God’s love

Discipline Equals Love

/ Jana / 1 Comment

If you had a tough or misguided childhood, then you no doubt have a tough or misguided notion about God and His Discipline.

In fact for many, punishment and discipline seem the same. But this is a gross misunderstanding. Punishment is payment for crimes. But discipline, in its truest form, is the actions and training that enable the very best to be revealed.

You have already witnessed this in the natural.

We watch the Olympics, or World Cup, or listen to symphonies, and we marvel at the fruit of such discipline. The hours of strain and purposeful training crescendo into a beautiful expression of precision and refined vision. It is a revelation of skill or talent that has been “disciplined” to the degree of awe and honor.

Now put that into the spiritual realm.  No one sees the beauty within us like God does. And no one is more committed to our “revelation” than He is. So He will purposefully train and strain us so that our skills, talents, lives, and hearts are a beautiful expression of Him. He has no greater goal.

My friend Kristen loves to say, “He can only give you love.” And discipline, causing your best to be revealed, is part of His loving nature.  He can only give us love.  Discipline is a part of that affection.

Let yourself be trained by the Master. We need your masterpiece to be revealed.

Delight in Us

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Have you ever noticed that when you love someone, you also love to surprise, delight and “bless” them?  By bless, I mean to bring joy or make happy, to bestow gladness of heart.  It’s fun for them and that makes it fun for you.

So when God says all throughout the Bible that He loves us and delights in us, it means that HE gets pleasure out of making us happy, bringing us joy, bestowing gladness upon our hearts. He wins, we win. I love the way God does math.

Yesterday I was reflecting on the word “delight” which is what He gave me at the beach. And within one hour I received three random God stories to give evidence of His delight. Three different women, one loving God.

One woman was having a hard day and just shot up an arrow prayer. “I just asked Jesus for a kiss,” said my friend. She got this a few minutes later.

And her response?  “Oh how I love Him!”  Blessing bring devotion. Delight makes happy the heart, especially His delight poured into our hearts.

My other friend had been stressing about a party she was giving. She was relating to the Lord her concern about the cost of the gifts, favors, and the restaurant. And what did she get in her email inbox ten minutes later?  A coupon that would drop her meal cost by 50%.  Wow. She was thrilled at His provision for a place she had reserved weeks ago. “He’s so intimately acquainted, so sweet!” was her delighted response.

My third story is about a friend who “went looking for God” and thought she came home empty-handed with just a shell and few photos.  “I was a little disappointed” she told me on the phone when I asked about her date weekend with Lord.  But then the pieces started coming together. Here it is in her words:

“I have been thinking about this shell and talking to HIM about its meaning and I’m just undone.  I had asked, “How do you see me”?

He said, “Most people see a closed heart with barnacle scars. But I see a huge heart and beautiful colors just waiting to be revealed.”

I asked HIM to show me He loved me and He gave me this heart- this broken heart.  HE reassured me that HE knows my heart is broken.  HE knows I feel rejected, unworthy, alone and forgotten.  He revealed His beauty to me, kissed my cheek and reminded me of all the wonderful work HE is doing inside my clamped shut, sand-filled, barnacled scarred heart.
He is so good and I am undone.”

Delight is a two way street.  There is both a giver and receiver. And both hearts are made glad by the connection. Delight yourself in Him for He greatly delights in you. Selah.

He Loves to Talk

/ Jana / 2 Comments

I got to run away to the beach for a day and a half. Yes, it was worth it the drive time because that provided great talk time in the car with Chuck.  No, we didn’t take the kids, thus the talk time. Smile.

I went there to hear from God, to catch my breath. I went there to recharge and to get a fresh deposit. I needed my Spirit tank refilled. And boy did He ever fill my tank.  On top of my own, I have three powerhouse God stories that I got today from others. The bottom line for their stories and mine? We love the God who speaks and He lives. He speaks anywhere,  all the time, in the craziest of ways.

Here are the billboards that God drew my attention to on the way to and from the beach. Little did I know that with the first “that’s odd” sign I saw that He was continuing  a conversation. He was pleased to answer my prayers about “Lord, how do I trust You more?”

His instruction to me:

Rest and Relax

What He said about Himself:

Tree of Life
Strong, Stable, Proven
Inspire to love is what I do
(Red) Cross equals Hope
Makes for a new way of thinking
How Beautiful!
Victorious

What He said about me:

Got Faith?  (With a picture of water turned to wine)
Be passionate.
Keeping kids on course.
Be Great.

This did something deep in my spirit. He is all these things and more. And He calls me all these things and more in Christ. And to top it off…there was a heart in the center of my slice of onion at our last restarant. How is that for a punch line!  He’s crazy about us. Look for Him. Ask Him. Listen for Him. Believe that Small Still Voice when it says to  “Look here.”  Tomorrow I will tell about the God stories I got today!!

The Missing Moral Compass

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The “sources” keep making this a gay thing. But I’m not sure it is.

USA Today, Ellen and other mainline media are recounting the story of a college freshman whose roommate secretly filmed his sex with a man and then posted it onYoutube. Once the freshman realized his conduct had been captured and released online, he committed suicide.  However, the tragic death of the Rutgers student is less about gay rights and more about our moral decay as a country.

You see we’ve told successive generations that porn is okay, that life is best seen via inernet, that private actions overrule public impact, that life has no intrinsic value. Then we call foul play when it is politically advantageous. Really?  How do we issue a rally cry for goodness and decency when we have no true compass for either?  Why do the promoters of the homosexual agenda get to corner the market on love, acceptance, or even dismay at human cruelty?  Does shame really have sexual preferences? Or is it, biblically, the result of sinful choices?

If it had been a girl/guy being video taped, we would have called it entertainment or porn. 
If she had killed herself we would be talking about about the exploitation of the internet for sure, but would Hollywood hawkers rally all manner of comments about the abuse of women? I doubt it.

And one very, very sticky point is: two wrongs don’t make a right.

What those students did was wrong .
But that young man chose to kill himself. He chose it. No one threw him. He jumped.

Do you see how we are trying to untangle this web of who is right and who is wrong and it’s all knotted up? Homosexuality is wrong. Heterosexuality outside of marriage is wrong. They both bear hurtful consequences. Invasion of privacy is wrong. And yet when we do in private what is wrong, unhealthy, even evil, it greatly affects our condition as a whole group of people.  Pornography is wrong. The conscience of this generation is seared when it comes to the degradation and perverted nature of pornography. Taking a life is wrong. Whether I take your life or my life, it’s just wrong.

We are each a part of a bigger whole that God sees.  He sees us all and loves us all completely. But that doesn’t mean He calls wrong things right. Be careful how you sort and sift the word storm of the day.  Talk show hosts and news casters are not necessarily using the Bible as the compass. Be sure that Jesus is.

We want to walk as He walks, in grace and truth. So bring this from “out there” to “right here.”  How are you dissecting the doctrine that is being shoved down our throats?  In your own life, is your compass aligned with God’s?  Do you call evil good?  Do you embrace, excuse  or ignore those things that God hates and warns us about? 

This needless death is not about homosexual rights. It is about our desperate, desperate need for a Savior and His ever calling voice of mercy.  Listen to Him.

Got Spurs?

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And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
I love it when the Lord puts pieces together. I love it when He calls me, you, us, out of our complacency.  Look at what “spur” means:

  • incite or stimulate
  • goad: a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
  • give heart or courage to
  • any sharply pointed projection
  • strike with a spur
  • goad with spurs; “the rider spurred his horse”
  • a sharp prod fixed to a rider’s heel and used to urge a horse onward

I was really hitting a wall last week. I kept saying I needed to hear from Him. And honestly, in retrospect, I am not sure I did.  I wanted to be coddled, and excused, and taken off the hook.  I wanted to sit and Do Nothing. I must have sounded to God like my kids do to me: “Do I HAVE to do this? This is SO hard.”

In true God fashion, with love and compassion, and a firm hand, He reminded me, “Yes, you do.” God used His Holy Spurs and goaded me on. He didn’t pat me and ignore the situation. He prodded with a Sharp object (ouch) and goaded me into the direction I was supposed to be going.

He did it like this. He showed His ability to change the circumstances in a moment. I had doubted his ability to provide. Again.
He reminded me of our long-term vision. I had forgotten.
He stressed the short window of time. I was procrastinating.
He told me He loved me. Again.

We dare not waste our lives. May God continue to spur us on and we in turn spur one another on toward His love and good deeds.

God Stories from Beth

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So love sharing the way God is holding Beth close to Him. This was from a recent email she sent. Enjoy!

It is Sunday (Aug 29) so I’ve been here a little over a week and it has been the hardest day so far without question.  I’m just really missing people and realizing that this could be harder and longer than I thought even though I’ve known it wasn’t going to be easy.  I went outside behind the cottage to sit at the picnic table facing the river and turned on some music planning to write emails.

Instead I ended up just listening and letting the songs wash over me for about an hour.  I was playing a list of songs God had brought up throughout the time leading up to the first trip and as well as this one.  Each one had something I needed to hear or be reminded of.

The first one was “Our Hope Endures” which just helped change my perspective.  Nothing has really changed…the reasons I came are still the same and everything I heard from the Lord to bring me here is still true.  The next song was “Don’t Get Comfortable” by Brandon Heath.  The chorus says, “I am gonna show you what I mean.  I am gonna love like you’ve never seen.  You are gonna live like you used to dream.  This is your new song.”

I’ve also been frustrated because I feel like I’m not doing anything or getting anywhere.  I know that it will take time but you would think that I’d never even met the Croudaces before with how reserved I’ve been and still am even after a week.  I was thinking about this and had stopped listening to the songs.  The Lord brought my attention back in the middle of “Wait and See” also by Brandon Heath…”Still wondering why I’m here.  Still wrestling with my fear, but oh, He’s up to something.  And the farther on I go I’ve seen enough to know that I’m not here for nothing.  He’s up to something. He’s not finished with me yet.”

Each song was so on target.  “By Your Side” Tenth Ave. North and “Let the Waters Rise” Mikeschair…”God you know where I’ve been you were there with me then.  You were faithful before you’ll be faithful again.”  Then hearing God say the next line:  “I’m holding your hand.”

At one point I heard something rustling in the leaves and looked over.  It was a bird but what caught my attention was the fact that it was at the base of one of those trees that the bark peels off.  I hadn’t seen or at least noticed any of these trees til just then.  Not much of the bark is off at this point but it has started.  The Lord was saying, “You’re going to get there. Don’t get discouraged with slow beginnings.  It is coming off.”  It will be interesting to watch the tree as it progresses.  I’m sure the Lord will have more to say to me about it.

Lord, thank You that You see and hear. Thank You that You are ever interceding for us. Bless You, Lord. Amen.

Do You Get Tired of Hearing “I Love You” ?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I now have a God Box. I had to. My dresser and my desk were covered with all these sweet notes, kisses, hearts or butterflies from the Lord. As I was lovingly putting them in the box, I thought about how I have a box for my kids, and a box for Chuck.  Little remembrances of moments, notes, emotions, memories of our lives together.

And now a God box.  At first I felt foolish. Or insane.

But then I went to the mountains with Chuck.
In our favorite jeep with the top down.
On our favorite kind of day, crisp and cool.
With our favorite music playing loud.
Holding hands and breathing deep.

We were aware, invested, immersed in being together. Nothing foolish. Nothing insane. But instead it was the most normal, delightful thing in the world.

Then we went to our favorite spot in the mountains. But actually it was Our spot before it was our spot. I had been running away to that spot to cry or dream or vent long before Chuck came into the picture. When I got there, it was just as as sentimental with Him as it had been with him. Butterflies were everywhere. The sand was warm, the water loud and laughing. The trees nodding and bending in the almost-autumn breeze. I gasped in surprise when a cool gust of wind swept across my skin as walked in the chilled water. And there it was…

A little pink heart lying on the river’s bed.

No doubt discarded by a visitor tubing down the river. But there. Not carried away. But there. On that day. At that place. For me.

I picked it up and laughed out loud. My voice and tears burst out, “I love You too!”

What else could I say?

No, I will never get tired of His love notes. Because I can never get enough of His love.

Lord, you delight in us. In me. You are ever, ever trying to tell us how much You love us. Give us eyes to see, and ears to hear. And boxes. We all need God boxes so we won’t forget. Oh yes, and Lord…We love You back. Amen

Big Mac Attack

/ Jana / 3 Comments

Some of you have heard about my computer woes.  But what you may not have heard is how the Lord totally set me up. Again.

I had all these big plans of writing this summer. My laptop computer broke. I got another laptop. It broke, too.

Summer has slipped by, the crunch of our new WGR class is here, and I have been reduced to trying to peck out emails on a machine that resembles an old, old woman on oxygen in a hospital bed, gasping for breath. But here is the rest of the story. I am a little awestruck in the telling.

This morning I am sitting in front of  an iMac with a 20-inch screen. It’s secondhand for sure. It came late yesterday afternoon, only one day before our class begins tonight. But still, I’m shaking my head in disbelief as I look at the first pages of my new books without having to squint and blow it up to 200%. I am noticing its speed and ease of handling big projects. With three book projects on the way this year—and a worship CD— this is a very, very needed piece of equipment.

I think to myself: Did God really break my computers, while they were still under warranty,  so that I could get what He knew I would need?  Is that possible? Or, even probable?

I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9  In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

All that wrangling, and worrying, and whining, for what? Can you believe I shed tears over a computer?  Or lack thereof?

Today, God’s name on my calendar  is Jehovah Jireh. The meaning of this name is The Lord Who Provides. The name is literally, The Lord Who Sees, or The Lord Who Will See To It.  Funny huh?

Lord, You alone are my source, and our source, for everything.  What can we say but we love You. Thank You for being so good to us, even if we don’t always see it in the moment. Amen.

Notice heart in center upper screen... smile.

Why You Want to Know God

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How do we “be” with God?

Well, how do you grow friendships? Fall in love? How do you learn anything? First you see or hear something that piques your interest. Then you see a benefit to yourself. It sounds selfish but it is true. We are drawn to new things and even people first by what we perceive we will gain from them or the relationships. Then there is a level of discovery and fascination that leads to more and more connection and appreciation. And then ultimately comes the phase where we want to invest and give of ourselves to that thing or person.

This makes the God-head the best Person in the world, ever.
(You know – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Them.)

God is the most interesting, funny, perplexing, gentle and romantic Person I know. And our relationship grew over time, and continues to change, over time. There is an investment on both our parts, Theirs  and mine, to know and be known.

We both gain benefit from being in relationship. I enjoy Them. They enjoy me. But it didn’t start out that way. It was very one-sided.

It was all Them in the beginning.

Although I really thought it was all me in the beginning.

Let me explain. My friend Lyschel has a little girl named Blaire. And Blaire is not walking or talking but she thinks she is. She scrambles and stumbles around on legs not quite ready yet and she babbles and slaps her leg and carries on.  She really thinks she is the one putting forth all the effort in the relationship.

But really it is her mom and dad constantly engaging and talking and teaching her. They are the ones loving on her until she matures to the place they can really communicate.

In a very simple way, I think we begin our relationship with God the same way. We think we’re doing all the work with little results. But God. It’s not so.

If you feel like you are the one babbling and God is not really responding, keep babbling. Because every time you turn your heart to Him, you’re practicing. And one day you will realize that you have grown up and things are different. A conversation has begun that only gets deeper and richer.