He can defend Himself and me

This morning in my bible study, the story of Aaron and Miriam talking against Moses was the focus. Moses did not defend himself, God took care of the situation.  I laughed to myself because I seldom give God the opportunity to defend me because I am always ready for a fight. I miss out on the blessing of hearing what God really thinks of me.

God says of Moses, “he is faithful in my house,

with him I speak face to face,

clearly and not in riddles,

he sees the form of the Lord” (Numbers 12: 7-8)

It is statements like that that make me leery of talking about God’s chosen ones. We spend too much time criticizing other Christians when we need to be building one another up. Another thing I love about this story is that God defends Himself. He doesn’t need any human being to defend Him.

God shut Aaron and Miriam down so fast they didn’t know what hit them. They left us an amazing example of repentance and Moses showed us what grace looked like.

I love people who have been somewhere with God. They show me that there are new heights to climb. The song “Glory to God” has been in my head all week. I can’t help but hold my arms up high when I listen to Tye Tribbett’s version. I pray that God’s glory will cause you to seek new adventures with Him and love Him forever.

Amazing

How you answer questions determines where you are in life. I got a good picture of where I am in life.

I got a text this week that I needed to change my emergency contact from my mom. You know it is in those moments that I realize what I lost. It made me sad. No one on earth will care about me the way my mom did. She cared about where I went, what I did, was I getting enough rest, did I eat.  If someone had ever called with an emergency she would have said “Where is she?”  She would not have cared what was wrong, but would have broken barriers to be with me.

But isn’t it a good God who gives you this kind of care for a portion of your life? I know some people never get that kind of love. I am blessed that He gave her to me.

Another question I ran across this week was “What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?” I didn’t have to think about it long. My answer was all of the stuff I have been doing, the writing, the photography, the filmmaking. Crazy thing is, I never thought about it that way. I have just been doing what God planted inside of me. He has been so gracious in leading me. I feel blessed to be able to look back and see that I am doing what He made me to do. I can’t think of anything else I would want to do.

My life is in a good place and so can yours. So if you take those daily steps of spending time with the Lord, one by one; you will look around one day and see what an incredible place He leads you too. I live my life saying “I am going to do what God wants me to do” and He leads me to a path that fulfills all my desires. People will ask you questions and you will think: Wow!Some days I am overwhelmed by His love and thoughtfulness. He is so amazing. But Israel and Yolanda Adams sing it better.

Revelation

There are those who would steal your dreams and hope. There are those who want nothing more than to see you fail. Sunday, I had a revelation that I shared with my Facebook Friends.

“I have to share this because I know some of you are waiting on the Lord to act in your life.
This morning I was on my way to church and I was singing with the radio. I don’t remember what song it was. But the Lord and I were having a conversation. He told me that sometimes we are waiting because He has to take the teeth out of the serpent that is waiting to bite you. He didn’t say He was gonna stop it, but He said it wasn’t going to harm you. You see He has to show you and the serpent who is in charge.
So whatever you are waiting on, know that God is de-fanging something that was trying to hurt you. Be still and know.”

I am in a time of waiting. It is hard, but God sends hope. You just have to look for it.

You have to learn to appreciate the times of waiting. It reminds me of the last full day of my mom’s life.  She was having a surgical procedure and we were waiting with her for her turn. My mom, my sister and I had some of the best laughter we have ever had together.  This procedure was just one of the tasks of the day. We were in a hurry to get home and get ready for Christmas. We had started talking about Christmas and ended up talking about her childhood. She had us rolling in laughter.

We were a little irritated that the procedure had not started. They originally gave us a 10am start time. Well, 10 am came and went. We were still having a good laugh, but by 12 we were looking for explanations. Closer to 1 they came and got her.

By 5 or 6 we were up in her room, laughing and talking again. We had been joined by my youngest sister and my Mom’s youngest brother and his wife.  For hours we talked and laughter. Sometimes my Mom laughed so hard, it hurt her incision. The final story of the evening was how my little sister tried to run away. We hollered. It was so funny. I could not wait for Mom to get home and hear more.

She never came home. That day of fun was all the fun I would have with her. Sometimes we are so anticipating the coming thing, we miss the moments we are living in. But I serve an awesome God. He knew what was coming. He gave us precious hours I will always remember, but they came in the form of a delay.

If things are not happening the way you want, if there is a delay in your plans, ask God for a revelation. He is taking the sting out of the bite.

Merry Christmas

This journey toward Christmas has been very different than past journeys. I had the opportunity to reflect on this year and some really fun times with my family and friends. I got to revisit doing some things I had never done before. I got to celebrate life with the people I love.

The Lord has used my 49th year of life to stretch me in ways I have never been stretched before. I made a feature length motion picture. I have led an awesome small group of women in bible study. I got to take care of my mom and spoil her before she went to meet Jesus.

I have a lot to be thankful for.  The Lord really helped me put things in perspective.  If I could take all of the love the Lord has showered on me and turn it into coins I would be a billionaire. I am loved. And that is a successful life.

3/2 Days Til Christmas

Forgiveness. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given to me. When I am stressed, I need an overdose of it. As I push on to accomplish the tasks on my list, sometimes things get run over or fall off.

Over the last couple of days I have tried to juggle planning family Christmas, a funeral and finishing a movie.  Some things have fallen through the cracks, but I know it will all work out.

God teaches us even through our grief what a marvelous God He is.  As we reflect over the past few days we are allowed to remember His goodness, His faithfulness and His sovereignty.

On these last couple of days before Christmas I am reminded of a Savior who loved us so much He came down here to be with us, and take us home when we are ready.  I don’t think we can comprehend the depth of this love. I know I can’t.

But in my grief, I like to think that this feeling I am experiencing is what my Savior feels for me.  That His heart aches for a time for us to be together again.  An amazing love came down from heaven and I don’t think we will ever grasp it.

 

 

10 Days Till Christmas

One of the presents I received this year was four days in the dark.

light bulb

What looked like a light storm came through our city one evening, lasted about 30 minutes. Ripped up the place.

The power went out on my street and it didn’t come back on for four days. We had a tree land on our roof.

Those four days in the dark gave me time to think about the God I serve. I mean why on earth was He leaving me, His faithful servant in the dark and no electricity in the middle of a Texas summer? What purpose could this serve?

It was a chance to get to know HIm better without the distraction of daily routines.

I am currently reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer. One of the principles I have gleaned from this reading is “those who know God have great contentment in God.” This contentment happens no matter what. This year, He allowed me to see if I had that type of contentment no matter what. Some moments I was cool. Some moments I was “Okay, Lord, fix this now!”

Packer’s argument was once you truly knew God nothing could disrupt your peace. He said people who truly knew God lived differently. They have something that the world can’t explain.

I want to live out that kind of faith.

I

Music

Anchoring my seven days of Thankfulness is Music. Today I am thankful for music. I am hoping our new glorified bodies that we will receive in heaven will come with a pitch perfect voice. Whatever voice I get, you will hear me sing Holy, Holy, Holy forever (so you might want to pray for pitch perfect).

Almost every day, the Lord wakes me with a song in my heart. Most days it is a Christian song, some days it is secular (Yes, God is a TLC fan). Occasionally, it is a song I have never heard before. More than anything, I love the connection to Him. I love the communication with Him.

I love all types of music, but there are two groups that influence my worship. Israel & New Breed and Third Day. I have only seen one group perform live, but it was a life changing experience. Music helps me focus on what is really important. I work and play according to a beat. I am inspired by it. It allows me to hear the rhythms of life. Train cars going down the tracks late at night. Traffic whizzing down the highway on a busy afternoon. The wind whipping through the trees. The silence.

Music is one of His greatest creations and I am grateful.

Do We Really Want Justice?

Over the last several days I have read and listen to a lot of rhetoric about Ferguson. Some of it moved me, some of it didn’t. I am sorry for the Brown family’s loss, but I am also sad for Darren Wilson’s heart. Here’s my take.

People are crying out for justice, but what they really want is vengeance. They want the other side to be punished because they feel that would be the right thing to do. They believe the other side has suffered enough consequences.

I have spent the last couple of months in a bible study looking at the children of Israel as they were suffering under the hands of the Egyptians. Their oppression caught the eye of God. He delivered them, but it cost Israel something.

Israel lost the secure comfort of the only world they had ever known for the unknown. As bad as it had been in Egypt, there were times in the desert they longed to go back.

I believe the folks crying out for justice need to take a look inside themselves. Do you really want justice, cause God is not going to just give justice to some. He will deliver it to all. When God allows sin to reign in a family, it can run to the thousandth generation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to look back that far.

Ten percent of my DNA comes from Europe and Asia. Most likely, my ancestors were slave traders. They caravanned from India and Afghanistan into the African continent meeting up with the Europeans and other greedy Africans and sold people into slavery. I am living out the punishment for that hell.

When they was making money and living the good life in this new found industry they had no idea their children’s children would live in poverty in an unknown land as slaves. Do you think they knew their great granddaughters would be raped over and over to produce more workers?

If you think those little sins you do now don’t have broader implications, think again. Knowing my people, all we probably did was hold the camel, while someone else chase the future slaves. We are setting our future generations up for a hellish living situation, and trying to blame someone else for it.

I love the United States of America and the principles it was founded on. I don’t believe that we as a people have carried out these principles well. I believe throughout our history we have had the opportunity to grow and enhance those founding principles as our culture has changed, sometimes we have risen to the occasion. Lately, we have floundered and allowed greed and hatred to be our banner. We won’t win again until we all find that selfless love that this country was built on.

When God reigns down justice on us for our current situation, it won’t just be for Mike Brown and the other African American young men who have been oppressed. He will come in the name of ALL of the oppressed, not just the ones who have been in the news. What about the Latinos and Asians? Have you played a part in their oppression? How is your family and your coworkers? What side of the line will you be on then?

When Justice comes in like a rushing wind, it will probably leave us all just like the children of Israel. We will celebrate the punishment of the oppressor, but be very frightened by the unknowns it will leave. Keep praying for justice. It is coming. You better be ready.

Bible Study

Today I am thankful for bible study. I have spent the last 17 years of my life in some type of structured bible study and it has changed my life. There is nothing like a two sided conversation with God. As I pour my life out to Him, He blesses me in ways I have never imagined. He gives me peace when there is turmoil in the world around. He gives me strength when times are tough. He gives me hope.

One of my favorite things about Him, is He loves to laugh. God has the best jokes. They are precious specifically designed for you.

I am very grateful that I serve a God who teaches me about Himself through his word, other Christians and circumstances. He is my vision.