Simple Thoughts

The reading habits of the average evangelical Christian in the United States, as far as I have been able to observe them, are so wretchedly bad as actually to arrest the spiritual development of the individual believer and block the progress of the faith he professes to hold. So powerful is the effect of the printed page on human character that the reading of good books is not only a privilege but an obligation, and the habitual reading of poor ones a positive tragedy. Of course I do not here refer to the output of the yellow press. I think we may safely assume that no true Christian would stoop to read the under-the-counter literary obscenities of the corner newsstand or the hole-in-the-wall bookstore. By “poor” books I mean the religious trash being turned out these days by the various publishers under the name of Christian. Tons of this stuff are produced each year to satisfy a market which a previous output has in large measure helped to create. This religious rubbi...

There are easy days. And then there are difficult days. This is my reassurance: God is constant and He is always faithful. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

There is a church that is on the road that I drive every day to and from work. They have a sign that they will post quotes and phrases to inspire the Christian walk. God has been using that sign to speak to me for months and months. Usually I see it on the drive home from work, but today, I read the opposite side going to work. It was such a simple phrase, yet it struck me to the heart… “It’s not about you.” Such a simple phrase, yet the places it took my mind were endless. “It’s not about you.” Hm. So it’s not about me. I began thinking about the areas in my life that I have been praying over. I began thinking of possible scenarios that I am not going through now, but could some day. I began thinking of how God might put me in those situations and why He would allow it… It’s not about me. Unanswered prayer. We all have those things that we have knocked on the doors of Heaven for. There are seasons that we are banging, and there are seasons that we are desperately crying, layi...

A few days ago, I was traveling on the interstate to go to a city 3 hours away from home. It was just me in the car. I was rocking out to my music and enjoying Jesus. All of the sudden, I noticed something. In front of my car, passing in front of my windshield… was a butterfly! It seemed like quite the contrast. Me – driving approximately 70 mph on the interstate, and this butterfly – taking its time in travel, flight. Have you ever noticed that when butterflies fly, they seem to take their time flittering about, looking for the flowers they want to land on? They don’t exactly strike me as the insects who are zooming about in such a hurry. Life can get so busy. There are so many reasons to rush about, going from place to place, appointment to appointment. But I felt like that butterfly on the highway, was God’s little reminder to me… “You can be on the highway of life. You can be busy. But in your busyness, you need to slow down. Enjoy the beauty God has placed around us. Searc...

You know those people who seem to never fill up their car all the way with gas and they just seem to live on Empty? The last few months, I have found myself filling all the way up, and then driving until I am dangerously low on gas and THEN filling up again. But the other day, I did something different, I filled up when I was only ¼ a tank full. I wasn’t empty yet, but still decided to stop and get gas. That got me thinking. So many Christians live their life on Empty. They may be low in energy or low on time, in the same way that people who usually live on empty with their physical cars are short on money. They may not have time or energy to expend on their relationship with God, spending intimacy with Jesus, to refill the tank of their spirit. But those very people who don’t seem to have the time and energy to encounter God are usually the ones that feel rushed, the world may be crashing down around them, and they seem to live their busy life without joy and without hope. We ...

I want to be a mother of a nazarite nesting ground - a place to raise up prophets and nazarites and children and youth who are set apart, Holy unto the Lord. I want to be apart of the Adoption Revolution. I want to live a culture of LIFE that appreciates and values a LIFE regardless of color, ethnicity, mental capacity, or age. I want to rescue babies from the jaws of the death of abortion through adoption. I want to change the world around me. One child, one youth, one life at a time. That's what I want.

Excerpt from “Christmas Reformation Long Overdue” by A.W. Tozer … In our mad materialism we have turned beauty into ashes, prostituted every normal emotion and made merchandise of the holiest gift the world ever knew. Christ came to bring peace and we celebrate His coming by making peace impossible for six weeks of each year. Not peace but tension, fatigue, and irritation rule the Christmas season. He came to free us of debt and many respond by going deep into debt each year to buy enervating luxuries for people who do not appreciate them. He came to help the poor and we heap gifts upon those who do not need them. The simple token given out of love has been displaced by expensive presents given because we have been caught in a squeeze and don’t know how to back out of it. Not the beauty of the Lord our God is found in such a situation, but the ugliness and deformity of human sin. Among the harmful abuses of the Christmas season in America is the substitution of Santa Claus for ...

Do you ever just have one of those days when God reminds you, “Be patient.”? I’m having one of those days. So I decided to look up the word “Patient” in the New King James Bible and see what I came up with. 7 verses. Verse #1: Ecc 7:8 NKJV - The end of a thing [is] better than its beginning; The patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit. In the middle of words of wisdom, there is this saying. So much of this verse intrigues me. The first part, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning”, has so much to do with the end – being patient in spirit. The first thing that I think of is the return of Jesus, the end of days. That glorious day when Justice takes His place on the earth. The end is better than the beginning… like every good fairy tale. But it’s no fairy tale. It’s reality. We must be patient in spirit and here’s the very reason why. The end is better than the beginning!! What a glorious thought! Do you know why the patient in spirit is contrasted with the...

Last Saturday, I attended a conference at IHOP Tallahassee. Randy Martinez, from Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace, spoke a word to the House of Prayer on hiddenness… not despising the place of hiddenness, this place of preparation. It really gripped my heart. Oh that place of hiddenness. Most despise and hate it. Most desire to be seen, desire for their ministry to take off, and desire to be used greatly by God to touch thousands of lives. So what about when we are waiting in the place of the desert, the time of preparation? Does it offend you that Jesus cares way more about your heart than He does your ministry? He cares way more for your heart. John the Baptist was in the desert and in preparation for 30 years to “only have” a 6-12 month ministry. Does that offend you? Do you groan and say, “God please not me! It’s already been a decade! I’m ready to be released into ministry. The amazing ministry you have called me to, to touch nations and the people of the earth!” God cares....

Our house of community goes through cycles. There are times when it is easy to love, and there are times when it is difficult to love one another. And then there is a phase of those cycles that I like to call “when community becomes ‘Survivor’.” ------- Suddenly, the 10 or more people living in one house begin sectioning off. They turn into what some would call “cliques” and what I like to call “alliances.” It could be for any reason really. I like these people more than the rest. They are my friends. Those people bug me so I just won’t hang around them. She doesn’t really have any friends so I’ll be her friend. Being closer to certain people over other people is not the issue. The issue is when these factions begin to turn on one another. When they begin to agree that another person or group of people is annoying or frustrating to deal with. ------ The other thing that begins to manifest in Community Survivor is gossip. Every reality TV show has that side video camer...

I have a memory. In that memory, I’m watching a football game. This memory didn’t happen once or twice. It happened from when I was young to when I was in college multiple times. I can remember watching my favorite team losing… with only minutes or seconds left in the game. I can remember holding out hope. “Maybe they can pull it out! Miracles happen! Anything can happen… they could still win…” They usually wouldn’t if it was that far gone, but I always held onto hope. That was football… now here’s God. There is a place in faith that you have a choice. I’ve never been one to enjoy being disappointed. Often, if I suspect a surprise or a result that I would love in a situation, I will often prepare myself for the worst because I do not want to get disappointed. You always have choices in the journey of faith. But the choice I’m talking about specifically is this one… “Do I prepare myself for the worst so I won’t be disappointed, or do I keep praying and asking God in faith even ...

Okay, I recognize that a few people may get fired up by the title of this. But I wanted to write about submission-- specifically in the case of wives. There are a few topics that I feel like God has been teaching me about them, over a period of years. Submission is one of those. (The title was just for fun.) Let’s look at some verses that many people shy away from. Eph 5:22-24 - Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 1Pe 3:1-6 - Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rathe...

Disclaimer: If you think I wrote this blog for you then by all means, read it and pray over it before responding. But just giving a heads up that this was not motivated by one person or 5 persons or any person. I just felt the need to write. Performing. performance [per-fawr-muhns] noun 1. a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience. 2. the act of performing   a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc. 3. the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc. I feel like "performing" has been something I have been on a quest about. quest /kw ɛ st/    noun 1. a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something There have been things that I feel like I have been on quests to get the truth from God on the issue.   Before I got engaged, I wanted to know what true love was. The God kind of love. Recently - I feel like God has also been slowly revealing to me the role of women in the church. Now it's performance vs. worsh...

I see many people getting ministry degrees or have gotten ministry degrees. And I have heard these questions asked...    Is it adequate in the job market today?   What if there are no opportunities to be in full time ministry at the moment in the city?   Does a degree matter?   Do we need to acquire certain skills in order for God to use us? I felt the need to blog about it. Psalm 37 is filled with promises to the righteous. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4). But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Ps. 37:11). The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way (Ps 37:23). Proverbs 22:29 says "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men." Here's my answer to these questions. God orders our steps. When we walk in obedience to Him, He guides us. He says, "T...

Once upon a time there was a kingdom. This kingdom had a King, and many residents of the land. The job of the residents was to build the kingdom. Build castles, recruit other residents from other lands, take care of the land, etc. Depending on the productivity of each resident, they were rewarded for their work. Amazingly, the residents could have any supplies they needed to get the job done! There was only one catch... They had to ask the King for the supplies. If I could describe to you the scene of this kingdom, you'd be shocked. Buildings were only half done, barely started really. Recruiting had gone way down. The land was overgrown with weeds and in terrible condition. Was it due to lack if supplies? No! There were entire regions filled with supplies, workers, and storehouses. The problem? Not many residents had asked the King for supplies to complete their work. Which also meant not many people were getting rewarded. The reason? Excuses after excuse. ...

I read this passage last night. I have seen a verse or two about it... but the entirety of it gripped me when I read it. I had never thought about it as a principle. "When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness..." Then I was blown away by the men God used as examples. Noah, Daniel, Job. Men whose lives have a tremendous impact on the end-time saints. To be the only ones delivered in your righteousness. What was it like to watch an entire culture that God was not pleased with and see his judgment poured out accordingly. Righteous men - Noah, Daniel, Job - who stood, even when they stood alone. And yes, all three of those men, stood in their righteousness alone. They all faced scoffing and hatred of them. There are lessons in all of these men's lives. God judges nations. He judges lands that sin against the Lord in persistent unfaithfulness. But there are righteous ones in the midst of judgment. Eze 14:12-23 The word of the LORD came again to me...

I felt like writing today. A thoughtful kind of writing. And the first word that came to mind was “ponder.” So I did what I normally do. I got on blueletterbible.com, and looked up the word “ponder.” I found this verse. Pro 4:26-27 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. In a chapter that is overflowing with reminders… Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not walk the path of the wicked! Keep your heart with diligence! Look straight ahead! …the chapter ends with this: Ponder the path of your feet. Let all your ways be established. Don’t turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil. The Hebrew word for ponder in that verse means “to weigh, make level, balance.” If you dictionary.com it, you’ll get this: pon•der  [pon-der] –verb (used without object) 1. to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate (often followed by over or upon ). –verb (used with obj...

Rom 12:19-21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.   a•venge –verb (used with object) 1. to take vengeance or exact satisfaction for 2. to take vengeance on behalf of venge•ance –noun 1. infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person; violent revenge 2. an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble 3. the desire for revenge There is a desire inside of us, a part of our flesh nature, that desires to inflict pain when we are pained. To bully when we are bullied. To hurt when we are hurt. To lash out when we are lashed out against. We must allow God to take vengeance. When we choose to take rev...

I have never been what some would call “a runner.” I love to walk. I love to sit. But I hate to run. I always struggled in elementary school to do the mile. One time in college, I ran a mile on the treadmill…. One time. But lately, there has been a trend around me. It seems like an extraordinary amount of people in my life have been training for and running half-marathons. HALF-MARATHONS! People at work, people at church, people everywhere! In every arena of my life, it seems. One friend, in particular, has been talking to me about her training and has also shared about how she, like me, hated running and was never good at it while growing up. That same friend has shared how she learns a spiritual lesson every time she runs. So, I decided I would start running. Maybe eventually train for a half-marathon, but at least start running. And what better way to begin than figure out where your starting place is. (When the above friend started training, she was running 3 miles.) So ye...

Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." There is a need in this time, now, for us to see God as our Hiding Place. He is our shelter, our safety, our strong tower of refuge. He will preserve us from trouble. And oh ... here comes my favorite part --- "You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." I have felt a need for songs of deliverance to come forth. There is nothing like being in a storm of life and having a song to cling to -- a song that the Lord seems to give for YOU. A song that you can cling to and hum or sing when you are feeling shaken by the storm. I recognize this is a short blog - but my prayer for each one of you is that God will show Himself as the Hiding Place to you. That you will find safety in His arms. That we will run to Him alone for our comfort and protection. And that He would preserve us in the upcoming trials and tribulations. And that the Giver ...