Is a Nickle Enough?

Her name was Kathryn and it was well known that she was her daddy's little girl. James Buckingham told one of their stories in his book Daughter of Destiny.

"Kathryn, do you remember when you were a little girl and you would stand behind me while I read the paper. You'd say, 'Papa, gimme a nickel.' I would tease you, sitting there pretending like I didn't hear you. You'd keep asking and eventually I'd dig in my pocket and hand you a nickel. Do you remember?
Kathryn, who had just begun her ministry in Denver, smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, papa, I remember."
"There's something you didn't know, baby. I loved you so much that I would have given anything you asked. You just limited yourself because all you wanted was a nickel."

This precious little girl in the presence of her loving father, had limited herself, simply because she didn't know to ask for more. He would have given her anything she'd asked, but naively, she was content to have so much less.
Today, my name is Kathryn, and I've awakened to find that I've only been asking for nickels from my adoring father. Because of his abounding love and unlimited grace he will give me anything I ask for in his Son's name.
So today Father, I step boldly before the throne of God and ask for more of YOU.
I ask for a stronger awareness of your presence, and all the blessings you have in store for me.
I ask for your full anointing on my life Lord. I know your word says that when the spirit gives, he does not ration his power, but gives it in full measure, pressed down, shaken together, filled 'till overflowing.
Lord I ask to receive your discerning wisdom so that I'm guided down the path of life.
I ask for assistance in exercising the fruits of your Spirit that you have already given to me. Help me to live in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
I ask for a continual sense of the presence of your Holy Spirit in my life. I ask for a greater understanding of his gifts and a stronger anointing as I step out in faith to serve your children.
I ask for an insatiable hunger for your Word, that I will read and read and never feel satisfied with the amount I've learned. And that it will be hidden within my heart and rise up within my spirit to encourage, educate, or edify myself and others.
I ask to be put in the path of those who are hungry to know you, both here in America and also in Africa. Help me to discern their needs, and minister to them.
Jehovah-Jirah, I ask you for all of these things in the name above all names, your Son Jesus Christ. And I thankfully receive them, praising your name because you are a loving and gracious Father who gives anything his children ask for.

Names of God

A few months back I atteneded the Whole Woman's Day conference in Raleigh,- It was awesome. One of my break out sessions was called the Names of God. I learned so much in that hour and I had fully intended to share it with my small group, but I've just never finished polishing my notes. So while I finish that this summer, here is just a tiny tid-bit of info that I gathered!


Selected Names of God

Jehovah The LORD (YHWH) meaning 'I am who I am'. This shows the self- existent one.

Exodus 3: 13-15 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:' I am has sent me to you.'"

Jehovah-Jireh The Lord will provide
Jireh means 'see' as in "I'll see to it."
Genesis 22: 13 Abraham looked up and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horn. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided"

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Philipians 4:9 And God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Matt 6:8-11 Do not be like them, for your Father Knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.

Jehovah-Nissi The Lord is my banner
Nissi- a signal or a flag to symbolize a rallying point. Significant for soliders in a battle

Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

Jehovah-Shalom The Lord is peace

Judges 6: 22-24 When Gideon realized that it was the angle of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." So Gideon built an altar to the Lord There and called it The LORD is peace.


How amazing it is that each name,shows us a little more into the character of who God is!

Hard to Imagine

Below is a blog post that Dave Ohlerking wrote recently for the Children's Cup blog. The whole thing is just a bit much for me to wrap my brain around.I love his style, his heart, and his technique,- it's not in what he says, but what he doesn't say.
I understand no one will like this blog post, but perhaps you can appreciate the raw truth of it.

(from Dave) "If God Doesn't Help Me, I'll Be Dead Tonight."
June.23.2005

I remember his panicky eyes.

His whole body was trembling.

The meeting was about to start. The man had asked to talk to one of the ministers.

I shook his hand and felt him grab hold to keep from collapsing.

“If God doesn't help me I’ll be dead tonight.”

I knew this was serious. “You came to the right place—God will meet you here tonight.”

“I don’t know if He’ll want to help me. He knows what I did to my neighbors eleven-year-old daughter.

“If I’m alive tomorrow I must face her father and the police.

“I used to serve God. I knew it was wrong, but I looked God in the eye and did it anyway.”

He collapsed against me.

I found him a seat near the altar by an altar worker. “You are doing the right thing,” I encouraged him. “Just open your heart to God during this service and I’ll meet you at the altar after the altar call."

But at the end of the service I couldn’t find him or the altar worker.

“Oh, no he’s gone—He didn’t make it.”

I wept as I pushed through the crowd to find him. Then I saw him making his way to me—he was calm and had his arms open to embrace me.

“You were right. God took me back. I know it will be hard tomorrow, but I can do it because He’ll be there to help me.”

The peace in his heart--that peace that passes understanding--was deep enough to conquer his fear of prison.

Beauty's Only Skin Deep

It was one of those glorious days, - you know the ones, when you wake up way before your alarm goes off and realize you won't have to rush? But on this day I was extra thankful because it was the first time I was scheduled to be a greeter at newhope church.

"This is perfect" I though to myself. "I can spend the extra time getting ready!" So I took my time and got myself done up right! I blew my hair out, and put it in Velcro rollers to ensure lots of body and bounce. I did my make up meticulously, even taking the time to apply concealer (a luxury my schedule never allows Monday thru Friday.) I chose some great clothes, matched all of the jewelry, picked my favorite red high heels, - I even had enough time to paint my fingernails and toenails scarlet red to match my outfit. I gave myself a once over in the mirror and decided to go back for seconds, - I was lookin' good!

Honestly, I was pleased that I'd taken the extra effort to look nice that day. "After all," I told myself "I'm the first face people will see when people come to newhope today. I want to make a nice impression." I found myself at church smiling brightly and welcoming in the trickle of early comers as they came through the door. Then I saw a new family of six making their way slowly up the sidewalk. I quickly understood that this family was unique, -both parents we blind and were being led buy their oldest son and daughter.

Once inside they introduced themselves and asked for assistance in getting to Hopetown for the children and then to the sanctuary. I led them to the elevator and then assisted them in back to worship. I sat next to them during service and then to retrieve the children and to the parking lot to wait for their ride. After spending all of that time ushering, I had had very little opportunity to actually greet that day.
I was a little annoyed by that. Then, I heard God's tiny little whisper voice speaking to my spirit. "Isn't it funny," He said, "That after all of your hard work this morning, the only people you spent time with today couldn't see you?"

Ouch!

But he was right. I'd spent so much time getting myself ready and yet hadn't even taken a moment to pray or crack a bible. My outside was beautiful but my heart had never been prepared. It was a humbling reminder that (just like mom always said) it's what's on the inside that really counts.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us that our physical bodies are getting older and weaker every day. "What we see will only last a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever." Our looks are only temporary, no matter how much we do to take care of ourselves. No amount of silk, eyeliner, or Botox will make a difference in the end.

As a Christian woman, I know there's nothing wrong in taking care of myself and making myself look nice. But as in all things, I need to make sure God is first with all other things being secondary. After all, God's word says, "Women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things the do." 1 Timothy 2:10

Will you join me on this one women? C'mon lets get ourselves done up right!

Beyond the Limits

People are often surprised to learn that I'm from Flint, Michigan. They've seen it on the news, they've heard about it from others, they've even seen footage of it in Michael Moore movies. I guess I don't fit the image of someone who would come from a town like Flint. It's viewed as poor, violent, oppressive, and hopeless. When I asked a high-school friend about living in Flint, she said, "People don't actually live in Flint...they just exist." Amen to that sister.

Perhaps if these unbelievers had known me 10 years ago, they might have thought differently. As a teenager, I figured I'd go to a community college, marry young, have a few kids, retire at 52 and spend my time sitting on the porch with the friends I'd always had. I'd go to the bowling alley for fun, consider mowing the lawn a hobby, and be content to watch one day pass after another. I'd live for myself, looking for minor amusements in the form of TV or perhaps neighborhood gossip. And best of all I'd make sure I'd always live in Flint, - after all where else was there to go?

To say it best, I had a very "Flint" mentality: My dreams were limited. Because of my finances, life experiences, and self-image, I thought I was reaping all that was available to me, and therefore was content with what I had.
I'm so thankful now, that God was not content with me settling for less than his best. His plan was to use me for so much more than I could ever dream, and He was not content to watch me sit idly by.

I love the perspective Kathryn Kuhlman had on this topic. Once, as a friend protested to holding a church meeting because the ministry only had $5, she said,
"If we serve a God who is limited by our finances, then we are serving the wrong God. He's not limited to what we have or who we are. If He can use somebody like me to bring souls into the kingdom, He can certainly use our five dollars and multiply it just as easily as He multiplied the loaves and fishes for the people on the hillside."

Glory to God! He is not limited! Lack of money, humble beginnings, poor attitude, no education, minuscule bits of self-esteem,- none of this inhibits His mighty power! No matter where we came from, or what our past has included, He is still powerful enough to use us as his instrument.

Strangely enough, The Bible says we're in good company. David, Moses, Isaac, Ruth, -even Jesus himself came to service with shadows in their past. I'm sure there was a time when others looked at them and asked, "How can you be used by God? You are an adulterer, a murderer, a swindler, a poor widow, born to an unwed mother. How can you be used by God?"

And this list of servants isn't just of biblical characters, no, no! Billy Graham, Joyce Meyer, Benji Kelley, Christy Merrill, Heidi Lyda, Heather Doss, Jennifer Halsey, Adam Livermon, Wes Pulley, Brad Livermon, and _____________(insert your name here reader) have all been called into His service regardless of hometown, education, savings account, age, or past mistakes.
When God calls us, He is fully aware of the challenges set before us in the natural realm. And yet he calls us anyway.

So what is keeping you from experiencing the full power of God, and serving Him with your life? Do you feel he can't use you because of a past addiction? Because you're not smart enough? Because you are too old? Because you've made poor choices in the past? Maybe we all need to take on Ms. Kulhman's attitude.

If we serve a God who is limited by our hometown, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by our education, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by our former drug abuse, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by our family's dysfunction, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by our age, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by our past mistakes, then we are serving the wrong God.
If we serve a God who is limited by ANYTHING, then we are serving the WRONG GOD.Please, Please, Please, reader, take Him out of the box and allow Him to show His majesty and glory in its full, unlimited power.

Sit...stay

I've been staying in Flint this week and spending a lot of time with my Dalmatian, Baby. She's big, fat and terribly disobedient but I love her, - she's my Baby. While she jumps and barks there is one thing she does well, and that is sit on command. Well, at least when she feels like doing it. I think she does so well because when we trained her to sit, we reinforced her positive behavior with doggie treats (hence her big, fat, butt.)

Stick with me now as I change thoughts; - trust me it'll all fit together in the end. A few months ago I went through a terribly silent spiritual spell (say that 10 times fast). I prayed for direction, and confirmation in several areas, but basically heard nothing from God.

Am I going in the right direction while I apply for mission opportunities in Swaziland? Silent.
Did I hear you correctly, Lord? Am I supposed to say ________ to Mrs. X? Silent.
I stepped out in faith and attempted this in you name. Did I do it right, Lord? Silent.

At times, silence is golden…these were not the times. I simply wanted confirmation to know that I was on the right track. I was trying new things and I guess I just wanted to know that I wasn't messing things up too bad. I mean, in the early days, when I was a baby Christian, I'd step out in faith and God would immediately show me if I was on the right track (like praying to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit) or on the wrong track (attempting to lead a college ministry. Not a good fit for me.) But now my faith had grown and I had come into a period where immediate confirmation was non-existent, and delayed confirmation seemed scarce.

But I heard a wonderful sermon at the River of Life church in Raleigh, NC. In a nutshell it went like this: As mature believers, we've learned to hear God's voice through His Word, prayer, and his people. And so sometimes we are expected to walk in faith alone. When we can't see immediate results we depend on faith. We have to act on what we know is true, even when we don't see the evidence. We lean heavily on what we believe instead of what we feel.

Therefore, if I feel that God isn't present, I rest in the fact that the Bible says He, "will never leave [me] nor forsake [me]". If I think that God doesn't love me, I speak aloud the scripture, "God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son…" If I think I feel God's prompting to act, I do it, even when I risk making a fool of myself.

The late Kathryn Kulhman told of a dream that illustrates this perfectly:

"I dreamed once," Kathryn had said, "of three kneeling figure. All were waiting for Jesus to pass by. As the Lord came down the path, He stopped and embraced the first figure. When He came to the second figure, He gently laid His hand on her shoulder. But when He passed the third kneeling figure, He only smiled and kept on walking.
"Someone said to the Master, 'You must love the woman you embraced more that the others.'

"'No, you don't understand,' He said gently. 'The one I embraced needs my encouragement. She is weak in the faith. The one I tapped lightly on the shoulder is stronger. But the third one, the one I merely smiled at, is strong. I never need to worry about her, for she is with me constantly.'"

This sermon and illustrations were a wonderful encouragement to me, to know that everyone goes through silent phases. I've seen that the immediate confirmation I use to experience was to "train" me and put me on the right path. Just as Baby now responds to the command she hears without the treat, I am to respond to the promptings I hear from the Holy Spirit without any further rewards. (See I told you the Dalmatian story would fit in.)


"In His silence, He speaks volumes to us. He is commanding us to wait on Him and focus our attention on His holiness. Is He only God to us when He speaks or is He still our praised Father when we see nothinghappening and we hear no voice from the heavens? We must believe that in the midst of the silence He isindeed still in control?....

Are you waiting for Him to respond yet hearing nothing and becoming frustrated because He is not answering you in the clear, loud way that you had hoped?  Maybe He is speaking to you.  He is asking you to pursue Him.  Don't pursue the solution. . .pursue the Savior! " -Priscilla Shirer

Things That Make You Go, Hmmmm?

How do they grow seedless watermelons?

Squeeze my Fruit , Please

I ate a terrible orange today. I remember picking it in the grocery store because it has looked so nice. It had a bright orange peel, and it was soft, which I thought was a promise of juiciness inside. Yet when I peeled it this morning I was so disappointed. The orange was dry and tasteless. Each section only offered the resemblance of the orange I'd hoped it to be. What a waste. What a disappointment. I was really in the mood for a good orange.

As God's child, my fruit should be in abundance, and it should be a wonderful
blessing to the recipient (Did you realize over 1/2 or the fruits of the spirit relate to our relationship with others?) Yet I know when I'm honest with myself, sometimes my fruit is as disappointing as my orange this morning; - it's dry and brings no joy.

In Matthew 21, Jesus came along a fig tree that was full of leaves. On a fig tree, leaves are a sign that it is bearing good fruit. Good news for a hungry traveler like Jesus. However when He went to pick a fig…nothing! You know the rest, he curses the fig tree that claimed to be bearing fruit and it withers and dies the next day.
Jesus said that the world would know his followers by the fruit we bear.

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown in to the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced." Matt 7:15-20

When we are Christians, we should be not simply "bear leaves",-a bracelet, a bumper-sticker, a fancy leather bound bible,-but we should also bear the fruit of his spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Now I have to ask myself,-What is my fruit like lately? Does it look nice on the outside, only to deliver disappointment? Am I like that orange- making promises with my outward signs I can't keep? I wonder if I have seen a need and allowed it to go unmet? Has God prompted me to move and yet I disobeyed because of fear, or worse yet, a feeling of being inconvenienced? Has someone seen me at church expecting something great, only to be disappointed when they know me better?

Help me Lord to be softened by your truth. Help me to act courageously for you. Help me to bear your fruit so others can see that I'm a Christian, - not just in words but in action and truth. Please God don't ever let me be like the fig tree that claims to be ripe with figs but can't deliver.

Inheritance

Have you ever considered the ideas of an inheritance? Someone else has worked hard, and you, the benefactor, reap the rewards. Perhaps you have received an inheritance in the past. A parent or grandparent, great aunt, or not-so-great aunt might have passed on and left you an inheritance, - money, a house, jewelry, even a pet. You received a blessing because of their hard work, discipline and ultimately their generosity. Or perhaps, you have been "cheated" out of an inheritance you feel you rightly deserved. My friend, Mary, told me a story of her crotchety uncle who died and willed tens of thousands of dollars to an organization, and little to his wife and children.

Recently, I've been reading the book of Joshua. The Israelites finally came in to the Promised Land, and received the inheritance of their ancestors. Now if you remember, their ancestors had not been allowed to enter the Promised Land and had to wander in the desert for 40 years. But the day came at last when Joshua took them and distributed the land to each of the tribes.

And so the story goes that Joshua dibbies out the land as Moses had assigned, and gives some to the tribe of Judah, Manasseh, Reuben, and on and on. But we get to Joshua 13: 33 and see something interesting, - the tribe of Levi doesn't get an assigned section of land. Unfair? Cheated out of an inheritance? Not at all! The text says, "But Moses gave no land to the tribe of Levi, for the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised to be their inheritance."
Hello! God himself as an inheritance? Suddenly, the hills and streams bequeathed to the other tribes suddenly seem to pale in comparison to the gift the tribe of Levi received!

Hmmm? Perhaps things aren't really as great as we think they are.
Max Lucado wrote in It's Not About Me "When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God himself, we cross a threshold." When I first read this, it really stunned me. I wrote it on a piece of stationary and taped it to my door as a daily reminder of what I really need to be focused on. Not a thing, or even a favor from God, but God himself! Phew! That's even tough to imagine!