Stay Just As You Are?

Years ago, I used to drive by a church sign that always had the same phrase on it: COME AS YOU ARE. I suppose it may have been taken from the mid 90’s praise chorus Come Just As You Are, but today I pondered the phrase. I even wondered if they still had the same phrase on their reader board since the mid 90’s.

Sunday, during the preservice prayer time, the Lord gave me a word to share prior to leading worship. I quickly jotted it down and read it to our congregation in obedience. Today, I used what the Lord whispered to me and expanded on it to write a short poem. 

(Disclaimer: I do not consider myself to be a "poet".)

Come just as you are

Accepted with all your scars

Come hungry and hurting

Leave satisfied and whole

Come lost and longing

Leave with peace in your soul

Come angry and confused

Leave with all tensions diffused

Come weak and weary

Leave bolstered and cheery

Come as a seeker of things above

Leave with a heart filled with hope and love

Come; bring your lifestyle of despair

Spend time on your knees in warfare

Come and meet with Jesus

For He is the One who can free us

Come just as you are, indeed

 But leave as a new creation, set free

You see, Jesus loves you just as you are. This is true. But we need to understand that we can’t truly live for Jesus and stay in that “just as you are” condition. He loves us enough to help us grow beyond our “just as you are” mindset. 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: Old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Almost three decades have passed since I first saw this phrase on that church reader board and it is still there today. I hope and pray that over the years as people enter through their church doors just as they are that they have left  a little bit different every week. 

And I pray that for our church as well.

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XOXO

I'm not a New Year's resolution maker. At least not publicly. I think it is the fear of failure that stops me from blurting out any resolutions. Besides, I take more of a hopes and goals angle at the beginning of the year than the popular resolution route.

I mean seriously...everyone wants to lose the terrible ten that tends to stick to our hips and thighs when the happy holidays are said and done. We want to read the Bible more, cut our caffeine intake (well not me..just sayin'), eliminate sugar, exercise more, devote more and digress less.

We want the new year to mean something. To matter more. To hold hope that somehow it will be better than the year we just said good-bye to.

My son, Jacob (now 28 yrs old)
sporting a Seahawks shirt in the 80's.
Yup..I'm a REAL fan.

Anybody that knows me even a little bit, knows that I'm a big Seahawks fan. I have been for years. If you watch ANY football at all, Russell Wilson is no stranger to you. One of the things about the man behind the #3 jersey is his positive attitude. He always focuses on a perky catch phrase to motivate himself. Last year his mantra was No Time to Sleep and this year's has been What's Next? He drills these into his head and heart and all across social media the hashtag phenomenon picks them up.

There's power in drilling a simple positive thought into our heart and mind. Because of Russell Wilson's catchy sayings, for my diet/fitness goal I've begun to tell myself: Work harder. Eat smarter.

As a pastor's wife, women in our church look to me for leadership. If I am floundering along in life without goals or purpose, it will have a ripple affect on the people I minister to. That's a lot of pressure! So to sum up my 2016 goals and thoughts, I've decided to go with a hugs and kisses method.

To start, I need to HUG by remaining Humble Unto God. (See what I did there? Yeah...I'm awesome like that. :P) Basically, if I can keep from being stuck on trying to do things in my own strength, and humbly let God direct me, that's a great way to operate in 2016.

Second, is the familiar KISS acronym: Keep It Simple Sister. I'm a woman. (duh) And women have a tendency to make things complicated. So my take on this KISS, is to follow my gut instinct and not overthink everything.

My next HUG is to live each and every day with Heartfelt Uber Gratitude. It can be too easy to put on that fake smile, phony concern or give the expected reaction while someone is talking to me. But if I intentionally live my life with Heartfelt Uber Gratitude, genuine care and concern will bubble out of me like a wellspring of pure joy.

My final KISS comes directly from watching the movie War Room: Kneeling Intentionally Saves Souls. We live in a tiny rental home and our closet space is less than desirable...way less. There is no way I can clean out a closet to make a War Room, but I can still post sticky notes on a wall-space and kneel intentionally to do some battle for the souls God places on my uberly grateful heart.

Recently I told someone that I only had one goal for 2016...to be more structured. Being more structured will fix all my other issues (at least I hope so). I truly am ADD so being organized is rough stuff for me. Anyone else feel my pain? So how can I be more structured? Well... Ima gonna give it a humongous hugs and kisses effort.

Humble             Keep         Heartfelt          Kneeling
Unto                  It               Uber                  Intentionally
God                   Simple      Gratitude          Saves
                           Sister                                   Souls

Here's to a New Year!
XOXO 
Mari 

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My Country

It’s no secret that I love to sing. I like a wide variety of styles but my upbringing has limited my repertoire to mostly Christian music.  Which isn’t all bad.

It takes more than a catchy tune, snappy rhythm or a hook that will resound long after the tune is over to draw me in. I like a song with passion or purpose. True there are some fun silly songs out there. But if I were being honest, for me to desire to sing it with all I have in me, I need to be able to personalize it.

We often drive over 40 miles, passing many quality places of worship, to attend Cedar Park Church in Bothell. There are several things about CP that we enjoy but the main reason we choose to burn up the fuel? They still have a choir that sings three major productions a year: Christmas, Easter and Patriotic.  

Currently, we are preparing for Patriotic Sunday on June 29th.  I have found myself in deep thought evaluating my level of patriotism beyond being a native born American. It makes me think of the Chevrolet commercial from my childhood. I love the atmosphere of a baseball game, even a hot dog once in a while,

and of course I’m an apple pie girl. Shoot, I’d even drive a Chevy. I enjoy BBQs and fireworks on the Fourth of July, I feel a stir in my heart when I pass military cemeteries on Memorial Day, and I hold our military Vets in high esteem…but am I patriotic?

I’ve grumbled about our president. I hate to pay taxes. I'm ashamed at some of the atrocities in our nation and the hell-bent activism towards self-destruction all in the name of freedom.

I’ve recently wanted to bear arms (real guns, not my flabby bat-wings) just because I should be able to. I want every Christian child to not just BE free but to FEEL free when they pray for their food in public schools, read their Bible during their free time in class and say the name of Jesus with sincerity...not as a curse word.

In choir I have a new friend. Adrunodhaya (Aruna) is from India. As we sing songs together like This is My Country, or You’re a Grand Old Flag, it has stirred in me a fresh view of my country. Rightfully so, Aruna's heart leans towards India where her family is. Conversations indicate a twinge of awkwardness for her as we diligently learn our alto parts together. But for me it is a twinge of guilt.

The clincher in the program…for with our directors, there is always a clincher…we will be brought full circle from the fun diddy’s of Yankee Doodle, to the respected Arms Forces Medley, and focus our conclusion with great passion on excerpts like: For Thine is the Kingdom, If My People will Pray, and God Bless America.

This IS my country. Land of the free. Home of the brave.  And even though I don’t feel very free and I certainly don’t think I am particularly brave, my Mama taught me right and I do know how to obey.

Humble and pray. Heal and Bless. A familiar message of our obedience and His promises.

“If… My God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 MSG

Will you join me in obedience? Let's be activists, knee-bent towards preserving our freedom!

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The Fish Bowl Effect

With freedom comes responsibility. With responsibility comes trust. Trust is earned.

These were parenting thoughts we instilled in our children as they walked through their teen years. Looking back on those child raising years I see areas where I might do things differently now. Sometimes I cringe when I think of the times I spent screaming at my kids, dumping guilt trips, or placing expectations on them simply because, as pastors, we had expectations placed on us.

 

In parsonage life this is known as The Fish Bowl Effect.

You know those times when you see people drive by your front room window? Perhaps in the evening when the lights are on, curtains open? They see what you are watching on your HD flat screen TV, where you are sitting in your living room, and heaven forbid…what you are or are not wearing in the summer heated evenings…

Yeah. The fish bowl. People staring into your “space” and knowing…or think they know who you are.

I inwardly screamed to be free of the fish bowl known to us as parsonage life, so I can only imagine how my kids must have felt as they spread their wings and left our nest. Or is that wiggled their fins and swam to new and less conspicuous waters? Whatever analogy pops into your mind works here, just keep swimming with my thought line.  Eventually I found freedom; freedom to be myself without the fish bowl or legalistic expectations and without judgmental eyes on me as a parent, wife, or ministry leader.

But with freedom comes responsibility. While the looking glass in the hands of congregational or community members’ seems to be lifted from over my head, I realize that my responsibility is still to live a life pleasing to God.

I’m not saying I’ve had epic failures in the freedom/responsibility area of my life, but I see where I have allowed myself to become selfish in my freedom. I’ve worried too much about me, me, me, and wanting all that is due to ME in MY freedoms and lost focus on being responsible for the things God has placed before me. My attitude has become one of selfish service. Simply put, like my kids in their teen years at times, I find myself obedient because I have to not because I want to.

With responsibility comes trust and trust is earned. Our kids learned that if they messed up when we trusted them, it took awhile to earn our trust back. Restraints were put on what few freedoms they did have and there seemed to be an invisible barrier below the surface of daily living. A barrier that stole the joy between parent and child.

Today I am examining the invisible barrier with my Heavenly Father. One that my selfish desire for freedom has made me shirk the responsibility to be who He called me to be. I want the joy between Him and this freedom seeking child to be restored. I want Him to trust me again. I want to be the wife, mother, grandmother…and yes…ministry leader he desires me to be.

As a reader, may I encourage you to allow ministry leaders in your life to close the curtains on their fish bowl and allow them the freedom to swim? God has called them and He trusts them to keep their hearts in tune to be responsible to that calling. They are on a journey in their faith just like anyone else.

"I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments."                                                                                                                                     ~Psalm 119:45 (NLT)

In freedom, responsibility, and trust...

Mari

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Eureka!

I have a strange attraction to the shows on Discovery Channel about mining for gold. I've anxiously watched men give up everything they have in search of the glimmering flakes or shiny nuggets of precious metal. The efforts and hardships they endure seem to far outweigh the final product on the scale.

Or what about the pirate movies where they pursue hidden treasures of long ago? The lust for riches carries them to the point of insanity. Like a metal detector, the crazed looks in the eyes of the miners and pirates intensify the closer they get to the buried riches.

What causes these mere humans to pursue something with such aggressiveness? Is it the riches? Or is it the hope for a better life? Perhaps it is simply the thrill of the adventure.

Have you ever prayed for wisdom? I have. And for some reason I felt like because I prayed, it should be automatically bestowed upon me. Like I'd wake up one morning and suddenly feel my brain stuffed full of great wisdom. Which can be kind of scary since the Bible tells us in Job 12:12 that I could then find myself like a character in a movie and wake up one morning instantly old.

No, I'm not going to wake up instantly old , nor will I awaken to a new super-power-brain, infused with great wisdom. I'm learning that wisdom must be sought after and pursued aggressively. Proverbs 2:4 tells us to seek it [wisdom] like a miner searches for silver or a pirate for his hidden treasure. 

The men on the Discovery Channel have mined for gold in the Alaskan rivers, dove beneath the ice in the fridged Bearing Sea, and now they are mining in the South American snake infested, muddy, jungles. They spend redonculous amounts of money and risk limb and life in pursuit of the eternally sought after gold. They are crazy addicted to their hunt and I'm embarrassed to say that I'm addicted to watching it.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom... Psalm 111:10

I should be crazy addicted to the pursuit of wisdom and understanding. I need to "fear God" in the way they fear the land. Yet they know, if they do things correctly, the land will give forth her treasure. Someday I'll walk on streets paved with pure gold, but until then I will strive to do things correctly and know that God in His infinite wisdom will give forth nuggets as I need them. 

I suppose my pursuit of wisdom-gold isn't Discovery Channel worthy, but it is a life altering process to say the least.  

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver. Proverbs 16:16

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Out of the Rubbish

Recently, Les spoke a series of messages from the book of Nehemiah. The topic of the week was Removing the Hindrances. As he stood behind the podium, declaring the Word of God with boldness, I doodled on my note pad in order to keep my ADD mind from wandering. Occasionally I’d jot down notes here and there around my sketched butterflies, flowers, and 3-D boxes.

One night, a word he used jumped out at me. Rubbish. Les spoke about the rebuilding of the walls and the mocking tyrants of Sanballat and Tobiah and my writer’s mind went ballistic. The image of defeated Jews staring at the pile of charred stones and rubble, listening to the barbaric taunts of their enemy, quickly changed to a vision of me standing in front of the rubbish taking the verbal beating from the bullies, Sanballat and Tobiah.

This vision came and disappeared quickly, but for days, glimpses of it have re-appeared.

Nehemiah 4:2b: “…Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”
 

Les is a go-getter. When there is work to be done, he isn’t afraid to jump in with vigor to achieve the task. When we were doing some yard work at my mom’s place, he attacked an extremely overgrown area with sickle, rake, and machete. I stood and stared at the jungle, gloved hands on my hips, and felt defeat at the overwhelming task even while Les was zooming through it like the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character.

When the bus suffered from severe water damage resulting in mold, mildew, and dry rot, I couldn’t visualize Les’ plans of the fully repaired product. My vision was blurred with watery eyes and runny nose while my allergies were assaulted by the millions of spores floating in the air.

I see now that when there is a pile of rubbish in my path, I tend to stand and stare in utter defeat and listen to the voice of the nay sayers. I let the ‘enemy’ whisper fear laced taunts and allow them to drift to my heart. Anxiety sits on my chest in the mornings reminding me that I am a Nobody and no amount of ‘faith’ I can muster up will matter.

Nehemiah 4:10: Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

But I know who my God is. And my lack of a mustard seed is an insult to my testimony. My inability to step beside my husband, and capture his vision of the bigger picture beyond the rubbish pile to rebuild a ministry, is detrimental to his dream. 

Nehemiah 4:15: “And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.”

Before I start to create mouthwatering masterpieces in my kitchen, I prefer to have it clean and orderly. Even tiny amounts of rubbish distract me and get in my way. So it is with my spiritual journey.

Today I’m taking a stand against the Sanballat and Tobiah whispers that attempt to keep me in a defeated state of mind. I’m removing the taunting rubbish, mustering up my faith, and following the dream of the Nehemiah in my life. 

He just happens to be named Les.

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Magic Swiffer Wand

I'm allergic to dust. So, wouldn't that mean that I'm allergic to dusting, too? I say yes.

But allergy or no, I still have to dust when I clean house. Mainly because I have no children living at home to give that menial task to. Where have the years gone? When did those chore-children grow up? (The large young man in the corner bedroom doesn't qualify to be a duster. He is the lawn mower, garbage taker outer, clean your own bathroom, and whatever else we don't want to do, man-child). 

Although I tend to dust the living space of our home pretty regularly, there is always the "outskirts" of the home where dust gathers. I personally think when I swipe the fireplace mantle with my swiffer dust wand, the little molecule monsters hurry and float their way to spaces undusted. Say--perhaps my office?

Over the course of my 40's (I'm in the final stretch this year) I allowed a lot of dust to gather in my soul. 

Side note: I've heard that 50 is the new 30. I'm praying that is true.

I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure every woman feels like some alien has taken over her body during the 40's season of life. Our mother's would call this the change of life...I call it the alien years. I think Peter must have been addressing his mother's generation when he said:

Beloved,  I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 1 Peter 2:11

In case you hadn't noticed, mid-life women become aliens and strangers. I'm sure my husband and kids had moments when they asked: Who is this woman? Trust me, we (the middle-aged woman) wage war in our souls for sure!

After war, the dust begins to settle. That's when we soldiers of the menopausal mess pull out our magic swiffer wands and gently attack the cob webbed corners of our soul. When I clean house, my wand happens to work best when accompanied by music. Hence, dusting the corners of my soul needed music.

In the midst of my war, my daughter gave me a lovely sign that inspired this blog post. But for me, simply playing music wasn’t enough. I needed more. I needed to BE music.

In a day and age where churches have allowed trends to push choir and special musical performances right out the door, I’m thankful the leadership at Cedar Park Church sees things different. I know the three major performances I’ve been a part of (Christmas, Easter, Patriotic) have ministered to others, but truthfully, they ministered to me more.

The passion from our directors, Don and Lily Wolf, challenged us to be better singers. To not settle for getting the notes and words right, but to push to make those notes and words resonate the message of Christ to believers and non-believers alike.

My interpretation of Don’s passion? We aren’t just singers. We are ministers.

There have been testimonies come in where seasoned Christians and their unsaved neighbors alike allowed the swiffer wand of music to swipe away at the dusty corners of their souls.

We all know that after we dust and clean house, inevitably it will become messy again, but for now, I’ll sit back and enjoy the cleanliness.

Then sings my soul…

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Like the Pollen...

...Change is in the Air

I’ve been known to say I like change. After all, if we change it and it doesn’t work, we can change it again.

 

Whatever “it” was more than likely referred to something in the realm of stuck-in-their-way churches that desperately needed to embrace change or die. I saw a quote by Harold Wilson that sums up this thought perfectly:

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”

Ah, but the change I’m pondering today doesn’t really have anything to do with obese wool-laden livestock that occasionally bite. Nor am I referring to the change, but if I tried hard enough, I could come up with a boatload of pastor pasture life or hot-bloggy-flash material. Perhaps another time.

The change I’m talking about involves a change of address…again. For someone who grew up in the same house until I married at 18, I don’t even want to count how many times I’ve moved in the *cough* 30 yrs since then. I long for stability in my life. The thought of caring for a yard and house with my own personal touches and calling it home grabs at the core of me. But God has other plans.

I’ve thought a lot about Abraham and Sarah lately. Especially how God asked Abraham to leave Ur of The Chaldees and chose to not clue him in on where exactly He would lead them.  That’s how I feel sometimes.

Recently, we evaluated our financial situation and made a decision to prepare to live in our bus/rv for 4-6 months. Deep down I feared it would be longer. Through a dream God gave me I saw my fear and knew I needed to release it, be submissive, and trust God.

Not two days after I prayerfully confessed my fear to God, a unique and very affordable living situation was presented to us. Not only had we not knocked on this door, we weren’t even looking for it. After all, we had a plan and we were moving forward with it.

I’m reminded of the verse Psalm 37:3 & 4:

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Many of you know that I have a thing for butterflies. They represent so much to me spiritually. Today it dawned on me…

 If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.  

 I like change.

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Dirty Snow Angel

I saw a quote once that said "This isn't heaven, we don't have to be perfect yet." I pondered and wondered if this was a spiritual way of saying that one could do whatever one wanted, at least until you get to heaven.

I know that isn't true, but the phrase haunts me. Too many times I have tried to be perfect only to find myself in a heap feeling like a miserable failure. Some judge me, but true friends console me. They even assure me that my imperfections are what they like about me. How crazy is that?

But how does one lead others in a faith that they themselves have doubts about? Wow, that is a mouthful. And a heart-full as well.

Almost four years ago, on an outing to Mt Rainier, I couldn't resist the temptation to make a snow angel. If there is snow, an angel must be made in it. This is my theory and I am sticking to it. The snow was anything but fresh and clean, but the temptation still egged me on.

Today I look at these pictures of the result of that temptation and see a dirty snow angel. I can't help but feel that the "little angel" that made it at times has also been a little dirty. Doubts creep in concerning what God has for me. Doubts turn to frustration that end up as depression... and the dirt seeps in.

This isn't heaven...I don't have to be perfect yet...but I must not let dirty doubt seep in and melt into the corners of my heart. Can a dirty snow angel, or the maker of one, still be used of God? Even in all her imperfections? I hope so.

Psalm 51:7-11 (NLT) Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

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Let Go

Life is just a grab bag of donuts; stale, squished, and mangled.

When I was pregnant with my second baby, I was craving a donut…like REALLY craving. I packed up my two-year-old daughter and headed to a local grocery store bakery with a maternity mission in mind. I stood in front of the donut display case and eyed the perfect one to satisfy my needs. A chocolate frosted, Bavarian cream filled delight. There was something about the combination of chocolate, fried bread dough, and creamy wonder that called to me.

The woman behind the counter began to grab donuts from the nearly empty case and shove them into a bag. I watched her take the dry plain ones, misshaped maple bars, and lemon filled leftovers and pile them one on top the other, shaking the bag to adjust its contents.

I finally spoke up and pointed to the Bavarian cream donut. She told me she had just enough to fill a grab bag and if I wanted it I would need to purchase the whole bag.

I didn’t want the dried out, mangled mess she shoved in the bag. I only wanted one donut, but she refused to sell it to me. Doesn’t she know you should never get between an eight month pregnant woman and her craving? Seriously!

Life is just a grab bag of donuts.

This is the time of year many reflect and resolve. Reflect on the past twelve month’s unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and resolve to establish a better way to achieve them in the New Year. Recycled dreams.

This seems to be the time of year I sit with my grease stained bag of stale, squished, mangled dreams and wonder if I should toss the whole bag. Go on a dream diet. Live by the seat of my pants and see where I land. Come what may. You know, live Doris Day style…que sera sea.

It’s hard to dream, yet I’m reminded in Proverbs 29:18 that “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”

One of my favorite animated movies is Joseph King of Dreams. If there is someone that could have totally given up on his dreams, it was Joseph. There’s a song in the movie that has a profound line in it:

“I’ve let go the need to know why, ‘cause You know better than I.”

 For me, I don’t know what to dream anymore, but I do know the Dream Giver.

And I’ve let go.

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Clanging vs. Singing

I played the drums in the school band from fifth to eighth grade. Being the only girl on the back row of the concert band in junior high, I put up with a lot of flak from the boys.

Although playing the snare seemed to be the coveted percussion instrument, our band teacher generally rotated us through the various instruments: snare, bass, timpani, bells, and cymbals. Eventually I gravitated towards the timpani, bells, and cymbals by choice. In part to avoid standing too close to boys because they were gross, but I also found I enjoyed the musical aspect of them.

I was familiar with a piano keyboard enough to sight read the bell music, I had a good ear for tones when tuning the tympanis, and I could make the cymbals sing. If a percussionist doesn’t play the hand cymbals correctly, the clang sound causes audiences to grit their teeth and pray for the end of the song to come quickly. 

In the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:1 is extremely familiar even among those who aren’t Christ followers.

“If I speak of tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

But how does that look to us who are Christ followers?

 It carries a whole lot more responsibility, that’s how it looks. And if you are one who is serving in a “higher call” capacity, it involves even more responsibility.

It hurts my heart when men or women stand in leadership within the body of Christ and proclaim the truths of God’s Word and treat their loved ones poorly. When their “tongues of men and angels” flow skillfully from behind a lectern or pulpit, but switch to spewing hurtful words or thoughtless comments within the walls of their home… it simply grieves me.

What does this do to their credibility with their spouses and children?

Colossians 3:21 reminds us Fathers do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

I’m writing a novel and the title is Wellspring. I chose this title because the common thread I weave throughout the story is that God is the wellspring or source of everything. When I think of a wellspring I envision the source of bubbling, clean, pure, spring water.

Proverbs 4:23 says: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life and Luke 6:45 reminds us that what is in the heart inevitably comes out of the mouth.

Grant it, no minister’s family is perfect. I can attest to that. But I encourage those who serve in a position where you are called to teach God’s word, whether full time vocational minister or volunteer, be sure you are drinking from the Wellspring and you will make those cymbals sing.

“Fathers do not exasperate your children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”    ~ Ephesians 6:4

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Three Steps to Success

Recently...okay, more like the last year or more...or maybe the last twenty-four years...I have been on a trust journey. If you ever hear God whisper "Do you trust me"...fasten your seat belts 'cuz there is no right or wrong answer. It's a trick question. A trick to make you really stop and think if you truly do trust Him enough to yield your everything. It's like praying for patience...who REALLY wants patience anyway? 

Apparently God knows my heart better than I do and he knew exactly what my level of trust was. Which makes me wonder,  why does He ask? I think its a rhetorical question. He probably was saying: Do you trust me? Of course you think you do, but I'm gonna show you how to trust me more.


You see...I missed that show...more...part. Had I known what the next 5+ years would hold, I might not have been so cocky as to think that I did trust Him and He must be speaking to my husband not me.

Did you ever play that trust game? The one where you stand on a table and a group of people are standing below you ready to catch you as you lean backwards and fall blindly into their waiting arms? Learning to trust God has been like that game for me. Only sometimes I felt like I was dropped, but in reality, He cushioned my fall, then told me to get back up on that table and fall into his arms again.

Here are God's three steps to success He has taught me through His Word.

1. Trust (rely/depend) in the One who knew you before you were conceived. The One who has a plan and a purpose specifically laid out for you.
2. Don’t try to figure out how He will accomplish His plan. His ways of doing things are far above anything we could even imagine.  (and I have quite the imagination)
3. In everything you say and do, be sure you give Him praise… And watch Him light the path before you.

Proverbs 3: 5 & 6 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

After 24 years on my Trust Journey through small town ministry experiences, I find myself back in my hometown where my home church is larger than some of the towns we've pastored in. And I'm still learning to trust.

Someone want to give my tush a push back up on that table? Apparently I may need to ready myself to fall backwards into His arms again.

1) Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 29:11

2) Isaiah 55:8, Psalm 150:6

3)Proverbs 16:3, Isaiah 45:2

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Top Day

Ever have a Top Day?

I remember the metal spinning tops that you pumped the little twisted handle until you got it going at top speed. (pun intended)

I remember being mesmerized watching it spin perfectly in place, not wandering more than an inch or so from where I set it into its spinning frenzy.

I remember the whirring sound emitted from the little holes in the end tip of the top. The high pitch at full throttle would settle into a hum towards the end of the fun.

I remember cranking her up again and gently touching the sides, feeling the tickling sensation of the spinning metal against my finger tips.

I remember increasing the intensity of my touches and watching the top struggle to maintain a straight spin.

I remember when just the right amount of pressure was finally pressed against the side of the top it began to wobble and wander, but keep spinning.

I remember if it was abruptly bumped as opposed to gradually touched, it would wonky-wobble and roll over on its side and the momentum of the spin died.

I’m remembering times past when my life was spinning and it felt like a wonky-wobble. Today my top felt a twinge of a touch that could have started a wobble…but in the arms of God… and the arms of my husband, I felt my world come back to a steady hummmm.

"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." Matthew 11:28-30

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Tomorrow...

Photo by Andrea Meixner

“We saw that last week.” My 2 ½ year old grandson, Josiah, pointed to a picture of an animated movie. My daughter explained to me that anything in the past he calls last week and everything in the future is tomorrow.

Since then I’ve been thinking about time passage.  Sometimes we never seem content. The past haunts us, the present frustrates us, and the future scares us.  When I think along these lines I realize how ungrateful I can be for what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do for me.

Over the past few months I’ve learned to live one day at a time. A novel concept, I know. But truly I am giving each day into His hands and letting tomorrow come tomorrow. Josiah’s “last week” reference reminded me of how far I’ve come in my ability to truly trust God to care for the passage of time issues we’ve been dealing with.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Today I will enjoy what the Lord has for me. Tomorrow will come soon enough.

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Sunset Lessons

Some of the most beautiful sunsets at the coast appear after a storm has rolled through. A smidgen of dark clouds lingering can provide depth and contrast to the canvas of the horizon. After sitting in the warm car and watching the clouds change shapes and depth of color with the backlight of the setting sun, a myriad of analogies assaulted my brain.

“Ooo I could write about that or address it from this angle.” My poor husband listened to me babble on in true creative ADD form. I wasn’t content to sit in the car and be a bystander. From time to time I’d hop out and stand in the freezing wind and feel like a participant of the stage show. Several cars pulled up to enjoy the serene scene, yet no one got out but me.

I tried to coax my husband to join me but he just grinned and shook his head no. I stuck my tongue out at him (‘cuz I’m so mature that way) and turned to face the show. After all, I didn’t want to miss a single moment. No siree…not even chilling winds and the need to pee could keep me from my appointed moment.

I discovered that standing on the edge of the hill allowed me to see a panoramic view that those who chose to stay in their car (*cough*Les*) couldn’t experience in any other way but through my eyes via the camera lens. Or through my mind via the words I type.

As simple as it sounds, I realized that in itself is a gift from God. Not just the ability to take a decent picture with my basic Cannon-sure shot digital camera, but the ability to put the event into words. And a step beyond that…not just putting it into words, but the burning desire to share the moment with others to encourage them to do something as simple as…get out of the car and join the show.

© 2011 MariLaVell.com All rights reserved

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No More

It’s that time of year again. The calendar is about to be replaced and plans to set New Year’s resolutions are brewing in your brains even as you read this. Before you start jotting down that list that looks remarkably similar to the one you lost somewhere last January, even though it included Get Organized, let me share a few thoughts on the whole resolution idea.

Did you know that almost half of Americans make these vows to begin the year with? And of those, one third break them before the groundhog pokes his head out of his hidey-hole. Let’s take a gander at the top ten resolutions, shall we?

 The Top Ten Resolutions for 2011:

1. Stop Smoking

2. Get into a Habit of being Fit

3. Lose Weight 

4. Enjoy Life More

5. Quit Drinking

6. Organize Yourself

7. Learn Something New

8. Get out of Debt

9. Spend More Time With Family

10. Help People

Let this simmer on the back burner for a moment while I chase a rabbit trail, so to speak.

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