““Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

Romans 12:2-3

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But I think that you can! In fact I think it’s not only healthy, but expected, for us to learn new tricks and change the way we respond to the world, even if the world doesn’t change for us.

And as the New Year rolls in, may we reflect and resolve to learn new tricks, to try new things, and to better ourselves – not only for how it will benefit us, but for the sake of others as well.

Sometimes though it’s hard to embrace change, especially when it involves ourselves. In a world that is constantly changing, we can choose to be the old dog, or we can choose to learn new tricks to navigate the changes without compromising what we know to be true.

This can prove to be challenging for sure. But when we allow God to be Who He is and incorporate His unchanging character (Hebrews 13:8) into our resolutions to love better, lead better, and live better, we are less likely to fail.

Here are a few ways that you can embody the unity between Christ, yourself and the world. Whether you have decided to learn new tricks, or feeling like the old will do, incorporating these disciplines into your life can accomplish only good.

• Make time to be alone with God. This is not something that comes easily, but it is an intentional sacrifice that will prove to be powerful in your journey to change (Mark 1:35).
• Ask God to search your heart and give you a humbled and surrendered Spirit (Psalm 139:24).
• Be mindful of what you are watching and listening to. Keeping your eyes on things that are good, excellent, and praiseworthy will keep your mind positive and moving forward (Matthew 6:22-23).
• Ask a friend to join you in your journey. Share your challenges and what you hope to gain by learning new tricks. Ask them to evaluate you as well. And see what tricks might be up their sleeve (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
• Dress yourself for Success. The devil is gonna’ be on your back so wear that armor provided by God to stop those darts of defeat (Ephesians 6:10-20).

But of course, our desire to change can only come from Christ. And when He compels us to do so, it is for the good of our witness for Him and increases our effectiveness to love like Him, live like Him, and fulfill His mission in the world.

May the Spirit of the Living and Unchanging God reveal to you new tricks that you can use in this ever-changing world to build a firm and steady bridge to His Kingdom.

Happy New Year Ya’ll!

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.”

Psalms 139:13-14

How do you measure success? Success can be defined in many different and healthy ways, but we often look at others and what they have accomplished to measure our own success. But our success should not be characterized by what the rest of the world is doing. The measure of our success should be how we respond in faith and obedience to God’s purpose for OUR life.

We each have our own role for which God has created us for, and when we begin to compare it to what others are doing, it leads not only to feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, but it can also lead to friction in our relationships.

Comparison can also neutralize our effectiveness for God. He made each of us in His own image but with our own individual gifts. He set us apart from everyone else to be who He wants us to be. But if we are too busy focusing on what everyone else is doing that might be bigger or better than us, we aren’t able to embrace the power of the Spirit that motivates us to bear our own fruit.

We are all created and wonderfully made by God Himself! And we can have confidence that He will equip us and empower us to make Him famous in His, and our own, special way.

Friend, you don’t have to compare and compete with others. God is the only one that matters when measuring your success. You can praise God for what He is doing in your life. You can rejoice in your friendships and acquaintances. And you can celebrate all that God has put on their plates, and also, all that He has put on yours.

Who do we need to give a high five to today? And what can you high five yourself for? Start by giving praise to God, who created you to be you – fearful, wonderful and capable you! Then ask Him to help you recognize your special gifts and in what unique way He can use you today.

12 words

Success isn’t measured by what everyone else does. It’s measured by God.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the Lord,” he says, “and there is no other. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.”

Isaiah 45:18-19 NLT

Two parents. Three heart procedures. Two scheduled admissions for surgery. One unscheduled admission for unfinished surgery. Two unscheduled ER visits. One unscheduled admission for complications. One emergency visit to the surgeon’s office. Three unscheduled follow ups. All in nine days.

Ya’ll, it’s been chaos. But ya’ know what? I’m still standing. And fairly sane. WHY? First of all, the family unit that my parents created is amazing! My Dad’s four girls, including the one who was laid up with him, didn’t fail to stick together during the intensity of the moments. But mostly I made it by the grace of God.

You see, God didn’t create this world out of empty chaos. And he didn’t create it to be lived in empty chaos. He created us to find meaning and fulfillment even through our chaos. And even though these past few weeks are kind of a blur, they were filled with meaningful moments of seeing God show up. In our conversations. In our interventions. In our wisdom. In our tears. In those moments of pulling our hair out. God was in the midst and He never left us alone.

Our first order of business in any chaotic situation is to look at God and how He created the world! I can’t even imagine the chaos that was taking place as the light appeared in the darkness. As the seas were separated from the heavens and the earth. As the sun and the moon appeared. As the skies and earth were filled with life. As trees and plants popped up to bless all that He had created. He had a plan from the beginning to use chaos to bring blessings, purpose, and fulfillment.

And He is a God who shows up to bring us all of those good things. He isn’t a God who tells you to seek Him and then can’t be found. Oh no! He is a God who is right there! He boldly proclaims that He can be found in the darkness and confusion of life and He keeps His promise to show up.

In the middle of chaos or crisis lies the greatest of opportunities. The opportunity to seek God and allow Him the blessing of walking with you. The opportunity to be still allowing Him to infuse peace. The opportunity to give up control and trust Him to restore order. Admitting that it may not be in our timing or even the perfect way that we envision it, but if we pay attention and hang in there with Him …it’s an order that is magnificently designed to bring some kind of beauty to our battle.

One of the greatest mysteries of trusting God for me is the patience of not knowing what or when His outcomes will be. But I know that just as when He created the world and it was good, what He’s creating in me and for me through trusting Him will be just as good.

First Corinthians 2:9 reminds us that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him”. And I imagine that in the midst of our chaos and confusion, we can’t even begin to imagine what He is preparing for us.

I am still processing all that He has done in these past few weeks, but what I do already know, is that as I wept in confusion and slept in exhaustion, I also shouted for joy because I know my God was there. When I sought Him, He showed up. And for that, I am thankful.

I encourage you today, whether you are in the midst of chaos or resting in confidence, to take some time to seek and get to know God. Don’t wait until you are in dire need! His mercies are new and His promises hold true every day! They will not return empty as He invites you into a personal relationship that can be found right now! A relationship that will bring order in and out of chaos, now and forevermore.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

““For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

I’ve been looking at the flower bed filled with withered Brown Eyed Susan’s all week with the intention of pruning them for the winter. So today, as I went out to trim them back, there was this little butterfly feasting on the heart of the “dead” flower. I couldn’t bear the thought of cutting down the flowers then – even though they are not very attractive to the eye – because apparently, they are still useful and attractive to those who depend on it for life.

And I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been struggling all week with what to write today. In light of what all is happening in our country with the division, the hate, the slander, and the perceived darkness, I was not finding many hopeful things to say. But this feasting little butterfly reminded me that even with our broken hearts, we always have a supernatural joy and a Divine Power to help us bring riches and blessings to others. We have the Light that extinguishes the darkness if we are willing to let it shine.

But our humanity, our jars of clay, can make us feel defeated in our purpose and even make us feel like we should just give up. And before we know it our fears and insecurities have us spiraling down a rabbit trail that breaks our confidence of Whose we are and what we are called to do.

The devil knows that if he can get even just a toe hold on our hearts in our most vulnerable times, then he can begin to shatter the jar that holds our greatest treasure – the Light and Power of Jesus. We may feel like we are at the end of our rope but Paul reminds us in the Scripture above, that we are never at the end of our Hope!

And that is why we never give up! Even when there’s division all around and all we feel is despair, we can find joy in the Light that holds us all together. We can stand tall with confidence instead of doubt. We can be determined instead of deterred. We can share Life, even when we are emotionally dead.

So just as the heart of my dead flower was still providing rich blessings to my beautiful butterfly, we can still provide the precious blessings of God’s Light, God’s Spirit, and God’s Truth- even from the shattered places in our hearts. We can do this because we are simply jars of clay who are enlightened with the treasures of Jesus.

I pray today that we can let our light shine brighter than ever before. Even if we don’t feel like it. Even if we’d rather slide under a rock and hide from the heinousness of this world. May your light shine through the cracks, through the chips, through the scars, and through the fragments, ultimately demonstrating the Power of the Treasure that holds all the brokenness together. There is still work to be done out there. And we are still useful! The Light still shines, even through the cracks.

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Isaiah 35:1-4 NIV

When we think about the wilderness, we often think of a starry night by the campfire, or a peaceful day by a beautiful stream filled with Trout. But the wilderness can also be a place that is barren with bugs and no water in sight. A place where we wander around in the unknown, lost and with no direction.

And each of us, no matter how strong we are in our faith, will face the trials of wandering.

Our wandering exposes our vulnerabilities, our defenselessness, and our complete lack of control in this big world of ours. But we have a God who is bigger than our wilderness. We have God who knows exactly where we are. And we have God who stands with us to help us find our way.

If you are wandering in blooming and beautiful plains today – praise God! Give. Him. Thanks! But if you are wandering in the barrenness of the unknown, know this – He will not let you stay lost or be forgotten. You can give Him praise too! Because He is strengthening your hands and steadying your feet with every step you take. So do not give up! Your wandering is not in vain. God loves you, has a plan for you, and is on His way to save you!

“Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.”

Psalms 136:13 NIV

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. 

Hebrews 11:1

Hope is a word that can seem magical at times. It’s a vision for something better. We can hope for a new car. Or hope to find comfort in buying more shoes, more clothes, or that fabulous chocolate dessert! We can hope that our dreams come true or that our struggles are resolved in the exact way we want them to. But that kind of hope doesn’t really bring us the joy and peace that fills up our hearts. That kind of hope brings us a temporary feeling of giddiness, and unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. 

But real hope – joyful hope – is not a magical illusion. Joyful hope is rooted in our faith and is a gift from God! It’s a vision for something better that changes our present perspective while transforming our future.

Hebrews 11:1 explains that “Faith is the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” So, hope is the sure and confident expectation of receiving what God has promised us. It is not an obscure illusion, but an anchor for our soul. Real hope does not doubt, because we can trust God’s faithfulness and presence in all of our circumstances whether they are good or bad.

With joyful Hope, we live continually aware that God is with us and that he is always up to something good.

I have the tendency to sink into a really dark places of hopelessness sometimes. But God is always faithful in reminding me that my hope is not lost from the results of my challenges, but my hope is alive through the Holy Spirit. God continues to show me evidence of the things I cannot see and through faith, I begin to see hope that turns each day into wonderful expectations of what HE is going to do rather than focusing my hopeless expectations of pity.

The evidence I see of God working in me, can be broken down into an Acronym of the word HOPE. My hope is restored when God shows me Healing, Overcoming, Purpose, and Eternity.

Healing– In Lamentations 3:22-24, Jeremiah affirms that the Lord is His portion so he puts his hope in and waits expectantly for God to work. He reminds us that God is faithful and his mercies are new every day! And God faithfully proves this to me still... Every. Single. Day.

I personally live with Lupus, but every day I look forward to how God will use me in spite of my pain. He has healed many other areas in my heart that I didn’t even know needed to be healed, but for some reason my physical pain remains. But my hope is constant and my walk with the Lord is intimate as I am assured that He will bring me all the strength and energy that I need to get through each day. 

You too, can look forward to God’s mercies every day! Whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual needs – you can find hope by trusting that God is faithful and by anticipating what He is going to do.

Overcoming – Our minds can be our worst enemy sometimes. We can take the smallest of things and turn them into a whirlwind of drama which steals our joy and peace (and sometimes steals it from those we love too). And when our joy and peace is lost, so is our hope.

We have to learn to retrain our brains to focus on what is good. In Philippians in 4:8-9, Paul reminds us to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Put these things into practice. Then the God of peace will be with you” and “that peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (vs. 7).

And when our hearts and minds are guarded by the peace of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome those thoughts that keep us from living in the joyful freedom that God promises.

Purpose -I stand in awe somedays of how God has used every bit of my past to help me serve Him better now. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would have the courage, or even the desire, to do some of the things God has called me to. And even now, I fight those callings when I feel that I’m just not enough to fill the shoes he wants me to. But Paul encourages us in Romans 5:2-3 by reminding us that“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice too, when we run into trials, for we know that they help us endure. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not disappoint because we know how dearly God loves us”.

We can find hope in knowing that God is working for good. And even though we may not know what He is up to, and we may feel like we’ll ever figure it out, we can be assured that He is building us up and training us for a God given purpose – whatever that might be.

Eternity –“God has made everything beautiful in it’s own time and has planted eternity in our hearts. Even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end”. Solomon wrote his observations in Ecclesiastes 3 long before Jesus was sent to rescue us. But his words bring so much hope in reminding us that each season of life whether it’s good or bad, is leading us to the same place.

We can find hope in our temporary sufferings because we know that our temporary is leading us to the place in heaven that Jesus has prepared for us. We can find joy, peace and hope because Jesus came and died for you and for me.

Those who walked with Jesus while He was on earth saw the evidence of their faith on a daily basis. The disciples saw Him heal the sick and overcome the grave. He had given them a purpose to continue his work and build His church, and He assured them that they would live with him for eternity. Their sadness turned to joy. Their weaknesses turned to strength. Their fear turned to courage. And their anxiety turned to peace.

And we too can look for evidence of God at work in every tear and every sorrow, every pain and every disappointment. We can live in joyful acceptance that God is alive and at work. And as we walk with Him in Spirit, we can trust that He is transforming our hearts and minds. What evidence can you see that changes your perspective of HOPE? How can you expect God to work today?

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.“

Isaiah 55:1-3

I remember so well the day that I hit rock bottom! My pain was great and my value was so depleted. I was sinking all of my money and energy into the one thing that made it all go away. But the bitter taste of gambling not only gave me false hope, but it gave me a false identity too. (You all may not know that I was proud to be called the Queen of Hearts)! And as much as I wanted to give it up, I couldn’t bear to lose that connection that fulfilled the thirst inside. A thirst for relief, comfort, love, and value.

But on that day, I can’t even explain why, my ears were wide open when I cried out to God, and for some reason, I listened. I listened as God promised to turn my pain into something beautiful. He promised that He would bring me the strength to let go of what brought me shame and guilt in exchange for His unfailing love. But I had to give it to Him. I had to let him fulfill my thirst instead of turning to the world.

When I agreed, He did just that! He brought me strength to let it go! He completely changed my desire to want to gamble by replacing it with His Heart.

I’m not saying it was easy as pie – but it sure tasted as good as pie to my Spirit. The victory of overcoming the shame and guilt of gambling, also brought the beauty of freedom. A freedom that this Queen could not even fathom.

I will say though, I’m still proud to be the Queen of Hearts. But these hearts aren’t at the poker table. These hearts are on the cross. The cross where Jesus’ heart gave way for mine.

As Jesus hung on the cross, he cried out “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). As he suffered, he embodied the pain of our sins. He was thirsty, yet all the world had to give him was sour wine. But He knew that relief was near. He knew that the beauty of His glorification was coming and He knew that because of His suffering, we would be set free. He thirsted for His Father who was bringing Him back home.

There is so much goodness in what Jesus did for us. Sometimes we graze through this Easter season without giving a thought to what’s next. But the good news is that because Jesus was thirsty, we can come to his table. We can eat the bread that is good and drink wine and fresh milk! His grace and mercy uniquely satisfies all that we need and once we fill ourselves with His elements, we will find beauty and freedom that we never knew existed.

What are you thirsty for today? Go to Jesus with your ears wide open and listen! He offers Life! He offers Love! He offers Freedom! He offers a home that is far better than any place we could build on our own. And His offer is free. All you have to do is say yes.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works”.

Hebrews 10:23-24

One of the greatest blessings I have as a Volunteer Chaplain at the jail is that I often learn much more from the inmates than they learn from me. And this past week, out of the blue one of them had such profound words – “you can take one step forward and two steps back but you’re never stuck unless you stop”. And as much wisdom as I’m sure I left with them, those words of wisdom from Lisa clutched tightly to my heart.

Because unbeknownst to any of them, I had been struggling – struggling with the feeling of being stuck! I am sure God knew that I needed to hear that! And I’m thankful that Lisa somehow knew that too!

I believe that tug of war with hopelessness affects everyone at some point. Whether it’s health habits, relationships, jobs, or spiritual disciplines…we all can feel stuck by moving one step forward but two steps back. Sometimes we just get comfortable and don’t have the drive to move forward. Other times we maybe don’t know how to move forward. And yet for others it could be too painful to think about moving forward. In reality though, we are not stuck until we stop. We are not stuck until we lose our faith, lack belief, or put off our dreams and desires to settle for what is.

And we are privileged to have promises from God to help us get unstuck. We have a promise of Hope! A promise that when we ask, He hears and answers. A promise that when we draw near to Him, we experience the power of Christ. A promise that everything required to move forward- knowledge, wisdom, strength, endurance – comes from Him. And a promise that He will faithfully guide us, supply us, and never deny our pleas when we “hold tightly without wavering” to Him.

God promises that in our weakness, He is strong and when we feel defeated, we can trust Him for victory! He sees us and hears us and puts other people in our paths to encourage us! He wants us to succeed!

Lisa’s words were a breath of fresh wind for me. I’ve dug in to the discipline I had been putting off and am seeking new opportunities. But my ultimate hope remains in the fact that Jesus has a purpose for me! He has a purpose for you too! And He will take every trial, every victory, every person that you interact with, every experience you have whether it’s good or bad, and use it for His glory. But you have to be willing to move. You can’t just settle for going back and forth. You have to take hold and inch your way forward to get to the other side.

Do you believe it is possible? Do you believe it will be rewarding? Do you believe that you can trust God to do what only He can do? Then, what are you waiting for? Grab hold and go! You are able because He is Faithful!

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father“.

Matthew 5:14-16

So that. Two little words but oh so important.

Our days are full of choices that so often seem meaningless. Sometimes they are directed by us and sometimes they are directed for us. But when we take time to identify a “so that” in each choice we must make, they become more meaningful and direct us toward a greater purpose.

“So that” is a conjunction that joins two clauses and is used to indicate purpose. But it is also a call to action that is meant to be helpful in keeping us healthy, happy, and successful. During our work day we are invited to experience off the clock breaks SO THAT our bodies and minds can rest. And in Scripture we are invited to fully experience God’s grace SO THAT we can rest in Divine wisdom, love, provision, and purpose.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that His people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”.

John 3:16 – “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”.

James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”.

John 16:33 – “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”.

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.

Matthew 5:14-16) – “You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father”.

God spoke through Scripture to equip us so that our lives can have meaning by doing His work in this world. Jesus came to empower us so that we can be free from our guilt and shame and live lives worthy of His example.

Now it’s our turn! These are just a few of the Biblical “so that’s” meant to transform our hearts and minds. Which ones do you need to embrace today? How will you be faithful in living them out? What other “so that’s” can you choose that will honor and elevate who Jesus is and what He’s doing in you?

#SaturdaySoulSearch