"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen". - Ephesians 3:20-21
Yeah, I know. Two posts in twenty-four hours! Major miracle, right??? Well, let's just say that I wanted to give the Lord a "Standing Ovation" for what He has done with Mourning into Dancing!
Last spring, God really impressed upon my heart the need for "Mourning Into Dancing" to become a reality for a group of young Christian widows. So many of them were already in my circle of friends... and were really hurting from the pain of losing their spouse. Having gone through this just 12 years ago myself, I knew what little existed by way of support for these girls. And with a heart of obedience and really kinda feeling my way through the dark, Mourning into Dancing became a reality in April, 2009.
Tonight, as I am typing this, we now have 27 girls in the facebook group from literally all over the world. Because of God's leadership, modern technology and thanks to the world wide web, 27 girls are connected to other girls who have walked in similar circumstances of loss. 27 ladies under the age of 60 can lean on the shoulders of twenty six others who totally understand and can pray and encourage....
Not bad for a group that is almost entirely based on word of mouth and just through facebook, huh? :)
So, join me, dear friends in Thanking God for His continued work in Mourning Into Dancing!
Thank You, Jesus! I never dreamed that we'd reach five, let alone 27! And I certainly didn't expect them to come from around the world! Thank you, Lord for so many who have found a home on our simple group page.... and come with an encouraging word for others who also may be hurting. God, You ROCK! Thanks! In Your Precious Name, Amen!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Habits of this Highly Effective (but Lost) Church Lay Leader: Week 5 - Daily Walk: Dos and Don'ts of the Christian Life
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." - John 4:23
And..... We're back! :) Hopefully, you have all recovered nicely from a great Christmas break and the New Year is well under way for you by now. My husband and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary on New Year's Eve during our break. I am so thankful for him and grateful to God for the gift I have in him as my husband. He is my best friend, and my soul mate. And I love him dearly!
Are you ready for week five, friends??? Shall we review just a bit as to where we've been thus far first? Let's do that quickly. In week one, we learned that we need to drop the masks and get real with one another and with God. In week two, we talked about our prayer life and we learned to pray the way Jesus prayed. In the third week, we first learned about loving others and then in part two, we learned about fully loving God. In week four, we learned about wreckless abandonment, and how we allow God to do with us as He pleases, all within the love relationship that we have with Him as His child.
Ok. Take a deep breath, and lets begin thinking about our freedom in Christ this week.
Let me start with a story.
When I was a child, I grew up in a neighborhood filled with lots of playmates on our street. All of us were from various backgrounds... My dad was a computer guru in the retail industry. Other dads worked in insurance or sales. We had a nurse, a pilot, a mechanic, a truck driver... and then there were the Baptist preachers... Yep. Just a few doors down from us and across the street was a parsonage belonging to the church that I would attend in my teen years... and in that parsonage lived several different pastors and their families over the years. So, I grew up with some PKs being in my peer group during most of my childhood.
I remember one particular family who lived in the parsonage.... and the oldest daughter was just a few months older than me, but a year ahead of me in school (she started at age five, even though her birthday was late in the year.) Anyhow, this particular girl was the first one to invite me to her church. She knew that I loved music and invited me to come to youth choir with her. They were going on a youth choir tour to Texas, and she knew it would be fun for me. And so, it began....
Well... a few months into the journey, they had youth council elections, and the pastor's daughter was elected to the council. I had NO clue what a youth council did in a Baptist Church. I had not been raised in the Baptist Church. My family as a rule wasn't a church going family, except on Easter when we would dress up in our new Easter clothes and go to the grandparent's houses and show them off.
So, anyway, one afternoon not too long after the elections had been held, I was over in the backyard at the parsonage, hanging out... and I congratulated the PK on making youth council. Then, I said (in my great naiivety), "So.... Are you guys planning some great dances soon?" My little PK friend's face turned ashen, and said, "Bitsy, Baptists don't dance!"
Now, I am sure that my little face turned about as red as a beet because I was totally embarrassed. And I proceeded to find out all of the other dos and don'ts of Baptist life... And in my warped little brain, I think I began to believe that it was all of those things that I did, and all of those things that I didn't do that made me a Baptist, and then, true to my nature, I took it one step further... I thought it was what made me a Believer... So much so that I carried that belief all the way through to my adulthood years.
Going to church faithfully all those years, and taking so many classes and learning doctrine from the pulpit, my Sunday School teachers, at college, in church classes, I learned all about what it meant to live the Christian life, but I had NO CLUE about what it meant to be in a relationship with Jesus. I knew all of the right words to say and all of the right things to do, but I did not have a love relationship with the Living God! I just didn't. I didn't know how to even begin to have a relationship with God. I just thought that because I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, didn't do drugs, kept myself "pure" (well, I did up to a point, but that's for another time and another post), didn't dance, didn't curse (or "cuss" as we would say it in the South), didn't gamble, and I voted Republican that made me a Christian! Seriously. I was even baptized... or well, I should say that I got wet. What's worse, I actually was serving in leadership roles in our denomination's state convention office!
Anyway, a few years ago, God began teaching me and showing me some truths. I didn't know it at the time what that was.... But I remember watching some movies from the "Left Behind" series and some similar in content with a group of singles from my church. And I started identifying with the Associate Pastor in the movie who had been left behind. I knew a lot of Bible stuff! Hey, Christianity was one of my double majors in college.... I knew the Book well! And I could argue with the best atheist you could throw at me! But I didn't know the Author of the Book... the Author of Salvation...
I didn't know God.
I was caught up in the world's biggest religious rat race... And sadly, I was one mighty big rat.
All I was doing was spinning my wheels... and going nowhere...
Like a hamster on a wheel.
Round and round I went. And I was going everywhere that I thought I was supposed to go, but in truth, I was going NOWHERE.
I had absolutely no purpose in life. I jumped from job to job to job. I was so insecure, no real motives, no real goals... No real life. Yeah, I had a lot of stuff... and on the outside, it looked like I had it all together, but inside of me was a turmoil that would make Don King want to shave his head! I'm telling you!!! It was the truth! I was one giant mess.
Ok. So back to the movies... I started having nightmares... and lots of them. My first husband had died a couple of years prior to that... and I began having nightmares about him. And I had nightmares about being left behind. This went on for a couple of months... During all of this time, I was still faithfully attending church, and going to choir rehearsals, singing in a ladies group that I directed...
I remember that the Easter production came, and I was at the end of my rope. I had been several months without a job, and was financially in the worst shape I had ever been in my life. I was close to losing my home, had no money, horrible credit (due to no fault of my own) and was struggling with nearly every relationship I had. I felt deserted..... abandoned.... and completely at my wits' end.
And it was there that I finally gave in and talked with a dear friend (my former worship pastor and one of my closest friends), who led me to Christ in his office. Those chains of legalism were unlocked that afternoon of April 18, 2001!
God took the shackles off my feet that day.... And He is still teaching me to dance.... I won't be so arrogant to say that I understand complete freedom at this point in my life, but I can tell you that He is still teaching me how to be free... And there are still some areas where I need to be unshackled. But the taste of sweet freedom is beyond anything that I ever dreamed before.
" To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-36
Mary Mary made this song popular a few years ago.... I hope it ministers to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRayKxgePQI
And..... We're back! :) Hopefully, you have all recovered nicely from a great Christmas break and the New Year is well under way for you by now. My husband and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary on New Year's Eve during our break. I am so thankful for him and grateful to God for the gift I have in him as my husband. He is my best friend, and my soul mate. And I love him dearly!
Are you ready for week five, friends??? Shall we review just a bit as to where we've been thus far first? Let's do that quickly. In week one, we learned that we need to drop the masks and get real with one another and with God. In week two, we talked about our prayer life and we learned to pray the way Jesus prayed. In the third week, we first learned about loving others and then in part two, we learned about fully loving God. In week four, we learned about wreckless abandonment, and how we allow God to do with us as He pleases, all within the love relationship that we have with Him as His child.
Ok. Take a deep breath, and lets begin thinking about our freedom in Christ this week.
Let me start with a story.
When I was a child, I grew up in a neighborhood filled with lots of playmates on our street. All of us were from various backgrounds... My dad was a computer guru in the retail industry. Other dads worked in insurance or sales. We had a nurse, a pilot, a mechanic, a truck driver... and then there were the Baptist preachers... Yep. Just a few doors down from us and across the street was a parsonage belonging to the church that I would attend in my teen years... and in that parsonage lived several different pastors and their families over the years. So, I grew up with some PKs being in my peer group during most of my childhood.
I remember one particular family who lived in the parsonage.... and the oldest daughter was just a few months older than me, but a year ahead of me in school (she started at age five, even though her birthday was late in the year.) Anyhow, this particular girl was the first one to invite me to her church. She knew that I loved music and invited me to come to youth choir with her. They were going on a youth choir tour to Texas, and she knew it would be fun for me. And so, it began....
Well... a few months into the journey, they had youth council elections, and the pastor's daughter was elected to the council. I had NO clue what a youth council did in a Baptist Church. I had not been raised in the Baptist Church. My family as a rule wasn't a church going family, except on Easter when we would dress up in our new Easter clothes and go to the grandparent's houses and show them off.
So, anyway, one afternoon not too long after the elections had been held, I was over in the backyard at the parsonage, hanging out... and I congratulated the PK on making youth council. Then, I said (in my great naiivety), "So.... Are you guys planning some great dances soon?" My little PK friend's face turned ashen, and said, "Bitsy, Baptists don't dance!"
Now, I am sure that my little face turned about as red as a beet because I was totally embarrassed. And I proceeded to find out all of the other dos and don'ts of Baptist life... And in my warped little brain, I think I began to believe that it was all of those things that I did, and all of those things that I didn't do that made me a Baptist, and then, true to my nature, I took it one step further... I thought it was what made me a Believer... So much so that I carried that belief all the way through to my adulthood years.
Going to church faithfully all those years, and taking so many classes and learning doctrine from the pulpit, my Sunday School teachers, at college, in church classes, I learned all about what it meant to live the Christian life, but I had NO CLUE about what it meant to be in a relationship with Jesus. I knew all of the right words to say and all of the right things to do, but I did not have a love relationship with the Living God! I just didn't. I didn't know how to even begin to have a relationship with God. I just thought that because I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, didn't do drugs, kept myself "pure" (well, I did up to a point, but that's for another time and another post), didn't dance, didn't curse (or "cuss" as we would say it in the South), didn't gamble, and I voted Republican that made me a Christian! Seriously. I was even baptized... or well, I should say that I got wet. What's worse, I actually was serving in leadership roles in our denomination's state convention office!
Anyway, a few years ago, God began teaching me and showing me some truths. I didn't know it at the time what that was.... But I remember watching some movies from the "Left Behind" series and some similar in content with a group of singles from my church. And I started identifying with the Associate Pastor in the movie who had been left behind. I knew a lot of Bible stuff! Hey, Christianity was one of my double majors in college.... I knew the Book well! And I could argue with the best atheist you could throw at me! But I didn't know the Author of the Book... the Author of Salvation...
I didn't know God.
I was caught up in the world's biggest religious rat race... And sadly, I was one mighty big rat.
All I was doing was spinning my wheels... and going nowhere...
Like a hamster on a wheel.
Round and round I went. And I was going everywhere that I thought I was supposed to go, but in truth, I was going NOWHERE.
I had absolutely no purpose in life. I jumped from job to job to job. I was so insecure, no real motives, no real goals... No real life. Yeah, I had a lot of stuff... and on the outside, it looked like I had it all together, but inside of me was a turmoil that would make Don King want to shave his head! I'm telling you!!! It was the truth! I was one giant mess.
Ok. So back to the movies... I started having nightmares... and lots of them. My first husband had died a couple of years prior to that... and I began having nightmares about him. And I had nightmares about being left behind. This went on for a couple of months... During all of this time, I was still faithfully attending church, and going to choir rehearsals, singing in a ladies group that I directed...
I remember that the Easter production came, and I was at the end of my rope. I had been several months without a job, and was financially in the worst shape I had ever been in my life. I was close to losing my home, had no money, horrible credit (due to no fault of my own) and was struggling with nearly every relationship I had. I felt deserted..... abandoned.... and completely at my wits' end.
And it was there that I finally gave in and talked with a dear friend (my former worship pastor and one of my closest friends), who led me to Christ in his office. Those chains of legalism were unlocked that afternoon of April 18, 2001!
God took the shackles off my feet that day.... And He is still teaching me to dance.... I won't be so arrogant to say that I understand complete freedom at this point in my life, but I can tell you that He is still teaching me how to be free... And there are still some areas where I need to be unshackled. But the taste of sweet freedom is beyond anything that I ever dreamed before.
" To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-36
Mary Mary made this song popular a few years ago.... I hope it ministers to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRayKxgePQI
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Merry Christmas!
"1.And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed .2.(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3.And all went to be taxed , every one into his own city. 4.And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5.To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6.And so it was , that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered .7.And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes , and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8.And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field , keeping watch over their flock by night. 9.And, lo , the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid .10.And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold , I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12.And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13.And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14.Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15.And it came to pass , as the angels were gone away from them into heaven , the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass , which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16.And they came with haste , and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17.And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18.And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19.But Mary kept all these things , and pondered them in her heart. 20.And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." - Luke 2:1-20
Sometimes it's best to just let God's Word tell The Story.... :)
Merry Christmas!
Much love,
Bitsy
15.And it came to pass , as the angels were gone away from them into heaven , the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass , which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16.And they came with haste , and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17.And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18.And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19.But Mary kept all these things , and pondered them in her heart. 20.And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." - Luke 2:1-20
Sometimes it's best to just let God's Word tell The Story.... :)
Merry Christmas!
Much love,
Bitsy
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Habits of this Highly Effective (But Lost) Church Lay Leader: Week 4- Absolute Abandonment
"But such an hour is coming and now is here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him." - John 4:23
I have finally returned to the blogging world after a three week hiatus, due to a computer issue! And I have to say, thank you, friends for hanging with me and being patient. Sharing a PC while trying to write a series of blog posts just doesn't work, if both people are active PC users. While I love my husband beyond life itself and I know he loves me, I am not sure he wasn't thrilled to finally have his computer for himself again as of last night. He enjoys online gaming and I think the idea of sharing his computer for three weeks was a bit annoying and put a kink in his system. I am happy to report that I now have a new computer, thanks to Wayne, computer guru extraordinaire, and most everything I had before on the old one has been returned to its proper place on the new one. I am still hunting for a couple of things, but I am sure that I will find them soon.
So, where were we??? Let's review a little bit. The first week, we talked about authenticity - being real before God and before others. The second week, we discussed our conversations with God and learning to pray as Jesus prayed. The third week, we tackled two things - loving others and extending God's grace because He first loved us and, in part two loving God with an exclusive love above all others.
We're ready now to tackle Absolute Abandonment. Now, I have to tell you that in my days of being a lost church member, I really was a bit confused with some of the church language. Such was the case with the phrase, "Absolute Abandonment." I honestly thought that it meant to be highly involved in activities of service within the church body. So much of the time, I was feeling like I was living at the church! I was constantly involved in some kind of ministry activity or program. I was exhausted and I was still missing the peace that only Christ can give. In some ways, I honestly believe that I was trying to find a way to make God notice me... or to love me more. But somehow, I knew I could never measure up! I always felt as if I knew that I would work myself to death in some church activity only to get to the judgement seat of Christ, only to hear the words, "Depart from me, I never knew you!"
I think as we take a look at the definitions of the term, "Wreckless Abandonment", in the context of the life of a Christ follower, we'll find that its meaning is really very different.
Let's pick it apart just a little bit, shall we???
The term abandonment is actually a legal term. In its deepest roots and earliest meanings, it means to leave the care of something that you own completely to the care of someone else, to the point of leaving behind your ownership. In the case of the life of a Christ-follower, this is about extinguishing your rights to yourself and your life and giving God ownership of yourself and your life. In other words, your life when fully abandoned to the Lord Jesus becomes entirely His to do with as ONLY He wishes. He now has full ownership of your life and has the right to decide how you will now live. You no longer have rights over your life. They belong completely to Him.
Every decision.
Every thought.
Every action.
Every purpose.
Every desire.
Every part of our lives:
Our families.
Our homes.
Our jobs.
Our church.
Our friends.
Our enemies.
Our finances.
Our health.
Our activities.
Our mission.
Abandonment means that you and I have now given up every part of our lives, including the rights to ourselves. All of our life now belongs to Jesus.... and we really don't have a say in what He desires to do with us. To take back any part of those rights for ourselves would be to live in disobedience to Him.
Sounds awfully legalistic, doesn't it??? To require that every part of our lives must be given to the Master???? Ah, but here's the kicker... Abandonment is just that if it is not first rooted in the love relationship between the Heavenly Father and the child of God.
I have several friends who have adopted children into their families. In every case, these moms have known that this child that they now call their own was meant to be theirs from the very beginning of their search. God made it clear that each one of those children were designed to be in their family as a part of that child's forever family. And as such, the forever family will spare no expense in getting that child into his new forever family. When the child finally becomes legally a part of that family, that particular day is then celebrated as a "Gotcha Day." The former foster care program and/or orphanage and/or guardianship/parental rights have been abandoned, and this child is now and forever more belonging to the new family, where he/she will be raised in a loving home.
Some dear friends just brought home a seven year old little girl from China. This little one has already discovered the love and joy of her new family. But she hasn't been without tears for the old friends... or without need for help in overcoming language barriers and so forth. She is quickly assimilating into her new family because of the love and support of her new family and friends. One of the things her mom told me was that she was eating heavily when they first got her, and now, just a little over two weeks later, she has learned that she will be well-fed, and feels comfortable leaving some food on her plate. She doesn't have to worry that she won't be fed enough. Her parents have fed her well. There is a comfort in knowing that she doesn't have to concern herself with that anymore.
Child of God, Your Daddy gave everything for you, so that you might be adopted into His family! As an adoptive family would go to great expense to bring home a child, a Holy God Who loved you from the beginning of time, spared no expense: Jesus paid the Ultimate price for you! When you made the decision to follow Jesus, that became your "Gotcha Day." It was the day when you became a part of God's family.... His heir... and all of the rights of being a child of God are now bestowed upon you.... There is a love relationship and a bond there that cannot be broken. And in that love relationship, you learn to abandon your old self and old ways to the ways of your new family... The family of God.
As you are wrecklessly abandoned to Him, you will find that He will care for you... tenderly, and in love, as only a Daddy can do. He will laugh with you as there is a need to laugh. He will cry with you when you are crying bitter tears. He will comfort you when you are sad, or when someone has hurt you. He will provide for you, according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. You will never have to beg again. He will teach you His ways, and discipline you in love when you are wrong. We don't have to return to our ways of stubborness and self-serving lives.... We have new rights... a new life... and a life that can be filled with love and joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, patience, and self-control (Gal. 5:22.)
He's your Heavenly Daddy. And He is crazy in love with you, precious child. With every gaze into your eyes, His desire is to see a little more of Himself in you. Do you bear a family resemblance?
I have finally returned to the blogging world after a three week hiatus, due to a computer issue! And I have to say, thank you, friends for hanging with me and being patient. Sharing a PC while trying to write a series of blog posts just doesn't work, if both people are active PC users. While I love my husband beyond life itself and I know he loves me, I am not sure he wasn't thrilled to finally have his computer for himself again as of last night. He enjoys online gaming and I think the idea of sharing his computer for three weeks was a bit annoying and put a kink in his system. I am happy to report that I now have a new computer, thanks to Wayne, computer guru extraordinaire, and most everything I had before on the old one has been returned to its proper place on the new one. I am still hunting for a couple of things, but I am sure that I will find them soon.
So, where were we??? Let's review a little bit. The first week, we talked about authenticity - being real before God and before others. The second week, we discussed our conversations with God and learning to pray as Jesus prayed. The third week, we tackled two things - loving others and extending God's grace because He first loved us and, in part two loving God with an exclusive love above all others.
We're ready now to tackle Absolute Abandonment. Now, I have to tell you that in my days of being a lost church member, I really was a bit confused with some of the church language. Such was the case with the phrase, "Absolute Abandonment." I honestly thought that it meant to be highly involved in activities of service within the church body. So much of the time, I was feeling like I was living at the church! I was constantly involved in some kind of ministry activity or program. I was exhausted and I was still missing the peace that only Christ can give. In some ways, I honestly believe that I was trying to find a way to make God notice me... or to love me more. But somehow, I knew I could never measure up! I always felt as if I knew that I would work myself to death in some church activity only to get to the judgement seat of Christ, only to hear the words, "Depart from me, I never knew you!"
I think as we take a look at the definitions of the term, "Wreckless Abandonment", in the context of the life of a Christ follower, we'll find that its meaning is really very different.
Let's pick it apart just a little bit, shall we???
The term abandonment is actually a legal term. In its deepest roots and earliest meanings, it means to leave the care of something that you own completely to the care of someone else, to the point of leaving behind your ownership. In the case of the life of a Christ-follower, this is about extinguishing your rights to yourself and your life and giving God ownership of yourself and your life. In other words, your life when fully abandoned to the Lord Jesus becomes entirely His to do with as ONLY He wishes. He now has full ownership of your life and has the right to decide how you will now live. You no longer have rights over your life. They belong completely to Him.
Every decision.
Every thought.
Every action.
Every purpose.
Every desire.
Every part of our lives:
Our families.
Our homes.
Our jobs.
Our church.
Our friends.
Our enemies.
Our finances.
Our health.
Our activities.
Our mission.
Our passions.
Our dreams.
Our visions.
Our lifestyles.
Our education.
Our calling.
Our satisfaction.
Our comfort.
Our contentment.
Abandonment means that you and I have now given up every part of our lives, including the rights to ourselves. All of our life now belongs to Jesus.... and we really don't have a say in what He desires to do with us. To take back any part of those rights for ourselves would be to live in disobedience to Him.
Sounds awfully legalistic, doesn't it??? To require that every part of our lives must be given to the Master???? Ah, but here's the kicker... Abandonment is just that if it is not first rooted in the love relationship between the Heavenly Father and the child of God.
I have several friends who have adopted children into their families. In every case, these moms have known that this child that they now call their own was meant to be theirs from the very beginning of their search. God made it clear that each one of those children were designed to be in their family as a part of that child's forever family. And as such, the forever family will spare no expense in getting that child into his new forever family. When the child finally becomes legally a part of that family, that particular day is then celebrated as a "Gotcha Day." The former foster care program and/or orphanage and/or guardianship/parental rights have been abandoned, and this child is now and forever more belonging to the new family, where he/she will be raised in a loving home.
Some dear friends just brought home a seven year old little girl from China. This little one has already discovered the love and joy of her new family. But she hasn't been without tears for the old friends... or without need for help in overcoming language barriers and so forth. She is quickly assimilating into her new family because of the love and support of her new family and friends. One of the things her mom told me was that she was eating heavily when they first got her, and now, just a little over two weeks later, she has learned that she will be well-fed, and feels comfortable leaving some food on her plate. She doesn't have to worry that she won't be fed enough. Her parents have fed her well. There is a comfort in knowing that she doesn't have to concern herself with that anymore.
Child of God, Your Daddy gave everything for you, so that you might be adopted into His family! As an adoptive family would go to great expense to bring home a child, a Holy God Who loved you from the beginning of time, spared no expense: Jesus paid the Ultimate price for you! When you made the decision to follow Jesus, that became your "Gotcha Day." It was the day when you became a part of God's family.... His heir... and all of the rights of being a child of God are now bestowed upon you.... There is a love relationship and a bond there that cannot be broken. And in that love relationship, you learn to abandon your old self and old ways to the ways of your new family... The family of God.
As you are wrecklessly abandoned to Him, you will find that He will care for you... tenderly, and in love, as only a Daddy can do. He will laugh with you as there is a need to laugh. He will cry with you when you are crying bitter tears. He will comfort you when you are sad, or when someone has hurt you. He will provide for you, according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. You will never have to beg again. He will teach you His ways, and discipline you in love when you are wrong. We don't have to return to our ways of stubborness and self-serving lives.... We have new rights... a new life... and a life that can be filled with love and joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, patience, and self-control (Gal. 5:22.)
He's your Heavenly Daddy. And He is crazy in love with you, precious child. With every gaze into your eyes, His desire is to see a little more of Himself in you. Do you bear a family resemblance?
I'm BAAAAAACK....
Did ya miss me??? Were you aiming at me??? LOL
Hey, got the new computer up and running now. Look for a new blog post before week's end. We'll be starting week 4: Absolute Abandonment. This is some cool stuff. : )
Thanks for being patient!
See you soon!
Bitsy
Hey, got the new computer up and running now. Look for a new blog post before week's end. We'll be starting week 4: Absolute Abandonment. This is some cool stuff. : )
Thanks for being patient!
See you soon!
Bitsy
Friday, December 4, 2009
Ministry Update -- December 2009
I know you all have been following the saga of my computer woes... We got an email yesterday from computer guru extraordinaire, Wayne, and the part finally came in. It took a full week to get to Murfreesboro from Memphis by FedEx. Go figure on that one.
I should have the computer back in a couple of days.
In the meantime, here's a quick ministry update:
I should have the computer back in a couple of days.
In the meantime, here's a quick ministry update:
- The Mourning into Dancing facebook group now has twenty members. The girls are now starting to encourage and pray for one another. I am hoping to eventually start a prayer partner ministry among them. We'll see how that pans out. It will all depend on the girls' willingness to pair up.
- Many of our young widows are experiencing their first holidays this season without their mates. For some of them, the first anniversaries of their husband's death falls around Christmas week. Please keep these ladies in prayer. They range in having been widowed for years to having lost their husband just a couple of months ago. Some have deep relationships with God, others are still growing in their faith.
- We've had 1700 hits on the blog akready. Given that it is really only advertised through my facebook account, and word of mouth, I have to say that's pretty cool! Clearly, God is using this avenue in some terrific ways. I am just thrilled/surprised that people actually want to read my stuff!
- The series on the Heart of the Worshipper has gone well. I have had the opportunity to speak with several folks about this particular series and God is moving. Please continue to pray for this as God continues to speak to many readers and is using it to impact His kingdom! It has been hard to be so transparent with my own experiences from the days before my Genuine Surrender. But it has been entirely worth the effort.
- Please continue to pray for me as I research and write the rest of the posts for the journey we'll be taking together in this series... The preparation and research time literally takes hours prior to writing posts. I want to be sure that I give you correct references and that I spend time reading commentaries and other reference materials prior to writing so that I don't just feed you my own thoughts on God's word. Leaving thoughts up to my own pea-brain can be very dangerous, so I consult as many Biblical apologetic and scholastic materials as possible prior to writing. Much of what I do research-wise is probably in some small ways very similar to the way a pastor prepares a weekly sermon or a Sunday School teacher prepares a Sunday School lesson. And that's not to say that the enemy hasn't given plenty of distractions here in recent days, to keep us from lifting up the name of Jesus! But I'm onto him and I've already given him notice. I've been talking to DAD about him, and his foolishness. One thing is for sure: The Book says that He isn't going to like what Jesus is going to do with him!!!! [Insert Grin here... ]
We'll be back to the series after my computer returns and I am able to spend more hours researching and preparing for writing than I can on a borrowed computer. I am expecting that we'll likely return to it early next week.
Thanks again for hanging in with us!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Computer is still out...
Hi, All!
I know so many of you have been checking to see whether this week's blog has been posted yet. My computer has been in the shop for over a week and a half now. I haven't heard an ETA as to when it will be finished. In the meantime, I am going to have to postpone entries. Hang tight. We'll be back up and running again soon!
Thanks for your patience in waiting on the next segment of our series.
Bitsy
I know so many of you have been checking to see whether this week's blog has been posted yet. My computer has been in the shop for over a week and a half now. I haven't heard an ETA as to when it will be finished. In the meantime, I am going to have to postpone entries. Hang tight. We'll be back up and running again soon!
Thanks for your patience in waiting on the next segment of our series.
Bitsy
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