. Yes, that's where the idea for The Wormery began! Oh...but there's more!

I had attempted a worm bin in our home the last summer we were in it. But guess what...it was too cold in our garage. And yet, an apartment setting is perfect for vermicomposting. And, just the week before, I had felt compelled to purge more stuff once again. It's a fairly common occurrence when you live in a small space with six people. But here's the funny part...I had emptied out exactly four bins...and three of them fit perfectly inside one another and could now be used for the wormery.

Don't tell me God wasn't planning this lesson all along.

Ha! He amazes me!

What's more, is that over the next six weeks, I had a friend ask me to participate in Donald Miller's Storyline program which is essentially living your part of God's story. I equate this with living out His Vision for my life. I also had a friend give me a beautiful book that I mentioned as a prelude to this entire series of posts. A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman is a guide to "uncover the art you were made to live." So far, she's been teaching me to trust my first thoughts, get back to becoming whom I was created to be and living out the dreams and desires God has innately planted within me. I don't think my friend could possibly have been aware how impeccably timed her gift could be.

What I quickly began to realize is that knowing God's Vision, because I know the things that I'm passionate about and make me feel alive, provides the ultimate filter for how I should spend my time, energy and resources. That's not to say that I'll never be involved in an activity that is about neither growing people nor plants. But I hope you can see that this is a very broad umbrella under which many wonderful pursuits can fall.

I have to be careful though. I could easily attempt to manipulate a "good idea" into the Vision, when it really doesn't belong. Therefore, the ultimate filter is prayer and the discernment of the Holy Spirit. I swiftly had a lesson in this as well.

I have a friend that is doing a phenomenal business with a networking product that is healthy and provides great compensation. I had been tempted repeatedly to dive in to the business venture with her. As I saw her soar, I kept thinking this would be a great way to provide income to help out our family. I went so far as to tell her I would start after the holidays as long as I could get some friends to line up parties with me before I started. All six of the people I contacted turned me down or did not reply.

I was a little stung at first, but when I went to God with it and truly understood that this wasn't in His Vision for me...even though I could have manipulated it into saying I would be "teaching" and "encouraging" others...I felt complete peace about turning down the offer. No less than 20 minutes after making that final decision, a good friend offered to let me garden at her place this year...thus, expanding my gardening possibilities. And...gardening together, so we can have our chat time around something we both enjoy doing!

Can we say, instant reward for sticking to the Vision?

I was completely stunned.

I will not promise you that there will always be instant results like this. I just know that one of the driving thoughts I had when toiling over the business opportunity was that my time for friends, family and gardening would be greatly restricted if I poured myself into it like I should. With my friend's gardening offer, I was thrilled I hadn't tied up any time into the business.

There are no less than five other examples of how living the Vision has manifested itself in ways I could not have imagined. One of them was teaching the ladies in our Bible study this very lesson last week. God is amazingly good, isn't He?

But here's the word of caution I have for you: Your Enemy doesn't want you to "get" this.

You see...if you actually believe that God has big plans for your life, even if it is in "a million little ways"...and you start living like it...I can guarantee you Satan is doing everything in his power to keep it from happening. I know for myself that fear is the biggest weapon in his arsenal.

I should dedicate a post to this all on its own, but I have at least one more planned and I think I'm pushing the limit with six already. A seventh dedicated to fear might just throw you over the edge.

So, in a nutshell, I'll share this and please know that I'm not attempting to skirt the issue: For all of January, I was highly distracted. I wasted more hours that month than in the previous six months combined. I kept blaming it on the weather, hibernation mode, telling myself it was okay because it's the first January I haven't worked in five years and many, many other excuses. But I picked up Freeman's book again on that that day in January and realized that although I'd set it aside for a month, God had it waiting for precisely when I needed it.

See...I think what had happened was that I'd had just a taste of what it meant to come alive...and my Enemy used that to scare the crap out of me.

I wasn't even fully aware that I was afraid. I think I also just needed more time to process and digest this revolutionary way of living. I'm a tad ADD and get easily overwhelmed with the "big picture" of trying to figure out every minute detail. It is completely against my nature to live day by day.

But that's precisely what God had been showing me and when I actually lived it out, His Vision was popping up all around me like daisies in the snowy hillside of my life. It sort of freaked me out because it all seemed too good to be true!

In Freeman's book, I realized that it's normal to fear because that's what we've been told all of our lives. If you had parents and families that supported your every dream...then you have been truly blessed. For most of us though, "You can't do___________", "How can you make money at that?", "Is that realistic?", and sometimes worse, "You're stupid if you think you can do____________". I don't know, maybe the worst is actually apathy that offers no response at all to your dreams. No wonder we've all believed the lie that we can't live out our passions, visions and dreams.

But see, here's something that I just realized while typing that last paragraph...we were all raised by dreamers. They simply never believed they could live them out and the thought of you doing it probably terrified them. Does that mean you have to listen and act according to the lie, too?

Absolutely not!


*****************************************

If you'll stick around for one more post that I'll publish in the next day or two, I hope to convince you that these principles apply to every desire God lays upon your heart! Don't believe me? Come back and let me try to persuade you.


Part 1: God Still Gives Visions and Dreams
Part 2: This Life As We Know It...
Part 3: God Dwells in the Fullness of Time
Part 4: The Vision is Complete

Living the Vision, part 4: The Vision is Complete

**This is part of a series of posts that are a more in-depth look at a lesson I recently taught to a group of women in our church. To read the additional posts, you can easily access them by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page or in the body of this text.**



Earlier today, I shared with you my wrestling with and final acceptance of this idea God had been growing in me: For Him, the Vision He has for my life is already complete.

When I spoke out loud that I believed Him and that it was, in fact, truth...He whispered something to my soul that I pray I'll never forget. No sooner had the words, "Okay...I believe You. For You the Vision is complete," left my lips, than I heard the Voice as clearly as if He were visibly in the room,

Then why aren't you living like it?



This is why I said in this morning's post that the" fun began". What happened next is something a dear friend of mine calls a "direct download". It's an idea that comes to you by way of the Holy Spirit. It is full, complete and scripturally sound. It is good and needs nothing else added to it. He helps you understand it in about a moment's time...but it takes 30 minutes (or multiple posts!) to explain it. And sometimes...it's so HUGE that you have difficulty even putting words to it. Obviously, I've found the words. But it's taken over two months to find them.

This "light bulb moment" was when He revealed to me that not only was the Vision complete for Him...but I have in fact been living it out for as long as I can remember.

If you recall from the first post a few days ago, the Vision God has for my life is this:  Some day...I would have a place where I can grow things, teach others to grow things, and a place where the "weary traveler" can come, put up their feet, rest, be nourished, encouraged, grown in wisdom, discernment and knowledge, for however long it takes for them to be sturdier on the feet God gave them."

In this "download" that I spoke of, Holy Spirit was flooding me with memories and affirming that for the last 18 years, wherever I have lived, I have been growing trees, shrubs, berries, tomatoes, greens, and on and on and on. I had already become so passionate about it, that my patio garden off of our apartment has increased each summer. There are multiple posts on this blog to verify it.

I had even become so obsessed with growing our own food, that I had purchased an aquaponics tank, had been diligently researching hydroponics, had brought in numerous spinach and salad greens plants for the late fall and was in the process of purchasing grow lights to continuously garden throughout the winter. If you follow me on Twitter, you've seen the photos.

But, the "download" went on...He reminded me of a wonderful single mom friend of mine, who for some unexplained reason had started wanting to spend time with me on a regular basis this fall. She stops by almost every other week. I feed her healthy, homemade food (sometimes Abbey cooks for her too!) and she sits at my table for a few hours and pours out her heart. I listen. I try to encourage her. I challenge her and she challenges me. Mostly, we help each other grow and we encourage each other to find God in everything. And when one of us can't really find where He is in a given situation, the other brings a better perspective on how we might see Him.

Here's the point of all of this...I was so preoccupied with trying to figure out when and where God was going to make this happen...that I was missing the fact that the Vision was already taking place!

Over the course of the next week, the idea of something already being done or completed for God that we are waiting on was confirmed by no less than three different sources.

The final part of this "download" was freedom.

I no longer need to pray "if" this Vision is God's will or "please God, help me not to miss it" or any other number of angst-ridden pleas to see the Vision come to fruition. Instead, I can wake up each morning and pray confidently a prayer of thanksgiving. Thank You God, that the Vision you have for my life is complete. That's the first part.

But the second part of the prayer is just as simple...Now today Lord, show me how to live like it.

Notice, I only pray for today. Since the Vision is complete and currently taking place...I need only be concerned with today. It's not my responsibility to worry about where the Vision will lead or end up...only how to be faithful to living it out in the now. I have experienced that this also opens me up to see, hear and understand more readily how He is fulfilling this Vision in me.

I was absolutely ecstatic over the next few days to share this with anyone who would listen. A few people were receptive, but I recognize now that it's just a whole lot to take in all at once. I have to confess...I was blown away...and I wanted everyone else to experience the same thing I did. I had a few friends chew on it and come back later for more conversation about living out the Vision. But before this, I have to admit that I had a bit of an overwhelmed-brain effect taking place.

It was almost like it was too much to process and it had to soak in slowly over the following weeks. I was even beginning to think that maybe I was just a little too eager to believe in the Vision and was blowing this "revelation" up to be a lot bigger than it really was. Then, a sweet friend simply said, 'I want to hear more about this...because it's huge. What you're talking about is Kingdom living now and that's pretty big.'

And if last Thursday's response from the ladies in our Bible study is any indication...we are all hungry...no, I'll go so far as to say...we are all starving to know, without any doubt, that God not only has a Vision for our lives...but that we can live it now!




So that's where I'll leave it for the present. In the next post, I'll share some specific examples of how God has been living out the Vision in me.


See also:
Part 1: God Still Gives Visions and Dreams
Part 2: This Life as We Know It...
Part 3: God Dwells in the Fullness of Time

Living the Vision, Part 3: God Dwells in the Fullness of Time

**This is part of a series of posts that are a more in-depth look at a lesson I recently taught to a group of women in our church. To read the additional posts, you can easily access them by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page or in the body of this text. **

I've already shared with you that about three to four years ago, God gave me a vision that I wholeheartedly believe He will fulfill someday...in this life or in the life to come. Yet, at the time He clarified this vision in me, our physical lives looked nothing like it.

Since receiving this "plan" from Him, I have been content to wait upon His timing because of the confidence that it would one day transpire...even if I had to wait for Jesus' return. In the past, though, I would have constantly been looking for potential homes, properties or other opportunities to finagle my way into making God's plan happen in my timing...not His. I take no credit for the growth of my life in this area. It is completely His doing.

Every time the Vision has come to mind, I have been content to wait, or follow His leading. I like to call it "whispers and glimmers" of a hope from God's Spirit that one day, this Vision would become reality. I have always been thrilled to receive these little reminders or confirmations that He is still heading me down the path toward this Vision.

Such was the case in late October and early November 2013. Those little stirrings were coming up again and I followed the path I was certain He was laying out before me. Besides, it just made wonderfully perfect economic sense to buy a cheap home, even if it needed a lot of renovations, than to continue to pay up to two times the amount in rent every month.

So we started to do the usual things, like contact a realtor, look at a few properties and make inquiries into financing. We thought we were at a place in our lives when buying a house would be a viable option. To be honest, the homes we were looking at, even our realtor was scared to enter. But I have always believed, God can bring beauty out of any ashes.

Then the door was slammed shut. At least for another year or more.

Now...how I would normally respond to such news would be to spiral downward into a very dark place, consumed with my hyper-analytical spin on over-assessing my motives, my discernment of the Spirit's leading, not to mention the guilt and shame that would consume me in regards to past events that we had little to no control over. What does this look like? Well, it's not pretty, let me tell you. It would have been an obsessive tirade of questions like:

Did I misunderstand You?
Was this all just my imagination running wild?
Did I miss a sign?
Did I not follow You when You led in a different direction?

This could have gone on for months. And could ultimately lead to the question at the root of all the doubt:
Why did You dangle this "carrot" in front of me, only to yank it away when I thought it was just within my reach? 

Resentment toward God could have very easily set in.

But...I believe...divinely timed while I was in the Beth Moore Bible study of Believing God...when I am being reminded every week to believe BIG, pray BIG and believe that "God is who He says He is and God will do what He says He can do"...upon receiving what could have been soul-crushing news...I spoke out loud to Him that I would not stop believing Him and I claimed that I knew the Vision He has for my life would one day become reality.

Within a few hours time, I had relayed the information to my husband and uncharacteristically did not regurgitate all of my mental processing out loud to him. I think he was a bit bewildered at only receiving the facts. Just a few minutes later, after he'd left the room, I sat alone with the Holy Spirit and again affirmed that I believed Him and the Vision He had given me.

What happened next are precious moments during which I can recall nothing physically that was taking place, but His Spirit was so close and so real that I remember every Word He whispered and every Hope He instilled.

First He reminded me of the verse He has repeatedly given to me in regards to this Vision. It has been taped on my bathroom mirror since at least August 2011. I have blogged about this verse (see Wait For It...Oh Snap! and A Heavy Heart) and have prayed it and claimed it time and time again. But just that week prior, Beth Moore had taught me to not only pray it, but speak it out loud. Because Scripture is the divinely inspired Word of God, to speak it out loud is to speak with His authority and power.

That night, I needed some Spirit-infused power.

I spoke the following out loud:

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3)

In the way that only He can do, that night He led me to notice all of the timing references. And then He reminded me that He dwells in the fullness of time. This is how the blood sacrifice of Jesus was once for all...past, present and future.

I've understood this..I think...for awhile. But that night, He made it real. What I knew He was speaking to my soul is this:  When He thinks of me, or when He sees the Vision He has for my life, or in His "minds' eye"...honestly, I don't know what words to put on this idea because I am limited by words.

However you say it doesn't matter. What matters, is that for Him the Vision for my life is already done!

It's complete.

There is nothing more that needs added to it.

This hit me full on and I knew there was no going back. So once again, I claimed His promise and Vision out loud and said:

Okay...I believe You. For You the Vision is complete

And that's when the fun began...



Come back in a day or two to find out what He did next. It's not that I want to leave you hanging. It is just so BIG that to do it justice requires a few posts all its own.


**************************

For more in this series:
Part 1- God Still Gives Visions and Dreams

Part 2- This Life as We Know It...

Living the Vision, Part 2: This Life As We Know It...

I hope by this point, we can believe that God still gives visions and dreams.

But more than this, we can be confident that they will come to fruition. How can I know this and state it audaciously? For this simple reason:

This life as we know it...is not all there is!

I explored this theme about two years ago in a few different posts. (see Heaven, Heaven is For Real, and Becoming Heaven-Minded) God's vision for my life doesn't have to take place in this lifetime. As Randy Alcorn states in his book Heaven, I will have all of eternity to live out adventures, travel, learning new things and refining old talents. I don't know about you, but missed opportunities have a lot less hold on me when I know I have a "lifetime still to come" to live out my dreams and desires.

As a financially-challenged, homeschooling mama who hasn't been able to afford all of the music lessons, foreign language software and cultural experiences that our world tells are absolutely pertinent to developing well-rounded individuals, Alcorn's biblically-substantiated promise that my children will have all of eternity to learn how to play Bach...and Bach will continue to compose!...brought more relief than words can express.

For some unexplainable, God-given reason...Africa has always had a special place in my heart. I know it is a massive continent, and I love it all! Before I had even surrendered to this promise that there is more than this current life, I was already being drawn to Africa...so much so, that one year for school, all four of my children and I went through an African history unit study that I enjoyed immensely. Because of God's promise that there is more than this life, I can now, guarantee you that one day, I will step foot on African soil. It may be the refined, perfected Africa after Christ has returned to establish His Kingdom on the New Earth...but it will happen.

This is precisely the same reason why I can know, beyond any doubt that someday I will "have a place where I can grow things, teach others to grow things and a place where the "weary traveler" can come, put up their feet, rest, be nourished, encouraged, grow in wisdom, discernment and knowledge, for however long it takes for them to be sturdier on the feet God gave them."

In other words, it doesn't matter when...because I know it will...happen.

Now...I can live at peace and not attempt to manipulate, connive and maneuver my way into making something happen in my timing, because I have all of eternity to see it come to fruition. And the most beautiful part is that if it doesn't happen until the New Earth...it will be a perfected, whole and holy completion of the vision...just as God always intended it to be from the very start.

Each of the three lessons God had been growing in me were wonderful, beautiful and amazing in their own way. But this one was freeing.

No more regrets over missed opportunities. No longer did I need to grieve that I'd been "wasting my life". The talents I've been given in the here and now, that no one seemed interested in using...will be utilized perfectly in God's Kingdom on the New Earth.

One such example is that I'm a singer. I have to guard against pride yes, but I also need to acknowledge that God gave me a pretty good singing voice. Yet, for some reason (possibly to protect me from my pride!), I have been in church after church in my lifetime where this talent was not one that was needed. This stung, hurt and disappointed me for many, many years. The pattern always seemed to be that there would be a plea put out for musicians, I would respond, it would take 6-12 months for someone to get back in touch with me, I would sing a few times over a couple months' period and then the person designated as "in charge" of the musicians would leave, be demoted or a new director would be hired. This cycle was repeated so many times in the last 25 years that with our move to First Church of Christ two years ago, I told my husband that I would never seek to sing in any church again, no matter where we went...the rejection was just too painful. [Full disclosure: last summer, I did offer to be a part of the music program at FCC, but when they followed up with me in just a few short weeks, I could never bring myself to move forward with it.] All of that to say, I am now 45 and I realize it's only a few years until my voice probably will be too wobbly to use in a public setting anyway.

Of course my Enemy has used this to beat me up with the fear that I've "wasted" the gift and "squandered" any chance of using it. [Why I never chose to pursue it professionally has escaped me to this day. I think a combination of not thinking I was good enough and no support when I was younger, encouraging me to pursue it. But that's an entirely different therapist's session to glean the lessons in that part of the story.] In this example though...God has brought freedom to me and the knowledge that on the New Earth...He will use the voice He's given me. Even if it's only for an audience of One...it will be worth the wait, right?

Now...in this moment, I think it's interesting just how much I've shut down that musical part of myself. So much so, that I don't even see it as part of the Vision He has for my life. Funny how discouragement and doubt affect us, isn't it? But what I do know...is that He gave us each of our talents and gifts for His divine purpose and maybe on the New Earth my official title will be the Singing Encouraging Gardener.

That's a title I could live with!

I hope you embrace fully the beautiful promise that this life as we know it, is not all there is! Please plumb the depths of it. I believe one of our Enemy's greatest weapons is deceiving us into thinking it can't get any better than we've already got it. Oh...but it can...and it will.

******************************************

For more in this series, see Part 1 God Still Gives Visions and Dreams