Our Urban Garden: The Water of the Word

 

                      Late yesterday afternoon, I noticed the lush bright pink flowers on my hydrangea plant had dropped considerably. Thinking that perhaps the flower head had reached its full life expectancy, I didn’t think too much about it. However, later in the evening, the entire bush had shriveled. The leaves were wilted, the flowers droopy, and the entire bush looked weak and sick. I then noticed the other hydrangea bush was starting to show some of the same signs of weariness. At this point, I was concerned about my new little “babies,” so Jeff and I took them inside for some extra care.

          We spent half an hour researching problem care for container hydrangeas and couldn’t quite figure out what had made them so sick. The day was chilly, but the air wasn’t too frigid to kill them. There was plenty of sunshine on the balcony, and they had just gotten a showering of water from the rainstorm on Saturday. What was the problem?

          During our reading, both Jeff and I discovered that hydrangeas are extra thirsty plants. I’ve been a little wary to overwater my plants, because books and experts alike have warned me that many houseplants die from overwatering as much as under-watering. But when I looked at the pictures in my gardening manual depicting an under-watered plant, I saw the same overall withered look in my hydrangeas. After finger testing the soil, I decided that maybe my hydrangeas needed some extra water after all. So, for better or worse, I took my pink spritz bottle, filled it up, and gently watered the soil of my sad hydrangeas. For extra measure, I even spritzed some of the leaves in hopes of reviving these poor bushes that so bravely entered the home of a newbie gardener.

          To my surprise, when I woke up this morning, my pink hydrangeas had revived completely! The flower heads were tall and stately, their soft pink petals alive and perky. The leaves had unfurled, and the bush had an overall healthy, vibrant appearance. Imagine, all that life came back with just a little bit of water!
 

          As I was pondering this miracle of life, I was reminded of the necessity of water in our own spiritual lives. Ephesians 5:25-27 says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

          Many times in scripture, the Word is symbolized as water. And just like my hydrangea plants, if we don’t adequately water ourselves with the water of the Word, we will shrivel and die. The Word is our strength, our cleansing agent, our food, and our sustenance. Without it, we cannot grow, we cannot produce fruit, we lose our luster and brilliance, and we shrink back from living in our full potential. The Word is the power source behind every brilliant, steadfast Christian!

          Sadly, many Christians take for granted the watering process of the Word. We think if we hear the Word once or even twice that we are guaranteed to grow and produce fruit. But that is not the case. Like all living things, we need constant and continual watering.

          For the past several months, I have been meditating on the power, authority, and value of God’s Word. During this time, my love of God’s Word has been rekindled into a burning fire. I have rediscovered a grateful reverence for my Bible and have awakened a deep desire for the feeding of the Word. And in this time of reflection, study, thinking, probing, and meditating, my spiritual life has taken on a whole new growth pattern. My leaves are shiny and bright, my fruit is strong and beautiful, and my life is strong and upright. The Word has rejuvenated me, brought me life, and stimulated new growth. I am different because of the watering of the Word!

          Sometime last fall, as I was studying on the benefits of staying in the Word, I came across a text book we had read while in Bible school at Rhema, called How to Study the Word: Taking the Bible from the Pages to the Heart by Terry Lawson. I began incorporating that book into my own devotional time and was inspired by the multitude of scriptures listed that dealt with the topic of God’s Word. It’s phenomenal how much God’s Word speaks about itself!

          From this renewed appreciation and pursuit of God’s Word, I’ve changed some priorities in my life. I don’t see things the same way as I did a year ago, nor do I think the same way. Why? Because I’ve grabbed a hold of the Word of God with every ounce of my being. I’ve always been a student of the Word, and I’ve always cherished my daily devotional times. Now more so than ever, I am hungry for the life in the Word. I desire it, I long for it, I need it. Just like my pink hydrangeas, I am tall and sprightly because of the water of the Word.

          The Psalmist wrote: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:2-3). In the book of Joshua, God gave the following instructions to His children: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8) In both scriptures, success came as a result of meditating in God’s Word.

          In John 15, Jesus even talked about the importance of a branch continually abiding in the Vine. And guess what? He said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). The secret to a prevailing prayer life and a successful Christian walk is found in the faithful hearing and daily application of God’s Word.

          Let me leave you with a few additional insights from Psalm 119. As you may recall, Psalm 119 is almost entirely dedicated to honoring God’s Word. If you haven’t read it in a while, I encourage you to go back through that chapter and see for yourself how awesome God’s Word really is! In this chapter, we find a plethora of benefits of spending time in God’s Word:

• God’s blessing is upon us if we observe and do His Word (verse 1-5)
• Treasuring God’s Word in our hearts keeps us from sin (verse 9-11)

• God’s Word gives us counsel (verse 24)
• Spending time in God’s Word produces reverence for God (verse 38)
• God’s Word keeps us from shame (verse 46)
• God’s Word comforts and revives us (verse 50)
• God’s Word causes us to give thanks (verse 61-62)
• God’s Word teaches us discernment and knowledge (verse 66)
• God’s Word preserves us from destruction (verse 87)
• God’s Word keeps us spiritually recharged (verse 93)
• God’s Word gives us wisdom and understanding (verse 88-100)
• God’s Word gives joy to our hearts (verse 111)
• God’s Word sustains us and gives us life (verse 116)
• God’s Word keeps sin from having dominion over us (verse 133)
• God’s Word is our delight in the face of trouble (verse 143)
• God’s Word pleads our cause and rescues us (verse 153-154)
• God’s Word fills us with peace and keeps us from stumbling (verse 165)
• God’s Word brings us back when we stray (verse 176)

        
      If you are feeling a little discouraged or dull, I encourage you to take a spiritual bubble bath. Soak in God’s Word, and let the faucet of the supernatural, life-transforming power in God’s Word run its rejuvenating water all over you. If you’re weary, anxious, sad, and troubled, go get your Bible and start reading God’s promises to you. If you’re facing trouble, or if you need wisdom on how to deal with family or marriage situations, God’s Word has the counsel you need! If you’re tempted to sin, if you’re stressed on the job, if you’re worried about tomorrow, go soak in God’s Word.

God’s Word has the ability to revive you, the truth to correct you, and the wisdom to guide you. And even when you think you’ve already had enough Bible time, go back and soak some more. God’s Word is your secret to life!

 

Our Urban Garden: The Birth of a New Adventure

 

      About six weeks ago, my husband and I ventured into the whole new world of gardening. I’ve never grown anything green by myself, and I always reticently agreed to housesitting my friends’ plants. God forbid, anything should die at my hand! But as newlywed bliss settled over our souls, the nurturing aspect of life kicked into high gear. Maybe we are preparing for parenthood, maybe spring is calling to our hearts, or maybe we just needed a new little adventure in life. Or perhaps, our new love was so plenteous and bountiful that it needed a joint expression of its overflowing joy. Whatever the reason behind this new endeavor, we launched full-force into gardening.

          As a missionary kid, I was exposed to some of Europe’s most beautiful gardens and flowers: the lush rose trellis in our neighbors’ yards, the austere jardin at the Chateau de Versailles, the ancient Lombardy poplars along the French country roads, and the blazing yellow mustard bushes in the nearby fields. It seemed almost every French person I met was born with a green thumb. While all our neighbors grew a gorgeous assortment of roses and lavender, our little American backyard was sadly lacking in spring array…except for a tiny handful of dainty yellow daffodils that grew every spring. We assumed the previous tenant had planted them, and they faithfully, albeit mysteriously, appeared every year we lived in that house.

          When we lived in Sweden, half the year was buried in an avalanche of snow from about October to May. But when spring finally came, so did the pretty little flowers. In fact, I remember walking to a neighborhood market about a mile away from our house and often bringing home a fresh bouquet of flowers just to remind myself that spring was near.

          Years later when I moved to Tulsa to attend Oral Roberts University, I fell deeply in love with the Prayer Gardens, a romance with nature that still lingers today. In fact, there’s no place of outdoor solace I’d rather be in than the ORU Prayer Gardens. The multitude of colorful flowers, the hovering canopy of strong trees, and the lush Elephant Ears guarding the Prayer Tower doors create the most amazing peaceful effect. Combined with the constant peace lingering on the campus and the soft trickle of water fountains, the gardens really are a solace for the soul. To this day, if ever I am need of a quiet place to pray or reflect, I immediately head over to the Prayer Gardens. It is my favorite place in the whole wide world!

          This love of flowers, once born from a missionary girl’s heart, continued to grow all through my single years in my 20s and 30s. Not married until age 32 and never a huge advocate of dating, I didn’t have a special someone to bring me flowers for no reason. So, I began a tradition of occasionally buying myself flowers…just because. The bouquets were inexpensive and didn’t last long, but they brought simple joy to my heart during their week of life in my home. And now with a wonderful husband in my life, I enjoy the special bouquets he often brings home as a surprise. (Life is pretty grand with a husband, I admit!)

          Despite this lovely appreciation of flowers, bouquets, and gardens, I’ve not yet attempted to grow anything from seed, bulb, or pot in all my 33 years. So when Jeff and I embarked upon this new journey, it began as an experiment and a learning process. Through the last six weeks, this endeavor has blossomed into a full-blown obsession, nature adventure, and a deeply spiritually enriching lesson.

We began our little venture with a few lily bulbs and a couple containers. As our curiosity grew, so did our purchasing weakness. Added to the collection were a variety of lilies, calla lilies, dahlias, a purple clematis, a yellow Carolina Jessamine, and two other exotic looking plants with gorgeous green leaves. We’ve endeavored to maintain a color scheme of pink, orange, yellow, and purple and have organized our plants in color-matching or neutral pots around our balcony. Since we live in an upstairs apartment, we call this “urban gardening,” our own terminology used to describe the more accurate term “container gardening.” I’ve lost count how many containers are now out on our balcony--the number is quickly approaching 30, give or take a pot.

    The potting process was an additional experiment to the gardening adventure. Most retailers sell pretty little pots at a pretty little penny, so Jeff and I opted for the ugly orange terracotta pots, which we brilliantly decided to paint ivory or purple. The painting idea turned out to be a smart way to provide a beautiful container at low cost. (Now we just have to figure out how to remove the paint spots from our balcony floor!)

Since most of our flowers are just now beginning to show tiny sprouts above the soil, I decided we needed to add some full blossoms to our seedling garden. So on Thursday, I took a little break from writing and headed to the Southwood Nursery on 91^st and Lewis to purchase a couple brightly colored gerbera daisies.

I’ve always loved gerbera daisies, but since June of last year, these big blossoms have taken on a special significance for me as they were my wedding flower. In fact, the wedding detail I remember most from our June 23^rd wedding is my bouquet of turquoise hydrangeas and orange and pink gerbera daisies. Amidst all the blur, activity, people, emotions, and life-altering moments, I vividly recall the happiness personified by my wedding bouquet. Gerbera daisies are such fun, happy little flowers, don’t you think?

To my heightened delight, I not only found a lovely group of brightly colored daisies last week at the nursery, but I even found them in orange and pink, our wedding colors. Giddy with excitement, I grabbed six of the happy little flowers and put them in my shopping basket. But oh, the beauty of spring that surrounded me at that moment, calling to me, beckoning me, luring me into the bounty of the greenhouse! All around were pink petunias, purple and yellow pansies, orange impatients, vivid orange and red bromeliads, soft pink geraniums, blue hydrangeas, white lilies, and an assortment of green plants, succulents, vines, and ivies. Overcome with spring fever, my newly found obsession kicked into high gear. I walked out of the store with my six gerbera daisies, two pink hydrangeas, a salmon colored geranium, a hot pink geranium, and a hanging basket of lovely tangerine impatients.

 

          Being the sweet husband that he is, Jeff was ever so patient and understanding when he arrived home and saw the balcony decked out in eleven new flower plants! Over the weekend, we made a trip to Garden Ridge to pick out some more containers for the new members of our urban garden. Deciding to break away from the terracotta method, we opted for some round purple porcelain containers for the hydrangeas and several decorated tin containers for the others.

During our research on gardening, we’ve discovered that all potted flowers must have a good drainage system. So if a pot doesn’t have holes in the bottom, we drill the holes ourselves. Apparently, the drainage holes allow the water to properly escape the soil, thus preventing root-rot.

After repotting our plants and buying some additional plant stands, we are beginning to see the lovely rewards of our hard work and patience. Almost every bulb we planted has exhibited at least some sign of growth, while the previously blooming flowers are continuing to blossom. What an exciting adventure for a newly married couple!

On the warmer afternoons, I’ve enjoyed sitting on my balcony drinking a cappuccino and working on freelance projects while soaking in the elegance of our infant urban garden. I may not hear the eloquent strands of French or the sing-song cacophony of Swedish, but I am living in the midst of my own personal Prayer Garden, right outside my own front door.

Eight Principles for Stewarding Our Gifts

~ Eight Principles for Stewarding Our Gifts ~

 1. When developing our gifts, we are not to be afraid of the potential nay-sayers or negative circumstances. Rather, we are to walk in love, in power, and in self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7).

 2. We are utlimately the ones responsible for developing our gifts (2 Tim. 1:6).

3. We may face opposition while using our gifts for the Kingdom of God (2 Tim. 1:12).

 

4. We did not receive our gifts on our own merit; God sovereignly entrusted them to us to fufill His eternal plan and purpose (2 Tim. 1:9).

 5. The Holy Ghost will help us steward our gifts well (2 Tim. 1:14).

 6. Study, discipline, and excellence are required in our quest for stewardship (2 Tim. 2:15).

 7. We learn how to cultivate our gifts from our mentors (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

 8. When we have cultivated our gifts properly, we are to  multiply them through teaching and discipleship (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

America: The Overlooked Mission Field

For every face you see in America, Jesus paid a price...

According to a particular survey, only 29% of the American population are active, practicing Christians. The number of marginally unchurched individuals (people who have a religious affiliation but have never had an encounter with Jesus) comprises 30% of the population. And those who are considered radically unchurched (are of other religions or are atheist/agnostic) make up 41 % of the American demographic.

In other words, if you were to randomly pick 10 Americans and stand them side by side, only 3 of them would have any real relationship with Jesus Christ. The other 7 are on their way to hell unless someone shares Christ with them. Just think about that for a minute – 7 out of every 10 Americans are held captive by Satan, broken by sin, and are dying without a Savior.

During my teenage years, my family and I served as missionaries on one of the spiritually darkest continents in the world: Europe. When we moved to France in 1995, only 5% of the French population actually owned a Bible, and 20% of them were agnostics or atheists. In school, I was constantly asked questions like, “What’s a Bible? What’s a pastor? Who’s Jesus?” Despite its historical and cultural beauty, France was a very dark, oppressing nation. They needed the light of Jesus Christ.

Just recently, the Pew Survey released an astonishing statistic: The secular segment of America’s population has risen to 20%. That statistic – the same one we used to describe our missionary needs on the foreign field – now describes the United States of America. In this country today, 20% of our fellow citizens are so unchurched and so unfamiliar with the story of redemption, that they proclaim themselves as atheists and agnostics.  In fact, another research study discovered that the Millennial generation is the least exposed to the Gospel ever in the history of our nation.

In 1831, a French sociologist and politician by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville came to America to discover why America was such a prosperous nation. Among the many things he discovered was one primal ingredient: the churches, morality, and religious freedom we have in the United States. According to this statesman, it was America’s Christianity that made her great.

Today, we are a far cry from hearing church bells ring on every corner. The media is so ungodly these days that if a person stands for Christian values – even in his own church setting – he often gets a backlash from the public media. While working in a secular department store even in the “Christian” city of Tulsa, I was shocked to run into so many individuals who hadn’t been to a church ever in their lives. In fact, it is reported now that America is the 4^th largest mission field in the world – the 4^th largest!

Because missions is something ingrained into me as a child, my heart breaks for my own country. I’m almost in disbelief how much morality has declined in even the last 10 years I’ve lived here. The issues that were taboo just a decade ago are all acceptable today. What has happened to my home, my beloved America?

My dear Christian friends, I want to challenge you today to stand up for Jesus in this country. It’s becoming less and less popular to do so, but who cares about being accepted when the truth is at stake? Don’t just think of missions as something that has to be done in another country. Friends, the USA IS a mission field! And because of its importance and influence in the other nations of the world, if we lose America, we’ve lost the door to foreign missions.

Every soul in the USA matters. When we see pictures of foreign faces from far-away lands like Tunisia, Afghanistan, Zambia, Thailand, Russia, and Chile, our hearts break because we know they don’t know Jesus like we do. Each face, each map, each flag represents an untouched soul dying and going to hell. But when was the last time you looked at a face of an American and were broken by that same compassion? When was the last time you cried over a map of the United States and beheld our flag as a symbol of missions?

The Gospel is a message for every single person in the world. Jesus died for the Uzbek, the Frenchman, the Swede, the Guatemalan, the Honduran, the Hindi, the Buddhist, the Muslim, the African, the Asian, and the European. But He also died for the American. He died for the Rhode Islander, the New Yorker, that fashion designer in Los Angeles, the gang member in Tulsa, the financial genius in Wall Street, the unwed mother in the HUD apartment in Detroit. He died for the wacky treehugger in Colorado and for the coffee loving entrepreneur in Atlanta. His blood was shed for the politicians (Yes, even them!), the military, the government officials, the policemen, the teachers, the factory workers, and the elementary kids. For every face you see in America, Jesus paid a price.

As you go about your normal routine today, I pose this challenge today: Open your eyes to the faces of the Americans as Jesus sees them. What are their hurts, their needs, their hearts’ desires? And how can you present Jesus to them? I challenge you today to take a stand for God in this country, pray earnestly for our homeland and our leaders, and take Jesus with you today to your fellow American countrymen. This country needs you…and this country needs Jesus.

 

Singing the Sweetest Song

                     

               "The Lord is my strength and song; and He has become my salvation."



                                                           ~ Psalm 118:14


Through every season of life, there is a thread of music weaving in and out of our hearts. Some people carry the song of bitterness and rebellion, while others carry a song of pride and selfishness. But for those walking closely with the Lord, there is but one song resounding in the depth of our hearts...it is the sweetest song, the song of purity and life, light and redemption, peace and love. It the song of a Saviour, a Redeeemer, a Restorer. It is the loveliest of all melodies one could ever hear or sing...it is the song of Jesus.


In the bright seasons of life, it's easy to sing to an upbeat tempo. How many of us crank up a great rock cd during the heat of summer while driving with the windows rolled down, breeze flowing through our car, and sunshine glistening from the sky? Those escstatic moments of joy and freedom are accompanied by the loud crunch of guitars, defining beats of drums, and happy lyrics. But when we are down, depressed,or discoruaged, how many of us are tempted to shift into melancholy rhythms? Gray skies and rain always seem to evoke images of soulful lyrics or saddened melodies. Depending on our moods and circumstances, our taste in music varies from one season to the next. And the music that speaks to us, moves us, and comforts us changes as we move with the cadence of life.


But in the depth of the heart, there is but one song for the believer. It is never mournful, never despondent, never bereft of companionship. Its melody may swing from soft and peaceful to joyful and exuberant, but its underlying message remains constant with every pulsating note. This song, echoing from the innermost chambers of our soul is the song of the redeemed. Regardless of our season, we have a song of redemption. We have a song of relationship, of restoration, of a Father's love and care. Ever resplendent of strength and hope, our song withstands the fiercest of battles, the loneliest of days, the saddest of times. And as we grow closer in our walk with the Lord, this song only grows sweeter and louder with each passing moment.


And so for those of us in our hidden, waiting seasons (there are many of us, I know!), we have the opportunity to fine-tune our musicianship. The quiet, reclusive days of waiting help us develop our listening ability and choreograph our steps in rhythm to this song. Every movement, every breath, every word, every action is being refined to respond to the song within our hearts. Unnoticed and hidden, we are practicing a performance. Some days, we sing it perfectly, and other days, we seem to crash and fail miserably. But the point is that we are becoming...we are learning with finely crafted skill the art of dancing to this melody. It's a life-learning process - one we will never completely master, for there are new levels and depths of this song we've not yet even heard - but we are growing, each and every day.


So to all of you learning to sing the sweetest song, I welcome you into this musician's circle. We have much to learn, but we are daily given the chance to practice our skill. May we live each day in response to the song placed in our hearts by the Redeemer Himself...and may we sing the sweetest song as an anthem to our King.

Pioneers and Their Pioneering Spirit

How I love a pioneering spirit! It's a spirit that sees the obstacles but forges ahead confidently. It's a spirit that connects men and women to their purpose and destiny. It's a spirit that willingly obeys God despite the opposition. It's a spirit of faith, a spirit of adventure, a spirit that takes a person around the globe and back again. It's a spirit that goes where no person has dared gone before and does something no one has contemplated doing. It's a spirit that must be imparted, cultivated, and LIVED.


A pioneering spirit endures hardships, loneliness, rough seas and difficult seasons of life. It looks at impossible situations and sees endless possibilities. It is bold, unshakeable, undefeatable. When it gets knocked down, it never gets knocked out. A person with a pioneering spirit will always stay in the ring until he has won. This spirit refuses to be quenched; it rises above the odds, the opionions, and obstacles, and races on to the finish line. A pioneering spirit refuses to quit.


This kind of thinking, this kind of living, this kind of heart attidute thinks outside the box. It doesn't care if people come against it reciting a list of impossibilities. This spirit knows it has heard from God and charges through all earthly limitations. This spirit dares to step out of its comfort zone, embracing a higher purpose from Almighty God.


Those who are true pioneers care not about being celebrated. They do not give in to praise and criticism of men. Their ears are open to One Voice, their eyes focused on one target, their energies fixed on one destiny. Their courage comes from a place deep within, a place so secret, a place found in the quiet recesses of prayer and meditation. They have cultivated themselves, prepared their hearts, and answered a call to do something great for their King. Their deeds are vailiant, their acts mighty, their work unparalleled by others.


Some say these people march to the beat of their own drum. Others say they are foolish daydreamers who flit like debris caught in the wind. To the average person, these individuals may even appear weak or incapable of greatness. But their strength and courage cannot be seen at a casual glance. Their bravery is tested through the fire and is found like pure gold. They seem out of step with their peers only becasue they are listening to a different voice. They take their orders from a Mighty King who rules over their hearts and throughout eternity. Their desire is to please Him alone, regardless of the task He may set before them. They will accept their assingnment unflinchingly, willingly, and even lovingly. "It's all for my King!" is their battle cry.


Who are these men and women who are so bold, so daring, so unconforming? Where do they come from? What do they do? These men and women of destiny are not visible to the untrained eye, and they are not often found in places of limelight, popularity, or distinction. They may get there some day, but only after their work has been accomplished. In the beginning days of their life, they will be unknown, unseen, and unsung. They are not searching for fame, but are doing something that will bring fame to their King.


This unique brand of humanity are the ones who fearlessly say "I do" to any unusual task of the King. Their work is new; it's creative, innovative, and unique to their generation. They have few footsteps to follow in, exept those of thier King and other great pioneers who have gone before them. Instead of fitting into a mold, they dare to break the mold and all the confines doubt could ever place upon thier minds.


These courageous men and women are found in missionaires, pioneering pastors, apostles, and laymen alike. These are the leaders of the next generation who have answered a call from Heaven itself, stepped out of all that was comfortable and dared to obey God. They have forsaken homes, families, native lands, familiar jobs, the easy route, the normal standard of life. They have fearlessly unsheathed their sword of faith and fought spiritual battles. They have plowed new ground, taking difficult territories for their King. They are not content to live life dispassionately; they are full of fire and zeal for the One who gave His life for them. They willingly risk all to make Him known. Depite the rumors or discouragement, the hurt or pain, the challenges and obstacles, these men and women rise up above mediocrity and dare to live a life set apart, called out, and separated for Jesus.


If necessary, these people will sail the seven seas, cross the desert, storm a city, and take a neighborhood if that is what is required for the task. No assignment is too difficult for them to accept, no place too foreign for them to go. These amazing, determined, selfless people will sing a Victor's song and march over the shallow places of life to reach a world-altering destiny. Forsaking a life lived to themselves, they have pledged to follow their King to the end of the world. Their chorus of footsteps will echo throughout the earth, changing history, humanity, and eternity.






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The Cheery Side of Snowpocalypse 2011

While the city of Tulsa sits paralyzed from the wake of Snowpocalypse 2011, most of us are stranded in our homes, isolated from friends, work, church, and the the rest of civilization. Due to the frigid temps, the mountains of snow outside will remain undemolished for days. For many of us, rehabilitation to normal life won't begin until this weekend at the earliest.

Being stuck indoors with no escape to the outside world for days can lead many to restlesnessness, cabin fever, boredom, irritability, and bad attitudes. Once the novelty of participating in Oklahoma's record blizzard passes, tempers can be on edge as close quarters and inactivity prolong througought the week. Before going crazy from exasperation, let's take a moment to seize the day and be thankful for the unique opportunities this cataclysmic event has afforded us and our families. Yes, even in the midst of Snowpocalypse 2011, thankfulnessness should fill our hearts!

So in the days to come, here are a few snippets of cheer to keep you focused on the bright side of enduring the first blizzard of 2011:

1) Tulsa didn't lose electricity!

Unlike the ice storm of December 2007, which left most of us without electricity for at least 4 days, we have warmth and light. Those of you who survived that particular storm may remember the difficulties caused by such a massive power outage. I'm not a fan of living in darkness for days on end, nor do I enjoy being separated from the luxuries of electricity! No hair dryer, bathroom light, phone chargers, computers, tv, stereo, dvd player, or internet access. Thankfully, good friends stuck together, opening up their homes and sharing their generators, firewood, and extra blankets. I am still forever grateful to Chris and Aubra who brought over firewood to my apartment, and to Michele and Lisa who let me stay at their place while I was still waiting for the return of electricity at my apartment complex.

2) Extra time for productivity

We now have several days to catch up on laundry, household chores, and taxes. Those of us who work freelance can work uninhibited on new projects and catch up on some marketing ideas. As for me, I've got a book to write! :)

3) Extra time to spend with those we love (And extra phone time for those who aren't in the same house).

What a great opportunity to spend spontaneous, quality time with family and roommates. Get out the cards, bring out the movies, and let the fun times begin. For those who own layers of clothing and snowboots, this is the perfect time to build that epic snowman in the front yard! For me, this week affords some extra time to spend with my grandmother and to catch up with phone calls and emails to friends all across the country. Relationships are so valuable in life, and Snowpocalypse 2011 provides the perfect opportunity to invest in people who make your life special.

4) Time to grow in the Lord

I can't think of any better fruit of being shut away from the rest of the world for a few days than taking that extra time to focus on the Lord. A solitary week at home is an incredible opporunity to dig deeper in the Word, spend more time in prayer, and seek the Lord regarding His plans and purposes for us. If we are diligent to focus on the Lord and grow more in relationship with Him this week, we could emerge on the other side of Snowpocalypse 2011 with new insight, fresh wisdom and revelation, and clear direction for the course of our year. How wonderful to be at home with no distractions and ample time to be with family and the Father God!

So if you feel just a bit restless and edgy in the upcoming days, take a moment to reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus. You have an extra week of time that was not scheduled in a planner, directed by your boss, or dictated by the mandates of society. Invest your time in things of value. Enjoy your family, love on your friends, and spend time in fellowship with the Lord. As we look at this week through the eyes of thankfulness, we'll treausre this little jewel hidden underneath the snowbanks of Tulsa's great blizzard.

Transition and Airport Terminals

Seasons of transition often remind me of long layovers in airport terminals. For a pocket of time, we're aliens in a city that is neither home nor our destination. We've made progress on our trip, but we still have much more to travel. We're in passage, in transit, in stationary motion. We stand looking out from the airport window at the planes taxing the runway, touching down for landing, or taking off into the sunset. We long for the next leg of our journey, but as we glance at the ticking clock on the sterile wall, we know time is forcing us to wait.

People are in constant activity all around us, walking hurriedly from one gate to another. They've come from all points of the world: Dallas, Cairo, Amesterdam, Paris, Katmandu, London, Los Angeles. Like colored markers crisscrossing lines on a blank sheet of paper, the crowds intersect at various gates throughout the terminal. Some are carrying small children on shoulders, others are sporting Armani suits or BCBG handbags. Families huddle close for comfort, while the lone traveler listens to alternative beats flowing through little white earbuds. All are participants in this game of air travel, and each must bide his time in the waiting zone.

This waiting isn't an easy roll of the dice. At first, we find adventure in the unknown. Curiosity baits our attention, and we stroll from coffee bar to retail store, sipping our lattes while looking for duty-free items. Momentarily, we feel freedom from our previous confinement in an airplane seat. The muscles in our legs and back uncurl from the torture of prolonged sitting. Our lungs fill with fresh oxygen, our stomachs find food that doesn't taste like cardboard. But after we've had our fill of stretching, shopping, and meandering, the adventure begins to wear thin. Tired and wearisome from the hours already invested in traveling, we start counting down the hours until we can leave this place.

Upon arrival at our gate, we find an available chair, plunk ourselves down, and begin the tortuous session of waiting. We try to amuse ourselves with people-watching, reading, and listening to our IPods, but as time drags on, we get restless, figety, and bored. Depending on how many time zones our bodies have already crossed during our journey, we may become irritable. Now sleep deprived and disoriented from international travel, we begin to lose perspective. Tempted to grumble and complain, we keep our distance from other travelers. All we want is to leave, to get back on our journey, to make progress towards our destination.

It is at this moment of weariness and anxiety that we are given the choice to maintain a good attitude. Our plane will leave at the desingated time whether we are cheerful or sullen during the layover. However, the process of our journey and the value we extract from it depends on the attidude we choose to maintain. The trip can be fun and exciting, or loathsome and annoying. Our attitude in the waiting makes all the difference.

During a layover, the only thing we control is our attitudes and behaviors. We don't decide when our plane arrives or departs and we don't choose our gate number. We're at the mercy of the airport and airline governance. We're on their turf, and we can rest assured they are doing their best to move us safely from departure to destination.

In life's transition seasons, the rules of the game are not much different. Sometimes, we find ourselves sitting in blue plastic chairs waiting for our scheduled departure time. Since certain things are out of our hands, it is with enduring patience and trust we place ourselves in the hands of the Father. He's working things out for us, scheduling our incoming and outgoing flights, directing our steps, and orchestrating the minutest details of our journey. We can bide our time in the airport terminal in peace and joy, or we can make ourselves miserable with frustration and anxiety. It's up to us to choose how we spend our time in this confined season of life.

Inevitably, the hands of the clock draw closer to the designated time for departure. Our plane taxies onto the runway in front of our gate. The wide doors to the walkway open, and an attnedant's voice beeps in over the intercom. "Ladies and Gentelemen, flight 787 to the next season in your life has now arrived. We will be boarding in 5 minutes." Smiling with relief, we gather our belongings and make our way to the front of the gate. Tired and expectant, we take our place in line. The attendant reaches out for our ticket, tears it, and returns the stub to us. "Welcome aboard," she glances at us, "Enjoy your flight."  We adjust our carryon and take the first steps onto the walkway leading us to the next flight of our journey. Our waiting season has come to an end, and now it's time to fly.

To Tulsa With Love

Tulsa, Oklahoma...the heart of the midwest, the capital of the Bible belt, the center of tornado alley. Home of the Tulsa Drillers, TU Golden Hurricanes, ORU Golden Eagles, and one of the few cities in America where a high school football game attracts 30,000 spectators. It's cold and icy in the winter, hot and humid in the summer, and vulnerable to allergins in the fall and twisters in the spring. Every quadrant of the city has its own specialty - churches line nearly every corner in the south, bullets from gang members pierce the dark nights in the north, ethnic groups flavor the neigborhoods of the east, and rednecks drive trucks in the west. Our city is a curious mix of the young, the old, the cultured, the poor, the student, and the professional. It is a collection of locals who've been here since birth and outsiders who stop by on their way to some place else. It is too small for some, too large for others, too south for the Northerners, and too north for the Southerners. Yet somehow, depsite its triple-digit summer heat and double digit humidity, Tulsa has been a place to call home for so many of us...even if we're just passing through.



For most of us outsiders who have called Tulsa home, it's not for rational reasons. My big city friends are too cultured for its small home feel, and my small town friends are inhibited by its mid-city size. Yet, we all moved here...willingly...even if for a year of our lives. What is it then, about this seemingly boring midwestern town that draws so many people into its borders? It's certainly not the weather, the landscape, or its lack of glamour. What it is about this city that makes men and women from all over the world literally pack up their belongings and MOVE to this slightly progressive, yet quaint city?



Opportunity.



Yes, Tulsa is a city rich in opportunity. But it is not opportunity in the usual, materialistic context. It is opportunity of a spiritual kind. Opportunity of advancement. Opportunity to grow, to learn, to become something better than what we were before we came. Opportunity to connect, opportunity to be trained, prepared, and launched into a destiny. It is a city of deep spiritual heritage that plants indelible seeds upon the soil of our hearts. We come here to soak up what others have learned, to be taught by the experts, to grow in our understanding of personal giftings and callings, and to be sent out across the world to give out of the very seeds planted in this city. This city is indeed like no other, for it holds a special place in the seasons of our lives.

I've been a citizen of Tulsa for an entire decade now and have had the most wonderful opportunity to be part of some of the most amazing institutions of this city. What brought me here as a 19-year old fresh-faced missionary girl from Paris was the opporunity to gain a college education in a Spirit-filled university. There are many great Christian universities in America, but nothing can quite compare to Oral Roberts University. Dotted with gold-plated domes and punctuated by eternal flames, this futuristic-looking campus may hold small esteem in the eyes of the world. But to me, this university is a priceless thread woven into the fabric of my existence.

As a missionary kid on the European field, I had spent the majority of my teenage years witnessing to atheistic classmates about Jesus. No one in my school had hardly ever seen a Bible, much less been to a real church. I was often the focus of perplexion and discussion among my peers. As an expatriote, I hadn't felt a feeling of belonging in years. Yet the moment I stepped onto the grounds of the ORU campus, my heart had come home. I still remember the first chapel service I ever attended as a freshman - thousands of shiny, youthful faces filled the auditorium as worship music echoed in the air. Suddenly, I didn't feel alone in the world as a Christian...an entire college campus was singing praises to a God I knew! What a safe, safe place to call home.

During the four years of my university studies, I had built friendships, learned from wise professors, spread my wings as a writer and as a young adult, and garnished a lifetime of memories. I graduated with a Journalism degree that has proved vital to my blossoming freelance business. I owe much of who I have become and what I have learned to this university and to its founder, Dr. Oral Roberts.

So to ORU and Oral Roberts, I would like to say thank you. What courage it must have required to step out into the void of Spirit-filled Christian higher education and build a university based on God's authority and the Holy Spirit. From your classes and professors, I've learned how to become a better writer and a better communicator. With these skills, I will go where God's voice is heard small, His light is seen dim, and His power is not known. Thank you for stepping out in faith and obeying God. Even when it wasn't easy, even when the media mocked and scorned, even when the mandate of building a respected university seemed impossible, you forged ahead in obedience and unfettered faith. You gave me an opportunity to grow in my art and impact the world around me. I have learned so much from your example and hope to make you proud.

After graduating from this great university, I went on to pursue ministry training at Rhema. For two years, I was immersed in preparation for the pastoral ministry, a calling I've known since childhood. During that season, I had some of the greatest intense personal times with the Lord, met some of my best friends, and learned valuable lessons for my future. My life would not be complete without that special opportunity.

And so to Rhema Bible Training Center and Bro. Kenneth E. Hagin, I would also like to offer my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity you gave me to grow and learn. Bro. Hagin, I have grown up on your message of faith since I was a kid. Your books and tapes are a continual source of truth for me, and I appreciate your faithfulness in the minstry. Your legacy of the Word and the Spirit have been the bedrock foundation of my spiritual growth, and I promise to take what I have learned and be the laborer God has called me to be. My feet will be part of the tramping sound you heard. Thank you for your obedience to fulfill the will of God and grant believers like myself the opportunity to be trained for our God-given assignment. You are one of the people I would most like to meet on the other side of eternity.

About two years ago, I had the unique opportunity to take a few classes at Victory Bible Institute and to volunteer weekly at the Tulsa Dream Center. Both of these institutions were founded by Pastor Billy Joe and Sharon Daughtery and have been another huge investment in my life. I will never see the lost, broken, and hurting the same way again.

So to Pastor Billy Joe and Sharon, and all the facets of Victory Christian Center, I would like to say thank you for your compassion, your vision, your dedication, and your heart to serve our city. Few other people in Tulsa have given their all to make an impact in the lives of its citizens like you. Your church, your vision, and your ministry have been a beacon of hope and light to the lost and broken in this city. Thank you so much for your labor of love and for your beautiful example of outreach. Without this opportunity to learn from you, I know something would be missing from my life. May we continue to pass on the simple love of Jesus to a broken and dying world.

Finally, during my sojourn in Tulsa, I have had the wonderful opportunity to call World Outreach Church my home. This has been the center of all that I've done and experienced in this city. When I graduated from school, lost a job, or moved away, this church has been the solid rock to lean on. It is my church family, my protective covering, my correction, and my launching pad. Throughout the years, WOC is the place where I've made dozens of friends, taught preschoolers, prayed with others, helped in the offices, and learned from some of the greatest pastors in the world. This has been one of the most treasured opportunities I've encountered in Tulsa.

And so to World Outreach Church and Pastors Mark and Janet, I would like to say how much I dearly love and appreciate the opportunity you have given me to grow as a sheep. What a place of safety, refuge, and connection. I owe my love of missions and my deep hunger for the things of God to you. You have inspired in so many a vision to reach the nations of the world with the Word and the Spirit, and I know my life would not be the same without your influence. Thank you for being a good pastor and a church to call home...even for those of us who've come from so many places, we don't know really where we're from! You have been the base for my resting place.

And so dear Tulsa, I owe so much to you. Like every other person who has come to your city of light and life, I have gained more from just being here within your borders. I am thankful to have called this place home for so many years. Despite your ice storms, tornado sirens, sweltering humidity, 71st street traffic jams, and current massive road construction, I love you so much. You've been the place of so many memories, friends, and life experiences. I know someday soon, we'll have to bid our farewells, for it will be time to do exactly what I came here to do....to leave. I have fed from your precious soil, grown in the deep earth of your opportunity, and will sow into others from the life I have received. And maybe that's what makes Tulsa so special for so many of us....it's only home because it is the base of our comings and goings. We come here and then do what this city asks of us in so many ways....to leave, taking the soil of this great place with us.

Sacred Fire

Growing up, my favorite singer of all-time was this amazing artist named Margaret Becker. Filled with powerhouse vocals, artistic lyrics, driven guitar, and heart-felt passion, her songs marked the chapters of my teenage years. One of her songs has captured the image of being on fire for God more than any other song I've heard. I'd like to share the words with you. As you read, may your heart be stirred and set ablaze.

Sacred Fire

by Margaret Becker

(From the album Never For Nothing)

Fire of separation

Fire of sacrifice

Fire of purifying heat

Burned on rocky altars

Through the ancient nights

Now that fire's burning deep in me

My heart is the altar

I am the priest

My life's the only sacrifice

This sacred fire needs

Sacred fire

Burn Your mark on me

With Your flame brand the Name

For everyone to see

Sacred Fire

Burn Your mark on me

I am honored to be set apart

So burn Your ownership into my heart

Fire of refining

Fire of discipline

Burn away all my impurities

Fire of consecration

Carefully define

The image of the Holy One in me

I know that I am priveleged

To bear the sacred light

So I will lay down everything

To keep this flame alive

Sacred fire

Burn Your mark on me

With Your flame brand the Name

For everyone to see

Sacred fire

Wait for Me

"I am waiting for you, praying for you darling, wait for me too, wait for me as I wait for you..."

~ from Wait for Me by Rebecca St. James

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NOBLE KNIGHT AND LADY FAIR

Knights in shining armor, princesses waiting in a castle, a heroic tale of romance and adventure...this is the story every young man and woman dreams of. Whether harbored secretly in the hidden corner of our hearts or talked about openly with our friends, this dream is the most sacred and the most cherished to us all. We want the fairy tale. We want the happily-ever after. We want to be the heroes and heroines in this beautifully scripted saga. But does the dream really exist? Or are we all searching for an elusive fantasy?

Along this road of singleness, so many of us have endured heartbreak, disappointment, or discouragement. Some have made mistakes while others have walked with heads hung low in unworthiness and shame. Too many hearts have been broken, beaten, chopped up, and spewed out. Our lives have been strewn with the carnage of broken relationships, shattered promises, and crushed dreams. Disillusioned, we wonder what happened to the story we once longed to experience. Deep within ourselves we question if it is too late.

But God-written stories are never too late...nor are they impossible. For the stories He writes are made of this stuff called faith...and faith works in the realm of the unseen. God is adept at making the broken whole and restoring shattered dreams. He is faithful to wash away the scarred memories of the past and renew a better vision within us. The heart is a matter of great importance to our Father God, and He longs to fulfill our every pure desire. Although few of us may truly realize this, God actually has a plan for our love life! He is the author of romance, and if we follow it His way, we will be blown away by its splendor.

But in order to live the dream, we must first release it...and wait on Him.

HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?

Waiting on the Lord is something our generation knows little about. We've grown accustomed to an instant-on-demand lifestyle. We want to have things our way right away. But if we want God's best in our lives, we must learn to surrender our ways to His and allow Him to script this story for us.

To many, waiting seems like a slow, inactive process. If truth were told, most of us hate waiting. DMV lines, airport terminals, Wal-Mart check out lanes, traffic lights, doctor's offices...all of these waiting places conjure up horrific images of boredom and wasted time. I wonder how many hundreds of hours we've literally spent waiting in line for something, someone, or simply OUR turn? If the waiting exceeds our little expected slot of time, we get restless and figety...shoe tapping and all. Too much waiting, and our patience evaporates into thin air.

But God's waiting room is different than waiting in line at the dentist's office while the generic radio-friendly pop plays over the loudspeakers. His waiting room is not a bland sterile enviroment filled with zoned out bodies. In this place of waiting on the Lord, the music is sweet, the sound is pleasant, and a lovely fragrance permeates the air. We are not waiting on "something" to happen, nor are we waiting for the next guy to enter the church to be "the one." We are simply learning to wait...on Him.

And those of us who wait will not be ashamed.

There is a most precious verse in Psalms that is written for the waiting ones: "None who trust and wait hopefully and look for You will be put to shame or disappointed" (Ps. 25:3 AMP). What a beautiful promise to those who are truly seeking and waiting upon the Lord. We will not be disappointed or ashamed! Our waiting will prove itself out in wisdom and a happy ending.

FIRST-LOVE FIRE

Something truly magnificent happens in the process of waiting. In additon to our natural understanding of waiting, the word "wait" also means "a binding together" (Strongs Concordance). While we wait upon the Lord, we are being bound together with Him.

In this particular waiting room, our hearts are dregged of any impurities, any other longings, any selfish inclinations, and filled with the reality of our Lord. The waiting serves us one purpose: To become completely enraptured with our First Love. The waiting room is also a test of our character, integrity, motives, and purpose. Daily we learn to die to ourselves and our fleshly desires while taking up the cross of the Kingdom. It is a place where discipline is forged, hearts are purified, and purposes examined. Waiting is not for the faint of heart, for it is a process of fire and battle. It is a place where we lose ourselves and find all that we are in Him.

For a love story to have the signature of romance's true Author, we must first fall in love with the Author Himself. Everything we do and everything we are must be about Him and for Him. There is no room for "me" anymore. For a story to have Eternity's stamp of approval, it must be about Eternity's purpose. We're not just knights and princesses in a fairy-tale; we're knights and princesses in service of a King. There is Kingdom business to attend to, and we are the ones who must answer the call to arms.

So if it seems you've been waiting forever for your knight in shining armor to come sweep you off your feet, or if it seems like every woman you've met is not a true princess, don't become discouraged in your season of waiting. If you've experienced disappointments or heartbreak, simply give it to the Lord and allow Him to restore and renew His dream within you. Don't allow the opinions of others to determine your value; find out your true identity as a son or daughter of God. Dust off the dream of that incredible love story and live unihibited for your King. Learn the art of waiting on the Lord and becoming infused with His wonderous Presence. Pursue the King and run with fire fulfilling Kingdom purposes.

May we be the generation of young men and women who not only believe God for His best in our lives, but wait for His best as well. As our God-written love stories unfold, may we run hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, united in heart and vision, pursuing the Kingdom's call and purpose. May we become true knights and princesses waiting passionately upon our Lord and King.

The Legacy of True Friendship

"You will never find a perfect friend, but you can choose people

with a good heart."

~Jim King

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In our instant on-the-go, paper-cup-coffee, grab-a-breakfast-bar-for-the-morning-commute society, we are programmed to choose things quickly, on demand, and disposable. Drive-through Starbucks, microwaveable dinners, downloadable music, and online shopping have shaped our generation for instant gratification without a close examination of quality and value. If we can't get our need met within a few minutes or days, we lose our patience and go on to something faster and more convenient.

With the incredible advances technology has made in recent years, it is no wonder we are unsatisfied with things that don't work our way right away. We're productive, tech-savvy, and quick on our feet, but sadly many of us have lost the ability to endure. We're quick to give up on things that often require an investment of our time, our efforts, our energy...and ourselves.

When it comes to friendships, we are more apt to disregard those who've disappointed us, left us, or don't appeal to our ego. We love freely, but only for a moment. Too often, we give up on people the Lord has placed in our lives and go for something shinier, prettier, or cheaper. But friendships are not like the breakfast bar you run out the door with in the mornings. They can't be consumed in a moment with the wrappings tossed in a trash can. Because of their richness and depth, real friendships take time to develop...and to be a true friend, we must learn to endure.

True friends are indeed a rare jewel in this day and age. We're constantly barraged with social contact every day, but acquaintances come and go. In the multitude of faces we meet on a daily basis, we need to discern between the facade and the reality, the temporary and the longlasting, the superficial and the deep. And once we find a true friend, may we determine to never let go regardless of the cost.

This week during my church's annual missions conference, one of the ministers talked much about the quality of relationships in the body of Christ. At 60 years old (or somewhere in that vicinity), he had some wisdom to share on this topic. A missionary and a minister for nearly 30 years, he has developed some quality friendships with other like-minded men and women of God.

Being a preacher's daughter myself, I have watched the same careful enduring friendships shape my parents' lives as well. Years ago, these men and women began friendships with other people who were of the same vision and purpose...and through the challenges of life, ministry, and marriage, these couples have kept each other encouraged and accountable in their race and calling. They have continued to pray for each other, financially support one another, and love each other through decades of good and seasons of hardship. These men and women have learned to value the preciousness of God-ordained relationships. And when the going got tough...well, they just got more determined to stick together.

One thing this minister said that really caught my attention was this: "I started my race with these guys and I'm going to finish with them." As I considered his words, I began to examine the relationships the Lord has placed in my life over the years. Many of the young men and women I've had the privilege of knowing have an incredible call of God on their lives for some specific service in the Kingdom. Now, more than ever, I am determined to hold the ropes for them and their ministries. Thirty years down the road, I want to look back and see an overflowing richness in this area of my life. Despite the challenges we may face in the future, I want to be the kind of friend that endures throughout all seasons of life.

So in the quick-get-it-now era, take time to invest in other people. Look for quality, not quantity. Run with those who are seeking after the very heart of God. When frustrations ensue, don't let it tear you apart from those strategic connections in your life. Allow love, not strife, to permeate your friendships like the most fragrant perfume. Learn to cherish the genuine instead of the trendy, the rare for the popular, and the profound for the surface. As we support one another in true Christ-like fashion, we will have relationships that can't be dumped out once the coffee gets cold. Instead, we'll have authentic friendships that are treasured for a lifetime.

Compelled

It has been said that missionaries think in terms of nations, while pastors think in terms of cities.

Growing up a missionary's daughter, I can attest to the fact that missionaries do indeed think in terms of nations. When people ask me where I grew up, I don't say "Falun" or "Plaisir," but rather "Sweden" and "France." Nations were a part of my identity as I traveled the world with my missionary parents.

During my teenage years, cultural complexities were a daily part of my high school experience. As a student in an international highschool in the Paris suburbs, I would hear a dozen languages every day as I sat in class. My classmates came from a plethora of mixed nationalies: Sara, who was half-Panamian-half-French; Petra, a Checzh national who wrote in her diaries in Swedish; and Arina, the half-Russian-half East German blonde who had once lived behind the Iron Curtian. Then there was Caroline, who was from a Mexican mother, a German father, but was born in France and grew up in New Zealand. She was enrolled in the British section at our school and later went to the US to study at the university. There were a handful of Portugese and Italians, Dutch and Spanish kids who also attended the Lycee....along with an Asian or South American included in the mix.

I would imagine that on our bus alone, at least 20 different nationalities were represented on the 45-minute drive into St. Germain-En-Laye. Flags outlined the silouette of our school, gaurding the students like a miniature UN. Graduation day was the most unusual, for every international section had its own ceremony stemming from its own culture. As an American, I graduated twice that day: once from the American section, and once with the French school.

Indeed, I grew up with an international mindset.

Over the last year, however, something of a paradigm shift has occurred in my little European-educated brain...I've begun to think in terms of cities...American cities to be exact. And what I once saw in nations, I now see in cities. And the average American city is in need of a huge spiritual overhaul.

I sometimes wonder what has happened to the America I knew as a little girl before we moved overseas. Where are her family values, her morality, her stand for God? In the last year or so, with the historical Presidential campaign, our nation lost even more strength as racism, politics, and economics endeavored to tear our nation apart. I'm not intending on getting into a political diatribe here, so I will stop at this point to say that America is in dire need of the revival we missionaries have so longed to see in our respective countries. I honestly believe America has an assignment to finish, and until she has fulfilled her God-given purpose, we as praying Christians must continue to stand in the gap and intercede for our great nation. But I digress...

What has captivated my attention as of late are the cities of America. What once was pleasant, simple, or even glamorous has degraded to violence, hatred, and complacency. I am horrified at the increased crime rates, the random acts of domestic violence, the intrusion of gangs in the city streets, and the absolute shattered home life of these individuals. These cities have become broken in all respects...broken individuals, broken lives, broken homes, broken mindsets, broken societies, broken cities.

It's time for the broken to become whole.

There is so much more I could write about this topic, but my little cafe is closing. I hope to return to the topic of restoration in the American city in a future blog, but for now, let me leave you with a short peoetic verse I wrote earlier this year:

Compelled

I am compelled
To give of what I have most
To those who have so little

Wholeness, happiness, peace
Restoration, redemption
Endless Unconditional Love

Generations of broken lives
Keep filling my eyes with tears
It’s time for restoration

Epidemic overtaking nations
Glamorous cities forsaken
Countless broken souls

I cannot stand by
Simply watching anymore

A Lady in Wating

About five years ago during my tenure as a Bible school student, I had one of those amazing seasons with God. All you young ladies will understand that waiting and growing up process, for it happens to all of us who are truly becoming women of God. Anyway, during the fall of that season, the Lord had given me this picture in poetry. The story and season of that time were so sacred that I kept this little poem hidden away in my one of my journals for the past few years. As I was visiting with a younger friend a few months ago, the Lord reminded me of this piece of poetry. Dusting it off from the recesses of my journal, I shared it with her. Noting the tears that flowed from her lovely eyes, I realized this bit of poetry should be shared with all young ladies who are in that season of waiting. So, in hopes of inspiring courage and patience in your process of becoming, it is with humble grace I submit to you A Lady in Waiting.

A Lady in Waiting


I am in a small room somewhere in a palace
Some say I am a woman, yet others see me as a girl
I know I’m neither - only changing from one to another
It is my time of becoming

Others do not know this for how can they see
This girl inside growing in divine beauty?

I have become that lady in waiting
But an earthly princess I am not
It is a heavenly transition
For I am shedding my girlish design
And becoming a woman of God

There is so much He is at work in me doing
Altering, changing, forming
Completely transforming all within
A living sacrifice He has demanded of me
My life to Him I give unreservedly

A surrender of my will
Is how this first started
But a flood of other burnings
Came crashing into my world
Changing this small tiny girl
Into a wise woman of God

The preparation digs deep
Not concentrating on outward appearances
It has lit a fire in my heart,
The deepest core of my being
Has been touched and loved
I am now a lady
A lady waiting upon her Lord

My Lord is most precious to me
For He has overseen this change in my identity
With great care and utmost skill
He has shaped this girl becoming woman
My love for Him runs as deep as the seas,
As far as the skies
It is He alone who can hold and shape my heart
To Him I alone belong
He is the King upon my heart’s throne

Through all this change He is simply creating me to be
What is most pleasing in His eyes
A woman of wisdom and kindness, love and devotion
Is the lady He’s preparing in me
I am just a lady who’s becoming
Becoming one like her Lord

But in the distance over the forest and across the sea
Is a young knight dressed in armor
He too serves my Lord - he is neither boy nor man,
Like me, he is becoming wise

A preparation time is reserved for him too
A castle he is not residing in
But the forest where the enemy lies
He is out slaying dragons
Learning lessons of spiritual manhood
Right before my eyes
The fight he must endure
For this qualifies him as a true knight
But one day he will come walking
Dented armor, into my sight

“It was a harsh battle,” he will say
“But I learned to delight myself in our Lord
The lessons He taught me though hard I had to fight
Are golden and true
His words alone are what brought me through
Trust in Him I did learn
And His love for me kept me on my way
He has been faithful through this test
In His Lordship, I know I can rest.”

My knight once in shining armor

Now with blood spotted hands
Stands before me in earnest truth
He has fought hard and won the battle
While I have been through my fire
I stand before him with clothes marked in soot and ashes
We have both been tested it seems
Yet our Lord was wise
For in His faithful eyes He saw
Not a boy, but a knight,
Not a girl, but a lady
In Him we are both becoming

Artistic Perfection of the God-Kind

How often are we in awe of perfection? How much more are we disappointed in a lack of perfection - especially in something we hoped would be perfect?

As humans, we desire and aim for perfection - the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect day, the perfect person. Yet, despite all our efforts and struggles, perfection is something we see and perform in finite moments. After all, human nature is itself imperfect. No matter how hard we strive for perfection, we rarely attain it.

Those of you who are artists will understand the creative tension for perfection. Musicians spend literally hours upon hours practicing a piece of music. The notes must all be played in cadence and rhythm, while the chords, pauses, and emotional balance swirl together to create syphonic sounds of beauty and perfection. Actors rehearse for weeks on end to nail their performance on stage with precision. Dialogue, actions, and facial expressions must all be practiced to deliver a perfect presentation. Writers (of which group I most closely identify) may sketch out dozens of drafts before creating that perfect sentence or story. Every word is tenderly and skillfully chosen to create the perfect vehicle for conveying a message. But even when we execute our art perfectly, we still find areas of fault and criticism.

No matter how hard we try, we still fall short of perfection.

Perfection is something only a Perfect Being can achieve.

While I was reading my Bible this morning, something caught my attention: the perfection of God's ability to perform. Whatever He promised, whatever He said He would do, He does...it's part of His character as a Faithful Father and Friend. But there's something even more than His ability to follow through on something...and that is His perfection. He's not just a person of His Word, but He is also the Perfect Performer. In His delivery, His action, His creation, His timing, His beauty...He is perfect. And when He says He'll do something for us, He does it in the most perfect way possible.

He is the Perfect Author of our life story.

As a writer, I understand and relate to words and stories. Composing any written piece is a delicate procedure of creating the perfect sentence, the perfect plot, the perfect flawed characters, and the perfect retelling of process and journey. As a reader, I appreciate well-written stories that keep me turning pages until the gray hours of early morning. There's nothing more satisfying to the heart of a writer than capturing words of elegant description and purpose on a blank page. Nothing compares to the reader's imagination than the thrill of reading a captivating story with an unexpected ending. The relation between writer and reader is one of satisfaction and fulfillment. The writer creates for the purpose of delivery; the reader absorbs the story for learning and pleasure.

At this very moment, the Perfect Author is crafting our story. He knows where to take us in our journey, He knows what lessons need to be learned to mature us, and He knows what other characters are involved in the process. He saw the battles in our future and gave us the equipment needed to fight them. He knows the steps we should take, for He already had them mapped out ahead of time. He knows the right people to connect us with, and He knows the wrong people who will deter us from our purpose. He already wrote the plot. The climax He's already directed. The ending He crafted from the beginning. He is the perfect writer. Every word, every person, every step, every chapter...everything He wrote in our script was for the purpose of fulfilling our story.

We are the honored participants in this riveting saga. Our primary responsibility is to simply follow the Author's cues. We read, we listen, we receive, we digest... We walk through each day with the satisfaction and wonderment of knowing that something greater than our little plans are at work. We submit to the Author's purpose and walk out His script. The journey becomes a surprise to us, and we may find ourselves awake with anticipation in the middle of the night.

As the Perfect Author, God performs Perfectly. His stories for us include an array of the simple to the design of the miraculous. The pages of our lives are filled with quiet moments in His presence to supernatural events only He could orchestrate. His story is never boring, for His artwork is always perfect. There are no flaws in His story, no thoughtless dialogue, no side journeys without purpose. Every sentence, ever paragraph, every moment....He wrote in exquisite perfection.

Perfection is truly divine. Not disappointing in its effects, presentation, satisfaction, or precision, the perfection of our Father God's performance in our lives is absolutely perfect. Astounding us with its creative detail and clarity, His perfection leaves us in breathless wonder. Once we see it, taste it, hear it, and watch it unfold in our lives, we are forever transformed by this artistic perfection of the God-kind.