fearless safety

When Abba is our desire when we keep Him at the center of our lives, nothing in the world can successfully come against us. He will cover and protect and provide for us. His desire for us is to be able to come and sit at His feet, a place of safety, when we are there fear has no place in our lives. He gives us victory!

Psalm 27:1-14 "The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music. Hear me as I pray, OLORD. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, OGod of my salvation! Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Teach me how to live, OLORD. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD."

vomitted into your destiny

When I first committed my life to Christ one of the first Christian men I met was this guy named Leon, he was a stocky concrete guy, you could tell he had been through stuff, but he had a light in his eyes that I can still see. I shared a little of what I had recently gone through that got me on my knees. He simply put his arm around me, smiled and said sometimes we need to hit bottom before you look up. It was so simple and so freeing. 
When we run from our calling and destiny, it is like running into the deep dark places that cause us to hit bottom and when we choose to cry out to Abba He is quick to forgive and to set us on the shore of our destiny...
Jonah 2:6-10 "I went down to the bottoms and the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. Those who pay regard to false, useless, and worthless idols forsake their own [Source of] mercy and loving-kindness. But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord! And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."

salvation soapbox

I have been seeing and hearing a lot lately about our light shining into darkness. I think however that in in order for our light to shine the brightest that we need to have a good understanding of salvation and our condition before and after. Ephesians 2 gives us that. Did you know that on average most Christians will lead more people to Christ within the first three years of their salvation than through the rest of their walk. Two things are factors in this. First is that their experience is fresh and exhilarating and the "have" to share it and then secondly, the sad part really, is that they get sucked into programs and service to the church and lose sight of that initial excitement and zeal. I believe the lack of discipleship that happens is a disservice to new believers instead of learning how to mature their excitement and continuing a deep relationship with Christ, they are generally reduced to religious robots. This pattern I feel is starting to be broken, I believe that in order for the church to fulfill the great commission it needs to shift its focus from building a building and getting people to come to it to support it, to going out and making disciples and partnering with Jesus in building His kingdom.


AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins In which at one time you walked [habitually]....
http://bible.us/Eph2.1-22.amp

how's your love

Abba's love is what its all about, He gives it so we we can share it. Others should know who we are by seeing how we love others and each other inside the body. We should be radical lovers for Abba.
John 13:34-35 "I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]."

27 years... and the adventure has just begun

I was thinking this morning when we bother mentioned how our life together has been an adventure and it.made me smile. It made me think of the girls whenever they had an opportunity to discover something new even if it was something in Grandma's backyard how they called it going on an adventure or climbing on hay bales and exploring old barns or when Bug would go to that little hill of dirt covered with trees in the park and he was excited about his adventure in the woods.  I look at how simple those adventures were and compare that to some of ours, ya we have had a few "big" adventures, but seems like the little ones the simple ones are the ones that have brought the most joy. I guess to some finding something new in Grandma's backyard would seem boring and a waste of time, I think they have no sense of what true adventure is. They haven't figured out that sometimes the simple things are the ones that matter the most. I appreciate our little adventures, our times discovering new things about the world around us, each other, and our walk with Abba. I love that we can laugh at pretty much anything. I thank Doug Smith for helping to release laughter in me and for not letting it get bottled up again. In Proverbs 18:22 it says: "The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD." I say when that treasure is also a partner in an adventurous life he has received double favor and blessings.
I really believe that our adventures have just begun and that Abba has some things ahead of us that are new and exciting.... Here's to the future
I love you!

transparent

This doesn't need much expounding. We just need to be transparent with Abba so He can forgive, lead and guide.

Psalm 32 "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"

never ceases to excite

So there is something that happened at prayer last night, that never ceases to excite me. It was one of those moments where you could see that God was showing someone some stuff about the person that was getting prayed for, and after pulling them aside and talking to them about what they're hearing you say "you need to share that" and they say" I don't know how" and you tell them to just simply share what God put on their heart and trust the Holy Spirit with the rest.  And they do it and the Spirit moves and its really cool and people are blessed. I always love seeing people being released and that Abba allows us to be a part in it. 

In Ephesians 4:11-12 it says that it is our job to equip others to minister. "Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ."
Who are you equipping, discipline and loving on?