Conversations with God

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David…” (Lk. 1:31-32). Mary was given a wonderful promise from God. At first, it seemed to be fulfilled fairly quickly. She conceived and birthed a son before she and Joseph consummated their marriage. We love it when that happens, don’t we? God speaks and then, Boom! , here’s the proof. But that wasn’t the whole promise. Mary was told her son would be the long-awaited Messiah. Yet what she held in her arms was an infant. The promise didn’t look like she expected. So what’s the next step? She had a promise. She had an angelic visitation. She had confirmation from shepherds, the anointed man Simeon, and the prophetess Anna. But she was still holding a baby. What do you do when the word you’ve been given doesn’t play out like you think it will? It was 30 years before Mary saw ...

“ In Jesus’ name…” These are words common to our Christian lives. Many of us learned them as children saying grace before dinner. The phrase ends virtually every prayer we ever pray. Unfortunately, like any other common word or phrase, there is the threat of it losing its meaning. So I started wondering, what does it really mean to ask or declare something “in Jesus’ name”? I started looking back to experiences I had before I gave my life to God. I lived in some undesirable neighborhoods and had friends in worse ones. I quickly learned the power of names. There were places I didn’t dare go on my own; but if I knew the right name, I suddenly had access, authority, and protection. I had access because that name carried an authority my name did not. Now, before you start thinking this is too simplistic, I am not talking about a seven sons of Sceva kind of name-using. You know the story: In Acts 19, we read the story of 7 guys who were trying to drive out demons “in ...

It’s Thanksgiving. Every commercial, billboard, and ad in the mail is assuming you are super-excited about the holidays and making great plans with your family. But what if you aren’t? What if you are struggling with something you can’t just shake off, whether it’s something happening right now or memories of past times? One of the biggest traps around all the hype of the holidays is focusing on the things that are not how we want or need them to be. In our attention to missing loved ones, sickness, or financial needs, we forget what we do have. We have a God. Not just a name we invoke before we feast on turkey and pie or an entity we hope will eventually one day make things a little more tolerable. We have GOD –  A King who takes care of His subjects. A Savior who left Heaven to come to where we are to makes things better now . A Master who offers all of Himself to those who give all to Him. A Creator who knows the end from the beginning, and who promised not to le...

Today, Lord, I am grateful for You. I am grateful for Your promises and Your faithfulness to fulfill them. I am grateful that You are completely trustworthy. I am grateful You take Your time with Your children, shaping us with care and precision, not leaving our lives up to chance. You don’t overlook things we think are unimportant. You don’t shy away from things we think are too unlovely to consider or remember. You call us to come closer when everything in the world around us screams to run away. You stand beside us, crouch by our side, and even lay down beside us when we are too weak to stand. You reach out and cover us with mercy, compassion, and strength. You call us out of the dark into the life and light of who You are. As You pull us to our feet, You allow us to give You our old garments of fear, shame, and unworthiness and clothe us in Your uprightness, strength, grace, and love. You teach us a life lived for You doesn’t mean closing our eyes to the ugliness...

I had the opportunity to speak to a small group recently about my experiences working with children. I had several fun stories and testimonies about how God comes down into the lives of even the youngest kids. What I want to talk about today, however, is something I added almost as an aside. “Let me tell you a secret,” I said. “I’m really not that good at this naturally. What I am, for whatever reason, is anointed for it.” And that’s the truth. I enjoy working with kiddos, and have had a desire to work with kids with special needs for a long time. But simply liking an activity doesn’t make you good at it. I have struggled with paperwork, classroom management, organization and other aspects of teaching. Yet I've had several people remark on my skills as a teacher. The difference is that, as much as I’ve loved kids, I’ve loved God more, and continued to put Him first. As I've done so, He's given me the ideas, insight, patience, and understanding I need to excel at thi...

Thinking this morning about my job teaching preschool children with various disabilities and challenges. I love it, yet it seems lately all I see are my mistakes and failures. I so badly want others to see how big our God is – how He heals, and also how He enables people to handle everything   that gets thrown their way. I suppose in my mind I’ve had a picture of a polished super-woman who never gets flustered or upset. Someone who always has it all together, who handles every challenging situation or behavior with exactly the right response every single time, and who has every piece of paperwork in order and on time. That ain’t me. No matter how hard I try. As I thought about it, God surprised me. “Think about David,” He said. “David was a shepherd. I elevated him to be king. Do you think he knew how to do that? He wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. But I chose him because he chose Me, which made him a safer choice than his brothers. “So, no, David didn’t ...

I was thinking about healing the other day. Actually, as a special education teacher, I think about healing every day. God seemed to be smiling at me as I was thinking about different disorders and disabilities. It was as if He were asking, “Why are you making this complicated?” I thought about it. To most of us, healing is a really big deal. We hope for it, but are almost surprised if it actually happens. It seems a rarity that excites us and makes us nervous at the same time, wondering if it will happen again. It occurred to me – maybe my focus was in the wrong place. The times I’ve seen healing happen in front of me, I’ve been focused on Jesus, not healing. He told me something to do or say, and I did it. My attention was on obeying and pleasing Him, not on the result. I have to remember God isn’t going to measure the success of my walk with Him by how many people get healed. I think He’ll be looking at how much of my heart I gave Him, how much time, how much of...

Everyone has seen the commercials asking for donations to feed starving children or news stories about war-torn countries. It’s almost everyone’s first reaction to look away, or even turn the channel. Why are those pictures so hard to see? Yes, we hate to see people hurting; but I think there’s more to it than that. In our society, we are conditioned not to hurt – really, not to feel at all, unless it’s a “good” feeling. If something or someone makes us feel the least bit sad, angry, guilty, or otherwise uncomfortable, we are taught to turn our attention to ourselves and do whatever it takes to feel better, even to the detriment of others. It has become almost natural for us to turn away when faced with someone else’s pain, whether it’s a medical crisis, the death of a child, or a failed marriage. The problem is, “protecting” ourselves this way does more than distance us from people. It limits how close we can get to God. Think about it: While God’s heart and eyes ar...

The Kingdom of God is backwards - at least to our "modern" thinking. Jesus taught that you must be last to be first and you must die to live. The Lord of all creation came to earth as an infant. The vengeful Warrior is also a loving Husband and merciful Father. Paul, one of the most powerful and impactful men in the Bible, considered himself to be the least of all people. As we walk with the Spirit, we learn we must be empty to be filled. And we must be filled to empty ourselves back out. We enter through the narrow gate, only to find ourselves in the widest possible place - the vastness of the Kingdom of God, which is continually on the increase. We continually strive to become smaller in order to hold more of Him. As we lower ourselves, He raises us up. We turn ourselves inside out before our Father, offering Him everything we are, and He reaches out to cover us. It doesn't always make sense to me, but I'm learning to accept that it's just how He...

Mail order brides (or husbands) are a familiar joke in the US. Most people couldn’t be paid enough to marry someone they never met. All the pictures, recommendations, or personal bios in the world can’t convince us we know the person well enough to spend our entire lives with them. We know we must actually meet the person before we commit our lives to them. Yet, if we have this much concern for a marriage, how is it that we are content to have others tell us about God without encountering Him ourselves?   Sermons and Bible-reading are essential parts of a life lived for God. But at the same time, if they are all you have, you are left in the same position as a mail-order spouse – you are trying to be committed to a Person you’ve never even really met. So many people – both in and out of the Church – look at Christianity as a bunch of rules of what you can’t do. I never had anyone tell me I could actually get to know God on a personal basis or talk to Him like a real person...

Moses is remembered as a great leader of his people. His words of faith and encouragement to them still bring us hope today. One thing I think we forget, however, is that Moses didn’t step into his destiny with that faith fully formed. Something amazing happened between God’s call at the burning bush and the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. We know God used the plagues to demonstrate His sovereignty to Pharaoh. Yet, as is so often the case, He was up to much more. Although Moses was raised with the knowledge of God, he didn’t encounter Him until he was 40. God knew knowledge – and even one life-changing encounter – wouldn’t be enough to transform Moses into the man God needed him to be for the next 40 years. Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s court. As a foreigner in a privileged position, it’s likely he dealt with much persecution. And, of course, he left fleeing a death sentence for murder. Now God was asking him to return to that place with an attitude of authority that he simp...

I love what God’s done in my life. Just about every day, He floors me again with His gentleness. It took me a long time to see Him that way. Like so many others, I had a distorted view of God that painted Him as distant and angry, just looking for a chance to kick me. I was consumed with anxiety that I wasn’t ‘getting it right,’ whatever ‘it’ was. My Christianity was a formula; actually, it was more like a haunted house. You know, the kind at the county fair you have to walk through? I was never brave enough to enter those. Yet, years later, I found myself living my walk with God as a maze of sudden falls, warped reflections, and scares around each corner. I never knew what was coming next, but I was consumed with preparing myself so that I wouldn’t be surprised when something bad happened. Then one day, God began speaking to me about love. I didn’t know how to handle it at first. I knew I loved Him – that was enough for me. But He wanted to take it further. That’s when He s...

Today is Independence Day in America. I had this great blog idea about contrasting the American ideal of independence with God’s plan of dependence on Him. It wasn’t coming out very well, however; and as I scrolled through some of my previous writings, I found this piece. I felt His prompting to share it, and my immediate response was, “You don’t really mean this one, do You?” Suddenly, I was facing my own battle of independence. But as I re-read it, I realized I already had a blog about learning dependence. So read, enjoy, and may you soon be able to celebrate your own dependence day: I had a very convicting moment the other day. I had stepped out and done something against the nudging of the Holy Spirit. The conviction was heavy, and I immediately stopped and began repenting. “I don’t want to be independent of You, Lord. Strip me of my independence!” I meant what I said – I wanted to be different. But as I beseeched Him, He reminded me: “I’m not a rapist. So I’m not going to strip y...

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust...He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart'" (Psalm 91:1-2, 4). I’ve always loved this verse. There’s just a comfort I’ve gotten from the picture of being under His wing. Recently I was talking with God about how much I appreciate the feeling of being hedged in by Him. I like the feeling of safety. I remembered this verse about being under His wing and pictured myself as a little chick. I was surprised when He said, “No.” He gave me another picture – a graceful lady falcon, a trained bird who is a fierce hunter yet also fiercely loyal to her Master. A bird beautiful in flight who knows to whom she belongs and will always return. It made me realize limitations I’ve placed on myself. I don’t have to st...

Some might think it strange, but I love the Old Testament. I love reading and re-reading the story of God’s relationship with His people from its beginnings and through all its ups and downs. I remember hearing the idea as a child that God somehow had a personality transplant between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The unspoken inference was that I wanted to get to know the NT God, because the other One was mean and angry. But even a cursory reading of, say, Jeremiah or Isaiah shows how absurd that concept is. After every statement of disaster coming on His people who have stepped out of covenant with Him is the promise, “But I’m going to restore you to Me, and I’m going to do good for you, and you are going to dwell in the land in safety and provision.” God’s heart is to be in relationship with the people He created.   “They will be My people, and I will be their God.” This phrase is repeated at least 4 times in Jeremiah alone. In Jeremiah 32:40-41, He goes...

I think we sometime make faith too complicated. I know I have! But the fact is, we all have faith. Every day before I go to work, I brush my teeth. I have perfect faith that when I turn the faucet, water will come out. I have a good car, so when I turn the key, I have no doubt that it will start. When I step into a dark room, I have faith that the lights will come on when I flip the switch. I had a wonderful teacher who took this example one step further. When I order something online, I expect it to come. If it doesn’t come when they said it would, I’m on the phone asking why. Yet when it comes to God and His promises, sometimes we get afraid to be that bold. We get wishy-washy and start saying things like, “Well, maybe He doesn’t really want me to have that…” or “It’s too good to be true.” Yet when Amazon or whoever is having a sale, we don’t waste a second wondering whether we are “worthy” of the item or the price.   We just expect it exactly the way they are offering ...

Our God is a Lord, a Master, a King. He delights in taking care. It is in His job description to oversee our lives, even the minute details we think we can take care of ourselves. What does that look like? Does it mean we can't put one foot in front of the other without asking first? No. It's a continual conversation, continual relating and relationship. We know where to place our feet next because we are following Him and our desire is to stay in His shadow. So when we have questions, we don't ask. We watch. We can get so busy going and doing, then looking up to see if He approves. But if we can stay, step by step, in His shadow, in His Presence - we will be staying in His approval. And the need for questions will cease. What is He doing, right now? What is He saying to you, right now? He's waiting on you. If you feel He isn't speaking, watch. Look up. What direction is He moving? And then, instead of just asking, "Where are You going...

“…be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Dt. 6:12 ). Moses spoke this to the people of God as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, “flowing with milk and honey.” They were about to begin lives filled with protection, favor, and prosperity they had never known before. Remembering God is an easy way to keep you and your family secure. We already know that all good things are coming from Him (Jms. 1:17 ). The key is to not forget when things are going well. With that in mind this evening, I did a quick rundown of my day: · I woke this morning with peace and joy · I dressed for work in clothes that were given to me · I drove to work in my car that is paid off · I worked 10 hours with co-workers I enjoy and a boss with whom I have favor · I paid cash for gas on my way home · I cleaned with the new vacuum cleaner I also bought with cash God i...

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted … and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…”(Is. 61:1, 3).   “Beauty for ashes” is a common phrase. It creates a comforting image to fall back on when we feel the pain of our past (or present!). Today, however, I’m going to take us past the comfortable, pretty picture and talk about what this can really be in our lives – if we let it.   What I’m talking about is this: we read “beauty instead of ashes” but think “beauty from the ashes.” You might be thinking, “What’s the difference?” Let me explain.   Beauty from ashes means ashes are our foundation; that’s where our roots are planted. And if our roots are buried in our ashes, they are going to continue to carry that pain to every part of our life, despite all our best efforts to hide it. Too ...

A good friend has a saying: “You don’t change personalities when you meet Jesus. You just change the object of your affection.” I’d always figured that didn’t apply to me because, really, I didn’t think I had much of a personality before I met Jesus. I pretty much just spent my time trying to escape life. But after sharing that concept with someone else, I’ve started realizing how true it is, even in my life. I’ve always been looking to drown. Life happens; and when it’s happened to me, I’ve had no good ways to handle it. My solution was to disappear any way I could. So when I started looking for God, that was my starting place. Although I had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit or the presence of God, when I began experiencing these things, throwing myself entirely into Him was all I knew to do. I don’t know how to do this halfway. I don’t know how to want just some of God, part of His Kingdom, a little bit of Jesus. If in the past I spent my money on escape routes – was jealo...

The book of Ruth is often described as a story of redemption. The title character follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem after losing her husband and son. There, she experiences the favor and rescue of God when she meets and eventually marries Boaz. I appreciate that aspect of the story. Lately, however, I have been looking more at the account of the woman she followed, Naomi. Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons when famine struck; ten years later, all three had died. She was essentially alone and without provision in a land of foreign gods. It was time to go home. But the woman who returned was not the same woman who left. “’Don’t call me Naomi [pleasant],” she told them. ‘Call me Mara [bitter]’” (Ruth 1:20). As she and Ruth settle in and begin looking for a way to get by, God immediately provides. Here, our attention usually turns to the courtship of Ruth and Boaz. Even Naomi is watching Ruth, having given up hope for her own future. Soon, the couple is ma...

Christians and non-Christians alike have various reactions to the phrase “Love of God.” Unfortunately, one of the most common pictures people get is a vague image of Jesus with a lamb on His shoulders and a toddler on His knee. Along with this image comes the notion that He is so harmless and inoffensive that He couldn’t hurt a fly. “Don’t you know Jesus loves you? Awwww …”   I’m not going to argue today about whether or not Jesus loves you. What I am going to challenge is your idea of what that love entails – and whether you really want it.   In Exodus 15:13, Moses sang to the Lord, “In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will lead them to Your holy dwelling.” He is declaring this after witnessing God sweep an entire army to their deaths in the Red Sea when Pharaoh tried to keep His people from coming to Him.   This is not the pansy love of a god afraid of what people think about him. This is the God...

I have worked with children in many different capacities. I’ve seen God come down in churches and classrooms, daycares and living rooms. You would think I’d have learned by now, but I’m always humbled by how simply these little ones receive their King. Here are some things I’ve learned from them: ·          You don’t have to be taught how to respond when God is truly present. I’ve watched groups of unchurched children fall on their faces at the words, “Let’s pray.” ·          When you know the real Jesus, you won’t be satisfied with anything else. I’ve seen multiple children bypass someone who will just hug them in favor of a person who will purposefully pour the love of God into them. ·          There is nothing in the natural world that can stop the love of God. I’ve experienced children who cannot see, speak, or move drawing so strongly on the anointing of...

As I was reading in Genesis the other day, the thought occurred to me – what if we looked at Lot’s family as intercessors? Follow me for a few moments as we walk through the story.   When Lot left Abraham, he settled outside of Sodom; but by the time God tells Abraham His plans to destroy it, Lot has moved into the city (Gen. 14:12). We know why God says He’s going to destroy it: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous” (Gen. 18:20).   The question that struck me was, who raised the cry? It is certainly possible that it was others, perhaps travelers who were assaulted during their stays. But a little more study led me to 2 Peter 2:8, which says of Lot: “That righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.”   Hmmm. Now, let’s go a bit further down this road. We all know that Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back; and we p...

I serve a God who is wild – who does things I know not of, whose ways and thoughts are higher than mine, whose purposes reach further than I can now see. But does being wild mean He isn’t safe? The issue is my understanding of the term “safe.” Because it’s not just my physical being that is at stake – it’s the eternal spirit He has created within me. So from that perspective, I am safe in His hands whether I am in the fire or standing outside. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul . . . . Are not 2 sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows . . . . Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10:28-31, 39). At the same time, I must realize it isn’t His goal for me to suffer. In fact, it’s the love of a Father tha...

I had the day off today. I got up at 7 and, after reading my Bible, I worked on a blog about dying to self for the sake of others. I also finished up some paperwork for my job. Then I went to my church and spent 2-3 hours helping to prepare for an upcoming conference. After that I went to the store to pick up a few things, making sure to get some fresh veggies. By the time 4:00 rolled around, I was at a loss for what to do. I tried to take a nap, but wasn’t able to sleep. My mind wouldn’t stop with thoughts of what I could or should be doing. It appeared I’d accomplished a lot, but I couldn’t rest. I hadn’t eaten since about 10:30, so I went into the kitchen. On the counter were several pieces of cake I had brought home from church. I had not eaten it; I was saving it for my roommate. My head was buzzing with all of the things I could do before I had to go to bed: maybe I should fast dinner and go pray (despite a tendency towards low blood sugar); or I could go visit t...

Everyone has a story. Mine isn’t really all that different from anyone else’s, aside from the details. Perhaps the best way to tell it is with a modern-day parable. We’ll call it the parable of the dog. This dog had a good home and lots of love, but one day she got lost. Suddenly, she had to learn to fend for herself, scavenging for anything that even looked or smelled like food. At first, remembering the kindness of her original owners, she automatically trusted anyone who took notice of her. But after a few painful experiences, fear replaced trust as her first response to people. She began hiding under cars and behind dumpsters. Soon, however, she found that she couldn’t get what she needed to survive in this new life unless she ventured into the streets. Because she wasn’t very strong, she joined up with some other strays and willingly submitted to the leader of the pack. It wasn’t the life she’d dreamed of as a puppy in that safe, warm house she vaguely remembered, but s...