God’s love

Kisses from Jesus

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Sure I know it is the day after Valentine’s Day and enough already, right? But God did this totally random thing at the retreat I was teaching this weekend and I wanted to share it.

I gave the women two chocolate kisses. I told them to eat one like they would normally do.  And most of them just chomped it down.  Then I asked them to take the next one and hold it in their mouths and really experience the chocolate, savour the taste, the texture. Their faces were a sea of enjoyment.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” I said, “You just got a kiss from Jesus.”

I wish you could have been there to see the change in facial expressions: shock, awe, delight, disgust, disbelief. Where did I get this cockamamey idea?  Uhm, that would be the Bible.

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—

for your love is more delightful than wine.

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;

your name is like perfume poured out.

No wonder the maidens love you!

Take me away with you—let us hurry!

Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

Song of Songs 1:2-4

What is a kiss anyway?  A sign of affection, connection, relationship.  But here is the distinctive: I only kiss people I love.  Sure there are different kinds of kisses. Little pecks and long lingers. But all are expressions of love. We humans didn’t make up that connection. This is a clue into the affections of God.

And, I don’t receive kisses from just anyone. You have to been in my circle of affection before you can enter into that realm with me.  The closer you go into my circle, the more intimate the kiss.

I wonder, do you savour your relationship with God, like enjoying a good piece of chocolate? Do you know you have a Royal Husband whose love is more delightful than wine?

Do you ever give yourself permission to simply enjoy God and be enjoyed by Him?

Isaiah 54 makes a scandalous statement. He declares our Maker is our Husband. Think about this. The implications are staggering. He is love. He is hope. Therefore, He is perfect in power, provision, love, affection, satisfaction, and companionship. He is able to meet every need of every woman, and every man.

Since the fall, both men and women have been trying to do life on their own, depending on self to provide and protect, define and value. Both sexes have been looking for the perfect mate to complete and satisfy their longings. All the while, we have had the Perfect Mate but we continue to look elsewhere, to lesser lovers, lesser gods.

Even with the status of current day marriages being so disappointing, we rarely allow ourselves to consider that we have a Spiritual Husband. Will you go there?

I am double doggin’ dare you to ask for a kiss from Jesus.  It may come as a song, a card, a word from someone, a scripture, or picture, but this I know — if you ask and watch, it will come.

Know where mine came from?  A parking lot.  I went out of my way to get to a store only to get there and it was closed. As I was walking back to the car, grumbling, I saw it.

A little red glittering heart. Wet from the rain, but waiting for me.

“Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3

Listen for Your Love Story

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I am prepping for a retreat today. But I am really just looking for an excuse to have Laura Jones share her love story.  It is a doozy.  What I love about it is she was introduced to the notion of God giving her a new name and she ran with it.  Or maybe she Ran To Him.  So when He started with those “gentle whispers,” her heart was ready and oh so willing to believe and receive.

Be on the look out this weekend for your own love story.  Where do you think Romance came from anyway? Jesus is the Lover of our souls.  Enjoy! ~ Jana

Sparkle

by Laura Jones

“I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” ~ Revelation 2:17” (For more on God giving special names, read this.)

Okay, God’s gushing on me.  I have a new pet name from Jesus! It’s “Sparkle.”

I was looking at my Christmas ornament Mom got me – a seashell with all kinds of glitter on it (because of the way God had spoken to me with the sea shells I found at the beach this summer).

“I love that my shell sparkles, Lord,” I smiled as I admired my shell.

“Like you.”

Then I remembered that my dress He provided for my birthday party (celebrating new beginnings) has sparkles all over it, too. I had asked Him for a gorgeous dress in a size 10 that was under $50. This one was $32! I was surprised at the time that I liked it.

I generally hate things that are too glitzy – I feel like they are fake, over the top, draw too much attention, are cheap looking.  Aren’t lady like. Too out there.  (Is this sounding familiar yet? Those are all the fears I have about being myself. Will I be too over the top, draw too much attention… do I have anything real worth paying attention to anyway?)

He’s telling me I sparkle. Really. And it’s okay.

“Sparkle.  Is that my name? Is the word ‘sparkle’ even in the Bible?”

So I looked on Biblegateway.com.  Get this:

“The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.”  Zachariah 9:16

Isn’t it just like the Lord?  I’ve known for a long time that “Laura” means “crown.” So where “Crown” is my name, “Sparkle” really is my pet name!

And get this: something can only sparkle in the presence of LIGHT (Him).  AND the more facets there are (the more there are different sides of me), the more the sparkle. Isn’t God awesome!?

Who’s Running On Empty?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

So we’ve talked about Elijah’s journey through the draught, the brook, the widow and the showdown with the false prohets.The rain has begun again and there are posters all over town that Jezebel is going to kill Elijah. Better than any reality TV.  And even after all this God movement, Elijah is scared and pooped.

Is that okay?  I mean do you ever feel like it is Un-Christian to be afraid and need a break?  I talk to a lot of people, including myself, who have this spiritual notion that if you are “rightly filled with God” you will never get scared or weary.  Or if you do, you’d better not admit it. Lord knows, there are plenty of scriptures that charge us to “press on” no matter what. Here are a few:

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize….”Phillipians 3:13-14

These are all 100% true. And on the right day  these verses really strengthen me (and you).  But our fear and fatigue is 100% true too. And on the wrong day, these verses just make us feel more afraid, tired and alone. However, if we look at Elijah’s story a little bit differently, we might see God a little differently too. Much writing on this part of Elijah’s story focuses on Elijah.  We despise his weakness. Maybe because it reveals our own.

But like most of the Bible, this story is not about the frail human, but the loving God who reached down and comforted His son. Go back and look at the passage again:

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.  1 Kings 19: 5-7

Why did God do that?

The angel touched him. He “came back a second time.” He fed Elijah. He gave him water to drink. He let Elijah sleep. He woke him up. Picture a mother or father standing over the bed of sick child. Watching, waiting, hoping praying for restoration. Again, why did God do that?

I don’t think for one minute that God was disappointed in Elijah. I don’t think He scorned or rebuked him. For sure I don’t think He despised Elijah’s fear or weakness.  That is what we do, perhaps. But that is not what God does. He comforted, supplied and strengthened His child. This is a loving compassionate interchange. God is so pleased to dwell among weak, broken people like Elijah, like us. And where was all this effort leading Elijah? To the mountain of God.

Where are you freaking out? What has got you running blind with fear? What has you so despondent that you would rather die than press on?  Then purposefully take a rest. Take a nap, a walk, a breather. Take a time out and let God feed and refresh you. Let Him remind you that He is right with you in the middle of the mess. And He alone knows where you are really headed — the mountain of God.

Psalm 65

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This Psalm came to heart for us today… Soak in it.

Psalm 65

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

1 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;

to you our vows will be fulfilled.

2 O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.

3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.

4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.

5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,

6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,

7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.

8 Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy.

9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.

10 You drench its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its crops.

11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.

12 The grasslands of the desert overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.

13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.


Yes! And Amen!

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“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 New King James Version

Been thinking all day about God being a dreamer. And there is an old saying, “Are you a dreamer or a doer?” And when I think about God, the answer is “Yes.”

He is both. Why would He do that?  Because He is both love and power. Truth IN action.  Here is another sage comment: Lovers do what dreamers only dream about.  Is God a lover or a dreamer? Again, He is “yes and amen.”

If you think for one minute that God is unable, that means He is weak.
If you think He is unwilling, that means He is mean, harsh or not good.
If you think He is not loving, well, then you have a false god. In Christ, we have all of God. All of Him. He has NOT given us a spirit of fear, but He HAS given us a spirit of power, love and self control.  Not we go buy it. We have it.

Just because you don’t get your way, when you want it, how you want it, doesn’t reflect on God’s character. It does however, reflect on yours.

Reflect. Odd choice of word there. Reflect means:

To manifest or bring back;
To chew over: reflect deeply on a subject
To be bright by reflecting or casting light
To show an image of
To give evidence of a certain behavior

I don’t say this to create false guilt or condemnation, but to prompt us to look at what we’re reflecting. Lack of confidence in God only “reflects” the enemy, but there is a power released in us when we focus on the face of God.  What we look at, we reflect. Attention amplifies everything.  If you focus on the past, your weaknesses, then that is all your will see in your present and future. If you focus on the sin of others, that is what you will surely see.

But if you look at the heart of God, if you “See” with your spirit His goodness, His smart way of doing things—even when that causes you pain—you find that over time your character is changed into His image.  You reflect Him because you are sitting in His light. The only way to bring your world into this Reality, is to Be with a Person.

Just think of the possibilities…If God is a lover and a dreamer, if He is all good and all powerful, who can stand against Him? Think of your biggest fear.  Now lay it (him, her, them) down at the feet of this Beautiful, Grace Giving God.  How does the fear stack up?

James 4 says, “You have not because because you ask not. And when you ask, you ask with wrong motives.” Wow, maybe that is the source of our messes.  We want a magic genie, not a Holy, Transforming, Sovereign Lord.

When I surrender my control, my heart softens so that I can believe God is good and He is good for Me, regardless of the circumstances. Then, over time, I can ask with better motives. Instead of bless me, fix me, fix them, my prayers become “I trust You to take care of me, and I ask for Your best.”

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

All of His promises in Christ are Yes and Amen.

Elijah – Take 3

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I heard a phrase a long time ago that God brings back to mind often: “When you don’t know what to do, you worship.”

This is the essence of Elijah’s next adventure with God.  Elijah called for no rain which produces a draught. God provided for him in the middle of the draught through a remote brook and food from ravens every day. But the brook dried up. So God moved Elijah along on THEIR adventure together. He told Elijah to go to a widow’s home. But when he got there, the woman was preparing her last meal.  She and her son only had enough food for one last meal then they would die from starvation because of the draught.

(Talk about economic distress?  God has been rescuing people long before today’s health care mess….)

But Elijah called to the woman and told her to bake a cake for him first and to trust God because God was going to give her oil and flour every day until the draught ended.

Have you been there?  Totally on empty and someone asks you for a ride?  Or trying to scrape things out of the cabinet and someone says they are coming over for dinner? Maybe you are freaking out on how to pay one bill, and you get three more in the mail. Or maybe it’s not money related, but you are already dirt tired, and someone calls in crisis.

For me, God takes me to the very end of my resources, knowledge and strength and says, “Now Jana, let’s begin.” Begin?  I feel more like the widow who is ready to lay down and die for lack of expectation that things will change. But oh the beauty of God!  It is at the end of me, you, us, that He begins.

The widow had to believe that God was going to show up tomorrow when the cupboards were bare today. Don’t miss the day to day provision of the Lord in the story of Elijah. He depended and trusted and thanked God each day for the raven’s meals. Then he and the widow thanked God each day for the flour and oil. Belief in the little so you can learn to believe in the greater.

Jesus said in Luke 16 that “whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”  This applies to money, faith, healing, the spirit, all of the God life. Are you trusting in the little for when you need to trust much?

After some time, the widow’s son died. More than daily bread now, they needed resurrection power. And Elijah and the widow saw God’s power poured out as God raised the son back to life. They went from little to much. Belief in the little, trusted with little so they could learn to believe in the greater, trusted with much.

My last thought for today is this:  Are you more like the widow? Or Elijah? Where are you starting from — ready to quit or steadfast expectation?

The good news is, they both grew to believe God in all His goodness. They both learned to worship first before they received. They praised God regardless of the circumstances and saw Him move in their midst.

“Oh, worship the King, all glorious above.
Oh, gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”

Elijah – Take 2

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So yesterday we talked about God feeding Elijah morning and evening through the ravens.  A sweet time of rest, trust building, reflection. Perhaps. Or maybe it was a time of wrestling, arguing and doubting, waiting for God’s goodness to run out.  Sound familiar?

Guess what happened? The brook dried up.

I love it when God brings us to these pivotal moments.  The “Now what?” moments. The OMG, freakout moments. It is almost as if we think that God  left the cosmos or something. Like He went off line or went to sleep.

For Elijah it was the brook drying up. For me it was the missed deadline for a deposit for Zimbabwe. Same reality: helpless to provide for  myself. Same question: “God, You gonna take care of me?” But the good news is: it is the same God. “Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.'” 1 Kings 17: 8-9.

The King James Version says: “Arise.” I love that. Get up and get going.  God is on the move.

It reminds me of the Narnia stories when they would say, “We hear Aslan is on the move.”  They didn’t know what that meant, or how Aslan would change the circumstance.  But they were strengthened because they remembered that Aslan was the great high king over all Narnia.  And everyone knew he had the power to do anything. Everything. Everyone knew he might not be a tame lion, but he was good.

So it is with God. He has a wild story that He is constantly telling.  Our lives are the plots and twists, the reckless romance, the good vs. evil story played out by this great, untamed God. And what does He ask of us?

Belief.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists,
and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

And what do we believe in?  The power and goodness of God. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”  Colosians 1: 7

Finally, we believe in the Who of God. We trust that He empowers our cries, prayers, and praise. His Spirit is actively changing the world, and our hearts.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”  James 5:16-18

Pray for rain; pray for God to heal and feed you. Praise Him for all things: ravens, dried up brooks, and widows. Pray and believe.

Between Morning and Evening

/ Jana / 1 Comment

The Lord has me sitting in the story of Elijah lately. I must be a slow learner because it seems like we have been here a while. But I confess, the longer I sit in these couple of chapters, 1 Kings 17- 19, the more I see of God, and the more I see of me.

What I like about Elijah is his utterly honest humanity. He walked with God when things were really, really bad; when it didn’t look like things would be improving soon. But still he depended on God. And he trusted God to not only understand his weaknesses but to CARE about them.  This strengthens me. When all the wheels start coming off my life, it refreshes me to have a God that won’t despise my weaknesses but help me in them.

Look at Elijah as a flesh and blood example.  He had just declared to Ahab, one of Israel’s most wicked kings, that “as the Lord lives, the God of Israel lives,” there would be no rain or even dew until Elijah says so. Talk about gumption. That is serious confidence in God. Elijah’s whole accusation against Ahab was that the king had turned to false idols and led the nation away also. Elijah was constantly pointing back to the clear evidence God was alive and well and willing to be their Loving God.

Now look what follows. God sent Elijah to a remote place where there was a brook and told Elijah that He had commanded the ravens to provide for him there.  Draught on the land, provision for you. All through the Bible you see how God protects and provides for his own regardless of what is happening all around.

In this quiet place, equipped with fresh water, God sent ravens every morning and evening with meat and bread to feed Elijah.

This weekend in my own head, when the giants seem too big, the desert too hot, the needs too great, the bills too many — this weekend I was struck by the time between morning and evening for Elijah. Did he ever question that the ravens would come? Was he ever surprised day after day?  Why didn’t the Lord just give him a small oven and flour?  What was the Lord teaching Elijah (and us) in the space between meals?

Before every great battle and public encounter, there is a private battle and spiritual encounter. I think God used this time to teach Elijah that he could not take care of himself. Elijah had to look to God to provide, even for the food in his mouth. I think God was teaching Elijah how to faith in the space between meals. I think God was teaching Elijah how to Receive from His hand, in whatever way, by whatever means the Lord decided was best for Elijah. Even when that way was ravens. I think God was preparing Elijah in the quiet space for the battle that was on its way.

I am not going to rush through this story. But for today, I wonder, are you looking for the ravens? Are you receiving what the Lord is sending for your good?  Are you waiting by the brook for your God or are you bustling about trying to feed yourself?   “He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.”

The Wonders of Men

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Okay, so admit it.  You know that you’re curious as to what this blog is about…Well I just finished a really powerful marriage retreat. (Thank you Lord for coming, and thank you friends for bringing your hearts!)  And while I was prepping for that, I ran across this book, written by a man, that actually admitted that men “do goofy things.” His words. Goofy. Funny, inane and sometimes altogether inexplicable.

Shortly after reading this chapter, I had this telling experience. Chuck was flying around getting ready for work and he brought me a shirt that had some faint dirt marks on it. “Is there anything I can do for this?” he asked. I suggested a Clorox pen, but he said he was afraid the chemical would irritate his neck since the smudge was on the neck line.

“Got it.” I said. “So instead, spray some Shout on it, rub it to remove the dirt, then moisten a paper towel and dab it off.” Simple, to the point, clear and precise. He bustled off in search of the Shout spray.

“You good?”  I hollered over my shoulder as I was finishing up the girls’ lunches.

“Yes,” he mumbled.

Several minutes passed and he came back in the kitchen in his t-shirt with his dress shirt still in his hand. “Did that not work?”  I asked perplexed, being confident of my solution.

“No.”

“Really?”

“Well I couldn’t find the Shout so I sprayed Wrinkle Release on it and it didn’t seem to help any.”

I searched his face to see if he was making a joke. He was not.

I stood there dumbfounded myself; do I laugh out loud, or cry hysterically?

“Honey,” I began carefully, “what exactly did you think Wrinkle Release would do for the dirt? Help it stay fresh and crisp?”

Now he looked at me searching my face. We both cracked up. “Is it just a lot of fun being a man?” I asked.

“Yeah sometimes. This is how new discoveries are made you know.”

Goofy. That’s all I could think of it. But you know what I have discovered, I like goofy.

There are crazy differences about us, male and female. But both are in the image of God.  And it is in these funny moments I see that God is so smart for making us so polar in some ways and then saying to us, “Okay, ya’ll, live together in the same house!”

But laughing with Chuck also made me think about how big God’s capacity must be when we do inane things ourselves with Him. He gives us clear instruction and we go off in left field and wonder why His plan isn’t working. We’re goofy. Plain and simple. I can just hear God say sometimes, “How is that working for ya? You are using the wrong remedy for the wrong issue, but still expecting the same good results.  Want to try it My way this time?”

And even better, I really think God laughs too.  I think He likes our goofy too.

Stop Fighting Part II – by Guest Blogger, Beth Hungerford

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Jana is preparing for a marriage retreat. But she will be back on Monday with a special blog about Wrinkle Release!! Some of Jana’s recent posts are available here.

Enjoy this great story from Beth.

So you would think that after my encounter with the ocean waves I would have learned my lesson about fighting against the Lord. Apparently I am a really slow learner.

About a month later, I went to one of my favorite places to spend time with the Lord…a large rock that hangs out over the river.  I have many conversations with Him while out there picking pieces and sometimes large chunks off of the rock.

This time I was working particularly hard at trying to get off a large piece that was just loose enough to make me think I could get it.  I heard Him again telling me that I was still fighting.

“But I really want to get this piece off.”

“Stop fighting.  You don’t have to work that hard.  Just worry about the really loose ones.”

I wouldn’t listen.  He kept gently repeating Himself and even told me exactly where to go on the rock but I still insisted on trying to get the pieces that just weren’t ready to come off.

I think He finally got tired of me not listening and insisting on fighting so He let me suffer the consequences.

I was looking down at a lot of small cuts and nicks on my hands from where the rock kept breaking off (instead of coming off in chunks like it usually did). The Lord said, “Those hurt didn’t they?”

“Yes,” I said as I went back to pulling on a large piece of stubborn rock.

Then He said, “You know, you’re only getting hurt when you’re fighting.  Just stop fighting.”

“I will just as soon as I get this…”

Right at that moment it gave way or at least part of it did…my hand slipped and my finger got cut deep enough that I now have a scar.

Now fast forward about a week.  I went back to the rock this time fully committed to working where the Lord told me and only pulling on the pieces He gave me permission to pull on.  At one point He said “look where you are.”  I looked down to see that I was stretched out as far as I could over the water and that’s when it clicked.  I had been upset and angry about cutting my finger because I really was going to obey once I had gotten that piece off.  But… had the Lord not stopped me and allowed me to continue while I was still fighting and not listening, I would have been in the river.  He had protected me until I was ready to handle what He had for me.