Always On His Mind

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?  For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor."  Psalm 8:3-5

I am not famous - I do not know any famous people nor have I met any famous people.  I did get close enough once to snap a picture of Mel Gibson when he was in town filming Conspiracy Theory.  Dearborn Street was packed with people wanting a glimpse of a Hollywood star.  I remember people trying to get an autograph or shake his hand.  And I was one of those people.  I thought it would be so awesome to have Mel Gibson's autograph.  I didn't get my autograph, but I did waste an hour of my time waiting and hoping.

Mel Gibson may not have paid any attention to me, but God does.  I am always on His mind, and that is exciting to me!

Elohim, the Creator of the universe, the One who made the heavens and hung the moon and the stars, knows me.  He does not just know about me, He knows me inside and out.  He formed me in my mother's womb, He knows each hair on my head by number, He knows my thoughts.  And He loves me and wants a relationship with me.  He wants to be more than a  handshake or an autograph.  He wants to be my everything.  He wants to be my

• Healer
• Provider
• Counselor
• Hope
• Peace
• Joy
• Refuge
• Best friend
• Lover of my soul
• Abba Father or Dear Papa Daddy
• Shoulder to cry on
• Help
• Savior
• Redeemer
• Confidant
• Giver of good gifts

He is crazy in love with me and He cannot stop thinking about me.  What more could I ask for?  Nothing... He completes me.

With My Whole Heart

I want to love You more

I want to love You more

I give myself in sweet surrender

Totally to You

I want to love You more.

I wrote this little chorus years ago, but lately this has been the cry of my heart.  We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and so often I don't even come close.  There are days when He is not in His rightful place in my life.  There are days when my priorities are out of whack.  Some days I am laying up earthly treasure, not heavenly treasure.  Some days He does not have my whole heart.

I am grateful for His mercy and grace and unconditional love.  His kindness and goodness and faithfulness create in me a longing to love Him more deeply, to worship Him more sincerely, to serve Him more willingly.

So as I start my 21 day fast today, this is my desire, to love Him more each day, to hunger and thirst for His righteousness and to live in His presence where there is fullness of joy.  I want to live in His love.

In His Grace...

Let God Determine Your Usefulness

The other day I reached for my towel to dry off and realized there was no bath towel on the rack.  I hate when I do that!  I was about to yell for help when I spotted the hand towel on the counter.  That would do the job.

Now I would never choose a hand towel over a regular bath towel intentionally.  Hand towels are for hands, and bath towels are for bodies, beach towels are for the beach.  Each towel is designed for a specific purpose.  But that doesn't mean they cannot be used outside of their intended purpose.  Ultimately, I decide what the purpose will be.

And I think that is how God feels about us.

Too often I feel inadequate or under qualified.  I may feel like there are others more suited and equipped for the task at hand.  And there probably is.  But God (I love those two words!) is not concerned about my qualifications, just my availability.

He created me, and He determines my purpose.  He chooses how I will be used.  My job is to remain on the Potter's wheel and let Him mold me.  That is not always easy, but always worth it!

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the  plans I have for you..."

Lessons Learned From "Big Waves"

Psalm 93:4, "The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea."

I have always loved the water. I have had the privilege of growing up and living by Lake Michigan, which I thoroughly enjoy. My family and I love to take our Sea-Doos to the lake, and nothing better than a day when the waves are 3-5 ft. Love it! But Lake Michigan doesn't compare to standing on the shore of the ocean waiting for the big waves.

Lesson One: Back in October 1993, my family and I went to Hilton Head, SC for a week on the beach. There was a tropical storm with the potential of turning into a hurricane headed our way. The rain was non-stop for five days. There was finally a break in the rain, and we walked down to the beach. Wow! The waves were crashing on the shore and the sound was thunderous. I remember having a difficult time talking over the sound of the waves as they crashed on the shore.

When I first read Psalm 93:4, I thought about the many voices fighting for my attention. I thought about how life can get confusing, and how I have often felt like I was being pulled in a million different directions. I thought about the times I was taunted by Satan - you're no good, you have no value, you failed again, why do you even try to live for God, you fail Him all the time... and on and on and on. But without fail, the voice of my Papa Daddy would drown out the voice of the enemy and comfort me with His love and assurance that I was His and He was mine.

Lesson 2: Back in December, 2004, we were visiting my sister who lived on Oahu's North Shore. The town was all abuzz with talk about the big waves that were headed their way. I am thinking 10-15 ft waves. Hah! How foolish of me! They were expecting 40 ft waves. The locals would stand on the shore for hours on end, watching the waves roll in. They were excited to teach me about wave formation and surfing the big waves. Everywhere we went someone would ask, "Did you hear about the 40 footers coming?" When we were not at the beach, my sister would have some website up monitoring the bouy out at sea. The anticipation was something to see! After a couple of days I was wanting to see the 40 footers as much as anyone! We weren't disappointed! The big waves hit in the early morning hours flooding the streets and creating even more excitement!

"The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea." and He is headed our way!

I wonder what would happen if:

We were excited about His coming and shared His love everywhere we went?

We allowed Him to invade every moment of our lives?

We were so consumed with Him that there was no longer any room for the things of this world that only leave us empty and unfulfilled?

We truly believed Romans 8:11, "The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you..." or John 14:12, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works will he do..."

If 40 foot waves are something to get excited about, how much more should we be excited about the One who created those 40 foot waves! Try it... You won't be disappointed!

If... A Conditional Promise

As I was reading Proverbs 2, verse 1 really jumped off the page.  I guess it was the "if" that got my attention.  A conditional promise - a promise that requires action on my part.

If I receive His Words

It is not enough to just hear what He is saying.  I have to receive what He is saying.  I have to allow His Word to transform my life.  I have to seek His will knowing that He loves me and knows what is best for me.  I have to allow His Word to penetrate the deep places of hurt and offense and bring healing and wholeness.

If I treasure His commands within my heart

1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.  And His commandments are not burdensome."  When I allow His Word to penetrate my heart and allow Christ to transform me by renewing my mind (Romans 12:2), then His commands are no longer bondage to me, but rather liberating.  I am truly free!  I no longer "have" to do or not do certain things, I "want" to do or not do certain things.  My love for Christ, my desire to please Him, becomes my motivation for following His commands.  My heart is then filled with His Word, or good treasure, and the overflow of my life will be blessing and not cursing, faith and not fear, life and not death, victory and not defeat, love and not hate (Luke 6:45).

So what is God requiring of me and what will I receive as a result of my obedience?  I believe God is desiring intimacy and relationship and trust.  If I trust Him intimately, then I will receive His Word with an open heart and bear good fruit (Matthew 13:23)  I will follow His commands.  If I am following His commands, then I will not follow the paths of darkness, but I will walk in the way of goodness and righteousness.  Then my life will be blessed.

In His Grace...

Why Is It So Hard To Wait?

I woke up this morning thinking about the eagle we saw soaring through the sky last night as we were sitting by the Quillayute River in Forks, WA (yes, this is the same Forks, WA of Twilight fame!).  I was reminded of Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Why is it so hard to wait, especially when I am waiting on the One

  Who is the Author and Finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2)?
    Who had every moment of my life laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:16 NLT)?
      Who is ordering my steps (Psalm 37:23)?
        Who knows what He is doing and has my life all planned out (Jeremiah 29:11 The Message)?
          Who created the heavens and earth and for whom nothing is too difficult (Jeremiah 32:17)
            Who will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8)
              Who has me inscribed in the palm of His hand and can never forget me (Isaiah 49:16)?
                Who is so aware of me He and has numbered the hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30)?
                  Who is able to do exceedingly more than I could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20)?

Why is it so hard to wait?  Why?  Lord help my unbelief.

Following In My Father's Footsteps

I have the privilege of living by the Indiana Dunes. My family and I go to the dunes often to hike the trails, skip stones in Lake Michigan, watch the sun set over the Windy City. But we rarely will climb the sand hills.

We celebrated Father's Day, our first without Dad, at the Dunes yesterday. We laid out our blankets and beach towels right by a big sand hill. We ate, skipped rocks, attempted to walk in the water, but the water was way too cold! I looked at the sand hill and had the urge to climb it. I asked if anyone wanted to climb the hill with me. No one jumped at my request. Finally my brother said he would, and then my husband, and finally my daughter caved in! Off we went!

We started climbing, and I thought, "This isn't so bad." That thought changed quickly! My thighs started to burn, breathing became a chore. Each step was pure torture. I had to stop and rest. My niece was cheering me on from the bottom of the hill, "You can do it, Sha!" I took a few more painful steps. I still had about a quarter of the way to go. My climbing buddies had reached the top. I was determined to finish. As I was looking down, I saw footprints. I started walking in the footprints of those who had finished before me. I could not believe how much easier it was to finish that way. I was no longer taking one step and sliding back two! My steps were sure. I made it to the top and was ready to hike some more!

As I stood at the top, I began to think about the struggles of life. There have been times along this journey that the mountain has been steep. There have been times when I tried to climb the mountain on my own. There have been times I have felt like giving up. But I have learned to walk in the footsteps of my Savior, and I have found that His steps are always the right stride, and make climbing easier. His steps may lead me through rough terrain, up steep mountains, through the river, through the fire. But as long as I place my steps in His footprint, I know I will make it, and become more like Him in the process.

And the view from the top is priceless!

My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. Job 23:11.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Psalm 37:23




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