The Word is Out - If you ABIDE in Him, He will ABIDE in you

We just completed another amazing Tres Dias weekend in Tampa Bay (#28).   Melissa Buzetto and I were blessed to sit at the Table of Ruth, sharing in the spiritual journey of six women that were hand-picked by God himself to share the weekend with us.  

 

The theme of the weekend was to abide in Him and He will abide in you.  This comes from John 15.  I love how the Message Bible reads on this topic - make your home in Him and He will live in you.  Whichever version of the Bible you prefer, the bottom line is LOVE.

John 15 The Vine and the Branches

 ^1-3 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.  ⁴"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
 ^5-8"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
 ^9-10"I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
 ^11-15"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
 ¹⁶"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
 ¹⁷"But remember the root command: Love one another.

Mary Did You Know

A Girl's Guide to Life by Katie Meier

Are you parenting a teenage girl?  Before I begin by offering my condolences, I will remind myself that I am just a few years away from being in your shoes.  So I will offer something much more substantial that you will hopefully return in a few short years.

I just finished reviewing "A Girl's Guide to Life" by Katie Meier, and if your daughter is already "falling in love" routinely, this is a great book for her!  I found it a little advanced for my 12 year old, but know I'll be pulling it out again soon.

Click to order

The book is divided into three parts, Mind, Body and Soul and each chapter has a practical layout with places for your daughter to personalize her own experience in each area.  It also includes "Big Myths and the Real Deal", hitting many tough subjects head-on. 

Katie Meier addresses everything from prejudice and perceptions to sex and sexuality and everything in between.  She ends the book with "Who You'll Choose To Be".  I like the fact that she reinforces that who you are is a choice and that it isn't about what you like to do, but who you really are inside. 

As the sub-title says, this book is the truth on growing up, being true and making your teen years fabulous.  I can only hope that mom and dad benefit from the learning that a teen girl gets from the book and that it will minimize the need for condolences when my 12 year old is ready for this book!

Don't Settle for the Ordinary

This song by Third Day is told from the perspective of Moses and talks about how he couldn't settle for less once he had seen God's glory.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to settle for ordinary things if I can see His presence and His face.  It seems that His presence is even more palpable when things are challenging in my life.  How about you?




 

Kari Jobe - The More I Seek You, The More I Find You

Faithfulness

2Thesselonians 3:3  The Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Faith is believing without seeing.  It is like the sun, that although absent from our vision at night, it always comes up each morning. God is as faithful and as powerful as the sun, penetrating the darkness in our lives.

Faithful is one who doesn't change.  Hebrews 13:5 says He will not leave you or forsake you, let you down or relax His hold on you.  He is faithful. He can't change, any more than the sun can stop shining and the earth can stop its rotation around the sun. 

Faithfulness is a description of the character of faith that truly equates to love.  "I will be faithful and true" is a promise that we make to our spouse when we marry - even on days when we don't like them very much.  Faithfulness is God's very nature.


Unconditional love is faithful.  It strengthens and protects, no matter what. 

Lord, help me to love unconditionally and to be faithful to those around me, strengthening and protecting through what I say and do.

Leadership: Integrity of the Heart

Psalm 78:72  And David shepherded them with integrity of the heart, with skillful hands he led them.

David was hand picked by the Creator Himself to lead God's chosen people.  For decades, God's people had been disobedient, not paying attention to the blessings and mercies of God.  In God's wisdom He gave them a shepherd - who guides errant sheep - and one with integrity of the heart.

Leadership is abut demonstrating integrity of the heart.  This means consistency of actions with intentions.

Lord help me to be consistent in serving you, serving others and serving my family.

He causes the waters to flow - Welcome spring!

Psalm 147:18  He sends forth His word and melts them [ice].  He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

We have been in a financial season that seems like hard winter.  Our resources have been frozen, like ice, stolen, unavailable to us.

He sends for His word - prosperity, provision, goodness and melts the situations around us, as we pray for His will in our lives.  His warm winds blow because He causes it to be so and now the waters begin to flow.

Thank you Jehovah Jireh for your Word, the wind and your provision.  Than k you for spring and returning to us what was stolen.  You word [Zechariah 9:12] says that it will be restored two-fold to us.  Thank you Lord that your Word is true.

Find refuge

Psalm 91:4  He will cover you with feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.

LIke an eagle that spreads his wings to provide a covering for the eaglets, so will our Papa God spread His wings for us.  He will cover us and provide a place of peace and safety.

I will sit under the wings of the most High and rest in His covering.  It is not my job to stay dry and keep myself from harm, but it is His will and good pleasure to cover me.

Lord, may I rest in your covering and stop striving to remain dry and stay safe in the midst of the storm.

Chicke Fitzgerald - One who seeks His face

I'm back - Today's topic: It isn't ours

After a long time of not blogging about what is the single most important thing in my life - my faith, I am back. I've been very busy, but know that in order to get proper momentum, reduce friction and to get really focused, I have to come back to my core. That core is the "owner's manual" for my life - the love letters written by my Creator.  In short, I need to slow down before I speed up.

I was not created without a plan. Every step of my life has been ordered. Psalm 139 outlines that so clearly for me.

The text for today's topic is 1 Chronicles 29:12:12

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
And You are exalted as head over all.

12 Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.

David made this final prayer public after amassing hundreds of tons of gold, silver and precious gems and stone for the temple. He acknowledged God as the source, HIS source when he clearly could have touted his own wisdom and strength.

Nothing that I have belongs to me. Not even the banks own our house, our cars or our boat. They all sit in the hands of God. It is in His hands that we are exalted and favored or are bankrupt.

Lord, I sit at your feet, astounded at your mercy and amazed by your grace. Thank you that Jesus died for me, so that I might escape the hands of justice where my sins bring down judgement on me.

You are exalted Lord. Thank you for the Kingdom of heaven that is not visible, but that is in control of my every move and my every venture.

There is power in understanding "whose" you are, even when you think that there is security in "who" you are. David knew that and gave honor where honor was due. He was known as a man after God's own heart.

I am after you Lord God. You are my Jehovah Jirah, my provider.

Chicke Fitzgerald, Tampa, FL

I LOVE AFRICA Event next Thursday in Tampa at Grace Family - Don't miss it

Please join Deb and Mike Gilbert this Thursday at Grace Family Church in Lutz for I LOVE AFRICA. This event is sponsored by One City Ministries.

Social Media twist – Is Jesus Christ following you?

OK, those of us who are seasoned Twitter users know that Jesus is not in fact using Twitter and did not decide today at 538pm to follow me any more than the real Madonna chose this afternoon at 107pm to follow me. Full day on Twitter!

But it does give you pause to sign into your email and see this waiting for you.
Even more impactful is the normal Twitter banter in the confirmation email and how you choose to respond (or worse, ignore).


Hmmmm, so a choice to follow Jesus is as simple as clicking on a hyperlink in the email?

My own choice to follow Jesus was in 1972 before the web was a twinkle in anyone’s eye and not nearly as high tech, but it has been enduring. And fortunately, more than 4 people follow Him.

I wonder too about the implied ease in the Twitter email of rejecting Him and whether anyone would really consider BLOCKING Him, also through clicking on a simple hyperlink?

I don’t know who is behind the Twitter Account dubbed as AskJesusChrist. The location is Jerusalem (but of course). Time will tell if the virtual Jesus answers questions by using God’s Word and parables as Jesus did 2000+ years ago or whether as today’s banter reflected, he will use his own crude dialogue “Hell yes, I exist”.

The real question that this begs is “What would you write differently in your 240 characters if the real Jesus was in fact following you?”

Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15

The Noticer - The Wayward

Enjoy this peek into the first character of the Noticer, by Andy Andrews.

The Noticer, by Andy Andrews

Every once in awhile, you come across a book so special that you can't help but buy them in quantity to give away to friends and colleagues. The Noticer is one of those books.

Andy Andrews has crafted a story about an enigmatic man named Jones [just Jones] who appears in a beach town and touches a number of lives, in a very unusual way.

Jones uses history and literature and even the Bible to show various people why it is important to notice what is around you and especially to notice those things that others often overlook.

I found myself making a "reading" list as I was reading the book, wanting to take in Jones' wisdom by first hand experience with the characters that he would talk about. I have always loved biographies, but I tend to forget how powerful a force they can be.

Andy's writing style in this allegorical treat is easy and engaging. He pulls you into the lives of his characters and as it says on the fly of the book, gives you through the Noticer "your chance to regroup, take a breath, and begin your life again".

I loved the use of analogy in the story telling throughout the book and the obvious parallel to the Holy Spirit's influence on our lives, planting seed after seed and ensuring that it gets watered along the way, even in unexpected ways.

Bravo Andy Andrews for this masterful and highly impactful work. This isn't just fun reading. It will change lives.

The spiritual side of the Word of Mouth Media Relationship Ladder - Rung #2 Spiritual NOISE

You've seen it. The guy standing on the corner with a sandwich board stating that the end of the world is coming and to repent.

Spiritual NOISE is a little bit like that. Not to say that the Holy Spirit can't work on someone's heart and for the sandwich board to be the clincher to get someone to change their destructive behavior.

Rung #2, NOISE is just a slight step above Spiritual SPAM. It has a lot of the same characteristics.

• Talking instead of listening
• Quoting scriptures using archaic language (can you say Thee and Thou) versus a more relevant translation
  
• Overly spiritual terms that turn people off (similar to the second point), such as "repent" versus more common terminology such as "change their destructive behavior"

Talking about someone you love, who has positively impacted your life should be natural conversation, not noise. If I want to talk about my best friend Chris, if you don't appear the least bit interested in hearing about what I love about her, and 10 minutes later I'm still talking about her, I've been really disrespectful of you and have devolved to "noise".

Think before you share. By all means share boldly and in response to nudging or an out and out push by Papa God, but remember to breathe once in a while and to listen for a response.

Getting a response is the next rung on the ladder. Stay tuned.

The spiritual side of the Word of Mouth Media Relationship Ladder - Rung #1 Spiritual SPAM

This week I started a series of posts about the Word of Mouth Media relationship ladder on my various blogs (www.wordofmouthmedia.blogspot.com being one).

It occurred to me that while I'm talking about social media and how it is used and misused, that there is also a spiritual side of this discussion.

You see it all the time. The people who use the moniker "Christian" or even "Born Again". Now, make no mistake, I am a believer that uses those terms as well, but at the same time, I realize the alienating nature of some of the language that believers use to communicate.

We want everyone to know about God's love and His power and the transformational power of accepting the supreme sacrifice that He made when He sent His Son to earth to stand in the gap for us, when we couldn't stand up for our own behavior.

But all too often, we SPAM those that we are trying to reach by not taking to them in their terms and by taking the time to establish relationship.

The most stark example of SPAM in the physical world would be going up to a homeless person, handing them a tract or a book about God's love and leaving them hungry, thirsty, cold [or hot as the case may be here in Florida]. Online, spiritual SPAM can be as simple as talking in ultra-spiritual terms or quoting scripture from a version of the Bible that speaks in terms that are not in common use, without having any dialogue with them to find out where they are and what they are thinking.

None of us want to be spiritual spammers.

What we really want is to introduce everyone that we know to the One that made gave us a clean heart, the one that we want to "press into". That terminology is used to describe not only relationship, but intimacy. In the spiritual version of the Word of Mouth Media relationship ladder, the top rung isn't reputation, it is intimacy. Enjoy this unchoreographed dance to Isa Couvertier's Pressing into You that demonstrates the spontaneous expression of that intimacy.

Stay tuned.

I know the end of the story!

Did you ever pick up a book only to find that you have read it before. When you know the end of the story, it changes your perception of what you are reading (aka seeing).

Revelations 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him.

Have you been feeling beaten down? Do the circumstances around you seem like everyone is against you?

At the end of our story, the accuser loses the privilege of access. This is a prelude to his total and utter destruction by the Lion of Judah.

I need to stand up to his lies and accusations and use Revelations 12:9 as my sword in the day to day battles.

Papa God, thank you for not listening to his accusations and for standing up for your children.

Thank you that we will all have the opportunity to bow down to the Lion of Judah.

The Lion of Judah

Revelations 5:5 Stop weeping. Behold the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.

NOTE: To read more about the background of (and to order) the beautiful picture that I've included here, click on the link on the photo.

Photo Copyright 2000-2008 by Pam Smart-all rights reserved

John knew that the book must be opened and that the seven seals must be broken. It seemed hopeless that no one could be found that was worthy for the task. Even God himself did not step up to open it.

Worthiness came from the ultimate sacrifice of the lamb. Only He was worthy.

He is the overcomer. We have no real choice but to serve Him and give Him glory by living the example He showed us in His life and His sacrifice. He lived LOVE and that is what we are called to emulate in all that we do.

Lion of Judah, give me strength to serve you faithfully and fearlessly to share your love with others. Let them see you when they look at me.

Enjoy this video from Jason Upton about the Lion of Judah.

The Revelation of the Son of Man

Rev 1:14-16 His head and hair were white like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze when it has been caused to glow in a furnace. His voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp two edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in its strength.

This picture of the Son of Man (God made flesh, but then glorified) is of his purity, power, strength, clarity, authority and glory.

He is indeed the first and the last and we must listen and hear what he says to the churches.

Lord return me to my first love, help me to persevere and endure and to live in your ways. Let me stay "hot".

Enjoy this video from a Korean dance troupe.



Holy, holy, holy. You are worthy to receive glory honor and power.

It's not a point system

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselfs. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

Imagine a world where God created a point system by which we each had to earn "goodness". One point for saying nice things, lose two points for being mean. We would constantly be striving and those who got more points than others would likely flaunt it, or as the author of Ephesians says, "boast".

When we receive a gift, we don't try to take credit for that gift. If someone complements us, we say, "Thanks! So and so gave this to me.".

Thank God that He set things up so that we couldn't earn his favor or his grace or even that we could muster up faith without it being a gift from him (1 Cor 12:9).

Thank you Lord for setting things up in such a way that we can only attribute our redemption to you and that we can truly find rest because we can't earn that amazing gift of grace.