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Your Limitations CANNOT Limit Your God . . . Just Give Him Your Lunch!

21 Feb

The Mephibosheth blog post was a public declaration of sorts.  A kind of notice that I am going to spend a year at the King’s Table with hopes of coming to know my God in a deeper and more passionate way.  Are you familiar with the expression “I bring nothing to the table?”  Well, for this particular occasion truer words were never spoken.  But, in spite of my nothing to offer, I am pulling up my chair and leaning in close.

I’ve been keeping a little journal of the days.  Wanting to have a record of the miracles of God and to have a tangible proof of the transformation I am certain He is going to bring about in my heart.  I fully felt His good pleasure and favor fall on me on Day One as He brought Psalm 66 to life through a beautiful long distance worship experience with my Sweet Florida Girl.  (If you want to read about His in-depth involvement I’ve posted my journal page here.)

But it was on Day 2 that God really spoke to my heart and gave me assurance for the days at the King’s Table to come.  What beautiful words – that I’m certain I’ve read many times before but this was day He had appointed me to see them with my heart for the very first time. . . Matthew 9:36

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (ESV)

Sister, I can’t speak for you but I have spurts in life when I feel a little harassed and a lot helpless and the idea that Jesus has compassion on me in that state is beautiful to me.  And I love the plain language of the thing.  It just hits my soul like cool water.

Matthew 9:36

So a day and one-half had passed and the seat at the table felt pretty comfortable—a heart-to-heart mother/daughter worship paired with a new soul discovery.  I only had about four hours left until bed time and then I could begin Day Three.  So much can happen in four short hours and the “pretty comfortable chair” can quickly become uncomfortable.  Like leather on a hot summer day when you’re wearing shorts.

Have you ever encountered a situation when you’re uncertain how you should handle it and so maybe out of habit or maybe because it’s what you know, you just plow ahead doing what you’ve always done?  That’s where I found myself – not out and out rebellion because I began very measured and careful.  But I soon heard myself choosing to serve my own agenda rather than surrender to love – and very quickly those four short hours before bedtime became somewhat nightmarish in my own mind.

If the blog has not clued you in to this, I like to share life and I like to talk – that gets me into trouble sometimes.  God has done such a mighty work in me and really refined what I say and how I say it, but there are still times when that weakness, that desire to share my opinion, rears its ugly head and bites me.  The evening of Day Two was just such an occasion.

Please keep in mind that God has drawn my attention on so many occasions to the verses that make it plain that it’s the fool who is quick to share what she believes to be wisdom without consulting the One Who truly is wise . . .Proverbs 18:2

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. (ESV)

And even if I have hashed the thing over with Him and feel it settled in my own mind and heart, that doesn’t mean He’s given me the permission to shout it from the roof tops . . . Romans 14:22

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. (NIV)

What I see with those two verses, one in the Old Covenant and one in the New, is that I’m best to sometimes keep what I think to myself.  And in this instance, I didn’t feel as if I heeded God’s exhortation very well.

Those around me weren’t offended and I did offer apology but I still didn’t sleep well that night. I poured my heart out in confession but I was still left with this twisted stomach and I’m going to just say it – SHAME – in the pit of my heart.  All of that serpent talk was whispering in my head, “you did this again?” . . .”God is so disappointed in you” . . . Talk about feeling a little harassed and a lot helpless.

Now you know and I know that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and true repentance means restoration for the soul. Freedom in His Name–It’s my greatest joy.

But no matter how I prayed, I couldn’t get my heart to match up with what my head knows to be true and that sick feeling just sort of sat there.

So, I started asking God to show me how this instance was fitting in with everything else He seems to be about the business of doing in my life.  And in His faithfulness, He spoke to me – slowly so I could understand!

He reminded me of the places we had been in Scripture the past few weeks and of the ache I had professed to Him to see others be in awe at His miracles. That’s supposed to be what miracles do — point to the greatness of God and leave us slack-jawed at His goodness and His power.  I had prayed to inspire people to want the transformation that only Jesus brings about and I had prayed to fall more deeply in love with my Savior.  I guess I just really hadn’t anticipated that for others to see the transformation that this year at the King’s Table will bring about in me – they have to know the starting point.  Ouch!  And perhaps I needed a reminder as well.

I pray for myself consistently to guard against a haughty attitude . . . Isaiah 5:21 Isaiah 5:21

What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. (NLT)

I ask God to bless me with a humble heart and contrite spirit so I can make Him proud of the way I share His Glory and His Word . .  . Isaiah 66:2Isaiah 66:2

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. (NIV)

See how true it is that I don’t bring much to the table?  But even though it isn’t much, I’m offering it up and asking God to bring about a mighty change and I’m trusting that He will.  Not based on me, but based on Him.

I write it all the time because nothing has made me more certain of the Rock underneath my feet . . .I trust Him because my God does not change and my Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He’s faithful to Himself.  Who He has been is Who He is.  And the Who of Him will NOT give up on me . . .Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (ESV)

2 Kings 4 is all about God doing much with little.  Familiar accounts of the woman’s oil that never runs out and the raising of the wealthy woman’s son.  It’s all Him providing in unexpected ways and bringing life from death and tucked into two verses is, what seems to me to be an arrow pointing straight to the New Testament and our God wearing skin . . . 2 Kings 4:42-44

42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. (ESV)

Sound familiar?  Cross over the Covenant Line and join Jesus on the Mountain. You could choose any of the Gospels, they all record the miracle they witnessed that day.  I’m choosing Matthew just because that’s where I am reading right now. . . Matthew 14:15-20

15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (ESV)

God took the small amount given and HE made miracles happen.  The limited amount He received placed no limitation on the blessing that He gave.  We simply cannot confine the miraculous.

And here’s a detail John shares that Matthew, Mark, and Dr. Luke do not – the five loaves and 2 fish belonged to a boy in the crowd . . . John 6:8-11

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. (ESV)

Christ took the boy’s lunch, gave thanks and distributed it to “those who were seated” – He transformed famine to feast.  The ones sitting at His feet brought “nothing to the table” but they walked away filled by His goodness.

A Sweet Sister asked me recently, “Bunny, will you give God your lunch?”  She was referring to this very passage.  At the time, I chalked it up to the things in the long string that I talked about in The Invitation blog post beckoning me to pull up a seat at the King’s Table.  But I think, now that I have returned an RSVP of “Yes Lord,” that I’m beginning to see the question a little more clearly and in the process, maybe part of the answer as well.

I don’t have to bring much to the table.  But what I have, I need to be willing to give to Him and trust Him to multiply the ordinary in Extraordinary ways.  He will not be limited by my limitations.  Isn’t that beautiful?

And I can’t hide the miracle transformation.  For people to praise God for the transformation, they need to know the less-than that He started with.  So I’m not glad that I repeated those old patterns, but I am thankful that God has shown me this early in the journey that  if I will give Him my lunch, He will turn my famine to feast.  He’ll take my not much and make miracles with it.  That’s who He is and it’s what He does.

God loves to bring the Miracle More from our much less.

Sisters, I have to tell you, if the first three days are any indication of what will be distributed to the “one who is seated”, then at this point I am certain that I have no idea of the depth of the transformation that is going to take place.  No idea of the Miracle More He has in mind to bring from the much less that I am offering Him.

So may I be so bold as to ask if you have pulled up your own chair?  Have you taken your seat at the King’s Table or claimed a patch of grass on the mountainside at the feet of Christ?  Don’t worry about the “nothing that you bring” – it seems to me that making much from nothing is His specialty. Every person blessed to know Grace brings that sentence to life.

The Word is clear.  Scripture upon Scripture confirms it for us.

Our God will never leave us empty handed.

— We’ll always be blessed with the more of Him. —

He will always bring us feast in our famine.

— He will take the much less and deliver the Miracle More. —

And He will not be limited by our limitations.

— No human eye has seen nor heart conceived. —

So the question remains Sweet One . . . .

lunch

Will you give God your lunch?

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My Valentine Looks Like His Dad: Brett’s Journal — #60

14 Feb

A while ago when I was memorizing the Love Chapter from the Amplified translation I was struck by 1 Corinthians 13:5 and the exhortation to refrain from keeping a record of wrongs.  I admit to you that a mental running record of offenses is what comes naturally to me so pondering on this verse, especially in connection to my marriage, was much needed.  God brought to mind all the verses I know that tell me to pick up my sword and fight the natural woman –the old me–in me.  Not to be passive and simply expect old thought patterns and old habits to disappear on their own.  He so encouraged me to let go of that toxic way of thinking and really challenged me to let my Man off the hook the same way He had me.  He reminded me that He chooses not to keep a record of my offenses – even though He could have a list longer than I have time to enumerate or you have time to read.  But instead He chooses to remember my sin no more.

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

and I will remember their sins no more.

Hebrews 8:12

In fact, He keeps account of the things I do right.  What a God!  What Grace!  What Love!  But again, love is not simply what God does – it’s Who He is.

The I AM is LOVE.

And Love tells me that whatever is lovely, whatever is noble, whatever is excellent – these are the things I should be thinking about – not offenses, real or perceived, committed against me.

Brett's journalSo, I picked up Philippians 4:8 and I began to keep a record of rights for my Man. The stuff isn’t deep some of it’s downright silly.  The very first entry says . . .

  1.  1.  You smiled at my humming and I know it must be annoying.♥

I just write down the things that speak to my heart in the every day.  That’s what real living and real loving is – the every day.  There are grand moments of celebration but they ring hollow if that’s all there is.  There are special occasions filled with hoopla but they don’t mean much if they don’t stand on the shoulders of the daily choice to love.  So I write down the things that show my Man’s choice to love me in the everyday.  I keep a record of his rights.  I brag on him to me.  I think about “these things.”

And so today on February 14th, I’m going to share “Journal Entry #60” and thank God that He calls us to be like Him.  Without His Word and His call to imitate Him as a dearly loved child, I would’ve missed out on these most excellent things and I never would have loved like that left to my own devices.  Thank you Lord for all you do.

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.  Ephesians 5:1-2, The Message

#60 — ♥ — Brett – Will you be my Valentine?

Hello Valentine – and I mean that with every ounce of love in me.

I want you to know that I notice you – noticing and “not noticing” – me.

I know it doesn’t come natural to you to say things out loud, but you still do.  You tell me out loud that you love me and that I’m beautiful to you.  You’ll never know how many times I’ve whispered “thank you Lord that beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and given thanks that your eyes still see me that way.

I’ve noticed the effort you make to see what’s important to me so that you can celebrate without being coached. It melts my heart that you never ask me to tone down making much of Him just because your style is more low-key.  And the smile that creeps across your face when you’re listening to me share the latest thunderbolt to strike my soul makes my knees weak.

I notice you closing the door when my “joyful noise” bothers you rather than ask me to stop.

Yes Sweetheart, I’ve noticed all your noticing and

You’re just IT to me.

I’ve also noticed all your “not noticing.”

Not noticing when I haven’t shaved my legs – for a long time!  Not noticing the physical baggage I’m dragging “behind me” these last months.  Not noticing that the house isn’t quite as clean as it should be.  And not noticing the days that I don’t expend the energy to do my hair or put on my make- up.

Yes Sweetheart, I notice all your “not noticing” and oh,

How I love you!

I love you for not letting the reality of your wife sway your heart when it doesn’t always match the dreams you may have had of the girl you’d marry and I love you for looking more like your Dad everyday.  For choosing to love, despite the circumstances, just like He does. . .

I hear His voice in you – You sound like Him.

I see His grace in you – You act like Him.

I feel His heart in you – You love like Him.

Yes Husband, you look more like Him every day

and Valentine,

I’m so grateful you are mine.

1 John 4:16

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  1 John 4:16

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The Invitation is for YOU!

7 Feb

“For many, the demands of everyday life are so packed with activities, responsibilities, and to-do lists that feeling overwhelmed is normal.  With so many pressures few have time to feed their soul.  The result is spiritual and emotional starvation—a deep inner hunger for peace, rest, and security.  And this hunger is pervasive.  At every age, in every walk of life, too many of us are starving for the nourishment that only God can provide.   .   .   .   . Unfortunately, too many of us try to satisfy our hunger with the spiritual equivalent of “fast food” – self-defeating behaviors, relationships that have more to do with feeding carnal hunger than the longing of the soul.” – The Daniel Cure, Pg. 13

Those words jumped off the page of Susan Gregory’s book as if the Holy One Himself had dragged a yellow highlighter over them.  They spoke straight to my heart – again.  You see this particular passage is simply the latest in what seems to be several other instances of Holy highlighting.  And here’s the thing—when I string them all together, one after the other, they all deliver the same invitation.

creation swap communion meal ribbetThere it is —  engraved by the Most High,

signed by the Blood of the Lamb,

and heart delivered by the Spirit of Glory.

Will you, Marilyn, spend one year with your chair pulled close?

The invitation arrived in the early fall of 2013.  Since then, my heart has fingered it over at least a hundred times.  I felt the fine linen paper when He delivered my verse for 2014:

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.  Mostly what God does is love you.  Keep company with him and learn a life of love.  Observe how Christ loved us.  His love was not cautious but extravagant.  He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us.  Love like that. Ephesians 5:1-2, The MSG

You don’t keep much closer company than when you’re eating together.  You don’t get a lot of chances to look at someone as up close and personal as you do when you share a meal.

I moved my hand over the raised lettering as I wrote post after post filled with exhortation to you and to me to seek hard after Him and to know, without a doubt that He will be the God of More He promises to be.

Do not believe for a moment He has abandoned you in the trial Sweet One.  Your God would not take you there or allow the challenge if He did not have More for you on the other side.  You hang on with faith.  You pray big, ambitious prayers and you wait expectantly for your God to bless you. Listen to Him when He tells you not be afraid and consider Joshua 1:9 to be your personal post-it note straight from the heart of the Holy One. Press it on your chest Girlfriend, count on Him to do what He says He will do, and be confident that the God of More is with you. (The God of More . . . Much More, Sept 3)

And each time my heart glided over His Holy request, I tried to imagine what it might look like to spend one year dining with the King. Yes, I tried to imagine . . . .

Absolutely feasting on the Bread of Life and being filled with His wisdom, His compassion, and His Love.

Drinking in all that the Spirit is willing to give until the well of my soul overflows with Living Water.

Pulling my chair as close as I can and consuming every Word that falls from the lips of the Almighty One.

Marilyn, WILL YOU SPEND A YEAR AT THE KING’S TABLE?

Vintage Wedding Invitation

The invitation first arrived, signed and sealed by the Holy Spirit, held tightly in the hand of . . . . Mephibosheth.  Bet you weren’t expecting that – neither was I.  But if we’ve learned nothing else on the journey, we surely have grabbed onto the immutable fact that God will not be confined by our expectations.  And I’ve learned from my Sweet Florida Girl that that’s a good thing, because we would always expect far too little from Him as our finite minds tried to conceive what the Infinite should do and how He should go about the business of doing it.   As she says, “He will always exceed our expectations.”

So how exactly did the grandson of Saul, the son of Jonathan—ankles crippled in a fall when he was barely more than a toddler—come to be my personal messenger?   Through the study of Covenant of course!  That exclamation point was put there tongue-in-cheek to be sure.  Who would have expected to limp along beside Mephibosheth until they were offered a seat by the King?  But that’s exactly what happened.

God began engraving the invitation Mephibosheth would deliver to my heart with the covenant pledge made by Jonathan to David, who would later become the king,  in 1 Samuel 18:3-4.

Then Johnathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.

And now we have the firstborn son of King Saul, willingly stripped of his royal array, possibly looking more like a shepherd than a future king, side-by-side and heart-to-heart with David who is covered head-to-toe in the royal robe with the weapons of the son firmly in his hands.

And this covenant relationship – more akin to the knitting together of two souls than just a simple pledge or promise—was extended to the families of each of the men in 1 Samuel 20 with Jonathan pledging to preserve the life of David and asking David to do the same for his family should he be killed.

“You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. “  So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”  Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.  1 Samuel 20:15-17

And this was the vow between David and Jonathan when Saul and Jonathan met their ends.  The battle that ensued between the house of David and house of Saul over the kingdom saw the demise of all the descendants of Saul, except one.

Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet.  He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled.  And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame.  And his name was Mephibosheth.  2  Samuel 4:4

And that’s the last we hear of Mephibosheth until 2 Samuel 9.

Five long chapters pass as David fights enemy after enemy in an effort to unite the kingdom.  He’s mocked as weak, able to be defeated as easy as the “blind and the lame” by the Jebusites in Jerusalem and searched out for destruction by the Philistines.  And although David is satisfied to simply defeat the Philistines, the taunts of the occupants of Jerusalem were rumored to have so angered the king that he barred the “blind and the lame” from his house/presence.

And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack “the lame and the blind,” who are hated by David’s soul.”  Therefore, it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”  2 Samuel 5:8

Mephibosheth, though he was in hiding with his crippled feet would certainly have become aware of the rumors of the king’s anger and the actions that resulted from it.  Even if he had not felt himself in danger as the grandson of Saul, he would never have believed himself welcome in the presence of King David in his “lame” condition.  Both lineage and present condition made him an enemy of the king.

Now, I’ve searched the Scripture as well as commentaries and haven’t been able to locate a single place that describes a public declaration of the covenant between Jonathan, the king’s son and David, the shepherd boy.  So to the best that I can attest right now, the covenant was known only to David and Jonathan.  And that makes sense to me because if it were common knowledge, like the rumor barring the lame from the king’s presence, it seems to me that people would’ve been coming out of the woodwork  to falsely claim relationship to Jonathan  in an effort to curry favor with David.

Instead we find David, now securely in his position as king, opening 2 Samuel 9 searching for a member of Saul’s household:

  • 1 Samuel 9:1-3
    • Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”  The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?”  And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”

David wanted so badly, for the sake of Jonathan, to offer kindness to a member of Saul’s household so he eagerly looked for someone to whom he could extend the covenant kindness he had promised to Jonathan.  The servant that appears before him, Ziba, makes it clear that Mephibosheth, the one left in Saul’s household, is crippled in both feet.  In other words—nobody the king wants in his presence.  But David sends him out after Mephibosheth regardless of his condition.

Ziba retrieves Mephibosheth from the land where he has been living, Lo-Debar.  It is a dry, barren, fruitless land that offers those who dwell there little. But at least in Lo-Debar Mephibosheth felt safe, perhaps that’s not so for the lame grandson of Saul as he enters  the presence of King David.

  • 2 Samuel 9:6-7
    • Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself.  And David said, “Mephibosheth.”  And he said, “Here is your servant!”  David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall eat at my table regularly.”

Mephibosheth hasn’t done a thing to deserve to be in the presence of the king.  In fact, his crippled condition, the result of his fall, should have barred him from his presence altogether.  But David did not see Mephibosheth’s crippled feet when he looked at him, King David saw Jonathan, the brother he had loved.  Mephibosheth had not earned a place at the table of the king, but David would look on Jonathan’s son as his own.

Overwhelmed and maybe even reeling with disbelief, Mephibosheth reminds him of who he is –“What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

But rather than condemn Mephibosheth, David defines the blessings that are about to come to the son of Jonathan.  “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house” will be given to Mephibosheth – what an unexpected, undeserved, unearned inheritance.  Given to him, not because of who he was, but because of who he belonged to.

Mephibosheth will now live in the lands that belonged to King Saul.  Fruitful and lush, lands of abundance . . . .and he will dine with the king as an adopted son. And I fully believe that each time David gazed upon that man at his table he saw him with tenderness, dressed head-to-toe in the covenant promise he had shared with Jonathan.

The InvitationI am so certain that by this time you are seeing the parallels between you and me and Mephibosheth that I don’t even need to point them out to you.  Sweet One, we might as well get t-shirts printed with “ I am Mephibosheth” printed on them because it couldn’t be any clearer.

  • David searched for someone to bless with the covenant.  He even sent someone to deliver the good news and bring him home.

Is that not what your Savior has done for you?  Has he not wanted to bring you into covenant relationship with Himself so badly that He sent someone out with the good news to find you and bring you home. (Luke 19:10; Matthew 18:11, 1 Timothy 1:15)

  • It was made plain to David that the one he was going after was not worth his effort.  He was crippled from the fall and that made him an enemy of the king.

And so Beloved, what about you and I?  Was it not made plain that we were not worth the effort?  That we were crippled from the fall and living in the lame condition of our sin.  Both our lineage and our present condition made us enemies of the King.  But yet He came for us. (Romans 5:10; James 4:4)

  • He sent someone to our Lo-Debar, our dry and fruitless land and just as surely as King David blessed Mephibosheth with the land of plenty, we have been ushered into abundance. 

Given an unexpected, undeserved, unearned inheritance.  Fruitful and full of life.  (1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-24; John 15:5)

  • And just like Mephibosheth, I have not –you have not—done a thing to earn a seat at the table of the King of Kings. 

And yet, we have been adopted and welcomed to the feast as daughters of the King. (1 John 3:1; Ephesians 1:5)

All of this, not because of who I am, but because of WHO I belong to. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

For when the Father gazes at me, He sees me dressed head-to-toe in Jesus – the Son He loves.   My covenant relationship with Christ is my invitation to dine at the King’s table. (Galatians 3:27; Colossians 3:3)

Do you see it?  The invitation is FOR YOU.

creation swap communion meal ribbet

Can you even stand it?  Who but God shows Himself in the details this way?  Who but the Father would bother to communicate it to the simplest among us?  I am about beside myself!  I hope you are too.  It’s so my prayer that with every post you read, you see Him in His Word and you marvel at the great and glorious God He is. From Old Testament to New, our God does not change and our Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Oh Girlfriend — my RSVP is YES!

So, maybe not the way I expected to receive my invitation to dine at the King’s table for the upcoming year, but again my Sweet Florida Girl is spot on – He always exceeds our expectations.

And I’m not sure how it will all unfold or what it will look like but I do know this, it’s going to be more . . . more intense, more passionate, and more powerful than what I am prepared for.  I’m going to take comfort in the fact that even if I’m prompted to remind God “of who I am” like Mephibosheth did, it won’t cause Him to withdraw. And, I’m going to remember as I sit in my chair with the condition of my fall still dangling under the table — He sees the new woman, brought to life, and beautiful in the Name of Jesus.

Girlfriend, I know this message was meant to prompt me and it may not be striking your heart with same kind of ferocity it did mine, but I hope you are encouraged to pull up your own chair – the one reserved especially for you – and dine with the King.  Feast on the unexpected, undeserved, unearned blessings set before you.  Consume the Bread of Life and drink in the Living Water.

Oh what a year it will be!  I am giddy with anticipation and I cannot wait until you pull a chair up next to mine in Glory and tell me all that transpired for you as you dined at the King’s Table.  What a glorious day it will be!

The Angel said to me, “Write this:

‘Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.’”

He added, “These are the true words of God!” 

Revelation 19:9 MSG

(Special thanks to Kay Arthur for getting my wheels turning with Covenant: God’s Enduring Promises)

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He is the Worthy One!

23 Jan

What a wild and wonderful journey my Jesus has taken me on with Glimpsed Glory this past year!  I can’t begin to tell you how He has ministered to my soul by letting me write these little blips here in rural anytown, USA and then witness His Holy Hand spread them all around the globe to be read over 5000 times. Please be certain that what you hear in that last statement is all about Him and raise your hands with me to PRAISE OUR GOD for every Sister who has stumbled across these pages.

If you’re wondering why we’re taking a chronos moment to just sit at His feet in awe of this specific work of His Hands, it’s because Glimpsed Glory marks its first anniversary today.  Full confession is that I was a little hesitant to share the remarkable work He has done because I didn’t want it to be misinterpreted as a pat on the back to me.  More truth is that the enemy of my soul and the adversary of His Kingdom has used that particular trick to keep me quiet more times than I can tell you so as a child of the King, I’m claiming Psalm 8:1-2 and as the praise flows from my heart into every stroke on this keyboard I believe the Word of God and know that the foe and the avenger is silenced.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  Psalm 8:1-2 (NIV, 1984)

So let me shout His Glory, boast of Him, and make it clear – whatever good thing has come from Glimpsed Glory, whatever hearts have been encouraged, or whatever spirit has been refreshed . . . that’s all Jesus.  The Father has given the nations to the Son as His inheritance, the ends of the earth are His possession and the Spirit is about the business of beckoning His children home.

He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” Psalm 2:7-8 (NIV, 1984)

It’s to our great delight that He allows us, in whatever way He chooses, to participate with Him in the Kingdom work. Through His saving grace He has made us ministers of reconciliation and commissioned us to spread the good news of the Gospel.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV, 1984)

01/23/2014: Country Flags =Readers Around the World

01/23/2014: Country Flags =Readers Around the World

And look how accessible He has made the world to us!  Only our Extraordinary God, our limitless, uncontainable Holy One, would have opened up such an unconventional avenue and sent such an unexpected messenger.

So if it worried me that sharing my awe at the fruit He has produced might be mistaken for placing the spotlight on me, why did I choose to celebrate it?  Why did I draw attention to it?

The answer is at the top of the page.

Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.  They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”  Luke 5:25-26 (NIV, 1984)

And at the side of the page.

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.  1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV, 1984)

The Extraordinary at work in and through the ordinary points to His greatness not mine.

I have tried since the first post on January 23, 2013 to be as transparent as would serve you well about my own unrighteousness and utter ordinariness so there would be no confusion over who was bringing life and breath to the words you were reading.  If you roll your cursor over the picture of me and my man at the side and click, you will go to a permanent page on the blog explaining who I am and who I am not.  It’s a message I pray that each visitor to Glimpsed Glory reads because I want every reader to be certain that only God does big things with small lives and to know without a doubt that the most important words they will read come from Him and not from me . . .

My own experience confirms for me that neither a righteous background nor an extraordinary intellect is a requirement for looking beyond what we can see and Glimpsing the Glory of the One we cannot. In fact, I am walking, talking assurance that the “Extraordinary of God” will be revealed to the most unrighteous and utterly ordinary among us. (excerpt from A Message from a Fellow Sojourner)

Sweet One, I hope what you are finding in these posts is the same thing that you find throughout the pages of His Word.

. . . The Redemption story from start to finish . . .

  . . . the intervention of Love in the life of the unlovable . . .

. . . Intercession by the One who is Worthy on behalf of the worst . . .

. . . astounding rescue, absolute grace, unwavering faithfulness . . .

It’s all about HIM.

God Is Faithful

It’s all about His rescue and intervention in the life of a girl “like Rahab” and the Love it shouts to us today. . .

Rahab the harlot, who lived long before me, is how I know that God loves me regardless of my sin history.  Rahab the called, who chose to trust God to preserve her life, is how I know He works for the good of those who love Him.  Rahab, the redeemed, who had no idea what awaited her in Glory is how I know that my mind cannot conceive the goodness.  (The Resolve to Go Beyond, Feb 7, 2013)

It’s all about realizing afresh that the Risen One, the One who spoke Outside the Tomb, has called us to the abundant life. . .

See that’s who I want to be.  I want to be the woman who realizes the depth of her healing so profoundly that she refuses to return to her home and stays just a little longer.  I want to be the one who weeps because my heart cannot stand the fact that I am not near Him.  I want to be the one who desires to see Him so badly that I stoop down and strain my eyes in hopes of getting just one more glimpse.  I know that one day He will say my name in Glory, one day He will say your name in Glory.  We will recognize His voice and Beloved when we turn, oh the love that will pass between the Healer and the healed.  But in the meantime Sister, for the redeemed and the released, there is life outside the tomb – abundant life.  Live it to the full Girlfriend.  Live it to the full.  (Life Outside the Tomb, Apr 2, 2013)

It’s all about trusting the One Who was, the One Who Is, and the One Who will be to always be Who He declares Himself to be. . .

Sister, we have no idea of the battle raging over us.  We don’t possess the eyes to fully see our circumstance.  But if we will open our hearts just a little wider, if we will fix our eyes on the Healer, we will see Him.  His feet are firmly planted and His arms are opened wide.  His attention and His affection are resolutely fixed on you. He will NOT waiver in His Love. He will NOT fail you. He will NOT let you fall.

Girlfriend, step off the edge of your circumstances – He is Faithful. You may not know the outcome but you Know the One who does.  Take the leap of faith.  Believe Him to be who He says He is.  Trust Him to be who He always has been and know, without a doubt, that when you jump the Arms of Love are waiting . . . just for you. (Step Off the Edge and Into Love, Nov 21, 2013)

It’s all about Him.

The One Who redeems. (Job 19:25)

  The One Who intercedes. (Romans 8:34)

  The One Who IS the Great I AM. (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58) 

And so I find myself, these many months later, having glimpsed His glory again and again, more confident, more thankful, and more convinced than ever that the words I echoed from the Book of Malachi and the Book of Hebrews one year ago today are trustworthy and true. . . .

I, the Lord, do not change.  Malachi 3:6

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

I pray that it is the same for you Beloved.  I pray that your time here is time with Him and that He has spoken to you through His Word over and over again through the last year.

Girlfriends – ones I know and ones I am yet to meet –may I just say how I admire your tenacity and your desire for Him. If you are here, if you are visiting this site, I know you are searching for the More of God and I know with absolute certainty that He will not disappoint you. He will be the God He has promised to be since He set our chronos time in motion.  He determined the place and the time that simply would not be complete without you in it—thank you for letting me share in a small part of your journey.  You mean the world to me and fill me with great joy.  I so hope we will have another year to seek hard after Him and run the race side-by-side.  May God bless each one of us with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to glimpse His Glory.

They will be gathered from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Psalm 107:3

They will be gathered from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
Psalm 107:3

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Making our Mark on the New Year

5 Jan

So, how has the New Year been so far?  It’s only day 5 of 2014 but I’ll admit to you that some of things I determined to do, to be resolute in, have already been difficult.  See, I took my own suggestions from the last blog.  I went to Bible Gateway and chose the 90 day reading plan.  I set up a separate e-mail folder to file and categorize the Girlfriends in God devotional that I receive daily.  I bought two new packs of neon index cards and I downloaded the Bible Gateway app onto my phone.  And now, for me, is the difficult part – following through!

I love the set-up of things.  The newness of the organization holds so many possibilities.  And the lists and plans look pretty to me all written down with exact lettering and arranged just so.  Might be because I’m writing from Michigan and we’re getting another snowstorm, but the “best laid plans” remind me of an overnight snowfall.

You look out the window and it’s beautiful.britt winter1

Pristine.  Fresh.  New.  Not a mark on it.

brittwinter

That’s how my calendar looks to me when I finish writing down the Scripture passages I want to read each day.  Or my index cards look after I write down the verses I want to memorize and put them in order of the way I want to go after them.  They’re beautiful.  Pristine.  Fresh. New.  Not a mark on them.

But eventually, someone has to leave the house, go get the mail, take the trash to the end of the drive—and there are the marks.  Tire tracks left behind to run an errand.  Cloddy old boot prints to the mailbox.  Trash bag drag marks cutting from the garage to the edge of the road.  And the unmarred beauty disappears.

Same with my 90 day calendar and my Scripture reading.  I have this perfect scenario dreamed up in my mind about the beautiful way it all unfolds at the beginning of each fresh, pristine, new day.  There I am sitting at my desk with a studious look on my face and a steaming cup of coffee by my side.  I’ve showered and have my make-up applied impeccably as I open my Bible, filled with the Holy Spirit, and dive into the Word.  The beauty of my time with Him remains intact and undisturbed.brittwinter2

No prints, no tracks, no drag marks.

It rarely works that way.  Most often, I’m still in my pajamas without even brushing my hair.  I’ve had coffee but I’m carrying my computer or my Bible from place to place with me, reading my Scripture aloud as I am doing things that have to get done every morning.  It doesn’t always feel like the beauty of meeting with Him is intact, whole, or undisturbed.

And my imagination doesn’t stop there.  I have the picture perfect completion of my scheduled reading time as well as the seamless transition to my next activity planned out too. In my pristine new day, I end my 90-day reading plan time, by using a new highlighter with an unfrayed tip to make a perfectly straight line over the passage I have read and I walk away feeling satisfied, full of the Spirit, and ready to begin working on the verses I want to memorize.

In my real life, I make a mental note that I’ll do that when I can find a highlighter that doesn’t have a tip saturated with black sharpie marker and I stuff my index cards into my purse so I can work on them at the doctor or riding in the car. “After all,” I hear my mind say, “I want to make God a part of every activity!”  And that’s true, but do you see how different my imagination and my reality are?  My reality doesn’t reflect the unmarred beauty of that newly laid plan.  My reality, like my highlighter, is a little frayed at the tip.

In my imagination, I somehow glided over the fresh snow and retrieved the mail without leaving a trace, soared in our minivan like Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to get milk, and floated, trash bag in hand, from the garage to the road without disturbing a single flake of snow—without marring the beauty in anyway.

brittwinter3

In reality, I put on my old boots with the broken shoestring and left footprints twice the size of my feet from the front door to the mailbox.  And they weren’t even in a straight line.  The van was not occupied by anyone enjoying toot sweet candies and not only does it leave tread marks behind it, it drops pieces of dirty snow from the wheel wells.  And those trash bags, they are much too heavy to float with!

That’s my reality. The snow around my house doesn’t stay in its pristine state for long.   Life starts to happen and life, well, it leaves big old prints, hard packed tracks, and drag marks all over my fresh, new plan. The unmarred beauty quickly disappears.

But you know what?  I don’t think God minds a bit when I come or when you come to meet Him wearing cloddy old boots with broken shoestrings.  I think He’s glad we want to be there.  Does He want to see me looking that way every day . . . my guess would be no.  But, if on some mornings, it’s the best I have and I purposefully pull on those boots and stride across the snow to get to Him, I think He looks at those big old footprints and He sees love.  It might even be that He looks at the heart driving the determined steps of those boot laden feet, the ones that mar and disturb with each new stride, and He finds them to be beautiful.

God doesn’t look at our well laid plans.  He doesn’t look at our neatly written calendars.  God looks at the heart Sweet One.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

He knows your desire to meet with Him and He is not surprised by the challenges of your day.  You are not and I am not the first of His children to contend with interruptions or encounter obstacles.  And our God, who does not change, has never placed any value on the things that appear impressive to our limited human vision, but He has always seen straight to the heart of the one who loves Him.

Now we don’t take this as an excuse to have an attitude of license and give God less-than, but we protect ourselves from a posture of legalism by trusting Him to know the intention, the yearning, and the desire of our souls.

then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 1 Kings 8:39

Beloved, don’t take the task of deciding what beauty looks like from the Father’s perspective on yourself.  If I may be so bold, it doesn’t belong to you.  It isn’t yours to determine.  And simply put, you nor I are equipped to do the job.  We’re too extreme, swinging from one side to the other, justifying our actions in one breath and condemning our hearts with the next.   So, what say you and I decide that we’ll forge into every pristine day and we’ll proceed to leave our love filled cloddy boot printed, minivan tread tracked, trash bag drag marked prints all over it and then . . . . well, we’ll depend on the Beautiful One to see straight to our hearts.

heartsnow

Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel,

keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever,

and keep their hearts loyal to you.

1 Chronicles 29:18

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Step Off the Edge and Into Love

21 Nov

The birthday of a sweet little friend is quickly coming up.  She will be celebrating four years of full on, love-out-loud, beautiful life—four years of miracle living.

addybdayaddy2soft

addy3Four years that were anything but a certainty on the day she arrived. This was the news given to the world the day Addy Josie made her debut.

  • November 30, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson Josie ///////  born at 7:42am, 8lbs 11oz. having some troubles breathing but stable. need lots of prayers for her.

Her introduction to planet earth was a little bumpy and the ride did not get any smoother over the coming days.  What seemed to be “some breathing trouble” initially, quickly escalated to a fight for every breath and a circulatory system that would not cooperate.  Miss Addy was transferred to a larger hospital and took up residence in the NICU.

  • November 30, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson is on her way to /////////// in ///////////, having troubles breathing. Hopefully I will be released tomorrow to go down and see her.

See the last sentence of that update – Momma had to stay behind.  Imagine the ache of that goodbye to her baby girl.  All the fear that could have flooded her heart.  All the worry that could have overtaken her.  All the sorrow that might have washed over her.  I honestly don’t know where her mind went that afternoon but I know it was hard on her.  The pain of it was all over her face when I visited her that afternoon.  She didn’t share what she was thinking but I know she did some business with her Father in Heaven and I know she came out with a quiet resolve and a determined peace.  She chose not to shrink back but rather to call out every prayer warrior willing to do battle and to trust Him for the outcome.  And regardless of the news of the day, that’s where she stayed.  Firmly planted in Him and counting on His people.

  • December 3, 2009 (fb status)
    • Back over to the NICU Addyson is stable, we are waiting for her little body to correct it’s circulatory system. This could take days to weeks depending on her body. She needs prayers for healing, I’ll keep trying to post updates on here. Thanks everyone for the support and prayers.

So Momma and Daddy gazed at their baby girl in her isolet, unable to hold her, but absolutely willing their sweet baby girl to breath with everything in them.  I can’t say what went through Daddy’s heart because men don’t tend to give voice to much in those situations.  But Addy’s Momma rolled 1 Peter 5:7 through her heart over and over again as she sat, watched, and prayed over her little girl.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV,1984)

Here at home we answered the call.  We prayed over that little girl.  We fasted for that child.  We linked arms in the heavenlies and humbled ourselves before God asking for a miracle.  We reminded ourselves that the child we were praying for was loved by Him far more than we could imagine and that she had an angel that was always gazing into the face of the Father.  His thoughts are most certainly higher than ours and His ways beyond our understanding, but we knew without a doubt that no matter the outcome His attention and His affection were on that baby girl.

addy 1day

 “For I tell you that their angels in heaven

always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:10 (NIV,1984)

Little Miss Addy surrounded by love and enveloped in prayer—quite a beginning. (And it strikes me as I type those words that I’ve never praised as hard for a single healthy life as I prayed for the one who was in danger.  That’s some food for thought on my part.) Prayers were said all around the country for Addy Jo–people from Michigan to Florida, lifting this little one before the Throne—with Momma leading the charge.  She desired healing for her baby and she had her eyes fixed on the Healer.

  • December  3, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson’s labs are looking excellent, praise the Lord for answered Prayers. we are still a long way. thanks everyone for the prayers and support. Keep them coming
  • December 5, 2009 (fb status)
    • so the Doctors made rounds this morning and believe that Addyson has rounded the corner and is ready to be taken off the vent. This is done slowly over the next 24 to 48 hours. Prayers that she tolerates it and will be off by Monday!!! I am so excited to get to hold that little girl!
  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)
    • So another great night and morning. Plans are to have Addy off the vent this afternoon and have the central line out tomorrow. So that means that I might get to hold that little girl tomorrow!!!!! God is a miracle worker, he heard our prayers and has answered!  

The praise and prayers of a Momma’s heart.  The want to hold her baby girl and give the love she had been whispering to that little heart tangible, physical presence.  She had arms of love –wide open– waiting to pull her little one close.

  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)

I finally got to hold Her ! Hooray ! PRaise GoD !

addybilli

“I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 146:2

  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)
    • As you can see by the pictures. The Vent is out, I got to give her a bath and hold her today! What an awesome day! “I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalms 146:2

The battle that raged over Addy Jo was fierce.  Momma, Daddy, and every warrior who answered the call fought with tenacity and perseverance.  But little Miss Addy, did not worry for a single moment.  She did not fret or stew.  She just kept inhaling and exhaling.  Fighting the good fight with the tools she had been given.  Moving from one moment to the next.  At rest, right where God had placed her.

addyeyesaddytubesADDYHAT

And God, who does not change, performed a miracle that we could recognize.  No matter what the outcome would have been God would have brought beauty from it, but in this instance, even my limited human vision could see and comprehend His Goodness.

There are times in my life when I have to believe what I know to be true over what my eyes see and my heart perceives to be the circumstance.  Just like you, I’ve walked through times that didn’t seem beautiful to me. Times when I don’t recognize the miracle.  I know it’s there because I know the heart of my God is Unfailing Love.  But, I fully confess that there must be some uncovered, unbelieving places in my heart that won’t grab hold of that truth. If there wasn’t I would just keep inhaling and exhaling, moving from one moment to the next, fighting the good fight with the tools I have, and be at rest right where God has placed me – even when I don’t comprehend my circumstances.

The verse Addy’s Momma claimed as her own, 1 Peter 5:7, reads like this from the Message:

Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you.  1 Peter 5:7 (MSG)

Carefree living.  Inhaling and Exhaling.  Moment to moment.  At rest, right where He has placed you.  Oh Sweet One, The I AM is MOST CAREFUL WITH YOU.  And with me.  It is why we can be free of the cares of this world.  His care and His Love are our assurance of the miracle.  And while I would love for both of us to recognize it every time, to always comprehend the miracle in the midst of life, I just don’t think it’s possible this side of Glory.  You know all too well that life on planet earth is not for the faint of heart.  Storms gather above our heads and rain falls on each and every one of us.  We stand at the edge of our circumstances and we peer down, unable to see the outcome.  Uncertain of the beauty. Unable to comprehend the goodness.

But what if, as we leaned over the edge of the unknown,  we inhaled and we exhaled, and we called to mind the things we know?

  • November 29, 2010 (fb status)
    • Tomorrow is Addy’s 1st Birthday!! The miracle Baby is a year old, I cannot believe it!!! Praise the Lord for this little ray of sunshine !!!
  • December 1, 2010 (fb status) 
    • I am still celebrating little Miss Addy Today as well. Last year at this time, was the biggest hurdle our family has had to endure together. With the GRACE of God He healed Addy’s little body. I believe in Miracles.. I sure do.
  • November 30, 2011 (fb status)
    • Today is Addyson’s 2nd Birthday!! HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my Miracle Baby!! Not one day goes by where I don’t thank the Lord for that little girl! He preformed Miracles right in front of my eyes at /////// NICU.. I am so thankful we get the chance to see her grown and raise her! Sooo let’s Celebrate! Happy Birthday!!
  • November 30, 2012 (fb status)
    • Happy Birthday to Miss Addy Jo! Today she turns 3!! My little miracle baby is thriving and such a blessing to her family & friends! The way she came into this world helps me to remember daily God could of took her but knew I needed to watch my little one grow, I thank Him everyday for trusting me to raise her up to serve Him. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDYSON JOSIE!

Sister, we have no idea of the battle raging over us.  We don’t possess the eyes to fully see our circumstance.  But if we will open our hearts just a little wider, if we will fix our eyes on the Healer, we will see Him.  His feet are firmly planted and His arms are opened wide.  His attention and His affection are resolutely fixed on you.

He will NOT waiver in His Love. 

He will NOT fail you. 

He will NOT let you fall. 

Girlfriend, step off the edge of your circumstances – He is Faithful. You may not know the outcome but you Know the One who does.  Take the leap of faith.  Believe Him to be who He says He is.  Trust Him to be who He always has been and know, without a doubt, that when you jump the Arms of Love are waiting . . . just for you.

nofear

♥ Happy Birthday Addy Josie ♥

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Grab a Hard Hat Sister . . . The Walls are Tumbling Down!

9 Nov

Why do you think it might be that we can be zipping right along in life feeling as if we couldn’t get any closer to the Spirit without going Home and then . . . . wham!  A nasty brick wall rises up in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere.   We hit that thing so hard that we aren’t certain we’ll ever get up.   Our heads spin and we can feel blood seeping from an open wound or two.   We hear one side of our brain screaming, “Get up, we need some help!” and the other part is shouting just as loudly “Stay down. Nurse those wounds alone.”  And you find yourself in the middle of mind commotion that is all too familiar.

Why is it “all too familiar”?  Because that nasty brick wall did not come from nowhere.  If we’re honest—willing to look closely, willing to really gaze upon the thing–I’m betting we’ll find that that wall was carefully crafted by our own heart.  Constructed one brick at a time in all manner of circumstances, with all kinds of reactions and emotions.

No matter how early in life we accepted Christ we still had time to build that wall and it’s possible that the construction continued well into our faith walk.  I know for myself, I carried my wall building patterns right into my life as a Christian and it took years to tear down those barriers.  Even now, after 17 years of full out acceptance of the Truth, I still find my heart tempted to reach for a brick when I feel hurt and vulnerable.

Think about it for a moment.  Where does that brick wall spring from?  Fear of rejection?  Fear of exclusion?  Fear of loneliness? Fear of ____________?  Where might the building process have begun?

Maybe these ugly threats lived in your home.  Home should be where unconditional love thrives in every circumstance but maybe instead, you found that acceptance and tenderness were very conditional.  Withdrawn at the smallest infraction; restored when some measure of favor returned.   And you left that home of unpredictable affection with your bricks in place, only to find that the world was no different.

Perhaps you experienced these things in your school days.  Left out, left behind, disregarded . . . yet, you had some notion that when you left that environment those challenges would fall by the wayside.  Only to enter into adulthood and find that kids aren’t the only ones who are thoughtless and unkind.  And with certainty you reinforce each row in your growing barricade.

So we walled ourselves in and walled others out—sometimes purposefully and other times reactively.  brickmortarOne brick at a time – no one can hurt us because no one can get near us.  And we used the slights, hurts, and fears of this world as mortar to hold our wall together and convince ourselves that the pain of self-imposed isolation was far preferable to the pain on the other side.  Self-protection is a powerful motivator.

It might be, as much as it pains me to write it, that you have encountered these same unloving circumstances inside the Church.  The one place you were certain would be your safe haven was not.  The place was filled with imperfect people who acted from their imperfection.  They slighted you.  They excluded you.  They hurt you.  They gave you reason to keep those walls you so carefully fashioned standing tall.

And although the preceding words were painful, the ones that follow sear my heart more deeply than any other I will write in this post:  I might have been the one.  I might have been the one to make you feel excluded.  I might have been the one to slight you and leave you behind.  I might have been the one who made you feel less-than and unworthy.  The one who placed the brick in your hand and pushed you to build your fortress even higher.

I know without a doubt there were times when my actions told my child that she did not deserve my affection.  I am certain that I hurt others on many occasions by acting as if they didn’t belong.  And I know that the imperfect actions of this imperfect woman kept the Church from being the safe Haven Christ died to make it.  I wish those statements weren’t accurate, but they are. And Beloved, please don’t be offended, but might it be that you have been a brick provider on an occasion or two as well?

The truth of it is, no matter whom you encounter or where, you can be certain that they have been busy with their own bricks.  They have diligently constructed their walls based on their own experiences and the imperfect actions of imperfect people have made their structures strong.    So when you do life together, no matter where it is, the place is crowded.  You, them, and everyone’s collective bricks all fighting for the same space.

The irony of it is that we want to be together.  We want to do life side-by-side.  The walls we have created are not supposed to be there.  I say that so confidently because it’s the way God designed us.  We were meant to be in fellowship with one another.

He intended that my desire to follow Him would lead to my refining and I would be the deliverer of fewer and fewer bricks–I will sin less and less if I am abiding in Him. He desires for you to leave your fear behind, step out and follow Him.  He wants us to stop relying on our walls to protect us and to begin depending on His heart.

I constructed the walls of separation—not God.

I have put every brick in place—not God.

But here’s the beautiful thing, I am not clever enough, smart enough or strong enough to build a wall that will stand in the face of LOVE.  Girlfriend, neither are you.  God Himself has declared our freedom from fear –His Perfect Love Drives It Out. God Himself has opened the Door –step out and follow Love. Sweet One, you ask your Savior to set you free, you believe that He will make the way, and then you lace up your demolition boots and pull your hard hat down tight – because the walls are about to fall!

God is Dynamite

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Remember the Miracles

25 Oct

There have been points in time since August 2012 that Brett has been confined to bed rest 24/7.  During one of those times, I read the book One Thousand Gifts aloud to him. It chronicles the life changing journey of the author as she takes the time to write down the gifts that surround her.  She carefully notes each one and numbers it on the paper.  But in between the numbers, real life happens.  Hard life.  Challenging life.  Still her focus on thankfulness remains.

The book was one of the ways God helped us keep our attitude right and focus on a thankful lifestyle at a time when that might not have been our initial response.  So over this last bit as we’ve been walking through some new challenges –doing life between the numbers–one of the key concepts from the book keeps making its way to the forefront of my heart . . . God’s good gifts are in plain sight.  His miracles do not hide. The question is, will we see them?

God has really seemed to bless me with the ability to see everyday miracles.  To notice and have a sense of awe at all the things that needed to occur just so I could be blessed on that particular day, in that particular moment with that specific glimpse of Him.  It’s mind boggling when you think about it.  The events that occur at just the right time.  The things that simply “fall into place” right when you need them to.  When you consider how long in the making that specific action/thing/gift was and how many things had to happen preceding it for it to take place at that very moment in time–Wow!  Amazing.  I’m going to be so bold as to say . . . miraculous. They are evidence that the Extraordinary is active in every single ordinary day.

But as wonderful as those things are, they really don’t begin to even scratch the surface of the real miracles, the unhidden gifts, He has blessed us with.  The true miracles in our lives give meaning to our special places, fill our calendars with significant dates, and are a part of all of life’s important events.  They wear smiles, laugh loudly, express all manner of messy emotion and speak joy to our hearts. Our miracles live in plain sight.

This is my Man.

brettcoffee Ever at my side. grad

Fighting at my wall.

Fiercely loving me at every turn.

Despite physical limitations.brettoutside

He is the Face of the Miraculous.

His testimony.  His life.  His endurance.

Lord, Your wonders do not cease.

♥  ♥  ♥

birthday

This is our Sweet Girl.

Passionate for her Savior.

brittlibrarianSteadily pursuing Him in an unsteady world.

Finding her standing stones and making camp at her Gilgal.

dosrbrittvbs

She is tangible proof that God desires the best for me.  She is His whisper of sweetness.  She is the work of His hands.

He is greatly to be praised.

♥ ♥ ♥

mdandmeThese are my Parents.

mdatbarb

Doing life differently than what they imagined.

1339015377515Persevering.

Serving.

Loving.

Conquering  the challenges of life.

                                       They possess treasures untold.  A new Faith Heritage.

The Intervention of Grace.

His love endures through all generations.

♥ ♥ ♥

rikwed

These are my heart children.  Some my spiritual off spring and some I pray will be.  All of whom I love.mikeandbill

sisandjutwedchip and the kids

derricklanden

For some the faith journey is yet to begin.

Others fight the good fight with tenacity.

And for one, the battle has been won.

Faith has become sight.575108_10151283288115091_1371622684_n

They are precious–every one.  Straight from His Hand.  A gift to my heart.

Blessed am I among women O Lord.

♥ ♥ ♥

And these beauties are my Sisters.1339013780358ladies

mygirlsbaptismkim

006Aren’t they breathtaking?karendebme

Is there anything more stunning, more fearsome, more miraculous than a chick with a Sword?

ladieswithpoohEvery single one of them has looked devastation straight in the eyes.

But they stand firm.

Dressed for combat.

Arms linked in faith.

Hearts filled with love.

 His love for me shines through these Warriors at my side!

And Oh, how I wish I had pictures of every single woman I am privileged to do life with.  You all wear the miraculous so well and I am in awe of you.

Father, may I never look this kind of beauty in the face and fail to praise you.

♥ ♥ ♥

The sight of my miracle crew is overwhelming to me and as I proofread this I feel my love for them slide down my cheeks. Sweet One, it is no different for you.  Your miracles do not hide.  Your gifts are in plain sight.

Look through the photo album in your own heart.  Study the faces.  Hear the sounds of joy.  Remember the tears of separation.  Take them in.  Family, friends, memories . . . .MIRACLES.

All walks of life, all circumstances, all manner of trials and through it all the Giver of good gifts is shouting love to you. Intervening in every one of your days with their smiles, their struggles, their presence.  Through them He Interrupts the mundane with the miraculous.  Beloved, these are the good gifts – the hearts – He has entrusted to you.  The miracles He has chosen to fill your days with.

How can we call a single moment ordinary when we are surrounded by the works of the Extraordinary?  Each one of them is a “stop and smell the roses” moment wearing skin.  They are revelation of God Himself.  His most prized creation.  His unhidden gifts. Blessings that live in plain sight.

And yet, I find that sometimes my life between the numbers obscures my vision. I begin to see the faces of my miracles as ordinary.  I forget by failing to remember.  Failing to remember that they are the works of His Hands.  They are the faces of His wonder.  My gifts do not go into hiding.  My miracles are all still there.  I just fail to see.  I forget to remember.  Oh Sister, do not let your life between the numbers steal your vision.  Let it be changed by what you see!  Open your eyes.  See your Miracles.  Remember your Gifts.

PSALM 77:11-14

I recall all you have done, O LORD;

I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about them.

 O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You?

You are the God of miracles and wonders!

brettandbritt

I WILL REMEMBER!

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Love Reaches Out and I’m Reaching Up

6 Oct

Unfortunately, the health issues I described in The God of More. . . .Much More have continued to challenge me and the all the sweet people I do life with. The follow-up tests revealed more areas for concern and the Biddinger Crew were, to say the least, taken a little off guard by the results. Maybe you’ve noticed the lack of posts in the last bit.  I honestly haven’t known what to say.  Not on the blog and not in life.  I can’t really put into words the gamut of emotions I have run as I have considered it all but I can share with you that they have pooled in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks on more than one occasion.  So, I’ve kind of withdrawn so that my tears aren’t misinterpreted or used by the enemy to shake another’s faith.  Does that make sense?

See, I truly am thankful for the opportunity to find out if I live what I say and to have my faith grow.  I look back and I see how tenderly God has been preparing me for this and He gave me the added blessing of writing much of it down on Glimpsed Glory.  Unchallenged = Unchanged.  God’s revelation of the well to Hagar.  The unimaginable inheritance of Rahab.  His absolute “Thereness”.  The list goes on.  He has set my feet firmly in His Word.  Praise His Holy Name.

Heart-in-BibleBut as thankful as I am and as certain that I am that this trial will serve His purpose, I confess that I wonder what it’s going to look like and how many times I’m going to have to remind myself that my thoughts are not the same as His – His are always better.  How often will I repeat Paul’s words that I may be hard pressed but I am not crushed, I may be perplexed but I am not in despair because my Jesus is with me?  I don’t know.  And I don’t want to over dramatize because I have no idea how it will all shake out.  It might turn out to be not much and it might turn out to be much.  I don’t know.

But He does and in the midst of it all, I have felt a quiet joy and steadfast love that can only come from Him.  I’ve heard myself thank Him for the trial and the chance to cling to Him.  What a blessing.  I know that the desire to praise and walk strong are gifts straight from His Holy Heart because apart from Him that Spirit of joy and strength just doesn’t live in me.  Probably doesn’t make much sense to someone looking from the outside, but Him blessing me with the chance to stand firm in Him gives me such a sense of His good pleasure falling on me. I sense His Presence in a different way.

And He has gone to such amazing lengths to reach out to me and talk to me – heart to heart.  He has listened to my prayers and lavished me with peace.  He heard my crying and whispered love over me.  He truly has spoken my language through the tenderness of the Saints and His Word.  He KNOWS me and He has met me, with Grace abounding and Love immeasurable, at every turn.

Sweet Friend, Dear One, Beloved in the Faith, He wants you to take Him, to take His Word, personally.  He KNOWS you.  His eye does not fall simply on mankind in a general way.  His attention and His affection are firmly fixed on you.  I know this to be true because I have heard His Voice in the pages of His Word.  Seek Him.  Reach for Him. He will be found.

PSALM 66

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

Make his praise glorious!

Father I join with all creation to declare that you are El Roi – the God who sees me.  You are Jehovah-Jireh the God who provides for me.  You, Lord, are my Banner and I will praise Your Name.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Bless Your Holy Name for the miracles You have done O Lord. I give you blessing and glory and honor for my rescue, my salvation and my rest. Too numerous are the mighty works you have performed to count, but I acknowledge that every good thing comes from Your nail-scarred Hand.

So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

For You made a public spectacle of them and crushed the head of death at the cross.  How your enemy must have cowered as you emerged victorious from the tomb.  In the Name of Jesus, I am protected from the evil one and all of creation will be delivered when He speaks.

All the earth bows down to you;

They sing praise to you,

They sing praise to your name.

I join in nature’s resound and day and night my mouth will pour forth your praise.  I will declare Your Glory and testify to the work of Your Hands as faithfully as the voice of the skies proclaim them.  I believe you Lord to be YOU.

Come and see what God has done,

How awesome his works in man’s behalf!

I am utterly amazed at the soul restoration You have blessed this woman with.  Your grace abounds — unending and undeserved.  You lavish me with love and call me child.  Oh Lord, if I had been told of the miracles you would perform in my heart, it would have been to wonderful for me to comprehend.  May I never tire of saying “Come and see what He has done with a wretch like me.”

He turned the sea into dry land,

They passed through the waters on foot—

Come, let us rejoice in him.

There is no challenge I face larger than you.  Though the water may threaten on every side I trust that Your Holy Hand will not let a drop fall on me without purpose.  And I rejoice that nothing is impossible for my God and all things are possible for those who believe.  Help me overcome my unbelief Lord.

He rules forever by his power,

His eyes watch the nations—

Let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Despite what my human eyes perceive You are not now nor have you ever been struggling with the enemy.  Your power knows no bounds and cannot be constrained.  Your watchful eye is always firmly fixed upon me as surely as it is the nations. Your attention and Your affection never change. Let no rebellious thought convince me otherwise.

Praise our God, O peoples,

Let the sound of his praise be heard;

He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Let the display of the work You have done in my life cause those You have blessed me with to give you praise.  You have indeed set my feet on solid ground and fixed my feet firmly on the path.  Your Word has strengthened my steps and you have blessed me with the chance to look my faith in the face.  Your Presence has made me strong. Your love has steadied me.

You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

This temporal skin cannot hold captive Your glory nor can any physical limitation restrain Your Spirit.  How wonderful that this fire has come and this water washed over me so that my faith may grow and be proved genuine to my own heart and to those around me.  I KNOW that You are who You say You are and I will live hemmed in by Your Faithfulness.  It is the place of true abundance.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—

vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.

The sacrifice of bulls and rams is not necessary for me because the Blood of my Jesus has done it all.  He has shielded me with Grace and welcomed me into the Most Holy Place to rest under the refuge of Your wings.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.  I am secure in Your Presence.

Come and listen, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what he has done for me.

The Blood of Love has paid my price.  The Blood of Love has made me new.  Let all the heavenlies hear, the Blood of Love has given me life. Though I have not seen Him, I love Him and my heart is filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.  I have heard the Voice of Love and my heart has been set free.

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

The fears of my heart flowed from my mouth and I offered Him thanks that nothing takes Him off guard and that He is always at work for my good.  I praised His Name and He gave me peace that surpassed my understanding to guard my heart and my mind.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Oh how I thank you Lord that You do not give up on me.  You continue to shine your light on my life and heal every disease that is revealed.  There is no condemnation.  There is no shame.  For You listen to me O Lord and You whisper Love to my soul. You do not reject me.  You withhold nothing.  You open your arms wide and embrace me with LOVE.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer or

withheld his love from me!

girlwitharmsup

Seek Him.  Reach for Him. He will be found.

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Mrs. B’s Morning . . . How Cool Is That?!?

11 Sep

Just a quick blurb this morning to share a couple things and hopefully, there is someone out there that needed to hear them as much as I did.  I am in the midst of recovering from a collapsed lung.  I am also in the midst of preparing to share the Word in front of a group of Sisters from my home church next weekend.  I cannot tell you how God has used my fear over this weekend to strengthen my faith nor can I adequately paint a picture of the way the enemy has tried to twist it in my mind.

We have encountered obstacle after obstacle where this retreat is concerned.  You name it and the Biddinger Crew has looked it square in the eye.  Enough so that I have wondered if I had reached outside my bounds, if I was trying to labor in a field that God hadn’t called me to or stepped outside my appointed area of influence. My mind has tried to run amok with this thing time and time again.  But over and over, God has been there putting the Sword of the Spirit firmly in my hand and giving me Scripture to engage in the combat.  Time and time again, He sent my Nehemiah Man to the wall for me and sent Sweet Friends to refresh my heart.

This morning, as I was contemplating all of this, the thought came into my mind that I had been given the perfect way to gracefully bow down to my fear.  I could simply say I didn’t think my recovery would be far enough along.  And I began to turn this over in my mind and mull the idea that perhaps this was exactly what God had intended.  And all of this before my feet even hit the floor this morning.  The enemy appears to be an early riser but . . . . The God of More, the One who takes my anxious thoughts and gives me peace, He never sleeps or slumbers.  His eye is always upon His own.

Ever patient with me and bringing to life the Truth that His mercies are new every morning, He set about again to chat with this thick-headed child.  I just can’t help but marvel at the fact that He doesn’t constantly deep sigh at me, cross His arms, and tap His Holy foot in my direction.  But He doesn’t.  He continues to work with me.  It’s no wonder I giggle and relate so well when Paul tells the Philippians, “Oh I don’t mind repeating myself.  Perhaps this time you’ll catch it.” (Marilyn Paraphrase)

So, with no deep sigh and no Holy foot tapping, God began to speak to me by combining the Truth of His Word with the obedience of His saints.

First, I got a series of beautiful texts from my Sweet Girl before 7:30 this morning.

Text One:

“Mrs. B!  You won’t need to find a standing stone to remind you of God’s strength and healing in this situation!  It’s literally written on your chest!  How cool is that!?!”

She had no idea that the theme verse for the retreat is Proverbs 3:3 and the very thing I had been studying the evening before was His Testimony written on the tablet of my heart.  But I had not considered the stitched up gash left behind by the chest tube.  You are right Sweet Girl – How cool is that!?!

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3 (NIV, 1984)

Next text:

“I hope you get to spend time delighting in the Lord this morning Momma, because oh! He is delightful!
Listen to this:

Lam 3:27-33 “It is good for a man to beat the yoke while he is young…Though [the Lord] brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.  For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”
How God wishes we could learn the easy way, but He would rather bring us into His best for us as soon as possible than let us be comfy but unsatisfied! Praise the Lord for His mighty works this morning Mrs B!”

She did not know that the introductory teaching session will involve the “yoke of __________” we hang around our necks in place of God’s love and faithfulness. She did not know that I was grasping for understanding of this affliction — trying to discern the purpose of God.

She did not know – but He did.

Moving on to my morning devotionals. I receive the verse of the day which was Psalm 121:1-2 today, Girlfriends in God, and one other.

Opened the first one and read the opening lines:

In Christ, you are enormously gifted. You have an unseen enemy who is after that gift. 2 Tim.1:14 “Protect that good thing entrusted to you.” – Beth Moore

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you–

guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

2 Timothy 1:14 (NIV, 1984)

Ok Lord, I’m listening.  Those thoughts are my own fears and I will not succumb.  I’m announcing to the heavenlies that I’m standing firm in JESUS.  Dressed head-to-toe in Him, fully armored up and believing that the prayers of the saints are at my back, I will be brave.  I will cast every anxiety on you because you care for me.  And I will not shrink back. Nothing, absolutely, nothing is beyond Christ Jesus and I refuse to sell Him short.

Faith isn’t about my feelings but, I confess to you that I love the sense of His Good Pleasure falling on me.   No deep sigh to be heard.  No crossed arms vibe in the room.  No floor tremor from a tapping foot.

He took my anxiety, my prayer and my petition, and He gave me His peace.  He took my less-than, who-wants-this junk and He gave me Himself.  He is always the God of More.  I cannot say it enough.

So God had reassured me through the obedience of the saints and His Truth.  But He wasn’t quite finished yet.  He had one more thing to say on the subject.  I opened my last devotional and read Romans 12:11 (NLT). . . (don’t you love HIs humor)

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Marilyn paraphrase again, “Child, you’ve been hanging around in your uncertainty long enough.  Go to work. ”

I have to believe that while the name at the beginning of that sentence may change, the message is meant for every Sister reading this post.  Beloved, don’t you let the voice of the enemy shout you down–You declare that Love speaks louder. Don’t you let those doubts make you feel small–You proclaim that Truth is bigger. And don’t you let that serpent tell you that you are less-than because Girlfriend, YOU SERVE THE GOD OF MORE!

(Written with much love for my Sweet Child and thankfulness for her inability to keep the goodness of her God to herself.  I love you Punkin!)

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