Last week, I attended Advance, a conference about the power of God's gift to His people - The Church. There were so many wonderful speakers and so much to take in and even more to digest at the end. I am still working through things I heard and the message God has been speaking to my heart for some time now.
Home has been and is so many things to me. Clinton. New York. Quins. Jersey. MTSU. Gallery Church. Rex, Teena, and Nick. And all of these things are good things. But when we take Good things and make them God things then they become Bad things. They become IDOLS. (Thank you Mark Driscoll for speaking God's Truth and for taking us all to the woodshed.)
The whole conference kept pointing back to Jesus. Everything has been pointing me back to Jesus.
Then last night as I was riding the bus to Jersey to see my lovely Garvin family and I was listening to the Once soundtrack. These lyrics echoed through my trip.
"In the silence call me home" - Jesus, You are my home.
Showing posts with label Love God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love God. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Romans 12
If you know me, you know I hate silence. I can't get still. The quiet and splendor of being still before God is something I struggle with quite often. My mind is always racing. Always dreaming. Not always here.
Last week, I sat with dear friends, who graciously let me invade their small group for the evening. My main reason for joining them was so I could take part in the LOST season finale festivities. So when it was suggested that we pray for a time, I won't lie, I was anxious to get to the real reason I came. I mean, come on, it was going to be three hours long and after that we had to see who got voted off of American Idol and I was out in Jersey and I had to work the next day. (I know how shallow that makes me look and I take any of the criticism you wish to throw at me. I'm just being really honest.) So as prayer requests were made and not made, Romans 12:12 was stated. The group was memorizing this scripture.
"Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulations, devoted to prayer" Romans 12:12 NASB
B quoted it this way.
Be joyful in hope.
Patient in affliction.
Faithful in prayer.
Ginny Owens' was played in the background as a time of reflection before we prayed.
"The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone"
God spoke to me in that moment. The prayer time was spent lifting up each of the requests as I kept mine close to my heart.
The next morning, I met with Freddy for a meeting about growth communities that quickly turned in to one of many I am sure counseling meetings about my own heart and thoughts. He told me to look at Romans 12. I literally about fell out of my seat. He read the beginning verses to me, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2
I let my thoughts run away with me. I listen when I should be telling myself...
Be joyful in hope.
Patient in affliction.
Faithful in prayer.
I've decided to memorize Romans 12 so I am no longer a prisoner to my own thoughts but being renewed in mind so that I may prove what the the will of God is.
Last week, I sat with dear friends, who graciously let me invade their small group for the evening. My main reason for joining them was so I could take part in the LOST season finale festivities. So when it was suggested that we pray for a time, I won't lie, I was anxious to get to the real reason I came. I mean, come on, it was going to be three hours long and after that we had to see who got voted off of American Idol and I was out in Jersey and I had to work the next day. (I know how shallow that makes me look and I take any of the criticism you wish to throw at me. I'm just being really honest.) So as prayer requests were made and not made, Romans 12:12 was stated. The group was memorizing this scripture.
"Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulations, devoted to prayer" Romans 12:12 NASB
B quoted it this way.
Be joyful in hope.
Patient in affliction.
Faithful in prayer.
Ginny Owens' was played in the background as a time of reflection before we prayed.
"The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone"
God spoke to me in that moment. The prayer time was spent lifting up each of the requests as I kept mine close to my heart.
The next morning, I met with Freddy for a meeting about growth communities that quickly turned in to one of many I am sure counseling meetings about my own heart and thoughts. He told me to look at Romans 12. I literally about fell out of my seat. He read the beginning verses to me, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2
I let my thoughts run away with me. I listen when I should be telling myself...
Be joyful in hope.
Patient in affliction.
Faithful in prayer.
I've decided to memorize Romans 12 so I am no longer a prisoner to my own thoughts but being renewed in mind so that I may prove what the the will of God is.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Giving Up The Known For The Unknown
Known: recognized, familiar, or within the scope of knowledge
Unknown: not familiar
Who in their right mind gives up that which is familiar (known) for the unknown? But I believe that is exactly what God has been asking of me.
In our staff meeting this past Tuesday, my Boss did a leadership lesson with us. There were math problems involved which freaked me out a little. Okay, actually a lot. I'm not the best at math. It takes me a while to do the problems. There were two exercises: one with addition and one with multiplication. Addition could be thought of as tasks and the multiplication could be thought of as people. It was a great lesson on leadership. But at the end of it, there was only one thing that stood out to me. These two words...KNOWN and UNKNOWN.
These two words were haunting my thoughts all week. I talked to my mom and told her about the leadership lesson. My only real thought to say was that I cling to the known. I like to know what is going on. I hate change. I like to control things. I like for things to stay the same. I'm a sucker for stability and consistency. Not that either of those two things are bad, but they are definitely safe. I don't like adventure, unless I can control it. I just want enough for the thrill and then I usually stop or go back to my old plans.
The unknown is scary. I can't control it. I have no idea what will come next. It's not stable. Or consistent. It's a movement.
When I cling to the known, I am shorting God what He rightly deserves. Today's message was about Loving God: Our Quest for Lasting Satisfaction. Jeff Getz asked us two questions during the Next Steps. I was halfway listening while I was working on something out in the lobby. Then as he began the second question, he told a story about this guy and girl who worked for the same company. She was a great employee. She was very responsible, always on time, never forgets anything. Jeff said, "You know, she's like Maria." Well, hello! My ears perked up and I stopped what I was doing cause any time someone says your name from the stage you take notice. So the story proceeds like this...
She noticed this guy at work who had been there as long as she had, but he never got promoted. He moved around within the company. Always having new jobs. He arrived late and would leave early. She thought he wasn't responsible. He didn't have his act together. But he was cute. Over time, they met and fell in love. After a while, he asked her to marry him. A few days before their wedding, she pulled him aside to confess something. She had been saving up money, $12,000 to be exact, and she never told him. She was afraid he wouldn't be responsible with the money. She was holding on to what she thought she knew. He proceeded to tell her that he too was holding something back from her. He blindfolded her and drove her around the neighborhood so she wouldn't know where they were going. When he pulled off the blindfold, they sat in front of the building where they worked. He hadn't been honest with her. He proceeded to tell her that he owned the multi-million dollar company that they worked for. He decided that no one would tell him what was really going on if he was the president. So he chose to work in the different departments so he could see for himself who were the leaders and figure out what was best for the company. Of course, he got to work late and left early. He owned the company, no one would fire him. He told her this was all hers as well. Now the $12,000 she had been holding onto looked silly. She was clinging to the known.
I sat in the lobby of our UWS Gathering fighting back tears. God didn't just use Jeff to tell His story. He reached out and called my name. "Maria, you are this girl. This is your story. Don't you want what's best for you?"
I would love to say that right there on the spot, I said "Yes, no more known for me!" I didn't, but I have begun to fight this battle. One day at a time of giving up the KNOWN for the UNKNOWN.
Unknown: not familiar
Who in their right mind gives up that which is familiar (known) for the unknown? But I believe that is exactly what God has been asking of me.
In our staff meeting this past Tuesday, my Boss did a leadership lesson with us. There were math problems involved which freaked me out a little. Okay, actually a lot. I'm not the best at math. It takes me a while to do the problems. There were two exercises: one with addition and one with multiplication. Addition could be thought of as tasks and the multiplication could be thought of as people. It was a great lesson on leadership. But at the end of it, there was only one thing that stood out to me. These two words...KNOWN and UNKNOWN.
These two words were haunting my thoughts all week. I talked to my mom and told her about the leadership lesson. My only real thought to say was that I cling to the known. I like to know what is going on. I hate change. I like to control things. I like for things to stay the same. I'm a sucker for stability and consistency. Not that either of those two things are bad, but they are definitely safe. I don't like adventure, unless I can control it. I just want enough for the thrill and then I usually stop or go back to my old plans.
The unknown is scary. I can't control it. I have no idea what will come next. It's not stable. Or consistent. It's a movement.
When I cling to the known, I am shorting God what He rightly deserves. Today's message was about Loving God: Our Quest for Lasting Satisfaction. Jeff Getz asked us two questions during the Next Steps. I was halfway listening while I was working on something out in the lobby. Then as he began the second question, he told a story about this guy and girl who worked for the same company. She was a great employee. She was very responsible, always on time, never forgets anything. Jeff said, "You know, she's like Maria." Well, hello! My ears perked up and I stopped what I was doing cause any time someone says your name from the stage you take notice. So the story proceeds like this...
She noticed this guy at work who had been there as long as she had, but he never got promoted. He moved around within the company. Always having new jobs. He arrived late and would leave early. She thought he wasn't responsible. He didn't have his act together. But he was cute. Over time, they met and fell in love. After a while, he asked her to marry him. A few days before their wedding, she pulled him aside to confess something. She had been saving up money, $12,000 to be exact, and she never told him. She was afraid he wouldn't be responsible with the money. She was holding on to what she thought she knew. He proceeded to tell her that he too was holding something back from her. He blindfolded her and drove her around the neighborhood so she wouldn't know where they were going. When he pulled off the blindfold, they sat in front of the building where they worked. He hadn't been honest with her. He proceeded to tell her that he owned the multi-million dollar company that they worked for. He decided that no one would tell him what was really going on if he was the president. So he chose to work in the different departments so he could see for himself who were the leaders and figure out what was best for the company. Of course, he got to work late and left early. He owned the company, no one would fire him. He told her this was all hers as well. Now the $12,000 she had been holding onto looked silly. She was clinging to the known.
I sat in the lobby of our UWS Gathering fighting back tears. God didn't just use Jeff to tell His story. He reached out and called my name. "Maria, you are this girl. This is your story. Don't you want what's best for you?"
I would love to say that right there on the spot, I said "Yes, no more known for me!" I didn't, but I have begun to fight this battle. One day at a time of giving up the KNOWN for the UNKNOWN.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Love God. Love Others.
There are times in life when you just don't get it. When the signs are all pointing in the same direction and you keep going in the opposite. That has been my life since September.
I was reading a book recently and the author began to talk about our purpose in life. I was all ears. I wanted so badly to know what my purpose was. I couldn't wait to get to the next page and read what she had decided our purpose in life was. And this is when I walked straight into the direction sign!
What does the Bible say about our purpose?
The gospel writer Mark records for us God's greatest command:
"The most important (commandment), " answered Jesus, " is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with your heart and with all your soul and with your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these." ~Mark 12:29-31
HELLO! I nearly fell off of my couch when I read that. I expected her to tell me that my purpose was to, I don't know exactly what I thought she was going to tell me, but I know for a fact, I didn't expect to hear Love God and Love Others!
So what do you do when God speaks to you? Cause clearly, He has been trying to speak to me for quite some time now. Do you listen? Do you act on what He has said? Or do you just push it aside and think that was some good stuff God told me and never think on it again?
I want to be the listener who acts on what God has so graciously shared with her. That's my prayer...that I would love God, first and foremost above all things, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. So I can then in turn Love my neighbors as myself.
- It started in early September with What If: We Decided Everyone Matters?
- Rick Warren sharing his vision for the 40 Days of Love campaign in Brooklyn. The notes page was titled "It's All About Love" and the scripture reference Mark 12:30-31 made me laugh at only hearing a message on it a few weeks prior in Baltimore. Then Rick walked out on stage and to my astonishment said, "We need to Love God and Love Others!"
- For days, I would tell people the longer version of the two bullet points before combined and story after story came back to how their pastor had just shared with them the same verses about Loving God and Loving Others.
I was reading a book recently and the author began to talk about our purpose in life. I was all ears. I wanted so badly to know what my purpose was. I couldn't wait to get to the next page and read what she had decided our purpose in life was. And this is when I walked straight into the direction sign!
What does the Bible say about our purpose?
The gospel writer Mark records for us God's greatest command:
"The most important (commandment), " answered Jesus, " is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with your heart and with all your soul and with your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these." ~Mark 12:29-31
HELLO! I nearly fell off of my couch when I read that. I expected her to tell me that my purpose was to, I don't know exactly what I thought she was going to tell me, but I know for a fact, I didn't expect to hear Love God and Love Others!
So what do you do when God speaks to you? Cause clearly, He has been trying to speak to me for quite some time now. Do you listen? Do you act on what He has said? Or do you just push it aside and think that was some good stuff God told me and never think on it again?
I want to be the listener who acts on what God has so graciously shared with her. That's my prayer...that I would love God, first and foremost above all things, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. So I can then in turn Love my neighbors as myself.
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