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With God, Nothing Is Impossible

/ Jana / 1 Comment

So guess who got a 3 a.m. wake up call? I almost laughed out loud. As I was taking the Lucy puppy-girl out to potty (talking about being glad we have indoor plumbing!) I asked the Lord what He had to say. Immediately, He brought back to mind a song. I realized it had been running through my thoughts before I woke up.

I try to be so tough
But I’m just not strong enough
I can’t do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough
But I’m nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me
(from Savior Please, by Josh Wilson)

“What is this all about Lord? What do I need saving from?”  I asked.

And what came in the wee hours and even this morning, is Him flushing out just how scared I am of Him and how much I question His provision. I believe He is good. I believe, know and have experienced His crazy supernatural giving. But here I am standing on the edge of this cliff, again, and I am freaking out.  Am I really going to jump??

I told my friend this circumstance is like Elijah laughing at the false prophets and taunting them, “Pour more water on the altar.”  To reveal the reality of the Living God, he wanted to make the test as hard as possible so that when God  rained down fire and licked up all the water, there was no question about who had the power. (1 King 18-19)

So here I sit, a CD in the making (one bucket of water), a new book brewing (another bucket), and now add a teaching trip to Zimbabwe (big bucket), and a trip to India (whew) – I think my altar is soaked to the bone.

But I confessed to my friend, I’m not sure I have the faith of Elijah.  Yet I cling to what I know. The only thing I can truly stand on is what God showed to Elijah too.  Believing His still small voice. Living in the tension of knowing Him, and still not knowing the outcome. He whispers, Trust Me. “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Oh God, help my unbelief…

One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving. Palm 62: 11-12

Times with God

/ Jana / 3 Comments

I seem to be having multiple conversations that all direct back to one question: “How do I get to know God better?”

Before I go there, I want to talk about the WHY of getting to know God better. Most of our most broken, hurting, missing, longing places all need the love of God.  We talked about this last night at WGR.  We are the Beloved.  But we must allow ourselves to Be Loved. The more we let that truth soak into our spirits, the more our hearts, minds and lives will be changed.  So to be loved, is to spend time with someone who loves us. God.

Now on the HOW to do this, and there are several possible answers. Not a right answer, but just like with your friends, there are lots of ways to spend time with your Friend. Lover. Father. Husband.

Worship is a powerful way to soak on the truths of God, who He is, what He is like, and who He likes (hint: you). It may involve music, dance, art, nature, reading scripture aloud.  If I had to sum up the word worship it would be to experience the beauty of God with your whole being.

So take music, for example. When I worship with music, I sing, I listen, I think about the words, I move my body to the rhythms.  I encounter God.  Different than being in a bar, which is escape. All this energy is focused on hearing and knowing Him more, better. Same with exploring nature, or  reading scripture. There is an expectation of hearing from God.

The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. He lives with them. So I sing either out loud or in my heart a lot. I sometimes use CDs, and sometimes I just hum the song that He has got running through my head. There have been times that I have ‘sat’ on a song for about a week. Listening again and again until I believe all that it says.

Another way to get to know God is to read and write. Read your Bible and books that explain the Bible. And write down the prayers and encounters that you have with God. Over time, you begin to see answered prayers, areas that God is changing, and dreams beginning to take shape.  Never underestimate the power of reading the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” I have scripture everywhere, on my walls, calendars, post its, you name it. It helps me think about what He thinks about more.

Look at the Bible as a love letter, a medicine kit, a mirror, and a Counselor all rolled into one. I read Proverbs and Psalms almost daily, and then hit other books of the Bible as the Spirit leads.  In case you don’t know this, there are 31 Proverbs. So if you read one chapter of Proverbs a day, at the end of the month you will have read them all.  And you will grow in wisdom.

Finally, spend time with Him the way you would a friend. Make a date. Instead of placing a call during drive time, call on Him. Talk as you’re working on something. Just begin the conversation. My favorite times are when I can talk out loud. He shows me the lies I am believing when I can hear myself say them.  Just pursue Him in your flavor. Enjoy the time with Him. Oh yes, if you get a middle of the night wake-up call, get up. He wants to talk to you!

Willing to Change

/ Jana / 2 Comments

My head is abuzz with a newly scratched out “To Do List” for 2010. It is full of a grand vision, scary possibilities and deep, deep longings of my heart.  And it is a lot of work.  I was so inspired that I had to take a nap.

I figure I might as well rest up first before beginning anything new. Have you ever felt this way? Wanting to quit from the sheer hugeness of a task?  Throwing in the towel before you have even dared to go one round in the ring?

There is one key ingredient that the Lord keeps whispering to me and Chuck as we look down the coming year: Discipline.

Before you groan, listen to the definition. Discipline:  training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.

That doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?  And to throw my own spiritual spin on it, discipline is being willing to be taught a better way.

Isn’t that what we are all hungry for?  A better way to — fill in the blank — get in shape, manage money, improve our marriages, stop addictions, have healthier relationships, perform better at work, etc.? And if we were honest, what we are doing right now may not be working so well.  We aren’t getting the results we long for.

But when we ask the Lord for discipline, we are in essence asking Him to teach us a better way for better results. Now instead of us working it up in our own strength, we are seeking the supernatural, the God Factor.

Last night, John Dee quoted Roman 2: 4  – that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. “Which means,” he added,  “It is the kindness of God, His love and affection for us, that causes us to ‘change our minds.’ Repentance is changing the way you think, to agree with what God thinks.”

So now put these two words, discipline and repentance, together – willing to be taught a better way, and aligning our thoughts to think God’s way – and we have a pretty potent cocktail.

Change is bound to a happen because you have tapped into what God wanted from you all along: His strength in your weakness. Make your lists. Take your naps. Then go after your dreams.  God is with you all the way.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32

“Lord, grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” Psalm 51

Informational Meeting, Wednesday, January 13, 2010

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

You have heard a lot about Women Getting Real. But have you heard the whole story?  We are inviting you to an presentation to learn more about the past, present, and future of this organization whose heartbeat is to change the world by setting God’s women free.

Come see what we do and are planning to do for 2010.
Come listen to see if God has a place for you.
Come rejoice in all that God is doing!

Oh yeah, you can see your friends and enjoy a cup of coffee too!

Hope to see you Wednesday Night, January 13th

Events

No Ear Has Heard, No Eye Has Seen. . .

/ Jana / Leave a comment

First, let me say “thank you!” for your responses and questions surrounding the blogs.  It is really nice to know that when you send something out in the big internet cosmos there is someone live to catch it. And in answer to a one of those responses, I want to encourage us all that journeying with God is not “doing better,” but trusting, waiting, asking for more. Then believing when God begins to answer our frail prayers. The change to come is not on our shoulders, but on His mighty, loving, transforming shoulders.

Our job is to believe. His job is to transform.

Second, I finally found that verse that the Lord had been poking me about. It goes along with this hope of growth, change and transformation. It is in 1 Corinthians 2.

However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

What God has prepared for those love him…When you think about your 2010, ask the Lord to show you what He has prepared for you. And then claim the promise for Ephesians 2: 10. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Did you catch the subtle nuance?  God has already prepared these good works, as in, past tense, done, completed. So that we can walk in them. Not run, panic, scramble, but walk. Walk with Him in the goings of our day to day life. There is a resting here, a peace.

Want me to really blow your mind?  We are God’s good works.

You and me, right now. All of heaven looks at us and sees who we are, who we are becoming and looks back to the Father and declares, “Good job. Well done. Nice work.”

Resolve to love Him more. Everything else will follow this one thing.

A Note from Laura Jones: New Year’s Revelation

/ laurajones / 5 Comments

For most of my life, I’ve avoided New Year’s Resolutions. I hate them. Who needs one more hampster wheel to burn out on, right? I certainly don’t need another way to fail.

However, the Lord’s been up to something new in me.  Since I’ve been in Jana’s class and John Dee’s class, they’ve taught me to ask for New Year’s Revelation: to ask the Lord to reveal Himself to me more, to show me the desires He put my heart, to give me His word over the coming year.

You know what’s amazing? He’ll actually answer.

For example, in 2008, I asked the Lord to give me a new song (Psalm 40:3). I meant metaphorically. All I wanted was a fresh start. But He took me literally! He gave me lyrics to six songs that year, each one verbalizing some of His love He’d been teaching me about. Love that gave me the fresh start I longed for.

In 2009, He pressed on my heart, “Be ready.” Didn’t even have a verse for that one. I had no idea what I was getting ready for. Just a sense that I was to prepare and be watching for what He had next, whatever that was. Sure enough, 2009 has been about weeding out. Setting boundaries. Learning about how He wired me. All things that have prepared me to walk through new doors that He’s opening like working with Women Getting Real and going back to school – things I was not ready for last year!

The fabulous thing about asking for New Year’s Revelation is it takes all the pressure off.  It’s not about performance.  It’s looking at Jesus and listening for His answer.  It’s reaching up to put my hand in His as He leads me through the New Year.

Why don’t we ask Him together? Ask Him to give you more of Himself. Ask Him to show you the desires He put in your heart and His desires for you. Ask Him to give you a word for the year. And as we have this dialog together, post back here when you hear His answer!
 
In His Love,
Laura

Looking Beyond

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I have a lot of BIG things on the horizon for 2010. But I told dear friends of mine last night, “When I look out, it starts getting very dark and fuzzy; I can’t see very far right now.”

Funny how God does that. He calls things forth in dreams and Scripture. He confirms what He has said many times in many ways. But then when I go to look at the map of “how to get there,” it turns kind of gray and dim. I think God is brilliant for doing it like that, because if I had my way, I would grab the map out of His hand and take off down the road. Without Him.

But, if I know where we are going yet don’t know the way, we HAVE to go together.  Which is honestly what my soul longs for anyway. To journey with Him into crazy adventures.

So for today, soak on the incredible quote another friend sent to me:
“Never be afraid of an unknown future to a known God.”  ~Corrie Ten Boom

Just because we don’t know the future doesn’t mean that God doesn’t know. He knows the plan for our hope and future. We don’t have to be afraid; He knows, He cares. Here is the song He woke me up with:

“Since The World Began” – Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, Mac Powell
Isaiah 64:1-9 (NLT)

Verse 1:

Oh, that You would burst from the heavens
And how the mountains would quake
But You would make the nations tremble
All Your enemies would learn from Your fame

How then shall we be saved?
How can we be saved?

Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You
Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You

Like autumn leaves, we all wither
Swept away by the wind
Oh, have mercy on us Father!
Please don’t remember our sins!

How then shall we be saved?
How can we be saved?

Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You
Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You

O Lord, You are our Father,
We are clay, You are the Potter
We are all formed by Your hand
According to Your plan

Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You
Since the world began,
No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like You

For the Sheer Pleasure. . .

/ Jana / 4 Comments

I was brewing on a question my friend asked me about writing a few months ago.  It surfaces in my thoughts every couple of weeks when I get a quiet moment. She asked, “Do you write for some teaching purpose or just because you enjoy it?” I still hate that question because I continue to look for the right answer, as if there is one.

But here is an even crazier question that God posed to me yesterday: “What do you do for the sheer pleasure of doing it?”

It really took me aback because like all good grown-ups, my to-do lists are filled with obligations, duties and responsibilities.

But for the pleasure of doing something? Not just fun or relaxing or worse, coping. But “pleasure.” Webster’s dictionary defines it as “fulfilling desire, gratification, pleasing in the utmost way.”  And then to make things worse, I thought of the passage out of Psalm 16 where it says that God has eternal pleasures in His right hand.

Does this mess with your mind like it does mine?  Not service. Not missions. Not work with purpose. Not should’s and ought’s.

But pleasures. Eternal pleasures.  Do you ever even think of the word “pleasure” and “God” in the same sentence?

So what do you do just for the pleasure of doing it?  I’ll get back to you later when I have an answer myself.

Eye on the Prize

/ Jana / 2 Comments

“Count them happy who for their faith and their courage endured a great fight.”

This was inscribed on a Charleston statue in honor of the Confederate defenders of Ft. Sumter 1861-1865. But when I read it, I didn’t only think about blue and gray uniforms, or redcoats and colonists, or Yanks and Brits against Nazis.

I thought about being “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses” as we endure this great fight of faith. It is a battle. It does require courage and faith. And, if rightly grounded in truth, it does make us happy, even when it costs us our lives. But what are we fighting for?

Hebrews 11:1 says faith is believing in things hoped for, and evidence of things yet seen. So we do well to KNOW what we are “faithing.” What is it that we are hoping for, what unseen thing are we banking our whole lives on?

Sure the church answer is, “heaven.” But that sounds almost a little too scrubbed clean. Too far off. We need something that is up close and personal. As close as a bullet whizzing past your head. Certainly in those sweat-soaked, heart-pounding moments, you have to KNOW what it is you’re risking your whole existence fighting for.

“I have come that they might have life to the full,” Jesus declared. And when He said it, the impact was as rousing as a mud-soaked soldier lifting a tattered flag and yelling, “FREEDOM!” What we battle for is Freedom. Freedom to live in Christ in all His fullness. Unhindered. Not one day, but Today. His power revealed in us to love, to heal, to live as He did. Christ in us is truly the hope of glory that we live and die for.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2

A Good Reminder

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Just finished watching the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. How many times will I cry when I see it?

Hopefully every time. I need to be reminded of how much we are interconnected. I need God to continually show me how much He has authored this time in all our lives. He has purposely set each of us in this place, at this time because we are building and helping each other.

George Bailey is the main character of this movie, but each of us has experienced the sacrifice, disappointment, frustration and even hopelessness that he did.  Yet in the end, what George needed, what we need, is the perspective that our lives matter.

We all need to know that our story is not over or insignificant. Regardless of what we see when we look back over this past year or look forward to the prospects of 2010, we need to know that God is still working and writing and creating the story of our lives. And that those stories matter.

Our life story matters to the people around us. And it matters to God.  He is so pleased to reveal Himself in the day to day victories and defeats of our lives. Be encouraged.

Yours truly is a wonderful life. Today it is. Right now with all the unknowns and what-ifs and could-be’s. Let us finally come to the point of surrender that we cry out to God like George Bailey did, “God, I want to live. I want my life back. Please God, I want to live.”

“No man is a failure who has friends.”