When Love Is Born

When love is born
It’s full of longing and yearning
Planning and dreaming
Full of desire

When love is in bloom
It is patient and kind
Long-suffering and gentle
Believing, hoping, enduring all things

And endurance brings maturity, but…

When love is mature
It brings suffering and sacrifice
Dying to self,
to self’s wants and desires

When love is planted
Dying like a seed
It reproduces 30, 60, 100 times
more love…

Then, when love is born…

God wants to kill me...

I read that line in the article below. ...God wants to kill me... He wants to kill the "self" in me. He wants me to let go of "I want...I need...give me...I should get..." He wants to raise His glory in my heart and life. He wants His character traits to be the thing that others see in me...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. He wants it to be ALL about Him and less about me.

It's easier to write about than it is to live. God please kill me and raise Yourself in me. Cause me to look like you. Mold and shape my personality, my giftings, my desires, to bring honor and glory to Your name. Make Your name famous through me!!

Come Live Die

Below is a quote from Elijah Company http://www.elijahcompany.org/elijah/p4.html on their mentorship page, about Missions

Come Live Die

“Brokenness gives first, heals first, repents first, hopes first, loves first.

She intercedes instead of accuses, covers instead of reveals,

gathers and does not scatter, builds and does not destroy.

Brokenness promotes others,

she herself hides from the notoriety and clamor of the public eye.

She does not parade her riches and her intimacy before the world,

who will only use her secretly

and discard her when the cost of embracing her is truly understood.

She reserves herself for God alone.”

Don Nori

Oh that I would live like that!!

another great quote from the same article...

I'm just a nobody

excited about telling anybody

about somebody

who can save everybody.

The late Tom Petty, staff member at Columbia International University.

Poems from my mother

My Mom sent me these poems in January and I was just re-reading them again today and I was so blessed by my mother. Blessed not only by her love for me, but by her vision for my future, by her encouragement in my present, by her faithful friendship to me.

There are so many wonderful things about you, my daughter.

But I think the loveliest thing of all, at least to me,

is that you do the things you do....with love.

You give life a gleam that most people only carry a glimpse of.

Laurel Atherton

She found life interesting and wonderful from the very beginning.

Her positive attitude and friendliness

make her a natural magnet for others;

family and friends know they can count on her

for comfort, support, and a great time.

She has brought me more smiles than anyone else

and fulfilled my life in a way only she can.

Barbara Cage

God grant that I can live up to such high expectations.

Don't waste your pain...

John Piper recently had surgery and wrote this article that I feel like really expresses what we should do whenever we're faced with yucky news. I hope you'll take the time to follow the link and read it.

http://www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2006/021506.html

James..a poem by Kerry

The following is a poem written by one of my sons about the other. And I thought it was rather cool. My son Kerry's blog page is full of other awesome writings and poems. Check out his blogspot... http://yerrik.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 19, 2005

James
(Note this is about and describes my younger brother. He really is a tiger among men. Every time we go out people notice him and I -swear- that he looks like a stalking panther as he walks around.)

James
Who is this tiger?
Young and sleek,
Swift and powerful.
He stalks among the young men,
The young women stop and take notice.
In anger a fierce storm.
In solitude a sleeping kitten.
Warn him, Warn him,
Let him seek his Master
Let him hunt his Lord’s game
Lest strangers come and bind him,
Lest hunters take his fur.
Aha! On his master’s leach he is without equal
At his Master’s side who can restrain him?
He curls around the weak as a guard.
He stalks the enemies of his Master and rends them without mercy.
A tiger in prayer.
A lion in love.
Loyal and bold,
A panther among men.

The Happy Way Is To Obey

We used a curriculum in kindergarten with our sons that had a little ditty that said, “The happy way is to obey.” (Kindergarten is a very foundational time ;) And oh how much happier we all were when they obeyed! Obedience… it’s what Samuel talked about to Saul when he said…

…Obedience is far better than sacrifice…
1 Sam 15:22-23 NLT
The Bible tells us to…
"Honor your father and mother.
Then you will live a long, full life
in the land the LORD your God will give you.
Ex 20:12 NLT

Children, obey your parents …
This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.
And this is the promise:
If you honor your father and mother,
"you will live a long life, full of blessing."
Eph 6:1-3 NLT

How is it that honoring our moms and dads is THE only commandment with a promise? Why not “love God with all your heart, soul, and mind…so that you will live a long full life?”
There are some differences between obedience and honor, but not much
Definitions of honor
· a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
· bestow honor or rewards upon;
· show respect towards
Definitions of obedience
· dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
· the trait of being willing to obey
· Obedience is the willingness to follow the will of others.
Note: obedience is NOT just doing what the other person tells us to do. There is an agreeing on our part to become a part of the problem, the process, or the solution.
Still, we can’t get away from the fact that God says honor/obedience is the key to living a long, full life. So, even after we are past the age of having to obey our parents we still have to honor, IF we want to live a long, full life.

Why?
(Have you ever noticed that we never seem to get past the age of three when it comes to doing something that we’re not really keen on doing, or something that doesn’t make sense to us? We still want to know, Why?)

Why? Because, “Obedience is the opener of eyes.” says George Macdonald. The training that we receive from our parents is invaluable. Pretty much regardless of the kind of parents we had. This training, or raising, opens our eyes to the great big world of ‘not me.’ When we’re tiny we live under the delusion that it’s all about me. But gradually, thanks to our parents, we learn there are other people out there who sometimes take priority over our time, attention, and love. God knew who we were going to have as parents and He knows what kind of parents we will be. And somehow it is His divine plan, His purpose, that we learn from our parents everything that we need to learn to have a long, full life. What is it Jesus says…

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
John 10:10 NLT

What is a full life? I think it’s going to be a God-filled life, a life of purpose and direction, full of laughter and tears, gladness and sorrow, challenges and accomplishments, defeats and victories. It will be a life where God never leaves us, doesn’t abandon us, doesn’t forget about us, or reject us. But calls us His very own sons and daughters. And is always working for our good, because He is good!

Honoring/obeying is not a feeling that seems right, or something that we need to pray about whether or not we should do it. It’s just one of those things that we do, because God said so! Honoring/obeying is all based on trust. Do I believe God when He says that if I will honor then I will be honored and receive the promise? Do I trust God to know what is best for me? Do I believe that He really knows who my parents are and how hard/impossible it seems to be to honor?

Ok, so how do we teach honor/obedience to our children? We model it. That’s what Jesus did.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
Luke 2:51 NIV
Then He said,
"If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15-16 NLT
And we train/disciple it in. We gently tell them to hush so that we can speak to them. We remind them that we love them and that we are going to do whatever it takes to comfort, care, and provide for them. We do what we say we will do. Therefore we don’t lie and say that we’re going to stop loving them if they don’t stop doing such and such. We don’t threaten them with days of sitting in the corner when we know that we’ll only supervise 30 minutes of it. We don’t throw fits and scream and yell at them trying to intimidate them into doing what we want them to do. We don't ignore them and their behavior, deluding ourselves into thinking that it doesn't matter what they do. Nor do we lazily ignore the whole situation and focus on our own interests and desires.

Instead, we think about the outcome, the result, the finished product. What is it that we want to see our children doing and saying next year? When they are 10? 20? When they are parents? What does God want our children to know? How does He want them to behave? Then we set clear and defined rules that they can understand and that we are willing to enforce. (More than a handful is too many.) Then we obey our rules, and we all suffer if we disobey them. We suffer because it means we have to do the dirty work of discipline (sometimes in the form of corporal punishment – which is always painful, but often in the form of practicing – which is really almost more difficult for us as parents) And they suffer, who wants to be disciplined? However, we can all be like Christ when we submit to discipline.
...Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered ...
Heb 5:8 NIV
After disciplining our child, we should remind them of our love for them, of our plans for their future, plans that will prosper them and not harm them, plans to give them a hope and a future…Where have we heard that before? Hmm…;) (Jeremiah 29:11)
Really and truly, the happy way is to obey!

LET US GO FASTER!

Holy Spirit pour out your fire upon me!
Precious Jesus it's a fresh touch from you that i need!
Lord i'm asking for more burn it deep in my heart
that your glory might be shown
Holy Spirit come! Holy Spirit come!
Let Your wil be done in me!

"Is our speed really too great after all? Is not all this talk a delusion? Speed is a relative thing, and the accuracy of the estimate depends upon the standard you measure it by. The coach is a rapid vehicle compared with the old carrier's cart, but it is very slow when put alongside a royal express train. What do our objectors measure us by? Anyhow, I object to being measured by the standard of the carrier's cart.

Does salvation travel as fast as sin? See how wickedness spreads. Talk about a prairie fire – it devours everything before it. Does salvation keep pace with our ever-growing population? Make the calculation in your most favored Christian cities, and you will find we are terribly behind in the race. Do we keep pace with the devils in energy and untiring labor? Do we go as fast as death? Oh, say no more! We'll close our ears to this cold, unfeeling, stony-hearted utterance of unbelief.

LET US GO FASTER! We must increase the speed if we are to keep pace with the yearnings of the Almighty Heart of Love that would have all men to be saved. "

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, in the article “You’re Going Too Fast!” printed in the March 1885 edition of The War Cry

The above was excerpted from House2House internet magazine. You can follow the link for the complete article...
http://www.house2house.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=127&osCsid=10ddf0b11bbbe7df33725f9915edb5a4

or visit their home site at...
http://www.house2house.net/

Love God ...

Love God With All Your Heart

And you must love the LORD your God
with all your heart …
Repeat them again and again to your children.
Talk about them when you are at home..
and when you are away on a journey,
when you are lying down
and when you are getting up again.
Write them on the doorposts of your house…
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NLT

How do you teach a 2 yr old how to love God with all their heart?

Love is patient and kind…
Love does not demand its own way.
Love is not irritable…
Love never gives up…
and endures through every circumstance.
Love will last forever…
It's like this: When I was a child,
I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does.
But when I grew up,
I put away childish things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-11 NLT

When I was a little girl my mother would hold my hand as we walked and point out to me all of the things that God had made and tell me,

“God loves us so much, look at all of the things He made for us.”

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 NIV

Everything my mother did with me, she brought back to how much God loved us, and what all He made for us and did for us, and how we didn’t want to disappoint Him.

So you can do the same with your little one. Take his little hands in yours and pray to God, thanking Him for working in your lives. Then you can tell your little one, “Let’s wait and see what God wants us to do.” Then, when you know, you can say, “Let’s do what God told us to do.” You can read a verse from the Bible and talk about how God loved us so much He wrote us a letter to tell us more about Himself and how He wants us to live. Don’t be surprised if your little one hears from God, or if God speaks to you through your child.

You teach them to love God
the same way you teach them everything else…modeling.
You can practice being patient and kind in front of your child. You can plan ahead to not be irritable. You can decide to not give up when you think you can’t wash another dirty dish, or wipe another dirty bottom, or comfort a crying child another minute during a long sleepless night.


Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.
James 1:2-6 NIV

Ask God to show you how to do it. He will speak to you the exact words and actions that you need in order to teach your child. You don’t have to take a lot of fancy classes about learning styles, nor do you have to spend your nights reading reams of child rearing books. (I’m not saying there’s no value in any or all of that.) What I’m saying is that walking out what God has told you to do is not too difficult or hard.

"This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform." Deut 30:11-12 NLT

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30 NIV

Isn’t that great? God wants to tell you exactly what to do and His way is easy. Well, it’s easier than my way. When I do it myself, I always end up complicating things. And His message to me is continually, “Come to Me with your questions. Ask Me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things that you do not know.” (Is 55:2 Jer 33:3)
Like how to teach a two year old to love God. ;)

dance dance ...

dance dance wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said He
and I'll lead you all

wherever you may be

and I'll lead you all in the dance said HE...

Angel Stadium Declaration

i was going through some computer files and found this declaration that i'd saved from last year. While we were living in Sitka, AK this past year, our church started doing the Celebrate Recovery program and this was on the website. It really spoke to me, i want these statements to be very true of me today...



The Angel Stadium Declaration
April 17, 2005 This article is printed from the website www.PurposeDriven.com
Copyright 2005 by Rick Warren.



Today I am stepping across the line.
I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering.
I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in;
and my decision is irrevocable.
I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes
with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory.
I will use my life to celebrate His presence, cultivate His character,
participate in His family, demonstrate His love,
and communicate His Word.

Since my past has been forgiven and I have a purpose for living
and a home awaiting in heaven,
I refuse tow waste any more time or energy on shallow living,
petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing,
useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying.
Instead, I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry,
and fulfill my mission in the membership of His family.

Because this life is preparation for the next,
I will value worship or wealth,
‘we’ over ‘me,’
character over comfort,
service over status,
and people over possessions, position, and pleasures.
I know what matters most,
and I’ll give it all I’ve got.
I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics,
motivated by praise,
frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation,
or intimidated by the devil.
I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal,
not the sidelines or those running by me.
When times get tough, and I get tired,
I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide.
I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace.
I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused,
so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised,
and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace,
so I will be gracious to everyone,
grateful for everyday,
and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say:
However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do
my answer in advance is yes!
Wherever You lead and whatever the cost, I’m ready.
Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway.
Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes!
I want to be used by You in such a way,
that on that final day I’ll hear You say,
“Well done, thou good and faithful one.
Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!”

Going Home

I wanta go home...

You know how it is, you hear a song and totally relate to it. The music and the message really touch somepart of you that expresses something deep inside. When I heard this song...immediately, i totally related. i want to go home to my Father. The words in red are the ones that particularly spoke to me. i hope you will be blessed. i am SO grateful that i will go home, probably sooner than i think. Dad is now on the last part of his journey and i know the words to this song express both Mom and Dad's feelings right now. Somedays life is just very tiring... long... hard...but God is SO good! And He promised to take me home with Him...thank You, Jesus!

______________________________________________________________

"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me.

There are many rooms in my Father's home,

and I am going to prepare a place for you.

If this were not so, I would tell you plainly.

When everything is ready, I will come and get you,

so that you will always be with me where I am.

John 14:1-4NLT

____________________________________________

"Home"

MICHAEL BUBLE

http://www.michaelbuble.com/

(click here to listen to the song)

Another summer day

Has come and gone away

In Paris and Rome

But I wanna go home

Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by

A million people

I

Still feel all alone

I just wanna go home

Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you

Each one a line or two

“I’m fine baby, how are you?”

Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough

My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane

Another sunny place

I’m lucky I know

But I wanna go home

Mmmm,

I’ve got to go home

Let me go home

I’m just too far from where you are

I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life

It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right

And I know just why you could not

Come along with me

But this was not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come

And gone away

And even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go home

Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by

A million people

I

Still feel alone

Oh, let me go home

Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home

I’ve had my run

Baby, I’m done

I gotta go home

Let me go home

It will all be allright

I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home

[Thanks to kjfdkjf@asfj.com for these lyrics]

[Thanks to guitarwu@gmail.com, nikif@telus.net, usaum@web.de for correcting these lyrics]

________________________________________

PS. i know this song is not speaking about the God - child relationship,

but it really speaks to me that way.

One handful is just enough!

Have you ever noticed how a handful is just enough? It’s not too much and it’s not too little. Depending on the size of your hand depends on how much you need in order to be satisfied and how much you can take care of responsibly. God is so good. He’s made our hands to be about the same size as our hearts. So as our hearts grow, so do our hands; and the opposite is just as true; as our hands grow bigger, our hearts grow bigger. God has given you just the right amount of children, and they are a blessing to you. And if you will allow Him, God will give you just the right amount for the size of your hands and hearts.

Here’s an interesting truth…children were made for you. You weren’t made for them. The blessing with kids is not for them…it’s for you! God wants to “bless us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph 1:3 NIV, so one of the ways He does that is to give you children. And if not your own physical children, then spiritual children, and hopefully both. Children are one of the primary tools that God uses to shape us into His image, to keep us willing to stay on the Potter’s wheel long enough to be shaped into a vessel that’s worth using.

There are so many aspects to that shaping; like the verses in Galations 6:7-10 that talk about sowing and reaping, like the being faithful in the small things so that you can be ruler over much (Matthew 25:23,) like finding out just exactly what absolutely has to happen and what can wait, etc. There’s so much to learn. But here is a freeing thought…you will never learn it all!! Isn’t that great? You will never arrive!! How awesome! God in His wisdom knew that we needed to continue to grow and learn and He wants us to grow up to be like Him.

So in this lifetime we only have to learn the lessons that He’s teaching us right now. If we’re in kindergarten, we don’t have to learn algebra this year! Praise God! There’s a book whose title reads, “Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.” That’s just a true thing. The basics for a successful life are simple truths. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what you think you know, these simple truths will still be important and foundational…even at 80 years old!

So what are those things? Just a handful of very simple truths…

· Love God
· Love Mom & Dad
· Love People
· Speak Lovingly
· Work Cheerfully

Guess what else? God uses a lot of discovery learning. He tells you something, then He lets you discover that what He said was true. There are as many ways of discovering as there are different kinds of people…
Trial and error
experimenting
analyzing
researching
practicing…
are a few of them. The Bible is full of examples, every different kind of personality is represented. God is FOR you. He loves you! So…He blesses you. I’m so thankful that He’s blessed you with children. It’s so awesome to see how He’s growing you up and causing you to look like His Son. I pray that God will continue to bless you as you seek to honor Him. I’m so thankful that He’ll never give you more that your hand will hold. ;)

(By the way the hand, is the hand of my second son, Robert, who is now 22 years old. They really do grow up amazingly fast.)

Fishing or not?

These people say they like fishing, but they're not fishing...they're watching. Off in the distance are boats full of people who like fishing, really like fishing...and they are fishing.

Living out what you believe is not hard to do. It’s as easy as breathing. We do it everyday, in every way, because it’s a natural law, like gravity…it just is. Believing, or changing your belief system, now that’s the trick.

How do we know what we believe? Well, what do we do? What exactly is it that we DO? Habits and beliefs are very close cousins. They can both be grown and changed, good and bad. They both take the same amount of time and energy…good or bad.

Habits can be passive, simply the way we were raised, our culture. So we can have some really great habits, like going to church, reading our Bibles, talking sweetly, doing good deeds, giving, sharing.

But beliefs grow out of need. First you have to need…things like love, provision (food, shelter, clothing), relationships, ... Then desire is born. Believing starts with desire. We see something…hear some sound…touch someone…taste something…feel an emotion…and desire is born and begins to grow.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Rom 10:17-18 NIV

Once desire is born, like a newborn baby, it seeks to satisfy it’s hunger, so it begins looking for ways to be satisfied. We begin to noticing this object of our desire everywhere we turn. Soon we are looking and searching for ways to satisfy that desire. Finally, something happens and the desire is satisfied…for the moment. And if it was pleasurable, if it fulfilled a need, then we’re hooked…addicted. The next time we “need” we remember, and off we go again, pursuing that which will “please” us, that which will satisfy our desire.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you," declares the LORD,
"and will bring you back from captivity. Jer 29:13-14 NIV

How can we increase our desire for ‘God things’? How can we increase and strengthen our faith? How do we get new beliefs…ones that we see in others and want to have ourselves? How do we walk in what we say we believe?

We have to need it! We have to desire it! We have to pursue it! And once you have experienced the presence of God nothing else we do…it’s more addicting that Turkish Delight. Why else would Moses spend 40 days and nights alone with God on a mountain? Can you imagine doing that with or for anyone else? I don’t think we’d come back with our faces glowing;) But the Presence of God…
I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart." Ps 40:8 NIV

How can we get His law in our hearts? We have to read it, meditate on it, practice it. But all of that will be ‘works’ if you don’t experience the power and the presence of God. It would be like reading a book about love… interesting, fascinating…but not even close to actually experiencing God. (There’s a whole series on that…Experiencing God.) How privileged we are because God knows we can’t do it ourselves, so He says,
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7:7-8 NIV


In the same way that salmon swim upstream to spawn, we DO the things we believe. We need something and so desire to satisfy the need is born, then the search is on…how will I satisfy my need? How will you satisfy your need? Are you going to fish or not?

Only be careful...

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely
so that you do not forget
the things your eyes have seen or
let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children
and to their children after them.
Deut 4:9 NIV


i went to the Doctor the other day and as i was waiting to be seen, i began feeling somewhat sorry for myself and thinking about what i wanted and when i wanted it. When i want, i want now. i rarely want later. Then i heard the whining sweet voice of a precious little girl trailing her mom, and begging for what she wanted … now!

God spoke to me through that little scene.

i need to be careful with the things
God gives me, or tells me he’s going to give me.
-Careful to wait for them.
-Careful to speak the truth about them
(both internally and externally.)
-Careful to trust him to give them to us
at the right time.
-Careful to NOT be like a little girl clinging
to her mother’s shirt, crying and begging…
“That’s mine mommy, give it to me!
It’s mine! Let me hold it!
It’s mine, you said
you would give it to me!
It’s mine!”

Instead i need to respond by speaking the truth, by remembering the promises, by being thankful, by asking for help to wait, to speak the truth, to trust.
“God, You are good.
Thank You for loving me.
Thank You for providing for me!
Please help me right now
…when i’m feeling weak,
…susceptible to doubt,
…scared of what i don’t know.
Thank You for promising
to take care of me,
to provide for me,
for You are good….good to me!”

Dancing songs

Redemption Songs by Jars of Clay, truly touches me in the deepest dancing corner of my spirit.