Success is Faithfulness

How do you define success? 

I listened to a man speaking about life purpose while driving to Colorado Springs the other day.  He began talking about success within our lives.  His statement challenged my idea of success.  

He said, “Success is faithfulness.”  

The Lord reminded me of the heroes of the faith from Hebrews chapter 11.  Why would we call them heroes unless we consider them successful? 

Reading through the chapter was amazing because what they actually did was ordinary!

Able brought the right sacrifice.

Noah built a boat.

Abraham moved his family.

Joseph gave orders.

Moses led a nation.

Rahab opened her door and kept a secret.

Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law.

David humbled himself.

Success did not mean their every whim had come true with comfort and good connections:

Able was murdered.

Noah was ridiculed, having a job for 100 years that no one understood.

Abraham lived as a foreigner, almost had to kill his own son, had his wife

taken from him twice, and settled on land that was less desirable.

Joseph was sold into slavery.  Lived in prison.  When he was removed from

prison, he was still regarded as an undesirable even though he was

second in command under Pharaoh.

Moses grew up as a Hebrew in Egypt, ill treated in Pharaoh’s household.

Rahab was always known as a harlot, even after she married.

Ruth became a widow at an early age and learned to work in fields for

sustenance while living in a foreign country.  

David was the forgotten youngest in a large family of boys and lived on the run for much of his adult life.

It was for whom and how they lived that made them a success!  

As I lay my head on the pillow tonight, I want to know my day was successful. 

May we live faithfully for our God.

Love always,

Angie

Run with Endurance

The sensation of nausea is growing.  I am cold.  The sun is not up yet and the track has puddles of melted snow.  We are running sprints in a line.  Five of us are running.  I am the only one that pulls off to try and regain composure, and NOT throw-up.

I am the oldest in the group, too.  And the lies of inadequacy sneak into the shadows of my thoughts as I believe them.  Embracing them gives them credence.  And then, I respond to them.  The lies begin to control my actions and unless they are exposed for what they are, I stop!

In my car, I hear the lies rumbling around in my head.  They are lies because they produce guilt, self-pity, shame, fear, disappointment, etc.  When I am weary and tired, the lies sneak into the shadows more quickly and it takes longer for the light of Truth to expose them.

Exposing lies comes in many forms, but it is always based in the same foundation: Truth.  Exposure today is in the form of a friend who lives in my town.  He is my age.  He remains disciplined without excuses.  And I brake to watch him run past, so poignant is the moment.

. . . run with endurance the race that is set before you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:1b-3)

Father, You have called me to be disciplined with my body, mind, heart and soul.  You command me to love You with all of it!  (Matthew 22:37-39)  You tell me to buffet my body so that I am not enslaved to it. (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)  You tell me that I am to hold every thought captive. (2 Corinthians 10:5) You tell me to trust You with my heart. (Proverb 3:5-8) You say that You are the rester of my soul. (Matthew 11:28-30) This is all Truth.  

And You give me exactly what I need to be and do all that You ask of me today.  

Thank You.  

And I drive home with a smile in my heart and a lump in my throat.

May you run with endurance the race God has set before you while you fix your eyes on Jesus!

Love always,

Angie

We are an "Us"

Us.
We are an Us.

The boys, our sons, drove home all night and arrived on Thursday morning.  And a mama's fulness lifted my heart!  The girls, our daughters,  wiped sleep from their eyes as warm smiles spread on their faces.  Their brothers are home.

This God ordained family hugged and laughed, tickled and teased, spoke words all at once and sat down to breakfast while Papa led the morning devotion at the table.  The longer conversations would come later.  At that moment, we soaked in the presence of each other and thanked the Lord!

It is our way.

And this is a picture of the church.  This is how the church family is meant to be.  Coming together.  Coming to His table together with a hunger for Him.  Sharing Him in word.  Praising Him.  Sitting with Him.  Listening to Him.  Enjoying Him.

We, the church, are an Us.  And His fulness lifts our hearts.
Love always,
Angie

I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to You among the nations.

For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

Your faithfulness (truth) reaches to the clouds.

Psalm 108:3-4

Anchored Light

Birthdays are for the celebration of life lived!

Our daughter lives life well and is blossoming.  She is growing into a beautiful young lady.  She gives and serves and tenderly walks through her day.  And we celebrated her.

As I watched the candles burning, I thought of all of us living life as lights in this world.  What would each of our lights look like?

And a prayer waltzed into my thoughts after we sang Happy Birthday, "Thank You, Jesus, for coming as the light in a world of darkness where You are not always understood.  (John 1:4-5)  Was I a light for You today, Father?  And will I still be a light when the weight of life bends me low?  My desire is to be anchored in the delicious sweetness of You like candles in a warm pie.  

My Shield

Sometimes my worst enemy is myself and the Lord is still my shield.  He lifts my head when I want to hang it in shame.  


This time shame came because of my ingratitude.  The ingratitude fostered discontent.  And discontent over flowed into words.


I wish I could take them all back.  I can't.  


           I wish I had thought before speaking.  I didn't.


Father, what do I do now?  I want to hide.  I feel ashamed.  


Pride fuels that shame, doesn't it?  Help me walk past the pride and do what is right.  Reading Psalm 32 reminds me that You have taught me the right things to do.  


I need to go and say I am sorry.  


And the Lord shields me from myself.  


Love always.
Angie

But You, O Lord,

are a shield about me,

You are the lifter of my head.

Psalm 3:3

The Color of Joy from Within

Friday night was spent in remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins.  He paid the required price instead of us.  One Man for all people.  And we remembered in reverence as we sat down to a lamb dinner.

Saturday was a quiet day, a day of waiting.  And in the mountains, it snowed.  All day long the snow fell quietly; heaven's tears watering the earth for new life to come.

Some children from the neighborhood came over to deliver a note.  And they stayed.  They began painting joy on the windows.  Joy that came from within, came from a child's desire to celebrate Him.

And my heart smiled.  Joy came from within on a chilly day and warmed us all!

The joy of Jesus warms because it is rooted in the greatest love.  Love that comes from the Father for us.

Today is Sunday.  We will soon gather with church family to sing and worship our risen King.  Then, we will gather in the room with joy painted on the windows.   Today we celebrate!

Celebrate well remembering that He conquered death for you!
Love always,
Angie

All in a Day

Before getting out of bed, this day began with words.  

Words formed thoughts.  From the thoughts, questions .  

And at day’s end, a lesson digested.

4:45am.  Waking.  

Father, how am I supposed to spend this summer?  What will my work be?  Am I to volunteer or work for pay?  Will it be with adults in Your amazing Word or with children discovering the joy of creating?  Please direct me.  I am anxious about doing the right thing.

I did not sleep well.  And my husband reminds me that the Lord knows the exact amount of sleep that is needed for this day.  It is time to start it, weary and in His presence.

5:00am.  Time with Him.  

Saul was chosen by God to be the first king of Israel.  And he hid in the baggage.  Father, why would a man anointed by You (1 Samuel 10:1), given a changed heart by You (vs.9), and publicly chosen by You (vs. 21) HIDE?  

Is it because he had an ear for the people that caused him to look away from You?  Verses 26-27 tell me that he knew what others were saying about him.  Did that make him afraid?  

Do people’s opinions of me make me afraid?  Do I make certain choices in order to appease the people around me rather than follow Your leading?  Isn’t that when my eyes are off of You?  

KNOWING the answer to that last question, I leave my quiet time to dress for the scheduled day.

8:00am.  At work with my husband and the summer camp assigned teams.  

This group of people come to camp and work together making a place for families to encounter Jesus.  They serve families who attend camp by cooking, cleaning, entertaining, encouraging, and teaching.  Joyful enthusiasm of the Lord’s goodness fills the air and settles on each of us.  

9:30am.  Home with my daughter.  

We make beds and clean two rooms.  A family has been staying with us.  They left this morning, but another is coming tomorrow.  We love sharing our home, creating space for the ones who cross our threshold to rest, vacation and encounter Jesus.  There is laughter and visiting and working in a hurry because she has class and I have another meeting.

10:45am.  Women’s ministry meeting at church.  

I hurry into an already started meeting.  Around the room are precious women who set aside time in their already full lives to organize events that allow other women in our community to encounter the grace, mercy, and goodness of Jesus.  The encounters with Jesus come in the form of Bible studies, baby showers, movie nights, retreats, meals brought to homes and private prayers.  Joy and laughter permeate our reports of past events and of planning for things to come.  

Noon.  The local Christian school.  

Drop off student’s collages from the art enrichment class that I taught.  The students were asked to use one word to describe something the Lord had taught them in the past year and then express that word in a collage.  They were describing and depicting an encounter with Jesus in their daily life!  

12:30pm.  Drive to Colorado Springs.  Time to think.

3:00pm.  With two friends at a coffee shop.

The Lord stirred my heart to set up an appointment for these ladies to meet.  We meet.  One is involved in helping women who have been involved in human trafficking to support themselves with honorable jobs.  The other friend feels called to be trained as a nurse in order to help serve abused women.  They visit.  I listen.  At this moment I thought of getting my camera out, but couldn’t.  This was holy ground . . . watching the Lord orchestrate His work.  And a dawning realization began to form.

6:00pm.  Listening to a couple speak of living in Cambodia.  

They have lived there for 20 years.  Fighting for, nurturing, and loving the ones who have gone mentally insane from abuse.  Loving them to Jesus, who is Restorer of all.  There is joyful strength coming through their words.    

Feed My sheep.  (John 21:15-17)  

7:00pm  Calligraphy guild meeting.  

These women use their hands to bring beauty to others.  Each month a new technique is taught.  And a piece of His Word is written . . . A reminder of Jesus for an everyday day. I see some of the hands, arthritic, gnarled, and graceful.  Joyful eyes smile and mouths laugh at beginning attempts of creating playful, beautiful letters.  

Letters make words.  Playful.  Beautiful.  Tender.  Instructive.  Merciful.  Redeeming.  Forgiving.  Loving.

“Tend My sheep in the capacity in which I give you.  Give people a place to encounter My Son.”  This is what I hear and see You telling me. .  Father, keep me from hiding in baggage.  You have been giving me examples of tending to Your people in my life and You have been showing me an inside glimpse of others tending Your people in the world.  Thank You.  This is so full and rich and almost indigestible.

9:30pm  In the car again.

Miles pass. The day began with a weary body and is ending with an amazed, awe struck soul.  Digestion of the day happens.  Understanding is satisfying.  Jesus anchors moments of understanding through the teachings of the Holy Spirit.  All day, class was in session.  Simple message, deeply taught.  If you love Me, feed My sheep.  Give them a place to encounter My Son.

11:30pm.  Drive into my little town.

Our sleepy little town is very still as my car emerges from the pass. When I pull into the driveway and turn the car off, silence reigns.  Velvet stillness.  The bright, star filled mountain sky glitters.  And my heart smiles in worship of God who knows each by name.  He tells me that it is by His power they are held in place.  I believe Him.  

And He knows each of us by name, all around the world.

12:15am.  Bed.

There is no mistaking God’s power or His goodness.

The click of the switch on the bedside lamp ended class for the day. 

Love always, 

Angie