A Bitter, bitter cup

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A full, overflowing cup of pain, sickness and sin.  A cup full of rebellion, apathy, and hatred.  A cup full of stench, slime, and darkness I can hardly imagine.  This is the cup He was asked, intended, sent to drink.  This cup, this disgusting cup, is what my Jesus wrestled with the Father about that lonely night. He must drink it. 
...he fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me..." (Matthew 26:39)

When I really look--- I mean really take a long, thoughtful gaze---at my sin, it deeply grieves me.  The sin in my husband's life, my kids' hearts, and the sin in my friends... these too can bring a heaviness that sickens my soul.  I can just smell our sin and feel unwell.  And, I only have a taste, one small waft, of the stench of our sinful hearts.

My Jesus drank deep from this cup.

My sinful tendencies, habits, attitudes, thoughts and actions fill the cup that Jesus chose to drink that dark night in the Garden.
And, oh!, am I so glad He did.

Tricia Rhodes, in her book Contemplating the Cross, asks me to think for a moment, "Try for a moment to imagine the cup the Father holds out. Look into it.  What do you see?" and then she invites me to ponder further, "What would your life hold today had Jesus dashed the cup to the ground, refusing to drink it's bitter dregs?  Don't rush with this question.  Evaluate it deeply, pondering days and nights of an existence without redemption."

Days and nights without redemption.  The words alone bring grief and sadness to my soul.

Days and nights without forgiveness and mercy.  ...without grace.   Think on it just a moment...  a life lived without His peace, release and freedom.

When I linger on this thought for even a moment...  Oh!  The gratefulness in my heart wells so full and so deep, I can hardly contain it!

How do I even begin to thank you, my dearest Savior?  Thank you for drinking in my sin!  How do I even begin to worship You aright? Words can not express what you have given me in this choice, this obedience, this drinking.  You have brought me near!  You have loved me with an everlasting love.  You have released me and filled me and washed me white as newly fallen snow.  You have made this crooked one, this wounded child... me... straight and whole!  Teach my soul to see you, to see me, to see this world rightly with your eyes.  

"I want a principle within,
Of watchful, godly fear,
A sensibility of sin,
A pain to feel it near.
Help me the first approach to feel
Of pride or wrong desire,
To catch the wandering of my will,
And quench the kindling fire.

If to the right or left I stray,
That moment, Lord, reprove,
And let me weep my life away
For having grieved your love.
Give me to feel an idle thought
As actual wickedness,
And mourn for the moment minutest fault
In exquisite distress.

Almighty God of truth and love,
To me thy power impart,
The burden from my soul remove,
The hardness from my heart.
O may the least omission pain
My reawakened soul,
And drive me to that grace again,
Which makes the wounded whole.
~Charles Wesley, "I Want a Principle Within"

Remain and Keep

photo source:  Garden of Gethsemane

He has just walked with his disciples into the garden.  Evening light and a soft, cool breeze may have accompanied this quiet journey.

His words to his disciples, his friends, express a sadness that is deep beyond language, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death." (Mark 14:34).   Deathly sadness.

I have experienced grief---deep, dark, physically painful grief--- but, I have never been grieved to the point of death.  This is grief of epic proportions.  Jesus was walking forward that night into pain unimaginable.

And, He told his friends of His heart. But, they didn't get it.  They just couldn't.  And, neither can I.   I want to get it, Jesus, my friend.  I want to understand Your heart more... 

They keep with Him, following and trying to understand their teacher, their friend.  But, He must separate Himself and wrestle with His heart.  He goes a stone's throw away...

...with one request of His friends.  "Remain here and keep watch with me."  (Matthew 26:38)

Remain here.  


Keep watch.  


With Me... 

He is asking them to stay, to stand firm, to remain where He tells them.  Obedience.  Awareness.  Remain in Today, Stephanie... Rest in me.  Remain right where I have put you.  Don't rush.  Just rest and remain still.  

He is asking them to keep awake, to keep aware, to be watchful and ready.  Alert.  Aware.  Keep awake, Stephanie, while this world slumbers.  

He is asking... or is He inviting?... them to do it all with Him.  Close to Him.  Within earshot and able to feel, sense and see His pain.  Do this all with Me.  I am always Present, always with you, always available.  

The themes of this month, pour over me with these words... Remain here, Keep watch, and stay With Me.

Is He whispering to you, I wonder? ...  Stay here and watch with Me, my friend.  

Remember and Keep Awake

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I had an odd experience last night.  Exhausted, my head hit the pillow and I desperately wanted to fall asleep.  But, I just couldn't.  I was being kept awake by a very strange noise.  ...bird song.  It was long past 11:00 PM and yet, they were singing as if it was early morning.  Confused birds!?

Loud and lovely, they sang, as if the sun was on the horizon.  But it wasn't.

I was annoyed and tired.  For the longest time, I laid there frustrated, tossing and turning, with the beautiful bird chirped song pounding my tired ears!    And, then I prayed.  Drawn by God's Spirit, I was reminded of the fact that God's creation is His to use and speak through at all times.   So, I asked, Father is this for me?  Why are these birds singing at this time of night.  


I instantly felt a response well-up in my spirit, Stay awake, Stephanie.  


And, I knew He wanted me to remember.  He wanted me to be alert and awake in this sleepy, tired, busy, media-saturated,  lulled world!  I had just finished the Prayer of Examen before bed.  I had become very aware at how much of my day is spent truly unaware of God's Always-Presence.


Stay awake and remember.  These birds are awake when all around them everything is sleeping.  ...you need to be like these birds!    

I do forget and fall asleep.  I walk through life sometimes like a dream, half aware and sleepy.  One thing to the next ---and then on to the next thing.  I do forget.  Do you?

So easily, the distractions of every day life pull us away from the Real and the Eternal.  We fix our eyes on things seen, not the unseen.  Or, at least I do.

And, what a beautiful Truth is found in remembering our Lord, our Friend, our Brother!  I want to fix my eyes on Him:  Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith.

Today, in an effort to remember and to remind my soul of sweet, real, awake and eternal things,  I begin a Lenten study of the cross and Christ's work there.  If you want to join me you can find free lessons to download and print from Tricia Rhodes' blog, The Soul at Rest   or you can buy her wonderful book with these lessons inside, Contemplating the Cross-A 40 Day Pilgrimage in Prayer.  

"Today and every day, God the Father extends an invitation---to actors and mechanics, schoolteachers and bright-eyed children, preachers and bartenders, accountants and garbage collectors, gamblers and homemakers.  It is an eternal unchanging summons to kneel in the shadow of that cross, where He sacrificed His only Son, and made it our souls' home.  God beckons us to gaze in awe at what we see on Calvary's mount."  Tricia Rhodes, Contemplating the Cross.  

Thank you God for your pursuit of me, your pursuit of your sons and daughters!  Thank you that you pursued us at creation, in the garden, last night and today.  Thank you Father for the deep, lasting, generous gift of Your Son's life.  Thank you Jesus for entering in, pushing through, walking here and loving me so much.  Thank you Holy Spirit that You will lead me into all Truth and teach me about my God!! 

Snuggle in

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This morning my daughter snuggles in...  my arms wrapped around her, her head pushing deep into my chest.

Buried.  Burrowed.  She presses in and we hug.   We hug long and tight.  She whispers, "Oh that feels soooo good!"

There is nothing like a hug, really.  Tender, tight and sweet.

My girl.  She knows that a hug like this is always available.   And, sometimes she surprises me with her enthusiasm in wanting one!

She is getting taller this 13 year old of mine.  ...we may very soon be face to face.  But, she will tilt and bend and burrow in order to snuggle into that spot, she calls it.  The crux of my arm feels a safe and secure place to her.

This is what I am reminded as I read of God's stronghold.  The LORD is the stronghold of my life---of whom shall I be afraid?  (Psalm 27:1)

Stronghold.  A strong hold.  Wrapped around and secure--- I am held in Him.

This is what I have in my loving Father's embrace.  The Hebrew word here in Psalm 27 has such depth of meaning...   maowz:  my place of safety, my protection, my refuge, my harbor.

My strength.

I have an ever Present embrace.  I have an always-available hug.  I can burrow in.  I can tilt and bend and get there.  His arms wrapped around in a sweet embrace.  He is my strong hold!

So, I snuggle in this morning.  I push in and rest in my Father's embrace.  And, it feels so good and so very right...

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Rest, my friends in His embrace.  He is the stronghold of your life!  

This too...a gift from loving hands

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We are taught to say, "Thank you" for gifts received from when we are very young.  Even now, I often remind my kids to be careful they "thank" the gift-giver before they even open the gift.   "Say 'thank you', I tell them, "the very second it it given.  Then open it..."  

I want to teach my kids thankfulness for the giving---not even necessarily for the gift.  Thankfulness for the heart of the giver---the generosity, the thoughtfulness, the kindness.  And, thankfulness for the trust to open it, knowing that this giver is good and kind.

This, too, a gift from His loving hand.  

In our home, these has been the words we have been speaking to each other lately...

Today, as I drove around Southern California lost, a bit anxious and late for an appointment, my husband (after giving me correct directions and helping me find my way) said these words to me through the cell phone.  He said them as we were hanging up.  He said them with a smile in his voice.   I could hear it.  I could hear his smile, saying those gentle words...

This, too, my love, ...is a gift from His loving hand.

Deepening trust.  That is what I have been asking for.  This is just what I asked Him for this morning.    Father, I am rooted and established in love.  May I know this Love more!  May I trust this Love, Your love.   May I rest in Your unfailing love.  

To grow in the knowledge of the height and depth of His love and then to rest in that Truth always.  ...in all circumstances.

When I am lost.  Or, in pain.  When I am sad.  Or, overwhelmed.  When I am tired.

To see my life as wonderfully ordered and beautifully orchestrated by a loving, Creative, kind and All knowing Father.   To trust all things He allows and brings and gives...  as gifts from His loving hand.

This too...is from My loving hand...


Trust is not trust until it has been tested. 
- Charles Spurgeon

There we go again...

There I go again.

So naturally, so easily...  I run to planning, doing, solving, organizing.

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When things get heavy or rushed.  When things feel a bit overwhelming, or manic, I naturally lean toward "doing" and controlling.

Make a list and check it twice.  Check the box, do the task, cross it off, add another task, do.

And in my doing, I sometimes forget.

This time I forgot.  Days on end, I forgot.  I fed myself on the almost-healthy food of "task completion", rather than eating a nutritious, filling meal on God's word.  I forgot to eat dinner.  Instead I snacked away my heart hunger on the "carrots" and "celery" of list making and planning.

Task completion and planning certainly aren't sinful in-and-of-themselves.   But, they don't satiate, they don't satisfy, they don't feed my soul in the same way that rest, trust and sitting with my Heavenly Father satisfies.

This morning, again, I ran to email first and then to the "to do" list.  ...my "safety blanket" when I am feeling overwrought.

...and, as I was writing, I "almost" heard a still small voice.  Almost, just barely, I heard a whisper into my soul. I heard an invitation..."Come.  Come and sit with me, Stephanie".  "Remain in today. Rest in me." 


I kept writing, re-writing this task list, checking it twice and adding new "must dos" to my list.  But, I knew.  Deep within, I knew.  Why I forgot so easily is beyond me...

So, I went.  Finally, I went.

I sat.  I opened His Word.  Like the first, amazing bite of a juicy bacon burger, His Word fed me instantly.

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation.  

My devotional, which had been neglected for days now, had me reading in Psalm 27.  Do you know what it says in Psalm 27:8...  "My heart says of you, 'Seek His face!' Your face, O Lord, will I seek".   Should I be surprised?

Should I be surprised that my loving, faithful, always-present Father would use His Word to echo the very Spirit's whisper I had barely heard 20 minutes before---Come and sit with me.  Seek My face!

There He goes again. He never gives up on me.  He keep pursuing.    He keeps giving.  He keeps feeding and offering Himself to me.

There He goes again.  ...Loving me.

Fickle Heart...

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My heart is fickle.  I am indeed prone to wander, Lord I feel it!

I don't mean to be faithless and inconsistent.  I just am.

One minute full of faith, trust and the knowledge of His love--- the next minute, doubting or worrying. Afraid or insecure.  My heart is fickle.  Have mercy on me, Lord!  Bind my heart to Yours!

But, my kind Father knows this and still He loves.  His heart is steady.  A fortress.

Still, He is faithful.  Always faithful.  Always loving.

My reading this morning took me to I Kings 19...  truly one of my favorite passages in the Bible.
In the previous chapter, Elijah has just seen God's amazing hand and has acted from a place of deep faith and trust in the Lord.  He knew God and He trusted God in I Kings 18.  But, then in chapter 19 we see him become afraid.  He is scared and overwhelmed.  He feels like giving up.  "I have had enough!" he says to the Lord.  (v.4)

And, God's response...

He is still faithful.  He is loving.  And, Father God is gentle...  so very gentle with Elijah.  In I Kings 19, we see God initiate, steps out and talk to Elijah in his place of frustration.  He meets him right where he is at.  In fact, God lets him sleep and then feeds him.  Then God lets him sleep some more and feeds him again.

Finally, God gives him the opportunity of His Almighty Presence and whispers to him.  Gentle whispers of truth and love.  ...He is always faithful.

My heart is fickle.

My God is constant, faithful and steady.  He is a rock that never changes.  He is reliable.  And, He is loving and gentle.  "an ever present help in time of trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

Ever-present for me.  Ever-present for you, my friend.  Still faithful is our God!

Whose are you?

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To whom do you belong?  Who do you belong to?

Whose are you?  

Confusing grammar aside...  I am asking myself this question today.  To be more accurate, I wonder if God is asking me this question.

Paul answers this question in one beautiful sentence that lighted off the page this morning...  "An angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve came to me this morning."  (Acts 27:23)

The God whose I am...

I am His.  I belong to Him.

We do like belonging, don't we?  It feels a right and a warm concept if our belonging includes purity, love and refuge.

I like "belonging with him" when people describe my relationship to my husband.  I like to be connected to him in that way.  I like when people say I belong to "this church" or "this organization"... that said, I like this notation when I am proud of the church or the organization.

I like to belong.

When I took my husband's name, I became part of his clan (so to speak).  Wearing his last name was a sweet thing for me--- they are a good people, a good family.  I like being associated with him, his dad, his mom, his brother and sister.  I like the connection.  I love the belonging that came with my marriage.

But, deep down... whose am I?  If my husband were to die... and I were to take another last name, would that change my essence?  No.  If I stopped belonging to that organization, this church or that team would it change who I am in any essential parts?  No.

First and foremost, I belong to God.  I am His kid.  I am His girl.  His princess.  I am essentially, in essence, and in reality His girl alone.

Remembering this truth throughout my every day is key.  I believe that freedom would abound in my life if I walked every moment under the awareness and umbrella of  being "His alone".  If I awoke each morning, ate each meal, parented each child, walked each place with the concept of being His and serving Him alone... what might my life look like?

Paul knew.  He knew whose he was and to whom he owed his allegiance.  I want to know this more. I want to walk in the beauty of this belonging.

In my attempt to know Him more this year, I have been making a list of words and phrases I find describing Him as I read His word each day.  Let me share a few of the words...

This is Whose I am:

I belong to...
a giver
an initiator
one Who is findable
one Who is merciful 
and higher than the heavens
a majestic King
one Who is strong
Who is eternal and endless
one Who is holy
one Who sees all
I belong to the One who
notices and questions
chooses
serves
who rewards
and judges
I belong to the One who is
a rock
a lover
a fortress
a hope
a refuge


I am His!!  This amazing, loving, wonderful One owns me.  I belong to Him.

Whose are you?

Resting Running

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I feel rushed here.

I just feel like I need to run, to hurry, to get to the next thing.  ...to do more.

Being on home assignment (or furlough) will do that... the schedule is tight, the opportunities to visit with people are way-beyond time and space...  But.

But, it seems more than that.  I felt as I flew into LAX, I flew into a cloud of fast-paced hurriedness.

Is it me or do Americans rush around like crazy?

Not that my schedule at home isn't full, but I just feel it here.  Like a blanket that seems to surround or descend, I feel pushed, pulled and rushed.

And it isn't really about the schedule, or the busy-ness, ...it is about my heart.  It is about the state of my heart.

Rest in God alone.  Rest in My love.  This, I know, is what my Father calls me to--- this is the Great Invitation.

I can rest in His love, His sovereignty and goodness, and in His timing. ... His timing.  Does God rush?

It reminds me of that lovely scene in Princess Diaries, where the queen is "late" and she is mildly rebuked by a servant, who is attempting to help her queen along, "to not be late."   In this scene, the queen comes calmly and graciously into the room and remarks, "The queen is never late!  Her subjects have just arrived early."  This same queen later encourages her protégée granddaughter to remember that she is a princess.  And, that "Princesses, never rush.  They never run...".  This is what has been echoing into my heart the last few days.

Stephanie, princesses never run.  They never rush.  You are a princess.  I am the King.  And, I am never late!  


I don't know what to attribute the rushed, fast-paced feeling to... is it cultural, circumstantial, or simply a spiritual stronghold?  I don't know.  But, I do know that it is contrary to the rest He is calling me to.

Not that I believe that we are called to "non-busy-ness" exactly... I just believe we are called to a state of rest, in the midst of life and busy stuff.  And I believe that a restful, peaceful heart is never rushed.

I have felt rushed.  Pushed and harried.

I choose to settle down this moment into His love.  I choose to do only that which He puts before me right now, not worrying about tomorrow.  And, I chose to rest in Him.

And, in about 45 minutes, I need to be out the door and off again to the next thing.  But, I don't have to run out the door.  I don't have to rush.  I can calmly, graciously walk.   In my heart, in my soul, I can trust my King.  ...pushing back the pull and pressure to run.

Whizzing Thoughts Calming Words

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Like a merry-go-round, my mind whizzed and turned.  Around and around went the thoughts.  Like busy, colorful, wood horses trotting, running, chasing....  Circular and connected, but racing and loud.  Do your thoughts ever turn and wind around, running away but in a circle?

As I sat to spend some quiet time, my mind just wouldn't stop.  Thinking and re-thinking.  

I had intended to read the whole Psalm.  But, I just couldn't.

The first line of Psalm 62 jumped off the page and lunged at me, relentlessly insisting on attention.  I simply couldn't move on.  I had to read it again.  And my mind calmed.  My busy thoughts took a seat and stopped at the Words...

My soul finds rest in God alone  


My soul finds rest in God alone, it said.  He said.  And I knew these words were alive.  Active and alive these words brought life.

As I repeated the words over and over in my mind and out loud quietly, I found a stop again in my spirit.  God alone  

God alone.

This was His word for me.  I needed to respond.

My soul finds rest, or more truthfully seeks rest in many things;  but, God was inviting me to more.  He was speaking to my soul and reminding my inner man that truly only in Him could I find rest.  I might seek rest in other things; but, I would never find it anywhere but in Him alone.

I could think more and plan more.  I could analyse and worry.  I could question and regret.  But, these would only send me around and around, never to find rest.

My soul finds rest in God alone.  Stephanie, your soul finds rest in Me alone.    

I told Him that I was deeply sorry that I ran seeking rest in other things, other thoughts, other ways... I told Him how desperately I needed His help to seek Him alone.  I told Him that He deserved all my heart, all my mind and all my soul.

And, I told Him that I would speak to my soul,  "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone!" (Psalm 62:5)

Find rest.

in God alone.  

Gotta' feed the beast

A beast of burden.

That is how A.W. Tozer suggests that we consider our bodies in his wonderful book, Pursuit of God.  I love it.  I just love it! 

Just as Jesus "had need of" that beast of burden, the donkey, when He rode into Jerusalem, so we too have need of our bodies.  They serve us.  Actually, they serve the Lord through serving us.  Just as that humble, insignificant ass did over 2,000 years ago for Jesus, so my body is a tool for the Lord---for His glory.  

And, just as we wouldn't abuse or neglect our needed beasts of burden, neither should we in any way abuse our bodies.  We should feed them, care for them appropriately and make them always ready for service when they are needed.  In the same way, we shouldn't rely on them too heavily or praise them--- focusing on them in excess.  Certainly the beast that carried Jesus was not receiving any "Hosanna's".  He just carried the One whom they praised.

My "beast of burden" has given me havoc many a times in my life.  Today this beast, my body, cries out for some more care.  Today it was a needed crown on an aging tooth and possibly a root canal.  Yuck.  But, truly, not something that I can ignore.  And, certainly ignoring it any longer would be to neglect the body that God has given me to carry me through this life.  ...so I must deal with it.

To be honest, the thought of a root canal and a crown was not as overwhelming as the thought of the cost of the two procedures.

I felt frustrated that once again this body of mine, this beast...  this hole-ridden- tent, was crying out in a way that was beyond my ability to provide.  I can feed it, yes, but I can't fix it!  ...and actually, in fact, the very food that I feed it comes from God's hand, as well! 

So... sitting in the parking lot of the dentist's office... my Father God and I had a good conversation about this.  I was able to tell Him that I needed Him to care for this body of mine.  I was able to ask Him provide for the beast that He has given me. And, that just as the disciples went at His bidding to get that donkey and bring the beast for the Lord's use... I am asking God to do all things necessary so that I can continue to serve Him---that this beast of a body would be a tool in His hands, for His glory!

This dialogue was had with tears and a fair bit of frustration.  I trust You, Lord.  Help me to trust You more!

So I rode this beast of burden right into the specialist's office.  And, long story short--- I don't need a root canal!  (a crown, yes.)  This news felt like a huge gift from God!  And as a special "wink" from my Father in Heaven, the specialist gave me the consulting visit for free.  Free! 

As I left the appointment, the receptionist said to me in low-quiet-tones, "there is no charge for today's visit".

I said, "I don't understand."

She lifted her voice just a bit and whispered again, "there is no charge for today's visit."

Dumbfounded, I said again, "I am sorry.  I don't understand."

"The doctor would like to bless you," she spoke quietly with a smile, "it's a blessing."

A smile from the receptionist.  A wink and a smile from my Father in Heaven---reminding me that He would indeed care well for this beast of burden---for me, for my body.  He would provide.  I could trust Him.  He does still have "need" of me and my body for His glory, ... so He would take care of it.  He will feed the beast!

In no wise desert you...

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Words spoken in truth and in love.  She spoke to me words with power.

As I opened the book and read, she reminded me.  A beautiful voice from the past, she spoke truth to my heart this morning.

This is why I read.  This is why I write.

In her writing, she speaks tenderly, as one who is well acquainted with grief and pain.  She speaks forcefully, as one who is learning alongside me... to trust, to surrender, to expect Jesus in her life.

Have you ever read a book and wondered if this book was written just for you?  Every time I pick up this book, Rose from Brier by Amy Carmichael, I am certain that it was written for me...  some 80 years ago.  How did she know what I was feeling?  How did she know exactly what I would need to hear today?  (I would recommend it for anyone who walks with long term illness or pain).

Amy Carmichael, my friend whom I have never met, spoke words to my heart this morning.  She spoke, through time past, a blessing over me...  "Jesus Himself draw near and walk with thee".

She reminded me that Jesus told His disciples that He would never fail or forsake them.  She studied those words "fail and forsake" in the Greek for me and reworded that famous verse saying, "I will in no wise desert you or leave you alone in the field of contest or in a position of suffering.  I will in no wise let go my sustaining grip".

We have a family tradition in our home.  Often, sometimes nightly, we whisper into our children's ears, "No matter where you go.  No matter what you do.  No matter who you become, I will always love you."  These are sweet, special words that surround our kids with love.

But, we can't ...we simply can not tell them, "No matter where you go, I will always be with you."  This, alone, God can say.

I will always be with you.  Always.  I will in no wise desert you.  

With these words, my spirit rose up and my heart widened enough to let Him in, inviting Him to reign again. I stood up with a renewed mind and a strength that comes from Him alone.

With all the craziness of packing, and planning, and cleaning, and leaving...  I needed these words today.  Into my sacred spot, ---my quiet chair---...the place I leave for a few months..., He reminded me that it isn't about the "spot".  It doesn't matter where I go, He is always there--- beside me, near me, around me and within me.

And, I recall words I read just last week from A.W. Tozer,

"God is here.  Wherever we are, God is here.  There is no place, there can be no place, where He is not.  Ten million intelligences standing at as many points in space and separated by incomprehensible distances can each one say with equal truth, God is here.  No point is nearer to God than any other point.  It is exactly as near to God from any place as it is from any other place.  No one is in mere distance any further from or any nearer to God than any other person is."  (The Pursuit of God)

Stephanie, God's Spirit whispers into my heart, I am always with you.  Draw near.  Come and follow me.  Seek Me first and all other things shall be added.  Watch and wait.  I will never leave you.  I will never fail you.  Wherever you go, I will always be with you. 

My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me".  And my heart responds, Lord I am coming!  Psalm 27:8

My reader, my friend, I speak to you this morning, May Jesus Himself draw near and walk with you!  

Warmth, new words and a teleporter please

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The morning air was crisp and cool.  My 9 year old son and I picked up the pace as we journeyed home from church, longing to get home, get lunch and get warm.  We walked, hand-and-hand, snuggled as closely as our winter jackets would allow.

All of a sudden, he blurted out, “Mom, I don’t feel very well.”  

He had just been playing with friends at church, so I was surprised and asked, “Oh! Are you feeling sick?” 

“No”, he replied, “I am feeling… ....I don’t know.”  

I paused and gave him some time to find his words.  

Holding tight to my hand and just a tilt of his head, he looked up and said,  “You know when you are just about to leave a place… you feel… you feel... I don’t know.” 

Trying to help him, I suggested, “You feel unsettled?” 

“Yeah, I guess so... No, not really unsettled.  More…  more leave-y”.  

In that moment my boy created his own adjective:  leavey

I asked him if it was a good feeling.  He said, "No", It wasn't.  And he pulled in tighter to my arm.   

"Me, too, baby. Me, too."  ...what else do you say?

Living overseas has been a tremendous blessing for our family.  I simply can not count the spiritual, emotional, relational and physical gifts that have been poured out over us because of our calling overseas these past 10+ years.  But,  the truth still remains,  it is hard to be constantly straddling two, or three worlds, isn't it?  

There is no way around it--- it is just hard. Sometimes, it just stinks!  And, although the benefits are immense, there is a cost.  

So, we pack our bags this weekend and get on an airplane and fly "home" to stay for a few months.  ...hating the long flights, my son is still contemplating the ins-and-outs of designing and inventing a "teleporter".  

And, we feel all mixed up inside.  From my daughter we have dancing glee one moment, literally--- and then sobs of grief the next.  We want to go.  We do.  And, we desperately don't want to go.  The emotions are running high in our home.  

...leaving home to go home, and all that that means.  It isn't easy.  

What else do you say?  

"The Lord has been our dwelling place" (Psalm 90:1) and "You will keep in perfect peace, he whose mind is steadfast on you." (Isaiah 26:3) ...come to mind.  

"Anything that makes me long for God is a blessing. Anything that makes me desperate for Him, anything that brings me to the end of my own resources, my own strength, my own power, that's a good thing."  ~Nancy Leigh DeMoss 

His Light to keep from steppin' in...

So I went on a walk this morning.

It wasn't too early, just dark.  ...So goes the winter-life of anyone who lives this high in the Northern Hemisphere!    But, I figured, "No worries, I know the path.  I know the way."  And, I do.

As I started my walk into the dark, I had this sense that I was in a dream.  I don't know if it was the half-light of the breaking morning, but it felt like a dream state.  Until...

Until, I stepped in poo.

Yes, you read that right.  Poo.

Now, I know this road that I take most mornings fairly well.  So, I could easily surmise that this patch was horse poo.  I have side stepped it other times successfully.  ...it was only a guess, really.

Though my walk was not pitch black, the dawning sun and the street lights helped to light my eyes, my foot path was not lit.  I could see ahead, but I couldn't see my feet very well.  But, I could feel as I stepped, to be sure.  And, I most certainly stepped in poop!  For, stepping in poo feels very different than stepping on cement or asphalt.

I continued on, though, (bravery at its best!)...what is a little poo on a well-worn, mud-covered hiking boot, right?

So, I kept walking and entered the fields near our home.  And, try as I might, I kept stepping on poo.

Over and over!  Was it cow poo--- that one felt like a cow pie underfoot!?  Was it sheep's poop, dog's poop?  They all do feel different, not to be too graphic (smile).  And, they all feel different than the squidgy mud in the field, as well.

But, I just couldn't help myself.   I just couldn't see my foot's way.  I wasn't lost.  Seeing my walking path wasn't too hard in the dim light, just seeing my every step was a bit difficult.  Well, difficult enough to step multiple times in poo.

So, why am I telling you this?

The song that came to mind as I trudged through the muck and the mire of my darkened walk was, "Light of the word, You came down into darkness.  Opened my eyes, let me see.  Beauty that made this heart adore You.  Hope of a life spent with You!"

I trudged and sang into the dawn:  "Light of the word!!"  ...in this dark morning who would hear me but God!  I walked and stepped and trudged and sang.

And, I remembered the lessons of late--- I can do nothing with out Him.  I may think I know the way.  And, certainly I know enough in my Christian walk to not get "lost".  But, if I don't have Him, I can certainly step in some good 'ol yucky poop!!  ...and, I would really rather not.  You?

Jesus, I am desperate for your light.  I am desperate for Your guidance every day... all day!  You light my footpath, You light my every step.  Help me not to walk on without You today.  

A Talkin' To

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We need guidance.  We need someone to show us the way from time to time.  Somtimes we just need a talkin' to.   We need a good 'ol in-your-face talkin' to from those we who love us and those we love. 

We do it as parents, don't we?  I do it.  My husband does it.  He and I give our "talks" very differently, to be sure; but, none-the-less, it is the loving thing to do.  To sit them down (our kids), get face to face and tell them how it really is.  We need to show them where they are going wrong and point them in the right direction. This is simple, beautiful discipline and training. 

God is no different.  And, yesterday, I got a good 'ol talkin' to. 

Gentleness and kindness surrounded the "talk".  His lecture was wrapped in His goodness and His love; but, it is painful even so.  Who likes to get a talkin' to? 

He spoke to me about my pride. 

Ugly and damaging, my pride.  He spoke to me about my "self-life".  And, He did this using a good friend (one I have never met), A.W. Tozer in the Pursuit of God,

"What is the veil that it shutting out the light and hiding the face of God from us.  It is the close-woven veil of the self-life... it is not too mysterious, this opaque veil, nor is it hard to identify.  We have but to look in our own hearts and we shall see it there, sewn and patched and repaired it may be, but there nevertheless, an enemy to our lives and an effective block to our spiritual progress.  It is not a beautiful thing and it is not a thing about which we commonly care to talk, but I am addressing the thristy souls who are determined to follow God...  To be specific, the self-sins are these:  self-righteousness, self-admiration, self-love, [self-pity and selfishness] and a host of others like them."

The interesting thing is that as I read this chapter and thought on God's words to my heart, I instantly found myself trying to "fix it" in me.  Deep within, I was calculating how I could become less prideful, less self-centered, less self-righteous... 

Do you see it?  Do you see that right there in the very moment of conviction I was running back to self.  My plans.  My ways.  My fixes. 

At least my heart caught it this time!  Thank you, Spirit of God!

The dawning of His Spirit brought these words to mind, "I can do nothing...  without the Father".  (John 5:19)

 Then, Thomas a Kempis, has some words for me, as well.  He agrees and joins in with God's discipline: "Rest not upon thyself, but build thy hope in God.  Do only what lieth in your power and God will help thy good intent.  The poor and lowly of heart abide in the multitude of peace.  The man who is not yet wholly dead to self is soon tempted, and is overcome in small and trifiling matters."

And, to top it off, this joint intervention comes back to Tozer, instructing me with, "God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust."

There it is again... that word!!  Trust.  Will I ever learn it, Father? 

Trust breaks down pride and self.  Trust is the rock on which humility is built. 

I have so much to learn.  I am so glad He never gives up on me and keeps talkin' to me! 

Open my eyes to see You and know You as You really are.  Open my ears.  Grow my faith and teach me to trust You.  Enlarge my soul to understand, to know, to perceive.  Strengthen my mind to grasp You.  You alone.  Jesus, work Yourself in me!  You in me.  Me-dead and the real alive in You. 

It is very sweet to know that we are not alone on our road toward and with God.  This post from another friend, (I have never met ---smile), propelled me to write down today's small jot from my journey to know Him more.  I would highly recommending popping over to her site:  You are My Girls. 

What makes you want to dance?

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With a huge smile on her face, she jumped up and down at the back window as I stood in the kitchen.  She came home visibly shaking and dancing with glee!  My sweet 12 year old daughter...

And, I immediately had a thought--- are you doing what makes you happy?

She had just delivered a hand made gift to an elderly neighbor.  It brought her so much joy to bless.  To give.  Such a simple thing, really.  But, the giving gave her deep joy.  And, she wanted more...  More joy!

Poking her head in the doorway she asked, "Can I bring hot chocolate to the construction workers next door?"  She wanted more giving-joy!

So we heated up water, made the hot chocolate and she carried over coffees and chocolate on a tray to the group of men who have been working hard for months next door.   The smile on their faces were remarkable, to be sure; but, the smile on her face was priceless.  She literally skipped home and into our door.

Am I doing what makes me most happy? 

My girl came out of the womb a gift giver.  While she developed in my body those 9 months, God wove into her personality a desire to give and get gifts.  Frankly, she just loves gifts!  And, gifts give her joy.  They speak something to her soul that I do not innately understand .   When she gives and when she gets, she feels joy and love.

And, it isn't just gifts that make her smile.  She loves to hug.  She loves to worship with song; she loves to sing.  She loves to create beautiful things and take long walks with her friends.  ...all intricate details of her, my sweet daughter.

We are most happy---and by happy, I mean true happiness, pure joy, deep-seated contentment----when we are being who God made us to be and doing that which He made us to do.  What makes me smile and dance inside is different than my girl.  We are all unique.

Chosen before the foundation of the earth and hand-made inside our mothers, we are all unique.  He has given each of us special things to do, ways to relate, contributions to make... an offering of ourselves.  What is yours?  

What brings that huge smile on your face or in your soul?  What makes your heart sing?   What makes you shake and dance inside...  deep inside?  And are you doing it?

I want to do it more.

Father, teach me to do those things that will make me most happy, truly happy!  Lord, may I honor You with all of me.  Thank you for making me and creating me uniquely.  Help me to know how You have gifted me and to know how You would have me give of myself for Your glory and Kingdom.  For I am Your masterpiece.  You have created me in Christ Jesus, so that I can do the good things You have planned long ago!!  Ephesians 2:10

Another book for my Best Friend

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Her birthday was coming and I couldn't think of what to get her.  I wanted something personal.  I wanted to give her something special, close, connected, ...something tender.  So, I made her a book---my sweet friend.  I made a scrapbook to celebrate her.

It wasn't hard or a chore, it was a delight.  Truly.  I treasure her friendship in my life and so it brought much joy to find pictures and write a bit about her.

And, when it came to describing her, the words came easily.  I could easily have listed 10 more words to describe my friend.  I couldn't have done this five years ago.  I knew her then, yes, but our knowledge of each other has grown past simple knowledge, or the light friendship we had five years ago.

These days, we talk a lot, this friend and me.  And, we are in each other's lives a lot.  I am beginning to learn what she might say, or think or feel in any given circumstances.  Learning, that is---because she is complex and the learning opportunities never end.  But, that said, finding words to describe her is easy.  I know her more and so putting a few words on a page to describe her was a breeze.

This is what I want in my relationship with God.  I know Him.  I believe I know Him well.  Certainly I know Him much more than I did 20 years ago when we first met!  But, there is still so much to know about Him.  And, I long to know Him that much more!

As I set my sails toward "the knowledge of God" this year, I have started a new habit.  I took a chunk from the back pages of my journal and relegated them to the collection of data---data about God.  Words, phrases, ideas.  As I journey through Scripture this year, it is my goal to write down (maybe daily, even) what I find out about Him.  Just one word, or phrase, at a time.

I tried this just once yesterday, reading Isaiah 55 and filled a half of a page of different words to describe who He is.  What fun!

So, just as I did for my friend, I guess I am making another book---of sorts--- for Best Friend.  My God.

To celebrate Him.  And, to know Him better.  My sweet Friend.  My kind Father.  My ever present Counselor.  My savior.

South West This Year

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A phrase or word for the year. I like the idea.
 
It suits my personality to have a goal.  It feels right to live with intentionality.
 
 ...a goal?  Okay, no, not exactly a goal.

Generally, the word or phrase that I have named these past years has had very little that I can "do" to accomplish them.  "Goals" take much more planning and doing and "task lists" to my mind.

Okay, more like an idea.  A theme.  a direction.  ...Just a thought of direction, really.  Like an adventurer deciding to sail...?? where shall we go, where shall we go today?... "west", he decides.  "Yes, due west", he might say.  And, then, sets the sails accordingly.

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Last year was the "Year of Presence".  I wanted to venture into knowing, experiencing, growing in my ability to discern God's Presence:  a "now-oriented" practiced awareness of His Presence.

This year is knowledge.  And, by knowledge I definitely don't mean only head or book knowledge.  (although I am sure my head and many books will add to my journey!)  By the word "knowledge" I feel a sense that it has something to do with the classic "Adam knew Eve" or "Abarham knew Sarah"- kind-of knowledge.  Knowing in the marital sense, really.  "Knowing" as in intimacy, closeness, connectedness, and understanding.

When I married and first "knew" my husband, there was a bond and an intimacy that will never be cut-off or severed.  But that was only the beginning.  That "knowing" was significant and a super-glue, to be sure... but it was only the first of many steps to the continuing journey of knowing each other.  Available is a daily, deeper knowledge--- if we indeed seek and search.

Now, being married these 17 years, I feel that I know my man more now than I ever did before we were married. I know him more intimately, more perfectly and with more understanding and value certainly than I did a Year 1 or even at Year 15.  And, I am hopeful that this knowledge of him, my husband, will only increase and continue.

This is what I am going for this year:  knowledge of the Lord.  Close, intimate, deeper knowledge of my Lord.   Deeper still, Stephanie.  That has been the whisper.  Deeper still.

I long to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord... just as Peter encourages the early church to do in his letters.  I want to know Him more intimately, to study Him, to talk with Him, to hear Him and understand His tone of voice.  I want to understand Him more.

I know that He is unsearchable and the depths of knowing Him are beyond tracing out!  And, yet, He invites me to know Him more today than I did yesterday.  And, guess what!?  I can know Him more tomorrow than I do today!  What a sweet invitation to relationship, to connectedness, to intimacy!

The year of knowledge.

What would your phrase, your word, your theme be? ... In what direction will you set sail this year?

This is what I ask from You, my dear Lord, to know You more.  
"It is for increasing degrees of awareness that we pray, for more perfect consciousness of the Divine Presence."  ~A.W.Tozer (Pursuit of God)

Crash Landing into the New Year

I remember I used to call it the "crash" in college.

Working my way to a deadline, or running hard up to the exam---then the day after said exam, my body would just crash.  For all intensive purposes, I would "fall apart" and physically let down, often getting sick with a cold or a winter virus.  It was as if my body was saying, "Enough!  We are done now."

I remember the haze that would descend.

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This "crash" seems to come with a smoke or fog that can block out energy and joy:  clouds that confused truth.

Do you ever feel foggy, confused or clouded?

This last week has been a bit of a crash week for me.  ...winter virus and all!

Put behind me were the tender, beautiful lessons learned during the Advent season.  Close behind me were the many sweet moments with family, the good food, and Christmas gifts given and received.  And when Monday morning came, I seemed to shut down.  I can't really explain it... I felt tired, and sick.  I felt distant and out-of-sorts.  I felt irritable and yet emotionally hard inside.

Not that anyone from the outside would even have known.  I still cooked, laundered, and visited with friends.  ...an internal struggle--inside fog.  My mind, my heart and my body had seemed to slip away into a mist and a haze of half-living.

What is this about?  I still can't really get a handle on all that was going on as the beauty faded from Christmas silence and the Presence I sensed during Advent.

...but it was real and felt disheartening.

The heart is fickle, isn't it?

And, I am desperately needy.  In fact, I realize my neediness more and more as I grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord.  I really am quite a mess without Him.  Without His kind, faithful, loving and persistent hand of grace, I am ...  I am a wreck.  A crashed wreck of emotions, insecurities, failures, questions, needs and longings.

Yesterday, I finally opened my mouth and began articulating my internal state to my husband (who by the way had noticed!)  Just talking about it helped.

But this morning a brighter light began to dawn into my tired mind.  Pushing out the clouds and haze, the words of Truth flickered into my soul.  Something of the life of Scripture jumped off the page and caressed my cheek, awakening the real, alive-Stephanie.

It was a simple statement of prophecy regarding my future...  our future.  Your future.  The whole of Isaiah chapter 60 was like cool water for my thirsty soul, but verse 17 sprung with life from the page:

"Peace will be your Governor and righteousness your ruler".

My mind and my body need a good ruler over them, to be sure.  This hazy crash and this arbitrary "okay-ness" needs something keeping it in order, pulling the pieces back together.  ...and Peace is the perfect thing!

Peace.

The rightness, holiness, and perfectness of God's peace will rule over me and keep me together--- make me whole!

This is what He offers me ...in the future, but also in the now.  Today.

He whose mind is on Him will be kept in perfect peace.  So, today,... starting this New Year... I choose, once again, to turn my mind, my body and my heart toward Him!  He breathes in and through me, sending the haze away and awakening my soul to His gifts to me--- Himself, the Peace that governs me!

Advent Noise

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I feel it creeping it's way into my mind and my soul.  A cacophony.

Pushing in and crowding out, the noises of the Christmas season, circle and engulf.  Do you feel this way?

The "to-do" list is long and the activities are in full swing.  Advent noises...

And actually most of the Christmas noise is truly joyful.

They are noises I have chosen.  And, noises I invite...

...The extra reading times, playing times, fun times with my kids off school...
...Friends over and Christmas carols pulsating around my home.
...The wrapping of carefully chosen gifts.
...The making of ornaments for dear friends.
...The "baking day" my kids look forward to each year and opening our home to any who might come join us to decorate that special ginger bread man!
And, the plans to cook, to clean, to give this and give that---  sweet joys of Christmas, really, sweet noise.

But, piled up and stacked high these joys can feel heavy and overly loud.  Creeping, pressuring, pulsing noise can fill my soul.

I have been asking Father God to help me slow down each day enough to hear Him, to see Him, to worship Him.  And, as I sit... I find it hard.  I feel the noises running around my mind crowding out His voice.

So, I had a thought last night as I discussed this with my Father in Heaven.

I don't feel He is asking me to stop the activities of Christmas--- the joys of giving, serving, singing, playing --- the people and the parties.  I feel He is inviting me to stop the "extra" noises I can control and choose.  I can turn off any excess noise I don't really need this week.  I can "turn down" the knobs that I don't need this week.

And, so, I am choosing Advent Silence this week.  ---no media, no computer, and nothing extra to add to the beautiful noises of advent.  That means no television.  No movies.  No internet.  No blog.  No email.(only one daily uick scan of email to keep in contact with my widely spread overseas family!)

I am shutting down all and any extra noise.  And, I will go looking for quiet and silence.

When I wrap those presents,  I will do it in silence and quiet.
When I write the Christmas cards, I will do it with no extra noise around me (minus the beautiful noises of my children, the ringing phone and the wizzing of the washing machine).

I don't really need to watch "another" Christmas movie? Do I?  Or, read that blog right now?  Or, just check facebook one more time.  I can turn off those noises.

So, this will be my last post until after Christmas.  I am shutting down.  ...in search of a bit of silence to balance the beautiful noises of the Season.

"Silence means rest, rest of body and mind, in which we become available for God."  ~Henri Nouwen, "Training"

 "Silence is the discipline that helps us to go beyond the entertainment quality of our lives." ~Henri Nouwen, "Can you drink the cup"

"What finally matters is that our hearts become like quiet cells where God can dwell, wherever we go and whatever we do.  The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and God alone, the more we will discover that God is with us at all times and in all places.  Then we will be able to recognize God even in midst of a busy and active life."  ~Henri Nouwen, "Making All Things New"

May you find God's sweet voice and know His tender Presence in the midst of the lovely noises of the Advent Season.  May you have a Merry and Happy Christmas!

Comfort for the Crooked

Each year we have a wonderful Christmas tradition:  we listen to Handel's Messiah.

Written in 1741, and taken from directly from Scripture, this piece of music is a masterpiece and profoundly moving.  This year one line seemed to jump out at me and sing itself deep into my soul.  One line repeated, and repeated-- filled my insides with hope and longing.   For days now it has been playing and replaying in my mind.  Would you take a minute to listen---this is only a small snip-it...

The crooked straight and the rough places plain.

Broken.  This world, our world,  is crooked and misshapen.  His People are dirty and messed up.  We are broken and twisted.   Sometimes we think very wrongly and we act very badly.  Our world.  You.

...and me.

God certainly knows this!

But, gentle words of comfort filled my soul this morning as I opened Scripture.  "Comfort!  Be comforted, my people", says God (Isaiah 40)  Tender, gentle words pour forth from the Living Word, "Speak to my people and tell her that her sins have been paid for!"  

Her sins have been paid for...  

"And every valley shall be raised up.  Every crooked place shall be made straight.  Every rough place shall be made smooth".

The crooked straight and the rough places plain.

Planned from the beginning, this babe---my sweet Jesus---was born into our crooked world.  He came on purpose, prophesied in Isaiah.  He took on our flesh and made His dwelling among us.  He walked our paths and felt our pain.

And, He will make all things new!  He is making all things new.  He is straightening our world.  He is straightening you.

He is making me straight.  Crooked-me is being straightened.  Low valley-Stephanie has been and is being raised up!  Rough-me is being smoothed.  ...by His hand.

In this I find deep comfort and hope--- just as He said I would in Isaiah 40.

Welcome to our world, Jesus!  Welcome to our broken and crooked world!

Advent Grief

One of the difficulties of living and working overseas is that bad news comes in the form of black-typed letters on a computer screen.

The email.  That dreaded, infamous email.

...news of a terminal illness, or a cancer found.  In "the inbox" these emails slide in quietly and sit, hidden like a landmine under the earth, ...just one click and bam! bad news on the screen.

But, yesterday the news felt even heavier to my soul than a disease, or even the terminal illness.  I heard news of sin.  From two separate corners of the globe came news of sin.

Sin in the camp.

This was not news of bad choices being made by unbelievers or the unredeemed,... no.  This is sin--- heavy and dark sin---found and revealed inside the fold.  Habitual sin that lingers and destroys...

Does it matter what the sin is?  Scripture tells us to "put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature:  sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry".  He tell us to, "get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice".

The sins that destroy... anger, greed, lust, slander, impurity...

My heart sank at the news found in these emails.

Where do I go when I feel this way?  When I feel angry and frustrated with Your people, Lord?
My natural-Stephanie response to sin in myself  and in others is usually one of anger or frustration.  But, I need Your heart, Lord.

I lifted my hands and asked...  What is it that you feel, Father?  What say You?  
When You look on, when You draw near, how do You feel, Jesus?  What is Your heart on the matter, Spirit of God?  These questioning words flowed from my gut as I held my hands out and up to the Lord.

In that moment, that quiet moment in my bedroom, I felt deep, heart-wrenching sadness.  A wash of profound sadness flooded my soul.   Is this what You feel God Almighty? 


I can't presume to know God's feelings.  But, in that moment, did He share just a piece of His heart with me?  Waves of grief filled my soul at the thought of His children walking in sin---so unnecessarily bound and caught in the cycle of habitual sin.  It doesn't have to be this way.


Oh, Jesus!! my heart cried out as my eyes welled with tears.
Oh dear Jesus!  It is not as it should be.  Oh, my God, I am so sorry.  I grieve with you, you the Son of Man, the Man of sorrows---well acquainted with grief.  


Brothers, these things ought not be so!  He has freed us from sin by His blood and has made us a Kingdom of Priests, holy to Him!  
   
For days now I have been meditating on the anticipation and hope of advent.  Waiting with expectation, I have turned my heart up and out and I have worshiped.  I have tasted just a small bit of the joy and the hope that Simeon and Anna may have felt waiting for the consolation of Israel.

But, just like the first Christmas, there is still significant pain around the corner.  The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce you very own soul!  

For, the story does not end at the manger or the temple with Simeon's prophecy.   Nor does it end at the cross or tomb!  No, no...
This epic journey ends when Jesus comes the second time with King of Kings written on His thigh.  The end comes when all sadness is wiped away!  My Man of Sorrow will weep no more...

He will make all things new!  He will eat with His clean, white, pure Bride.  He will heal the nations and we will see His face.The story ends with the brilliant Second Advent!  I can wait patiently and hope in You alone, my God.  

Feeling the lingering sadness left by the coming news of sin... this is where I turn my heart and my face today!

And I say with John, "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"  (Revelation 22)

Rejoice, Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.  

Stand Up and Lift Your hands...

We are told that she remained in the temple, worshiping Almighty God day and night.  He was her everything, her all in all---her husband, her family, her God.

Painting by Gwen Meharg

 Photo Source

This beautiful Anna, the prophetess of the Lord.  (Luke 2:36-38)

Day and night she worshiped, prayed and fasted.

While worshiping, with Simeon and others devoted to God, she watched for the redemption of Israel, the advent of God's Holy One. 

The waited together.

Keep awake.  Stay alert, Stephanie.  God speaks to me, over and over again, through His word this week. (Mark 13)

Be dressed and ready and keep your lamps burning.  (Luke 12:35)

Keep your eyes looking up and out!  His Spirit whispers into my heart.

...when these things happen stand up, lift up your hands, because your redemption is near! (Luke 21:25)

Lift your eyes! Stand up and lift your hands, Stephanie.

These words are a sweet, tender invitation to relationship and to worship.  My head can drop sometimes.  Do your eyes drop down sometimes?

My eyes can be downcast--- looking at me, my little world, my friends, my circumstances, or even that other load of laundry.  But, NO!, He says with excitement in His voice...  look up and out!  Your redemption is near!  Very near.  

Stand up and lift up your hands!  

I, too, can worship while I wait.  This thought makes my heart excited with anticipation.

I can wait and worship, just like old-Anna.

"when he began his tasks and his daily duties, he said to God, with trust, 'O my God since You are with me and I must now in obedience to Your commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I ask You to grant me the grace to continue in Your Presence;  receive all my works [as worship] and possess all my affections." ~Brother Lawrence