Preparation For The New Year

As I've walked through some really great advent devotional plans to place my heart in God's hands for the Christmas season, I've felt a tugging from the Holy Spirit. The tugging is reminding me that we are on a constant adventure with God as He molds us to His design. Through the tugs, one word, one attribute of God is clear to me: peace. God calls Jesus the Prince of Peace in Isaiah. When the angels announce Jesus' birth, they declare peace on all men. In Jesus' ministry on Earth, He teaches that if we come to Him and walk in His rhythms of Grace, we will have Peace. Even the apostle Paul teaches that when turn our worries over to God through prayer we will have a peace that passes all understanding. 

I started my advent journey with the focus I was preparing my heart for the true meaning of Christmas. Instead, I feel God is preparing me for what I need to focus on for 2014: Peace.

The senior pastor of the church I attend has had his staff participate in a fast and also a word from God for the past few years. He invites the congregation to participate as well. In 2012, I followed a Daniel Fast and spent the year focusing on the word Restoration and the Dry Bones passage in Ezekiel. God was faithful and restored to me dreams about my career and myself. He took me from dry bones to green pastures in 2012.  If you have read my blog this past year, 2013 was filled with the word Eucharisteo .  In learning to be thankful to God for all things, seeing both the good and bad as a gift from God, I've grown to trust and depend on God in a new, stronger way. I also started the year with a social media fast to stop some of the "noise" and refocus on God. 

Back to Peace. I know this is my word for 2014. God reminds me over and over of this word. I definitely am going to spend time in The Word discovering more about Peace. I know I need to be still in front of God to discover what that looks like in my life. I'm definitely thankful that peace is my word. You see, while restoration and Eucharisteo have propelled me to greater growth in God, it has been hard. I feel like there was so much growth, that I feel like a new, different woman. But to reach this point, I had to do all the things God called me to do- like surrender dreams and plans, change my heart, confess my sin, experience freedom. The list could go on. I'm thankful that after all this hard work to be transformed by God, He is now promising peace. I know that 2014 won't be free of change, but I have a feeling it will be peaceful change. I know that I will still be growing, but I think the way it will happen will be in a peaceful manner. I'm excited for the possibilities up ahead!! As for the fast, I know for sure that I'm going to take a break from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I may possibly still blog, but I haven't fully decided. What else to fast? I'm still not sure and will be praying what will lead to peace. 

Advent is a time of preparation to remind us of Christ's first coming. It is also a time where we can prepare our hearts to make room for Christ. For me, it is allowing a deeper relationship to grow. But for you, perhaps this is the first time you may have realized there is no room for Christ in your life. I pray that you would surrender to Him now. Open your heart and accept Him as your Savior, your Prince of Peace. 

Trusting God With Everything, Pt.2

Over the next three months, Mary grew in her confidence in what the Lord had told her.  She was to be the mother of the Messiah.  Mary  also grew in her confidence  to take care of an infant thanks to her mother and cousin’s examples.  John was a loud baby, with a cry that Mary was sure drew attention from everyone in the neighborhood.  Mary’s size also grew and it was quite apparent on her small frame that she was expecting a child.  There would be no hiding it from the townspeople in Nazareth when they returned.  Every day she waited for some sort of message from Joseph that said he was going to still marry her after he had heard from God.  Every day, it felt like this hope was deferred more and more.  Mary wished that there was something she could do, but it all came back to her Mother’s words: “We are going to have to wait on Joseph to see where God leads his heart.  Trust God to lead him to the right answer.”

Meanwhile, back in Nazareth, Joseph engrossed himself in his carpentry.  He tried to make time and pray and ask God for guidance about Mary.  Often it became difficult as he would try to logically solve the problem.  He knew that virgin women couldn't get pregnant.  He also knew that he had kept his vow of purity.  Then how could Mary be pregnant?  Unless she had a relationship with another man.  Mary was young and beautiful, it wouldn't be inconceivable that it could happen.  Joseph knew that if he married an unfaithful woman now, he would pay later on.  He knew that it wasn't God’s best choice.  That left only two things; either have Mary publicly stoned when she returned or to send word to her that he was breaking the engagement.  If he sent it to her while she was in Jerusalem, Joseph thought that perhaps she could stay there and make a life.  He decided that he would send a messenger with the word in the morning and then take her dowry back to her father’s house.

As Joseph ate his evening meal, he felt very restless.  He finished eating and then went to sleep.  It took him a while to fall asleep and it too was restless.  In his fitful sleep he had a dream. A large man who was covered in a powerful bright light appeared to him.  “Joseph.  Joseph,” said the man.  “I am an angel of the Lord.  I have a message from the Most High God for you.  Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife as you have planned.  What she told you was the truth.  The child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  He will be a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save the people from their sins.”

The next day, around early evening, a messenger came running to the house of Elizabeth in Jerusalem.  “Hello, I’m looking for Mary from Nazareth, house of Eli. I have a message for her.”  Mary stepped out into the dusk.  “This is her.”

“Mary, I've been sent to you by a carpenter named Joseph of Nazareth.  He says to come home quickly because he believes and he cannot wait to marry you and become a father to Jesus.”   

Trusting Him With Everything, Pt.1

“Joseph, I have to tell you something.”  Mary looked down at her hands.  “I know that it will sound crazy, but you need to believe me that this came from God.”

                Joseph sat down across from Mary.  He looked at Mary’s face and realized he had never seen so many emotions at one time.  She looked nervous yet there was a light that seemed to glow from within, making her eyes have a peace.  Mary’s mother, Anna, was sitting next to her with her arms wrapped around her daughter.  Eli, Mary’s father, smiled at Joseph.  “My daughter has some very big news.  We hope that this won’t change any previous agreements.”  Eli patted Mary’s hands.  “Go ahead my dear and tell him.  It is your story to tell.”

                Mary looked up at Joseph.  In front of her was the man promised to be her husband.  Joseph was an answer to many prayers.  He was calm and responsible, yet to loved to laugh and enjoy the fellowship of others.  God was very important to Joseph and he never missed a prayer time or the day to go the synagogue.  He was compassionate with all people and generous with his resources, including tithing even though he was just an apprentice. Mary knew that what she was about to share could change how Joseph felt about her and could chose to break their engagement and walk away forever.

                “Mary, what is it?” Joseph’s face was filled with concern.

                “Joseph,” began Mary. “About a month ago, an angel of the Lord came to me.  At first I was frightened,  He was so big and a bright light shown about him.”

                Joseph interrupted,  “You had an angel visit you?  Like the story of our ancestor Jacob and the stairway?”

                Mary grabbed his hand.  “Yes Joseph.  But it wasn't in a dream.  He was right across from me here in this room, just like you are.  He shared with me some of God’s plan for my life.  God has chosen me to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah.”

                “What?  So that means I am the father?  Are you going to become pregnant immediately after we wed in six months?”  Joseph tried to understand what Mary was saying .

                Eli spoke up.  “ Joseph, you are supposed to be a father to the Messiah child.  However, Mary is already pregnant.

                Joseph turned and looked at Mary.  “Wait a minute.  Mary cannot be pregnant.  I've never even been alone with her.  Are you accusing me of something?”

                Anna said, “No Joseph, no one  is implying you are the reason for Mary’s pregnancy.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon her and she is showing all the signs of pregnancy.  Mary is going to give birth to the Messiah.”

                Joseph looked at Mary.  “Is this true?  You are pregnant?  If I am your betrothed, why didn't God visit me too?  Why would He only send an angel to you?”

                “Joseph, please…you have to understand and believe me.  I don’t know why God has only sent an angel to me.  But it is true.  I have been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.  His name is to be Jesus and He is going to do great things- things we couldn't ask or imagine.  God has done the impossible and allowed me to conceive to allow this miracle.”

                Joseph got up and started walking back and forth across the room.  “This is all too much for me to take in right now.  All of it does sound very important to God, but I’m not sure why I haven’t heard anything from Him.”

                Eli stood up.  “ I know that you are going to need time to pray and seek God in what to do with this matter.  Anna has a cousin, Elizabeth, who is expecting a baby very soon.  She and Mary are going to go help for three months.  When they return, you can share what God has led you to do.”

                Joseph turned and looked at Mary’s face.  She had tears forming in her eyes.  “Yes, Eli, I believe that would be best.”  He quietly left the house.

                Anna wrapped Mary in a hug.  The tears were now streaming down her face.  Mary’s heart weighed heavily in her chest. “Oh Mother.  Why would God allow this?  I knew Joseph wouldn't believe me.  Why didn't God wait until after we were married?  Or better yet, why hasn't He spoken to him with another angel?”

                “Mary, I don’t know.  Perhaps God is doing this to draw him closer.  Please don’t doubt God’s timing.  God has a purpose in all of this.  You have to trust what God told you.  You are having Jesus, His Son.  Now whether or not Joseph is the child’s earthly father remains to be seen.  We have to give him time to hear from God.”

“I shouldn't have told him now.  We should have just moved the wedding ceremony to sooner.  I could have told him after it was all over.”

Anna stroked her daughter’s hair. “Mary, you know we couldn't move the ceremony.  We have to go and help Elizabeth.  She has never had a child before and she needs my help.  Plus, it will be good experience for you to see what is ahead of you in the coming months. And, you did tell me that you felt like God wanted you to tell Joseph now.  Don’t doubt it.  We are just going to have to wait on Joseph to see where God leads his heart.”

“But what if he breaks the engagement?  Mother, I almost wish that is what he would have said tonight.  I can’t stand hoping that he’ll believe me and then end up a complete outcast.  Not a fit way for the Messiah to be born- as a social outcast.”

“Trust Mary.  Trust God that He will lead Joseph to the right answer.  You are doing what God has placed in your hands before you.  Now get some rest.  We have a long journey to Elisabeth’s tomorrow.” 

Receive and Prepare

December 1st is here. That means there are 24 days until Christmas. What are you doing to receive and prepare this season? 

Being a woman, I focus a lot on that word prepare when thinking about Christmas. To be really honest with you, much of that preparation doesn't focus on the true part of Christmas- celebrating when my Savior came to earth. Most often when I prepare, it is lists of gifts to buy for others, lists of cookies I want to bake, lists of decorations that may make it out of storage and into the house, lists of charitable donations, lists of plans for Christmas parties, lists of things to do in the classroom. You get the idea. Lots of preparation on the external things, but not a lot of heart preparation. And as far as receiving, well I don't prepare myself to receive anything. Which makes it awkward to get a present, because I answer with the old standard, "You shouldn't have."

As I've counting gifts of thankfulness to God this year, as I've let Him pursue my heart, as I've grown completely dependent upon Him, the Holy Spirit gave me a heart check this year. Amy, what if you stopped focusing on all the external things of Christmas? You know those things will get done. Stop and take some time to be still. Stop to really receive Jesus coming to earth. Like the carol, prepare room in your heart to be filled with Jesus.

This is my focus this year during the season of advent as we count down the days of Christmas. I want to have fresh eyes and ears as I focus on the story of Christ's birth. I want to receive it in a new way, a way to recharge myself. I want to prepare my heart to not be swallowed by busyiness, but to prepare it to be swallowed by the Spirit. Who is ready to join me as receive and prepare this Christmas season? 

Lord, soften all of our hearts to your Son this season. May we all receive your Spirit of Christmas and not the world's spirit of busyiness and commercialism. May we all take time to prepare ourselves to receive the King of Kings in our hearts. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thanksgiving: The Ultimate Eucharisteo

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NLT)

If you are a new reader to my blog, I'll back up a bit to explain Eucharisteo and why it is all over my entries, tweets, and Facebook posts.  

Last year, I saw God bless me in ways more than I could imagine. I also saw God tell me no in ways I didn't want to hear. God placed Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts in my life at the right time. I began to count the good gifts and tell God thank you. I began to count the hard times and the no's as gifts and tell God thank you. My heart began to change to live in the present. In fact, one of my words to focus on in my spiritual journey was Eucharisteo-Thanksgiving.

As we (hopefully) are celebrating thanksgiving to God today, I had to stop and reflect on the impact intentional thanksgiving has had on my life this year. I remember one day back in Feburary that was tough. It seemed like everything was not going well. I was ready to complain, to settle for negativity, but remembered to stop and give thanks to God for three things. When I did that, a few more flowed and I viewed the day with a better perspective. I remember the day The Nurse got married. I could have been filled with negativity and self pity. Instead, I was quietly counting gifts and being filled with joy. Thankful for her sweet letter to me. Thankful for how beautiful she looked. Thankful for how happy her and the bro-in-law are. I remember the day this summer I was so stressed out from tutoring and all I wanted was a Cherry Coke and I walked into Wal-Mart and there was a 20oz in the check-out cooler. Thankfulness. I think back to starting school again and feeling like I couldn't finish everything before meet the teacher day. God prompted me to ask my friends for help and they were there and together we finished it all.  So very thankful. I remember feeling alone and asking God to bless me with some solid friendships and I'm thankful because I've gotten closer to do life with some awesome women. I'm thankful my pastor's wife is getting more involved with human trafficking, a darkness that permeates OKC. I've been praying for some wise and Godly people to rise up and take a stand. I'm even thankfulful God told me no in my dating life. It just means that His good and perfect (for me, Mr. Right will not be perfect, as I'm not either) gift is up ahead.

All of this, is as Ecclesiastes says, is accepting a gift from God. I've enjoyed my life and I've become content. Have I done this through focusing on myself? Nope. It was done by returning the thanks of the gifts back to the gift giver, God. I love the way the last verse reads, "God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. (Ecclesiastes 5:20 NLT)". It is so true. When I take my eyes off God, I can easily slide down into self pity or traveling down the what-if lane. But when I stay present, counting gifts, I am enjoying life. Most importantly, I have learned to have a greater reverence for the sovereignty of God, I am more in love with God, and I trust Him more. God wants to give us gifts, and all He asks in return is for a thankful heart. Amazing, isn't it?

I encourage you today to find three things you are thankful for not only over the past year, but also today. Then wake-up tomorrow morning, and carry Eucharisteo with you. Watch for things to be thankful to God and be amazed at how much He loves you! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Prayer, Part 2

As I've continued to read The Circle Maker, I've found myself flip flopping on my opinion of it. There are some good points, however I'm not sure it's going to be a go to for me in prayer. Thoughts?

One thing I did like about Batterson's section titled "Praying Through" was the idea of incorporating praise into prayer.  In the book, he says to start praising God for the prayer being answered. All of the examples he gives end according to the person praying's desires. However, I've had a recent experience where that wasn't the case. But being able to praise God in my prayers let me deal with disappointment in a God honoring way.

I felt like things were at a stand still on three things I was requesting from God. I started to praise God for a lot of things I wanted to happen as if they already happened. That didn't feel genuine to me, so I just started to pray praises to God for who He is, not what I wanted Him to do.  Suddenly my shift in my prayers went from what I wanted to focused on God.  As God told me no on certain things, I was sad but felt a peace. I think it was because I know that God is in control. God is sovereign. If things didn't happen like I desired, it is because His ways are not only higher than my understanding but they are also BETTER.

Tonight, our LifeGroup met for a worship, word, and prayer night. As we mixed our prayers with the reading of The Word and the worship of God, the atmosphere changed. I know I felt tired and worn out when we started but at the end I was feeling better and full of HOPE.

My challenge to you is this: instead of making your prayer list a list of requests to God all the time, stop. Stop and spend some time refocusing on Him and who He is. You may not understand all of His ways and you may not be happy tomorrow. But worshiping and affirming the truth of God in your prayers will elevate them to where the enemy cannot touch and put them right in the palm of God's hands.  God will move in your heart and you will be recalibrated to His Rhythm of Grace. 

Do you have a case of the Mondays?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:6, 7 NIV)

I think today was supposed to be a day of the Mondays for me. But it wasn't. I woke up this morning and read the YouVersion verse of the day, 1 Corinthians 13:6-7. It reminded me of a Bible study I wrote a few years ago where I replaced the word love with God in order to see the characteristics of God clearly. When I did that, it read like this in my mind:

"God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:6, 7 NIV)"

While I was in the middle of praying during my morning commute, traffic came to a sudden standstill and I was involved in a minor fender bender on I-44. But God was there. He was definitely protecting me. I had just stopped with enough room that I didn't bump the car in front of me. The lady behind me just scraped little Nicole Nissan's left rear wheel. She couldn't have been more apologetic or sincere. She probably is a really nice person in everyday life. After we exchanged information, I had to merge from the shoulder back onto I-44, which I looked and saw was going to be impossible. I said a prayer and asked God to help me get on the highway, and suddenly there was a clear break in the traffic. I was able to make it to work and still teach all day. The students were great and rolled with me. They worked hard and we got to end the day on a fun note. I wasn't looking forward to sitting through a meeting after school, but it ended up being very interesting and dare I say, a tiny bit of fun?

God definitely protected me. He definitely chased after my heart and renewed my hope and trust in Him. It could have been a bad day, but instead, by keeping my eyes focused on Him, it's been a tough day of Eucharisteo.

Dear God, I thank you for this Monday. I thank you that you are always protecting me. Thank you for renewing my hope and my trust in you. Jesus, there is no one beside you, forever the hope in my heart.

Poor little Nicole's scrape!! :-(