Author: Jana

Postcard Reality

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As Chuck, Lyschel and I were leaving Mt. Rushmore, we took one more long look. It was a crystal clear morning with a vivid blue sky. The sun was low on the horizon and shone directly on the faces of the mammoth works of art so that they looked carved out of bright white porcelain or marble. The contrast of blue and white was stunning.

We walked away and someone casually said, “It looks like a postcard.” I heard the “ping” in the my spirit but we chattered on. Later that night, the revelation came.

A postcard is a picture of what’s Real. It is an attempt to capture the image of a person, place or thing. For a long time, before the advent of amazing cameras, we would judge the quality of a postcard by “whether it looks real.”  But no matter how good the quality of the photograph, it is a copy, or an imitation.

Here we were, standing before this glorious three dimensional work of art, created out of much blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice. It was so surreal, so larger than life, but we compared it to a flat picture, a modified and perfectly arranged imitation. The cold of the stone, the blue of the sky, the bitter chill of the wind could not possibly be captured by a picture. A postcard is lifeless.

Think about beauty. We compare the living, breathing distinct beauty of a woman to a flat  photoshopped image on a computer or in a magazine.

Think about sex. We compare the rolling passion and intimate connection of two devoted people to two actors who are paid to act like they want or enjoy each other for a moment on screen.

Think about God. We compare His breathtaking presence, His awe-inspiring reality to a spiritual check list of what He does and doesn’t want us to do.

Tragic.

The postcard realities are only shadows of the Truth. Standing in the presence of the real thing, you can’t help but be moved, be swept away, be caught up in the greatness of the life. Even yesterday I was telling the girls about a piece in the Louvre called “Winged Victory.”  The picture of it was great. Well done and professional.  But it doesn’t compare to standing next to it, smelling it and “feeling” the movement in the stone and seeing the power of the wind in her wings and garments.

I wonder by what standard you are living your life. A postcard reality? Your beauty, your intimacy, your God life — is it based on a paper thin imitation? Or are you soaking in the power and beauty of the Real Thing?

You get to choose: the hugeness of a mountain masterpiece or a 4×5 postcard. Don’t settle for anything less than Reality.

A Vision Requiring Demolition

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I had the good fortune of being invited to South Dakota to speak. My dear friend Amanda, who used to be on my leadership team in Knoxville, had returned home to her roots. Once there, she wanted to bring the Unhindered message to the women of her area so she set that ball in motion.  Of course, since Mt. Rushmore was on my bucket list, I was doubly delighted to agree to come.

As usual, things are not as they appear. We arrived at the national monument and what I thought was casual “down time” on Friday morning before I taught that night, turned out to be a major “download.” He is so funny.  Here is part one.

The sight of this huge mountain that has been polished and shaped by human hands is impressive, confounding and awe-inspiring. You don’t really get the magnitude of the project until you stand at the base of it. And then comes the story behind the work of art.

A man named Doane Robinson had a vision of transformation. He looked for a sculptor who could bring it to life. At the age of 58, Gutzon Borglum took on the great task of changing  this portion of the Black Hills into a breath-taking phenomenon.

58.

When most people are thinking about retirement and kicking back, the man took on a project so huge that it took his son and 400 men to complete it. But my first “Ah-ha” moment was looking at the pile of rubble at the mountain’s feet. Dynamite, chisels, jack hammers, all tools in the hands of craftsmen, were used to remove whatever was necessary to bring the faces to life. No one notices the broken pieces of mountain debris heaped up. No one hears the explosions or sees the blasting away of excess rock. The process is over. But the outcome is lasting and astounding. 

Wouldn’t it be absurd if bystanders intervened and said, “The noise is too much, please stop.” Or, “You might hurt the mountain, we will settle for half a face of Jefferson.”  Or even, “It is taking too long, why not go ahead a quit?” Ridiculous.

The vision was worth the risk and effort. How much more worth it is your transformation to God? When we see you for who you really are, we will be so thankful that the Holy Spirit did not listen when you or others said, “too much effort required,” “too much money,” “too late to make changes.”

You are God’s masterpiece. He loves working to bring out of the rock the Beauty of You. In the end, no one will see the rubble at your feet, only the glory of God in your face.

Is He Weak or Uncaring?

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Recently a reporter was interviewing a controversial Christian author and his first question to the author was, “Is God all powerful but uncaring about the tragedies in Japan, or does He care but is not all powerful and  so can’t do anything about it?”  The Christian author stumbled around and somehow mumbled a reply that we live in a state of paradox in our faith.  The squirming author did rescue himself slightly by saying that whenever we shed a tear, God does too.

It was  a trap for sure. But what do you say to all the things you see around you? Some say it is a sign of God’s wrath and judgment. It’s not a popular view, but a valid option. The Bible speaks clearly about the devastation of end times. What about the view that God is all powerful but uninterested? An atheist once described God as a great watch maker who set it to ticking and then walked away. 

Can God be all powerful and all loving and yet let all this happen?

When you are watching Youtubes of calamities from the comfort of your own home, with electricity, and hot coffee and a fridge full of clean food, it is easy to give God a big thumbs up. But when your house is a pile of giant pick up sticks and the crops you sell have been contaminated with radiation, then what do you think about the goodness of God?

I can only give you one fellow pilgrim’s perspective. This world is not our home. We live in a war zone, on the battlefield of the greatest search and rescue mission ever attempted. God is redeeming our world and His enemy uses whatever he can to destroy it. What is our response?

See to it that you focus on what Jesus said to focus on. “I am with you, even to the ends of the earth.” Don’t take that for granted. Bank on it. Put the weight of your own life and existence on that one fact. His death and resurrection made it possible for you to be rightly related to our Father, to be washed of your guilt, and to have the very nature of God living inside you through the Holy Spirit.  This is no small matter. Unbelievers do not have such hope. They feel utterly alone and abandoned, destitute with nowhere and no one to turn to for help. This is not your truth.

You have the arms of God around you at all times. We are “hid” in Christ. This is a supernatural reality. Even in times of complete devastation, He is still God and still holding all things together. We can and do look for the miraculous nature of God to be revealed in and through our lives every day. Regardless of where we live, whether we have food or not, whether governments do the right thing or not, we have God. He has us.

And that is more than enough.

He Has Given Us Eternity

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Just wanted to share this beautiful expression of hope from Salem. It makes me think of 1 Peter 3:15, “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” May you be comforted as well.

 

He Has Given Us Eternity


What is life without love’s desire?
A smoldering, dying fire.
A faded shadow of one’s self.
Dreams left collecting dust on the shelf.

He has given us eternity.

To wake another morning,
Looking to see the sun rising,
And think, “‘Tis only one more day.”
No man was made to live that way.

He has given us eternity.

We’re made to dance, and given hope.
We don’t hang by a fraying rope.
We are steadfast in our belief,
That we live under His mercy.

He has given us eternity.

So, jump into the raging seas.
You may drown in uncertainties,
But He stands on the shore.
Go, run to your true Father, for,

He has given us eternity.

–Salem Spicka

Be still…

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I have been recuperating, reveling, and rejoicing from all the events of late. There are so many God stories flying around, that I can’t keep up. Women set free, redeemed. Romanced for the first time or in a long time.  At the same time there are so many needs. Homes to sell, backs to heal, relationships to mend. But this morning I am sitting in awe of Him.

Be still. And know. That He is. God.

Be still. Stop the noise. Turn off Facebook, email, phone, Itunes. Just for a moment listen for the sound of Him breathing on you. Blowing away your fears. Whispering your name. The closeness of Him.

And Know. Without holding back, or doubting. With full consent of your heart, soul and mind. Believe with childlike faith.

That He is. God is alive and well. Happy, victorious, powerful and loving. He knows all and holds all of your life together. He is for you, with you, in you, in love with you.

God. The maker of the universe, the one who formed you in the secret place. God of all gods. Mighty and tender. Different from any other source in your life. Altogether lovely.

Take a deep breath. And let Him fill your lungs today with His life. He is the air we breathe.

Connecting the Dots

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God is about instructing us. “Instructing” comes from a Greek word, paideia — meaning faithful instruction of a believer for a whole person transformation.

I love that. No boxes to check. No stone unturned. Not selective grooming, but a total makeover inside and out.  God is after the transformation of the whole person.  Now look at this perhaps familiar scripture, and then let’s play “connect the dots.”

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.  Philipians 4: 4-8 NKJV

What comes first?  Rejoicing or worship. Transformation is always preceded by worship because we have to get our hearts aligned with Who Truth really is. After worship follows gentleness. Worship has a way of softening hard hearts, watering hard soil. Once the ground has been softened and hearts become gentle, truth can enter in. Who is entering? The Lord is at hand.

He is here among us so that we don’t have to be anxious. This is confidence, that God is among us and for us.  So with confidence we can ask and believe. What comes next? His peace. A peace that acts as shield and covering for our hearts and minds, not our manufactured peace but the supernatural peace of Christ. And once the peace of God is in place, then comes focus. Focus of our thoughts, intentions and attitudes. God wants to instruct us to think about what we think about. Whatever is. . . true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, praiseworthy, think on these things. This is God’s loving instruction to simply walk in truth, in God’s perspective on things.

Worship comes first, then gentleness, then confidence in Him, then peace, then focus. . . Meditate on these things.

The Other Side of Asking

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It was one of those 4 a.m. wrestlings.  I was rolling around and around about this relationship and that problem. “Lord, help me, help me.”  And His voice came so clear to my spirit: Do you Receive My grace as much as you Ask for it?

What?? Then He tutored me on moving from always asking to simply receiving the Yes and Amen of His heart: His Grace is His promise to me, to you.  So I went back through my list and re-stated my prayers: “Lord, I receive Your grace for this situation. Lord, I receive Your grace for this relationship. Lord, I receive Your grace for the unknown of this outcome.”

I do a lot of talking to the Lord, which is a good thing. But after this revelation, I realize the Lord is leading me to a different place of believing in Him.  Remember Graham Cooke said that we work “from victory not for it.” So in the same way, we not only ask for grace but we Receive it. Do I believe this? Do you? It is one thing to ask, it is another thing to believe He hears and responds. Yes, we may not see the end result immediately. (It’s called walking by faith not by sight.) But will we walk in the belief of and rest in the Yes of His Grace?

I got the best picture of two people talking. The first person asked for  a present from the other person. But just as the second person began to hand the first a gift, the first person turned her back.  The first person kept turning in circles and continued to ask for a gift.  All the while, the second person was trying to get the attention of the first person to give her the gift she asked for.

Sound familiar?  Maybe today, modify your prayers from “Will You Lord . . . ? to “I receive Your grace for . . . .”  He loves to be our Yes and Amen God.

Following You

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In honor of Valentine’s Day and a momentous two year anniversary, I want to play you a song that is on the Real. Life. worship cd.

The two year anniversary marks one of our darkest seasons when Chuck and I were both stepping back to assess whether our marriage could be salvaged. We were separated and seeking the Lord for resurrection power. This morning, we prayed together with hearts full of gratitude that He indeed  had resurrected our lives out of the ashes.

What’s ironic is that I wrote this song in the first year of our marriage almost twenty years ago. I had no idea the prophetic word it would be over our lives.  God has done exactly what the lyrics say:  Burn us up/ melt us down/ create a gold that’s new.  I see that it is our following Jesus that has brought us to this point of gratefulness and joy.

I love Him. I love that He loves us so. Thank You, Lord, that You did not shy away from the heat of loving us. Amen.

Following You

Words and Melody by Jana Spicka
Guitar Framework by Roselynn Spicka

Acoustic Guitars: Stephanie Sapp

I’m following you through the fire
I’m following you through the fire
Of a burning churning love affair
I say you and you say me

We say you, me, you
It’s a fire of a lifetime
Of days turned  gray with age
and years of burning love

Stronger than rivers
Carving out canyons from stone
Stronger than tremors
Cracking the face of the earth
Greater than thunder
Rolling the passions of our souls

I’m following you through the fire
And I know we’re really scared
I’m following into the fire of hearts
and we’ll make a new home there

Burn us up and melt up down
and create a gold that’s new
It’s a fire of a lifetime
I will not shy away from the heat of loving you

Fire and flame
How we change
Past the pain
We shall rise above

Through days turned  gray with age
and years of burning love
Stronger than rivers
Carving out canyons from stone
Stronger than tremors
Cracking the face of the earth
Longer than mountains
Falling from the weight of time

Following you through fire
fire and flame

You’re My Beloved

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It is so perfect that Valentine’s Day falls so quickly after the last Unhindered Encounter. Watching God literally sweep women out of their pews and off their feet is truly “supernatural.”

You heard Him clearly. You didn’t hear Him clearly. You are messed up. You are naked and exposed. You are confirmed and affirmed like never before. So I wanted to offer this bit of coaching for the “now what” phase we all enter.  The only thing I can tell you is let go. Let go. Continue letting go. I told a friend of mine this morning, “Just fall into His arms.”

When I get bound up in questions like, How do I look?, Is this right? Am I on track? — my eyes are still on me. It is a lot  like when you are learning how to dance; you watch your feet. But when you look at the face of the person you are dancing with, you let go of getting it just right. Look into His face. Sure you will stumble and step on His feet, but His arms steady you. Over time, you will begin to feel the rhythm of the music, the feeling of His embrace. If you will let yourself go,  you stop worrying about what your feet are doing because you just want to move to the music. Move to His music. And keep asking for more.

You know what I am going to do today? I’m going to make Him a Valentine card. I want my heart to be His. So I thought I would stretch and see what happens when I ask Him to be my Valentine.  Remember it is about the dancing, not the feet.

Just enjoy the process of discovery. He sure does. “I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me.”

Battle Cry

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I was going to take out segments of this article as fodder for the conversation about who are we battling and why. But as I re-read it, it is simply too rich to condense. Mull on the phrase, from victory not towards it. Intimidation is answered through intimacy. May the Lord grant you revelation of your authority as co-heir and may you walk in His power for His glory today.

Jana

THE BATTLE IS NOT OURS TO WIN…
IT IS OURS TO LOSE

by Graham Cooke

Jesus has disarmed both rulers and authorities, making a mockery of their power in the process and celebrating His own triumph over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15). Now as ever the battle is not ours but the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15).

We serve a powerful King who loves to fight! He laughs at those who oppose him (Psalms 2:4; 37:13). In the Kingdom, we fight from victory; not towards it. Jesus has already won. In Him we partake of His overcoming. We are more than conquerors because we know the outcome before we enter the fray.

In Christ, our posture before the enemy must reflect our status in the Kingdom. We are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. We have been given power and authority through the Holy Spirit. In warfare, we rejoice before we pray. We give thanks for His majesty and supremacy. We are not overcome by our circumstances, we are overwhelmed by sovereignty. We are too busy being fascinated by Jesus to be intimidated by the enemy. We rejoice so that our praying can be powerful and effective. We praise because we occupy the position of an overcomer.

We stand in this space and we occupy our standing in Jesus through praise of His Majesty. The battle is won already; it is our partnering with victory that guarantees the outcome. We have the capacity to lose this battle only by default.

Lack of true rejoicing and thanksgiving will always embolden the enemy at our expense. The power of wickedness may increase in our perception if our worship is diminished and our focus on sovereignty reduced.

The only viable answer to intimidation is an increase in intimacy with the Lord. David was a “man after God’s own heart;” i.e., a worshipper. His intimacy gave him power over the intimidation of Goliath. He became a giant killer.

We can lose every fight if we have no focus. If our lives display a lack of worship we will never even show up for the fight. We will lose because we do not know how to stand. We will petition God for power when He has already given us authority in Jesus’ name. In rejoicing we receive revelation concerning the particulars of our overcoming.

Decide who you want to be and the Holy Spirit will empower you to become it.
-Graham