I Want to Follow You!

It seems like lately, there has just been this theme in my life, like, God is speaking in 

a specific way  and calling people to Him, the way He intended. When I look around, I see people just so comfortable in their lives, in their walk with Christ, in their comfort zone. It scares me really. I don't ever want to just be comfortable. Sure, stepping out of the comfort zone is really scary but....when I get to heaven, I want so badly to hear Him say "Well done my good and faithful servant." Would I hear Him say that if I just stick to what is comfortable for me?

The church I attend has been on a direct path this past year and at first, I was like, YES! We are 

headed down the right path. Then, to be honest, I started second guessing...well, maybe that is not my path.... I am sorry I ever said that, and I need to repent of that for a few reasons, 1. The elders of my church, your church, are placed in a role above us and we are to submit to them (Heb 13:17)(As long as they are not in contrast to the Bible.) . and 2. I was not seeking Christ at this time, truly seeking Him, sitting at His feet. and sadly, 3. I was grumbling and complaining which is so wrong on so many levels. (Phil 2:14)

 What has changed? I have been truly seeking God....sitting at His feet, not just talking at him,

but listening to Him speak to me. I have rested in Him. I have allowed Him to use me in ways I never thought possible. I have asked Him to help me submit, to help me know how He wants to use my gifts, how He wants me to be a part of this direction my home church is headed in. It might not look exactly like our elders because they have different gifts, however, each gift is important, and my gift is a part of the body, necessary for the body to move correctly, so, I am needed, all of us are needed.

Here is the thing...as I read my Bible, God's direct Word!, as I read another great book,

 Radical, by David Platt, I am challenged. Where in the Word does it say that one is called to go on world missions and another is not. Where does it say that one is called to live an easy "American Dream" life and another is not? Living in America is a blessing but lately, I am seeing it so different. We are so comfortable here. So content doing what we do. Going to church Sunday, maybe Wednesday but if we are called to do more,  "No way, I have to do this, I work too hard, I have to go here." We are trained here in the US that we must work hard, earn the most money, so we can buy a nice home, have nice things, and retire. When we retire, hopefully we can enjoy the "fruits of our labor." by vacationing, relaxing, etc. I am not saying this is wrong for everyone, but for me, I need to see where He says it. 

Where does it say this in the Bible? I don't see it. 

 Paul, Peter, John, ...did any of them work, work, work so they could settle down,

 buy a house, two nice cars, white picket fence, dog in the back, nice, big bank account, and a vacation home on the beach? No. They were bruised, broken, no home, no wardrobe, no freezer. They were in jail. They were stoned in many towns. They were killed for His names sake. 

What about Jesus. If anyone deserved this "American Dream" lifestyle, it was Him! He had no home while

on the earth, no wardrobe, no white picket fence. He was bruised, spat on, laughed at, tested, tried, and ultimately, He hung on a cross taking on all of our sin, sin that was not His, to save us.

 He gave up His life for ours.
And what do we do?

We live selfishly.
I'm sorry, this really hurts me to the core. I am so saddened by my own actions, by my own 

thinking. Lord, please forgive me. Please help me un-train my brain from thinking I deserve the American Dream. Please help me see what You have in store for me. Please, help me live out of my comfort zone.

We need to remember, our retirement plan...it is better than the most 

incredible American Dream, better than our perfect vacation home, better than anything we 

could possibly dream up. Our retirement plan is in heaven, with our precious Jesus, when our life here on earth is over. Praise the Lord for this! When put in perspective, this life of work, even if we were beaten every day for 100 years, it is nothing compared to the amazing retirement plan we have through Him!  

Give me Your eyes, Your heart...

  I am sure most of you have heard the song, "Give Me Your Eyes", by Brandon Heath. It is a very good song about seeing people through their outer layers. I have been wanting to do this song for my small group for some time, so, I have been spending a lot of time playing, singing, and practicing.
   So, today, as I sat there playing it, usually at the end of a song (when I am alone) I tend to just play the chords with my eyes shut, listening to Him, and singing in prayer to Him. As I prayed for His eyes, His heart, His arms, for Him to break my heart for what breaks His, I was able to dig deeper.
   I will have to say, it had part to do with a YouTube video I found too from a youth group that did this song and put posters on people. What a great video. But I thought a bit deeper.
    When you are out and about, you know those people who irritate you to the core?  The nicely dressed lady who is pushy and grouchy at the check out line, The man who seems to be somewhere else and not paying attention, The teen who is acting out obviously seeking attention, or the child who lags behind his parent slowing you down. You know these people. I am sure there are different ones in your life, but we all have them, I am sure we have all been them.
   So, here is the thought.
What if the nicely dressed lady is trying to look put together, trying to be in control because her life is out of control, maybe she is losing her husband, her home, her life as she knows it.
What if that man is out of it because he lost his job, maybe he is the husband to the wife above.
What if that teen is seeking attention as a last attempt for anyone to notice as they have decided to end their life.
What if that child lagging is because this child is alone, feeling lonely all the time.
   If you think about it, when you are not at your best, don't you tend to act like you are on top of it? My prayer for myself is that I would continue to pray for the heart of Jesus. Lately, the more I pray, the more I find myself saddened by the world but I have to remember Hope. He is our Hope. Maybe, just maybe, we need to share this Hope we have, with those people, all those people.
   I was reading in Acts 10 today and reading about Peter's vision. He woke from it saying "Lord, I would never eat of anything unclean." And  in verse 15, "And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "what God has cleansed you must not call common."  And if you continue reading, He was meaning to speak to the Gentiles, a people who they thought were unclean.
  Isn't that us? People who are richer than us, poorer than us, druggies, drunks, single moms, single dads, married, teens, children, elderly, a different race, chubby, thin, the list goes on an on. If they are different, do we think they are un-savable? Or maybe God wouldn't use us to share with them. Wrong!
   Oh Lord, please, change the error in my thinking and Please God, Please, give me the heart of Jesus!!!!

~Glorious!

   On Thursday Nights, the church I attend has a small prayer group where we do a few songs of worship and then pray. So, last night, January 2, 2014, I was a little late getting there and they were already in worship.
  Not wanting to interrupt, I sat on the outer part of the circle and was still before the Lord. They began to sing. Now, I am not trying to brag or anything but our little church has some amazing musical talent. There is a gal who comes who has a voice you could listen to all day. She truly could sell her music and make good money yet she chooses not to' she chooses to serve the Lord here. And this guy who just moved here can play the guitar like no ones business and sing with so much passion that you have to stop and let it be, let it happen.
   So, I myself, I love to sing, I do the sound for our church, and to be honest, my first, very first thought that comes across my mind when I hear them each time is, "Lord, I wish I could sing like that...." But this time around, as I sat silently before the Lord, listening to their voices resonate through the sanctuary and surely up to the Lord's ears, He spoke to me.
     "The way you feel when you hear them sing, the way you think they sound, the way your heart is pleased and filled with joy, that is how I feel when I hear true worship from you and from anyone, even those who may not sound pleasing to your ear."
    I had to think about this...during worship practice afterwards while I listened more to the talent before me, and even when I came home, I still thought about it. Wow. The way I feel when I hear them sing, those who have beautiful talent, like another gal who plays the piano like an angel and who sings so pure, the girl I stated above, or the guy with his passion, that is how He feels when I truly worship Him. Not that I sound anywhere near as good as these people but to Him I do. To Him you do!
   Psalm 100  "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him; and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations!"