Press On

A long time favourite movie in our house is Lion King. Okay – probably everyone else has moved on but it is still one of my favourite movies.

There is a scene in Lion King where Pumba and Timmon are talking with the young Simba, who is depressed, discouraged, even despondent over an event in his past that he cannot change. Pumba’s advice is “you gotta put your behind in the past.” Timmon corrects him with “it’s put your past behind you.”

Simple advice. Not easy advice to follow.

We all have a past. Scenes from our past can be like a bad movie that plays and replays in our minds. Those scenes can range from anything mildly embarrassing to downright horrible. Things done that should not have been done. Things left undone. Regrets. Shame.

Let me tell you about a guy who had a past. He was a deeply religious man. Well educated. Zealous for God. A young man with a future.

This young man oversaw an execution, giving his approval. He dragged men and women off to prison. Violent. Judgemental. Nasty business.

But – God called his name. Saul the persecutor – called by God. Still, that’s a lot of past to put behind you. Even if you manage to do it, someone else is bound to bring it up. “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem?” (Acts 9:21)

What do you do with that kind of past?

Paul (same guy – new name) said that you press on. You put your past behind you and you press on.

It is not denial. It is choosing to go forward.

I wonder if scenes from Paul’s past replayed in his mind from time to time. He does make reference to his past.

I wonder if the accuser…accused him. “Who do you think you are Paul...how can you call yourself an apostle…remember what you did…remember the screams of the people that you beat as you dragged them off to prison…remember Stephen, Paul…remember watching him die…who do you think you are….”

Have you ever heard those accusations…who do you think you are? For the past that each of us has, there is forgiveness and there is grace. There is also a choice – to live there or to press on.

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13b, 14)

Ruth

Known!

Ps. 139:1-10

"O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me."

Praying For Our Young People

I was at a rather large youth gathering this past Friday night and I was reminded once again to pray for our youth and young adults.

The battle for their souls is real. Satan is trying to steal, kill and destroy that which is not his!

Ladies, we need to pray over, pray through and pray for our young people!

We need to spend time with them; laughing at their silliness, appreciating their uniqueness and speaking God's truth over them. Carefully, gently, boldly reminding them who they are; God's creation, His sons and daughters, and He loves them very much.

When our young people know who they are in Christ, when their true identity is found in Christ, then they will live from a different place. Eph. 2:10 says, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

There is a spiritual battle for the souls of our young people. Ladies, we NEED to pray for our children. Whether they are biologically ours or not. We need to stand in the gap and pray!

We have some amazing camps coming up this summer at Manhattan Beach Camp.

http://www.manhattanbeach.mb.ca/camps/

Children's Camp (grades 2-6) - Aug. 12-17 

Camp 6-8 (grades 6, 7, 8) - July 17-20  

Youth Camp (grades 13-18) - Aug. 21-26  

Would you begin to pray for the camps?

Would you pray for the young people who will be attending these camps?

Will you stand in the gap and pray for that young person to have a personal encounter with God?

Would you do whatever you need to do to get them there?

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Eph. 6:12

Ladies, our youth desperately need our prayers. Will you PRAY?!

Jo-Ann

Redeeming Time

Here’s a sobering reminder:

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16

Don’t take a single day for granted, God whispers. Every day counts! A wise woman knows she only has today, to live in Him, for Him, by His strength and with His plan in mind. Today is all we have to live out the purpose God has set for us. I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to make plans. I find it even easier to disappoint myself and others by not following through or procrastinating. I need reminders – I need to be committed to reviewing these reminders (notes) I make to myself – sometimes, I just actually need to write down my thoughts and things I’m trying to remember. In pondering this, I’m reminded of just how important it is, to reaffirm God’s purposes and requirements for my life during my quiet time – moreover to seek His continued confirmation of the direction I am going.

I looked up a few key words from the above text in the 1928 Webster’s Dictionary and discovered the following definitions:

- circumspectly means: Cautiously; with watchfulness every way; with attention to guard against surprise or danger

- redeeming means: Ransoming; procuring deliverance from captivity, capture, bondage, sin, distress or liability to suffer, by the payment of an equivalent

- evil means: Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief.

Interesting. Let me repeat the above, replacing those words with their meaning.

See then that you walk cautiously, with watchfulness every way; with attention to guard against surprise or danger; not as fools but as wise; ransoming; procuring deliverance from captivity, capture, bondage, sin, distress or liability to suffer, by the payment of an equivalent time, because the days are mischievous, with a qualities to injure or produce mischief.

Let’s not be foolish ladies. Instead, watchful! attentive! delivered! Welcome the gift of each new day. Seize it enthusiastically! Practice what you know. Encourage others. Remember, it’s God’s day . . . how will you fill the minutes? This week I was reminded of a profound saying: “Do not allow 1 minute of anger to rob you of 60 seconds of happiness.” Mischief. I would also suggest replacing anger/happiness with gossip/character; impatience/joy; jumping to conclusions/perspective; envy/thankfulness; lying/truth; the list could go on, but I think you get the idea.

So what does God require? Arlene Mason presented an encouraging reminder from the Word at our last district retreat (in Dryden, ON). "God requires us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before our God". Micah 6:8

Let us walk together, encouraging one another, making every day’s moments count. This week, I want to encourage you to redeem your time.

Press in and press on,

Giselle

Halifax . . . and beyond!

A couple of years ago our oldest son moved to Halifax. Halifax! You can hardly get there from here – or so it seemed to this mom’s heart. I know the drive is possible – I mean that’s how he got there but seriously, Susan and I would not both survive in the car together over so many miles. (Susan is my GPS lady – see Feb 29 posting.)

The only other option that seemed feasible to get me to Halifax was to fly. Great. Another of my ‘not favourite’ things to do.

Longing to see my son and the place that he now calls home far outweighed my dislike of flying and travel in general. We booked our flights and off we went.

I am thankful for emails, facebook and telephone calls that help the miles seem not so great but nothing, nothing at all, compares with being able to wrap your arms around your son, even if he’s all grown up. Then and only then do you really, really know how he is doing.

It is so very important for all of us to know and to remember always that no matter where we are, and no matter where those we love are, our Father is there.

When we can’t be with those we love . . . God is there.

Whether it is only miles that have separated us or whether they have wandered in every sense of the word . . . God is still there.

As much as you have experienced the comfort of God’s presence in your day and know that He is here, with you, also know that God is there . . . where you cannot be.

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Ps. 139:9,10)

Ruth

Psalm 32:1,2

"Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those

whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,

whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"

Ps. 32:1,2

Prayer Journal

God specializes in using the ordinary for the extraordinary!

Looking through photographs, I was reminded of all the blessings God has bestowed upon me and my family. As I create these journals of remembrance, I have prayed. It has renewed my passion for very purposefully and intentionally praying for each member of my family (not just the most immediate either). It has inspired a type of photo journal – a place to focus on asking God to do even greater work in each individual's life. I have devoured different praying plans over the years ( I highly recommend any of Stormie Omartian's books on prayer to inspire you ), put them into practice and seen God move in extraordinary ways. This is about more than praying for healing over a cold or school test – this is about the ways to grow – spiritually – in character and spreading God's love.

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avail much." James 5:16b

What effect would it have on you, your husband, children, extended family, church family, friends, coworkers and community if you undertook such a project? It could be as simple as a ring notebook that you place the pictures of these people in with a list of hope and blessing for each. How would it build your faith as you breathe life into these people, as you flip through these pages of remembrance, pray and watch God work? It could even be in one of those pocket photo books you could slip in your purse or Bible case to look at whenever you have a few minutes, or to start your devotions. Don't be intimidated by perfection – instead, be encouraged to create it to be developed and used right now. May God help us to be nourished and successful in all we do as we seek Him. May He bless our relationships so that they will prosper and bear much fruit.

"Now mine eyes shall be open and mine ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place." 2 Chronicles 7:15

Start with that relationship that means the most to you right now. Know that I have a page set aside for all of you readers – be blessed as you grow in wisdom, obedience and discipline in Christ Jesus.

Press in and press on,

Giselle

Hannah

By the time that you read this, Mother’s Day will have come and gone for another year. My perspective on the day has changed through the years as my own situation has changed. Moving from being a daughter to being a mom myself… moving from having a houseful of boys to having the house empty again….moving into the time of missing my own mom…no doubt the day means a little something different to each of us.

The story of one particular mother has been in my thoughts for a few days. Her name is Hannah. Her story is in 1 Samuel.

Hannah wasn’t in the best situation. She had a husband who loved her but she also had competition. Her husband had a second wife and that wife had children. Hannah had none. That was an issue.

It was an issue that drove Hannah to pray. Before she had a child, she said of herself that she was praying out of “great anguish and grief.”

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” (1 Sam.1:10)

She not only prayed… she made a vow. If God would give her a son, she would give him back. Literally. He would serve in the temple.

God heard. God answered. Hannah had a son. For a few years she stayed home from the annual trek to Shiloh where the family worshipped. As she held the babe close, I wonder if she tried to come up with a way to get out of her vow to give the boy back to God. Was she counting the days with a heavy heart….

But, Hannah kept her vow.

“After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was . . . and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.” (vs.24) . . . and she left him there . . . she left him with the priest Eli. The same Eli who, when he saw Hannah pouring out her heart to God in prayer, thought that she was drunk. The same Eli whose own sons were running wild.

Oh, Hannah…how could you?

Hannah’s story didn’t end with dropping her son off with Eli. She sewed a robe for him that she took to give to him on their yearly visit. No doubt he was always on her heart . . . with each robe, with each stitch, a prayer . . . God be with my boy . . . God watch over my boy . . . and yet somehow prayed with out anguish . . . without grief . . . 

Have you ever been where Hannah was when we first meet her? Crying out with anguish a grief . . . for your sons . . . for your daughters . . . are you there right now?

Hannah moved from anguish and grief to rejoicing. How did she get there? How could she let him go? First – she gave her son to God.

“So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life will he be given over to the Lord . . .” (1Sam.1:28a)

Then – she trusted the One to whom she gave her son.

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1Sam.2:2)

I don’t want to give a pat answer or make this seem easy, but really we can only do what Hannah did. Give our kids to God . . . and the trust the One we have given them to. If you are like me, this is not a one time thing. It’s everyday. Sometimes every hour . . . every moment . . . but we can . . . because there is no rock like our God.

Ruth

Jael

Last year I took up the challenge to read through my bible in a year. I used an online website which was an excellent way to keep me on track.
http://www.youversion.com

As I was reading through the book of Judges I began reading about the prophetess Deborah and another lady by the name of Jael. I had heard and read her story before, but this time I found myself wondering what was she like outside of this particular story. What was she doing the day before Sisera arrived at her tent, and how did the neighbour ladies talk about her afterwards?

Judges chapter 4 and 5 tell the biblical story of Deborah and Jael. This is somewhat a brief overview of their story. Deborah was a prophetess and gave instructions to Barak to gather 10,000 men and go to battle against Sisera. Barak told Deborah he would only go if she went with him. Deborah said she would go with him, but the honour would no longer go to him but to a woman. So Deborah gave the word to Barak to go and fight Sisera because the Lord had given Sisera to him. All but Sisera were killed on the battlefield, but Sisera fled to the tent of Jael. [Ok, this is where I find the story gets interesting. How is a woman to feel, going about her daily chores and minding her business in her tent, when along comes a commander of the enemy army and he wants to hide in your tent?! Jael seems to be such a composed lady in the midst of the battle around her.] Verse 18 says, "Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, 'Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid.' So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him." While Sisera was comfortably sleeping under a blanket, Jael picked up a tent peg and hammer and she drove the tent peg through his temple and he died.

Well I don't know about you, but that just doesn't seem like an everyday occurrence in most people's lives. What lady do you know, in the midst of laundry, dishes and raising the children, hides the enemy commander in her home and then kills him?! Then in Judges 5:24ff we read about the song Deborah and Barak sang and specifically the blessing on Jael. Wow!

We do not know much of this lady and what we do know is only this part of her story. She's not mentioned again. However, the part Jael had to play in conquering Israel's enemy is forever written in history. Here's what I've learned about Jael. She was fearless, stealthy, resourceful [who would have thought of using a tent peg for a weapon?!], showed great strength and she had an amazing straight-face. Don't be messing with this lady!

Ladies I don't know about you, but I really want to be ready to be used by God in the midst of my everyday life. I don't have a hammer and tent peg sitting on my kitchen counter, and I'd prefer to keep life a little less messy than Jael, but I do want to be used by the Lord. Are you ready?

Jo-Ann

Praise

Do you ever sit and wonder “am I living the life of Worship and Praise that the Father requires of me?” No? (Maybe it’s just me then ) Or do you ever wonder “what does Worship/Praise look like in the nitty gritty everyday-run-of-the-mill life we live?”

The Hebrew language has 7 different words for Praise:

1. Halal: (where we get the word ‘Hallelujah’ from) meaning to Praise the Lord; to shine; to boast; to rave; to be clamorously foolish (see, it’s ok to be foolish sometimes ;) ) (see Psalm 150, 113:1)

2. Yadah: to throw up your hands and give thanks for the things you’ve received (see Psalm 138:1, Psalm 63:4)

3. Towdah: to throw up your hands and give thanks for the things you have NOT yet received (see Psalm 50:23; 50:14)

4. Barak: to kneel down; humble yourself; this was the posture to receive blessing (see Psalm 34:1; 95:6)

5. Tehilla: to respond and sing to God in an unscripted way; often referred to as the purest praise; spontaneous (see Psalm 22:3)

6. Zamar: “to touch the strings” (literal translation); to skillfully play a stringed instrument (see Psalm 33:2, 21:13)

7. Shabac: to speak in a “high” manner – both loudly and with lofty speech as to announce a monarch or head of state; to commend; to triumph; to exclaim; to shout (see Psalm 145:4, 63:1,3,4)

Praise is SO many beautiful, messy, loud, incredible things! It isn’t just a couple of song during the Sunday morning service. It’s in every facet of every part of life! It is ‘hanging onto the promises of God, waiting for what He said He would do in His word’, it is dancing in the aisles in awe of a Savior who gave it all, it is utter thankfulness for a hydro bill being paid on time or incredible favor for the ‘impossible’, it is using your gift of music to honor the King of Kings, it is to shout ‘Hallelujah’ in victory and command the enemy to step back, it is the simple song that comes from your heart and expresses what written words cannot! It is an attitude of gratitude!!

Recently my husband and I travelled to the Philippines to work with an NGO (non-government organization) called Gentle Hands (you can check them out on Facebook or at www.gentlehands.org.) To be honest, there were days when I felt weak in the knees as I learned of the stories that brought these children there. Such despair and sadness outside of the walls of the four storey building that is home to 50+ kids! BUT, within the walls was a joy that was contagious (along with the flu that was also contagious). In those two weeks my heart changed from being saddened by the hurt all around me to being joyful and praising HIM for being in the middle of the chaos and pain, for bringing healing and health to each of those kids, to being a resting place for so many who had never found rest until their meeting with Gentle Hands.

To hold the face of a three month old little girl who was found in the garbage can at a fast-food restaurant and tell her that she is PRECIOUS, WORTHY, CALLED, PURPOSED not because I say so, but because the KING of the UNIVERSE says so. To hold 14 month old twins who were stolen from their mother at the hospital and sold to another couple for a few hundred dollars and proclaim to them that they were indeed bought with a price by a SAVIOR who KNEW YOU, LOVED YOU and has called you HIS OWN! I’ve seen Jesus’ face . . it is in each child living at Gentle Hands as they sing and dance recklessly to the new Hillsong Kids DVD, it is in a little boy who took his very first steps for me and for the first time ever had someone rejoice with him for something he had done, it is in a little girl who fell asleep peacefully as she FINALLY knew what it was like to have an earthly father hold her and love her (she went home with her Forever Family while we were there – beautiful moment), it is in the tears of a 12 year old girl who wept silently as she told me how she had found her mother dead and left her to take care of her 5 younger siblings, it is the peace and rest of a neglected and abused child who has never had a belly full of food. I will never be the same, my life of praise has taken on a new ‘look’ if you will. 

Take a minute to thank God, not for the things you HAVE, but for the things you DON’T. For the things that take your breath away, for the things that break your heart, and for the things that have His fingerprints all over them even if it hurts just a little. Maybe it’s time that we take a look at Praise from a new angle, from a different perspective, from the heart of the Father. You’ll notice the sun shines brighter, the grass seems greener, love seems deeper, and the face of the Father is everywhere you look!

Tara

Tara has guest posted for us before on her heart and passion - praise and worship to her heavenly Father.

A Lesson from the Groom

Wedding season is upon us! Flowers, dresses, guest lists, food, decorations . . . so many details . . . so much stress . . . such a busy time!

Finally the day arrives. All the jobs are done. Everything is ready. The guests fill the church, awaiting the arrival of the wedding party. The groom and his attendants arrive on the scene. He’s looking pretty serious. Terrified may actually be the word! The music changes. Everyone stands, all anticipating the bride’s arrival, trying to catch a glimpse of the bride & her beautiful dress.

Here’s where I go off script a bit. At this point of the wedding, I watch the groom. Even though he may have looked terrified up until this point, you can usually tell by his face the moment that he spots his bride. Few grooms can hide the delight of seeing their bride from shining on their faces.

At that moment, I don’t think any of the details of the wedding really matter to him. He is just delighted to see his bride . . . to have her in his presence. It’s not the work that she has done. It’s not what she has accomplished to make the day happen. It’s that she is there . . .  with him . . . his bride.

Zephaniah 3:17 says “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

God will take great delight in you . . . delight! He rejoices over you!

Just as the groom does not love his bride because of the awesome job she did putting the wedding together, God doesn’t love us because of what we accomplish for him. He just loves us . . . always . . . relentlessly . . .

God doesn’t require anything from us for him to love us. He created us to have relationship with him. He loved us before we were born. He loves us whether or not we love him. He loves us whether we serve him or turn our backs on him.

Maybe because as humans, our love can grow for someone, getting deeper and stronger as we get to know them more completely, we easily think of God’s love in those terms. God’s love for us is not like that though. It neither increases or decreases. He has always known us completely and loved us completely.

This means that we can rest in His love. We don’t have to earn it – in fact, we cannot earn it. God’s love does not diminish when we fail. God’s love does not increase with our achieving. It is not about our performance. It is not about our accomplishments. It is simply there . . . more amazing than we can understand.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph.3:17b,18)

Ruth

Buddy System

Recently I have recalled some memories of the church camp I went to as a kid. One of the camp rules was you could only go swimming if you had a buddy. It wasn't a buddy in theory, but a buddy in reality. Together we had to go to the lifeguard and let them know who our buddy was. Then, and only then, could we go in the water. Considering the camp was situated on a lake, and as children we were not always aware of the danger or potential danger of the lake water, it was a really good rule to have.

I've considered this "rule" in regards to other areas in our lives. Not necessarily because of the potential danger (but I suppose that is a possibility), but because there is company, safety and confidence building when we go with our "buddy". God made us to be in relationship with Him and others and it only makes sense to walk out our daily lives with someone else - a buddy.

On different occasions in the gospels Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. Luke 10:1 says, "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go."

A familiar verse to me from Eccel. 4:12 says, "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

Have you ever been involved with a potluck lunch or doing something with a few others to help someone else out? Isn't it more fun and fulfilling when you are with others?

I heard a lady speaking on a CD I purchased the other day, and it challenged me. She said find something you do well, ask the Lord how you can share it with others, then do it. (Sounds easy enough!) She shared a story about a lady who loved to bake muffins, so this lady began baking muffins for different areas of ministry in their church. This go me thinking . . . what do I do well? Lord, how do you want me to share it with others? And could I take a buddy along with me?

Perhaps the buddy is a friend or someone you're mentoring, or perhaps it's someone who is mentoring you and you've yet to become friends with them . . . whichever it is, let me encourage you to ask the Lord to show you what you can share with others (churched or non-churched), and then take a buddy along with you.

Jo-Ann

Moses and Miriam's Song

Part of Moses and Miriam's song to God after He delivered them through the Red Sea and out of Egypt:  

Exodus 15

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.

While I would have liked to put the entire chapter here for your reading pleasure, I know how we function, and many likely would not read a long blog . . . So I will briefly pout and then continue.

There are 2 more times in Exodus 15 that the song Moses and the Israelites sing mentions the hand of God! I am not sure that we always give God's hand the credit it deserves. Do we recognize the move of God's hand around us, or do we miss it?

The God of the Israelites is our God! The same God who stretched out his hand and caused the plagues; the same God who not only opened the sea for a ridiculously large crowd of people to go through, but also closed it behind them to keep them safe (please note this was not a creek, or a stream or even a river. It was an entire sea!); the same God who is described in this passage as "warrior", "majestic," and "awesome" with a powerful right hand, is the same God who both invites us into those same arms, and reaches His mighty hand out to meet our own needs and move on our behalf. He is the same God that divides the seas in our lives and that is "warrior", "majestic," and "awesome" with a powerful right hand in our situations.

The band Unhindered (highly anointed and recommended) wrote a song called "Song of Moses" which is powerful, and reminded me that God is still our mighty warrior, and still in the business of leading us to victory and to overcoming our situations.

See the song on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTPjsui8zmw&fb_source=message

"Praise the Lord our mighty warrior

Praise the Lord the glorious One

By His hand we stand in vict'ry

By His name we overcome"

Whether we are in the moment of needing the hand of God to reach out and rescue us, or if we are in a place where we are looking back at a victory won for us, we serve a God who is more than worthy of praise! We can never give thanks to him too much for the victories in our lives, because he is still moving on behalf of his people!

Kourtnay

Kourtnay's husband is a pastor and she has a beautiful son. She serves in her local church and is involved in numerous ministries there.

http://www.unhinderedworship.com/

https://www.facebook.com/unhinderedband?ref=ts

https://twitter.com/#!/unhindered

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/unhindered/id491798585

Blue Jays

I was washing dishes, absentmindedly staring out the window when a flash of blue caught my attention – and then another. As I watched more attentively, two blue jays appeared to be checking out the trees in our yard for possible new home sites.

Blue jays are so pretty. The sparrows and wrens, even the robins, look kind of drab by comparison. I do enjoy the jays in my yard – as long as I am inside and the windows are closed!

I am not a bird classifications expert but I am pretty sure that blue jays do not fall into the songbird category. Is there a category for annoying noisemakers – because that is where they should go.

How can something look so nice on the outside and then just sound so…wrong?

Ever have moments like that? You are going through your day and things are looking pretty good and then something comes out of your mouth that is….cringe worthy… hurtful…just wrong.

I make excuses. I’m tired. It’s been a long day. You don’t know what it is like to deal with someone like that…it’s really not my fault…it’s hormones!

Luke 6:45 says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Kind of an “ouch” verse, isn’t it?

And so, I pray with the Psalmist, "Set a guard over my mouth O Lord…" (Ps.141:3a)

That’s not a bad prayer – not a wrong prayer – but sometimes I think that I pray it not so much because I want to honour God with my words but because I don’t want the ‘real me’ – the flawed me – the ‘I’m not always the nice person that I want you to think that I am’ me to be seen.

Instead, I need to pray that my heart would be changed. Changed so that what flows out brings hope and healing. Not hurt. Not condemnation. Just life.

The prayer I need:

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Ps. 51:10)

Ruth

Tasting Discipleship - Pt. 2

When I think about mentoring and discipleship, I waver because I don’t believe they mean the same thing. You see to me having a mentor is someone who is there with answers to my questions. There to oversee a conversation, to add input into your life once every two weeks…or perhaps that’s my churchy experience with it.

As you read 2 Timothy (the whole two pages of the entire book) you see the whole book is such a powerful example of what discipleship is. It is a lifestyle with lasting, Godly and life building truth. Its about the bigger picture, about more than our lives and ourselves. At the crux, living life with people actually in it and exposing yourself and others to your life and to the honesty of theirs. Its about letting people in to the real you and your walk with Jesus….and for most of us, that is a challenging and often a frightening thing to do.

In my life from a jr. high and high school age I have had someone discipling me. (Read Tasting Discipleship Pt. 1 - April 24) It is scary at first, but just like anything God calls us to do, you ask Him for the wisdom and courage to do it, immerse yourself in the Word and then the more you do it, the more it becomes your lifestyle.

I like to disciple with two levels as my focus. A smaller more focused group and a larger but not as in depth group. Since you can’t disciple tons and tons of people yourself, and they in turn need to also begin to do it, my primary discipleship group of women is the smaller group. They are the three women that I pour into sometimes on a weekly basis I simply meet up with them for coffee or even go shopping with them. If they have kids I make sure that I make it as easy for them as possible and either do cooking with them at their home or a walk outside with their kids. Its just doing life together and being real with each other. My secondary circle is larger but not as in depth. I try to stay in touch via text, facebook, and the occasional dinner. They always know that they can call or connect whenever they need to and I do initiate contact on a monthly basis.

Discipleship is a two way street, sometimes I think people forget that. They think its about someone just taking all their brain power or spilling their guts on their life. Don’t get me wrong, its about being honest and having a safe, gossip free place to gain wisdom, a lot of hugs and so much more. One girl that I disciple is just incredible. She’s walked her own real journey and yet never fails when she knows I have a huge project coming up to send me a text saying “praying for you” or “how did it go?” When we meet up she is eager to share back and forth both asking questions about my life and sharing about hers. We bounce work ideas off each other and pray for each other. Its exciting for me when we get to spend time connecting because I know its going to be a great night out where we both walk away with some meat for the soul. She is also now discipling a core of women…women that I could not have reached. It is such a joy to see God moving through her life!

I also see it as essential to continue to be discipled in my own life. In Romans 1.11-12 Paul says: “I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” As I’ve gotten older I have become much more private about my life, but I know that when I connect with those who I am discipled by, I can be honest without gossip or ill advice. It’s the same friendship format I have with my women I disciple and it is such a great blessing in my own life. There is such power and support in your life when you have a godly woman investing into your heart. Discipleship is worth it. Like I said, you don’t have to be prefect or have the perfect home or do upscale things. Just spending time with that person, says they matter to you. It is also an extension of Christ that you’re investing in their life, not as your bi-weekly duty but as their friend - even if you have to change a diaper or give them a hand with shopping.

Re read 2 Timothy, the two pages of the book. Then go to John 15.1-17. Jesus and discipleship. Get encouraged, full of His power and begin or continue to make discipleship apart of your lifestyle*

Mary