If leaves could talk

I love this time of year in Oklahoma.  We tend to have extreme temps that bring either a quick end to summer with the cold temps or an extended summer leading into December with no mild season transition. But one thing is for sure...we have awesome sunrises and sunsets each day.

When fall actually comes with all of its colors a blazin', I can't help but be appreciative of the most brilliant display in the trees, the leaves, the flowering mums, the pumpkins as we prepare for the season ahead.

Today I was taking in the color and just praising God that through all the changes, He never does. Our God is so faithful. When I looked at the leaves waving good-bye in the gentle breeze I was just in amazement of the wonder of God.  I lingered a bit with awe at the hand-painted portrait of God's mighty creation. I wanted to enjoy His presence in those moments.  Then the Spirit quickened my spirit to know that really the leaves where just submitting to the Creator's process. He reminded me of what fall really was.

Not only is fall beautiful with a colorful canvas, but it's time of change, of transition, and of relaxing. Fall is a forced rest. As pretty as the leaves are, they will eventually fall on the ground, turn brown and be swiftly blown away by wind to collect in fence corners or just float in the breeze. 

Soon the very leaves that I was looking at would be gone, leaving trees bare, stark and exposed. The naked trunk will be exposed to the weather, the harsh elements, and the north winds full of snow.   This is the growing cycle of the tree. As the tree rests, the fruit of the spring is prepared in the rest or dormant season. It looks like everything is dead, but on the inside there is much growth.

The same growth cycle can happen in our spiritual lives as well. It's a process that happens in our hearts. Fall brings a natural and necessary time of pruning, cleaning or shedding of things that we have allowed in our lives. The process of resting is needed to drop, let go of or simply rest.  We need to prepare for the season ahead.

We know we need this but yet are afraid to enter a rest for fear of being stagnant.

Resting adds great value in letting God produce His fruit in us. There are seasons to bear fruit yes, but there has to be a season to give rest to the process that God uses to bear in us His fruit of the Spirit.

Trust the process. 

How often does time get in the way of letting God develop His gifts in us? Who of you thinks you are running out of time to do what God has called you to do? If you are rushing from idea to idea you are rushing yourself out of God's will with your own agenda and plans versus waiting upon God to develop, renew or rest the gifts He has planted inside of you.

Have you let the fear of productivity get in the way of resting? Don't worry, God knows exactly what He has put inside of you to use for His glory. Do you really think that He would forget that you sing with a heart of pure worship every Sunday from the pew? Or that you encouraged a friend in a way that she needed and have the gift of listening when no one else will? He hasn't forgotten that inspiring message you sent to a missionary either. 

When your desires to please the Father with the gifts that He has placed in your hands don't show up on your blog numbers page are you discouraged? Yeah, me too.

There are so many fears that get in the way of resting.

What really gets in the way is our need to feel man's approval instead of trusting God with the gifts He so lovingly placed in the appropriate seasons. Oh if only the leaves could talk and tell you that they are ready to rest.

It's been a long dry summer and that really is the result of a enduring season on limited water supplies, and hot summer winds brushing by. And it's been one that has taught patience and perseverance. So even though the resting feels unproductive, the pruning seems to fit awkward, or the letting go seems unwarranted, we have to trust the process of how God has laid out in our seasons of growth.

What we can relentlessly pursue and agree with is that God's processes are always faithful and fruitful, timely and perfectly planned, in season and out.  " I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4

Trust the rest process. Change brings growth, seasons change. Growth brings change. Change brings much needed rest. Keep pursuing God, let God pursue you. Allow Him to paint a new portrait on your canvas. Let go of your “leaves” with hopes of getting new brilliant fruit. God wants to do a new work in you. Will you let Him?

Our lives are the most beautiful when we are submitted to God's processes in any season.

Red Carpet Rest

It's special day to find a hand-written note of any kind in your postal mail box.  When you get an invitation to a party or a celebration that is delightful.  It means someone thought of you and wants to include you in their special celebration.  Your name is on someone's invitation list.

Did you know your name is also on God's invitation list?  In fact, Jesus rolled out the red carpet for you.  

Matthew 11:28  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Will you celebrate this special invitation?....."Come".  Jesus spoke an invitation to His disciples, and to you.

God invites us to come into His presence as He waits and watches our journey toward Home.  Come...with your tired and worn self barely making it over the threshold, all weary and dragging your heavy heart.  

Come to His loving arms and load up on His Rest.

If you come...God promises rest.  I don't know about you but there are some days where I need physical rest.  But daily I need a spiritual rest too.  This life is full of burdens on a hourly basis.  And honestly, it can wear a little soul out.

But Jesus....promises that when I come to Him, He will give me Rest.

In one invitation...His gentle hand is extended.

He softly calls please come...

And in one endearing grip, he exchanges my soul heaviness for His rest.

Jesus rolls out the red carpet to you as He already knows your burdens.  He knows what's on our heavy hearts and He is waiting for us to accept simple His invitation to be honest in our tears, bold in approach and to rest in His lavish love for us.

His rest invitation brings heart change and transformation.

That's Perfect Rest.  Peaceful Rest.  Promised Rest.  Rest.  

The Red Carpet Rest line starts here....what are you waiting for?  Think about how special this is.  We serve a God who not only listens to us our weary worries, but invites us to cry out to Him any time of the day.  He never closes His ears to our need.  He doesn't tune out.  His eyes don't glaze over with our deep needs or problems.  His heart doesn't wear out from our repeated requests.  His love doesn't grow thin.  He is not stingy with His comfort and peace.  

God invites you.  Come.  Celebrate.

Receive His rest.  

Kickin' The Tires on 2012

It was the other day, as I was writing in my prayer journal, when I realized the error of my ways.  I foolishly thought that if I prayed over one word for an entire year, God would only show me one lesson connected with that word.  

God doesn't work like that.

What I  found was, when you pray about a problem, or an seek an answer to a question, or pray a word for 365 days,  well....you do find God alright.  
What I have found is ....that our creative God gives you exactly what you ask for, but in a more interesting and challenging way, let's call it a bigger and greater way.  

Because God is just that...Bigger and Greater.

When I said I was seeking "rest" for my one word for 2012, it seemed tiny in my mind.  I needed it desperately but to me it was a tiny matter none-the-less.  I really thought it would be one of those small blips on God's prayer radar.  In the scheme of all that I still need to learn about who God is, honestly, rest or the art of resting was not one of my top God-I need-an-answer-to-this-heart-issue, nor was it high on my spiritual priority list.  

I might have been just kickin' the tires on this one-word-a-year prayer idea.

So how did God teach me to rest?  He didn't.

When I sought Him for answers, He taught me to submit to His Sovereignty.

When I sought an end to my waiting, God taught me strength and a purpose in abiding.

When I sought truth, and God showed my sugar-coated well-digested lies.

When I sought a deeper faith, God showed me His faithfulness.

When I sought an awareness of His Presence, He taught me to be still and listen.

When I sought direction, God showed me His wisdom.

When I sought His strength, God peeled back the cover on my weaknesses.

When I sought His heart, God showed me the least of these in Africa.

When I sought His peace, God showed me my fears.

When I sought His light, He showed my darkness.

When I sought confidence, God showed me my pride.

When I sought action, God brought stillness.

When I sought freedom, God showed me my sin.  

When I sought understanding, God showed me to follow and obey.

I sought His love, God romanced me with His words.

I cried the word rest..so many times, with so many words and 

sometimes with no words, and with many tears.

God bent down and listened each time.

I made more room for rest in my life and God showed me the most Perfect Rest.

God deepened my trust for the One and Only True Rest.    

What did God teach you in 2012?

My Pastor Must Have Read My Blog Post

Resting on a beach is nice

Surely he had read my thoughts about needing rest.  It is my one word for 2012.  So when I settled into message one in the new sermon series Soul Detox, I was astonished and thought...."He must have read my blog".  In church this past Sunday, I realized my one word theme for 2012 was more than a word, it's a lifestyle.    


Maybe you struggle with finding rest too.  Perhaps I am not the only one looking for it.  Maybe you are not brave enough to write it like I am.  When I looked at the sermon talk notes, I immediately started filling in the blanks of the points to ponder.  Scored 100%.


Knowing the answers makes me think I am on the right track.  Now it's just putting the rest I have found into practice.  That's the hard part of faith.  Reading God's word is one thing but applying it to your life is another with all our hiccups and hangups.  One thing I do know though that if we seek God, He will be found.  


It's hard work to breath in our culture and not being affected by it.  It's life that God didn't call us to be a part of...this is not our home.  He did call us to be a light to this toxic dark culture we live in.  We are all searching for something and in case you don't know it yet....you aren't going to find rest in our culture.  

There is only one place to land when looking for rest and that is in God's lap.  

Ps. 62: 1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  

Take five minutes and be still. I am challenged by the "still" part. Not that i haven't stopped to absorb God's Word, but it's the being silent and still that continues to change me. I find silence awkward, it's not comfortable. I need to grow here. 

I need to sign up for a double shift in silence.

Ps. 131:2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul.....

Take a knee and wait.  Here's another area where God has been growing me.  In his waiting room, there are many numbers that haven't been called yet.  So I continue to wait, take His number, sit in His lap and wait some more.  

There are some things where God is waiting on me.  Wait...I know there is.

Ps. 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.....

Honestly we don't have time NOT to be still before God.  It should be our first step out of bed, the first part of your day.  Give God your fresh and best.  Here's something you may not have realized, that God will handle the rest of the world while you are taking your five minutes.  

Be still for God, and before God.  

I wait for the Lord, my soul awaits, and in his word i put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than a watchman wait for this morning....Ps. 130:5-6

Don't forget who God is.  Reflect on God's goodness, reflect on what He has already done.  Gather at your water's edge and think about His great goodness and mercies which are new each and every morning.  As you remember His faithfulness, pick up a small smooth stone and tuck into your pocket. Think about how God is for you and never against you.  Remember....who God is!  

Remembering God should cause us to pause for five minutes.  

Need a place to start?  Pause in Psalms...

S-L-O-W-D-O-W-N

Watch out..lawn mowing season has begun.  If you are frequent reader here, you might be acquainted with the fact that I have a lesson that sometimes emerges out of my time spent with the mower and God.  For me, it really can be a time to listen to God, process and learn.

This past week's message for me was S-L-O-W-D-O-W-N.  

When I mow, I'll admit that I want to get it done and fast.  I really don't like to spend time doing it.  So when it's time, I like to get the mixture of fumes, sweat and grass clippings over with.  Another confession, some spiritual lessons learned are harder than the actual mowing process.   With either point it takes most of my afternoon.    


While mowing last week it was challenge because the grass was really high.  My pasture-grass-yard had transformed into a jungle during the first two weeks of March.  The season of Spring was here for about 10 minutes and then we said hello to summer.  With the high grass, there were some hard inanimate things that were laying hidden.  Unfortunately, I found such hidden objects with the mower.  There was an awful collision of the blade and the junk in the tall grass...then the mower stopped.  


Upon careful inspection, it was revealed that the blade was bent.  Not just a little bent, but bent down in such a way that it would churn up the ground every time it rotated.  It was like mowing with a garden tiller. It didn't work very well.  The blade had hit something HARD!  I continued to limp the mower along to finish the yard.  It was taking twice as long since I had to slow down because of the bent blade.  It was frustrating at best.  As I was mowing, God reminded me that I also might need to slow down.


I realized in the moment of churning the turf that I cause my own churning chaos.  I create it, in fact, I am an overachiever in this category.  So now....I need to have a collision of God's blade and some hard things hidden in my heart.  And that hurts.  I need to slow down to find rest in God.
  

1 Corinthians 7:17 "Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.  This is the rule I lay down in all the churches."

I need to find my place that the Lord has assigned to me and has called me to.  I need to find that "sweet spot".  Why is this so hard for me?  Because I like to do.  I like to do a lot of ministry things.  I like to serve, I like to move, I like to progress and help.  I like to accomplish.  I don't like standing still or becoming stagnant in my service.  I feel guilty if I am not serving enough.  And I need to look to Jesus for my example of ministry and service.  


Jesus' ministry on earth was only three years.  In comparison to today’s church standards, Jesus probably wouldn't have been very effective.  He kept a pretty low profile, he healed people and then told the healed to not tell what had just happened.  He liked to be by himself, to seek the Lord and pray.  Jesus often stopped and took time to teach the children.  He would retreat on top of mountains, and go deep in the olive groves.  Even though He was very relational, He didn’t care much about making the most of his time talking to huge crowds.  In his three short years, he accomplished great things and yet he still took lots of breaks.  He didn't have a 3-year-world-tour plan calculated out for each and every stop and how it could be most impacting.  


He just sought the will of His Father.
He paused.
He prayed. 
He listened. 
He obeyed.  
He rested.  
He knew God.  

So here you are...you work, you have a family, you are active in church, you attend church on Sunday, Wednesday brings prayer meeting and kids zone, you attend or lead a women’s Bible study, teach Sunday school, sing in the choir, play an instrument for some special concert during Easter.  And your list goes on and on.  You accomplish a lot.  We don’t have time to think about how busy you are.  You just go, go, and go some more.  You don’t take time to rest.  You don't take a break.  And then your spiritual blade hits something hidden in your heart and you stop.  

The church needs us right?  How could we say no to the church?  If we don’t do it who will?  Can we really say no as a Christian and not feel guilty about it?  Taking time off makes us feel guilty.   That's why studying Jesus' ministry is so important for us overachievers and chaos causers.  The difference is that Jesus knew his limits.  And when he knew it was time to take a rest, he didn’t let anything get in the way of that.  Jesus was intentional with everything, so when he rested he did so with a purpose.  He said no.  Jesus didn’t assume the guilt either.  When he spent time alone, he knew he needed it.  He chose to do it and knew that if he didn’t he would soon be spread thin.

Doing with focused, rested intention... impacts. 

If you are overwhelmed with life and have a lot of chaos swirling around in your head and house, then slow down.  Start creating some time margins that help you breathe a little.  It’s okay to say no.  Go ahead…rest.  Jesus thought it important, why don’t you?  Don't kid yourself into believing that you can't take a break. This is the kind of thinking will only drive you to exhaustion.  And it's prideful to think if you don't do it no one else will.  Even God the Creator rested on the seventh day. Jesus constantly withdrew from the crowds to connect alone with the Father.

R-E-S-T!!!  S-L-O-W-D-O-W-N...  Jesus had the most important and perfect ministry of all.  Yet he still had time to accomplish His purpose on earth.  Whatever Jesus has called you to; don’t you think he has taken care of your rest breaks too?   He didn’t intend for you to scurry around with a crammed-packed-schedule with His calling on your shoulders only to wear you out for the sake of the gospel message.  He does ask us to be faithful to our calling and to trust Him for the results in what He has called us to do.  He has planned some seasons of rest and refreshing, because He knows we can't keep up with the break-neck speed the world tries to conform us to.  I need time to refresh and rejuvenate my soul.  Jesus knew you were going to need some rest too, so he showed you how He did it…He retreated and drew close to his Father.  He said no...because he truly understood a key ingredient of a powerful ministry--constant refueling by God's strength.

God commands you to rest. 

What do you find so hard about resting?  What is your "sweet spot"?   

I Wish I Could've Shared Coffee With Habakkuk

In my recent travels with some Old Testament prophets, I have uncovered some very interesting writers.  They wrote of truth, judgment, destruction, and hope.  They exposed their souls and wrote with abandon.  They told it all.  I'm pretty sure I would have liked hanging out with those guys.

Habakkuk was a writer who was told by God to "Write down the revelation".  That connects our hearts right away! I know we would have been friends.  He starts out with a complaint, "How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?"  Basically, Habbie cried out to God and said there was chaos everywhere, the wicked are prospering and God needed to bring judgment on the people of Judah.  He asked God "the-why-aren't-you-doing-anything?" question.

God answered Habakkuk but not in the way that he expected.  His plan was to bring the Babylonians into the picture.  The Babylonians or Chaldeans were already the most evil of people in the neighborhood and very, very powerful.  They were going to bring so much force that God described it as ..."you would not believe even if you were told."  God had it all planned out, yes, He was literally bringing the "heat".    

Habbie's response was very familiar as he complained once again.  "Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?  Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?"  Habbie was very bold to ask God all the why questions.  The Lord's answer was "Write this down...I don't want you to miss this!  And you will need to share it with the world."  Then God's woe commenced.  I am sure that it was painful to watch as Habbie mourned over the loss of life.  I think God brought the evil ones into the picture so that the people of Judah would go running to God to save them instead of the powerful ones.

"But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."

Instead of drying his tears, God said..."Who's the LORD here...I AM.  Trust me....you will see good out this and don't forget I'm still God at the end of your day.”  Shaking-in-his-boots Habakkuk fell down in worship.  He wrote the entire third chapter in adoration to God.  In the middle of his desert moments of destruction, came the restoration of his faith.  


I can't help but be impacted by his example.  I often encounter difficult circumstances as life hands me a buffet full of un-awesome stuff.  It's hard to see God at work in them and seeing good happen out of them.  And I have a tendency to ask God "Why aren't you fixing this?"  The good that comes from these moments-days-years is the deep trust I have in God.  He is for me, and is looking out for my good all the time.  I have to stay in His pockets of safe rest, secure in His love and provisions, no matter what comes across my plate.  Even if...it keeps me in the middleof the desert, full of life's un-awesome.  

Just Rest

You must read yesterday's post ...

I sometimes fight dependence on God like a 14-month-old baby boy before a much needed nap. I don’t share the all worries of my heart with God even though I know He already knows what they are and I know that He really cares about me. In my own self-reliance I am humbled in the awareness that I need Him desperately to just breathe.

I feel like if I am honest with you and with God, I am letting everyone down. But… as His strength is made perfect in my weakness I am being transparent enough to admit that I need God desperately to be me.

Maybe…

…I need to say no to another serving opportunity.

…I need say more words of grace.

…I need to let the dust settle on ideas instead of immediately pushing the launch button.

…I need to take a rest in His Word even more.

…I need to not apologize for my failures.

God, I need rest.

When I’m weary, worn out, and overwhelmed… for reasons that I can’t control or those that I can, I go to God.

God doesn’t grow weary, He doesn’t need rest. God is not the source of my problems but the answer to them. God doesn’t cause my circumstances but He gives me wisdom to journey through them. God doesn’t overwhelm but holds me up when I am.

God is not the originator of the difficult but He serves those times as reminders that I must fall back on His original plan of dependence. His passions are planted deep in my heart…. the cry of the vulnerable and the orphaned, and the message of the gospel.  They are not there to overwhelm, but to bring His perfection in me and to foster dependence.

So in my needy dependence, in my increased awareness of God, I translate this into a call to be even stronger and more courageous as I acknowledge that God is my battle cry. Sometimes I will be silent, sometimes I will blow my horn loud. My important “to-do” is my dependence on Him.

Wisdom tells me I to stay still in His lap.

Wisdom prompts my awareness of my need.

Wisdom tells me that my God never fails.

In my alone-ness, in my darkness, in my pity–parties, in my joy times, God’s presence promises His companionship, strength and courage. His completeness brings rest to my mind, my heart, my soul. And when I make my lists I know I possess the strength of His Spirit. My “nexts” are complete as long as I rely on my God.

I can relax, rest, and recover.

Each of our journeys looks different. Is yours wearing you out?  Are you worn to a frazzle?  God knows this and asks us to rest, rest in Him, and that’s awesome! 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (My new favorite verse!)

Resting in Him is a daunting task. What is God asking of you this year or today?

2012 In One Word

Many days I arrive home from work in the dark.  As I slog my feet along the path it speaks of the tired state that I feel trapped in.  In the silence, I look up at the dark and see sky- scattered stars. 

God…have I honored You today with my best?  I am overwhelmed.  With one month down on this year, and things seem the same….what is next?  What do you have for me? 

To be honest, I tend to make a long list of things that need change in my life.  I like to make lists.  It’s the way I process.  I write my dreams, my goals, my want-to’s, my to-do’s, and my thoughts.  And most times….especially with my tired body screaming sleep…. I feel exhausted before I even begin.  Usually always to the point of shutting down mentally.

When I feel tired like this, I don’t feel creative.  
When I don’t create it makes me more tired.

I will be the first one to tell you that I need more sleep.   In my pursuit to be all that God wants me to be, I have forgotten how to take care of myself.  I take care of others so well….so I think…but I never put myself on a to-do-so list.  And this is why I am so emotionally drained.   


………I’m really not asking for your advice here…...I know…...you are thinking ….I’m over committed.  Perhaps….but I am dedicated to a cause.   When people tell me to say “no” it wears me out.   But… not being able to say ‘No’ also wears me out.


What I really think is changing in me is what I have been asking God for.  My one goal for 2012 is “rest”.  As I pray to find rest in God, I am constantly barraged with opportunities to exhibit the ability to do just that.  Circumstances and situations have been served my direction that challenge my reliance on His rest, to test my ability to run to Rest and to increasingly bring my awareness for my deep need to His rest. 

The truth is apparent in my trust. 

Our souls get weary from battle on the front lines, on the back row, in our middle-of-the-road journeys that we are placed in.  If you are honest with yourself you too would admit that you need rest.  God created us with this deep need to rest in Him, and Him only.  In needing rest, we have to admit that we can’t.  We can’t fight these life battles on our own.   God didn’t program us or wire us to be able to. 

We are created in His image; therefore we need Him to exist.  So if we do this life experience on our own, we will fail every time.  In our failures to exist without Him, we are reminded of our shortfalls.  When we aren’t aware of His presence and we try to do things in our own strength. 

For “the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. God will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28

I sometimes fight dependence on God like a 14-month-old baby boy.....


To be continued….tomorrow ...the rest....

A Better Resting Place

There is a small locally owned motel in my town that has this slogan on their sign, "A Better Resting Place". I chuckle every morning as I pass by because also on the sign is the word budget. It's called Budget Inn Motel. Something about the combination of the words used on the sign makes me think twice about staying there...motel + budget + it-has-been-there-since-the-dawn-of- time makes me think that it might be a little on the economical side of the travel lodging. What strikes me is their slogan. Some how I doubt rest is found there.

When staying at a hotel it is really about how comfy the beds are, with anticipation of getting rest, rest that compares to how you sleep at home. I have stayed at some hotels where the bed was like a slab of cement with a sheet on top. So much for their 5 star rating...I'm just sayin'. At the Budget Motel, I imagine the beds to be really hard or so soft that you automatically roll to the middle of the mattress.

A better resting place is needed in this crazy mixed up world we live in. With our everyday challenges and schedules, life can feel like ride in an amusement park. It's often been described as merry-go-round or a roller coaster. If you are like me you are looking for a little "normal" in the day to day things. Something calm and peaceful. Believe me when everything falls apart and when it doesn't....we need a better resting place.

I like to think about my Heavenly Father's lap as that resting place. I feel so small there. It's a place where I can kick off my shoes, sit back and let out a big sigh and talk till my heart's cry is heard. It's a beautiful and quiet place, a place where I am held safely in His loving arms. He leans over and listens, I sit still and "know that He is God." My words are measured but His love, mercy, grace, and comfort are unlimited. His lap is always accessible and has plenty of room. When I seek His resting place it seems as if the whole world fades away. I like to spend a lot of time there. And once I come away from His lap.... well.... I feel rested. Ps. 62:5 "Yes, my, soul, find rest in God; my hopes come from him. " I love the way He holds me.

Seek your Better Resting Place today.