Arms Wide Open

I've been thinking a lot about what it looks like to live life to the fullest over the last 2 years. I saw an image today that gave me a mental picture of what God has been teaching my heart. 

I saw a picture of a person standing with their arms stretched wide open. After I unknowingly started singing part of the chorus from an old Creed song, I started thinking about how uncommon it is for us to make this motion. What is it about this position that says so much without using any words? I think it is very difficult to half heartedly form this position. When done right, it shows excitement. It makes me think of incredible love. I have opened my arms like this and told my kids "I love you THIS much!" My heart is filled knowing that no matter how much I stretch out my arms, Jesus stretches his further. In fact, it was this position that he took in order to give me life. He stretched his arms wide open when he died on the cross for me. I think the power of this position exists because it evokes so much emotion not only because you can't do it half heartedly, but because it is hard for anyone to deny Christ while standing (or even seeing someone else) in the position.

God began to speak to my heart and remind me that he wants my life to be lived in this position. Where this position speaks of excitement, whole heartedness, passion, love and forgiveness, it also expresses fullness. It says, "I have so much in me that I just can't contain it. I have to stand with arms wide open and shout from the roof top!" Jesus wants us to have a full life. In John 10:10 Jesus says "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." It was a gentle reminder for me that I can't worry about what someone else thinks and live my life in this position. I can't build walls around my heart and not allow people in while living my life in this position. There is no half hearted living in this position. It is the position I picture living life and having it to the full!


Thank you Jesus for stretching your arms wide open for me, for showing me how much you love me. Thank you for this image of what a full life looks like. I pray that you help me to live my life in this position, not afraid to be who you've created me to be, facing life whole heartely and so full that I just can't keep it to myself. 

Want to join the Super Hero Squad?

  

I guess I have super heroes on my brain after Cooper's Super Hero birthday party a couple of weeks ago!

As I read in 1 and 2 Kings I couldn't help but picture the Super Hero Squad. I know, I know there are heroes all over the Bible! This one however, includes super human speed, strength and a cape! I've been a Christian for over 15 years now and I had no idea the Bible included these things. I love when God pours out things like you've never seen them before. I hope you enjoy!

So, let me set up the story...(only wishing I had pictures and caption bubbles). Israel had again turned their back on God and was caught up in worship of other gods, of which the most popular was Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to determine who was the real God. There were hundreds of Baal prophets against Elijah and his God. Elijah gave them all day to have their god set fire to an altar. There was even mocking and taunting. Yes, trash talk existed in the Bible! Then Elijah had a turn. He had them dig a trench around the alter and soak the wood with water 3 times before calling on God to light the fire. Immediately upon asking God to show who he was to all these people "the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!" (1Kings 18:38)

Elijah saw a great victory, but the super hero part starts here! There had been a drought for 3 years and after the defeat on Mount Carmel Elijah prayed for God to send rain. As the sky turned black, "A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel." (1 Kings 18:45-46) Did you catch that? Ahab left quickly in his chariot, but Elijah tucked his super cape, channeled his super speed and super strength and stayed ahead of Ahab's chariots all the way back. POW!!! This boy was on fire! (oh wait - that's the human torch aka Abednego...another story/another day.) 

Let's talk about that super cape! In 2 Kings he used that cape when he met Elisha. God told him to go get Elisha and train him to be his replacement. He headed out to find Elisha working in a field and he "went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away." Elisha asks simply asks if he can go and say bye to his mom and dad, and Elijah answers, "Go on back, but think about what I have done to you." (1 Kings 19:19-20) Ka-Bam!!! That cape has some powers. What had he done to him, and how on earth did Elisha know what that meant? It must be part of the super hero code! 

But you know...I hear stories like this all the time at NewSpring. People out doing their jobs, serving in the church, minding their own business when God starts working on something in their heart..."sell your business and get ready for what I'm gonna do"..."quit your job and wait for me to show you the ministry I have for you." Then, out of nowhere someone from the church asks you to lunch and says, "I think God wants you to be our next campus pastor", or "You know, God has been preparing you to do this ministry we want to start." I guess Elisha knew what it meant because it lined up with what God was doing in him. Boom!!! Being a super hero requires sacrifices! He knew exactly what Elijah had "done to" him, and he was willing to go.

There's another story involving that super cape, though. The transfer of power! 2 Kings 2 Elijah is making his way to the other side of the Jordan, (where apparently he has a rendezvous scheduled.) When they arrive at the Jordan river "Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!" (2 Kings 2:8) It was on the other side of the river that "suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven...Elisha picked up the cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah's cloak and cried out, 'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' Then the river divided, and Elisha went across." (2 Kings 2:11-14) Elisha went on to do many super human feats including raising a boy from the dead!

It was fun to see real super hero kind of stuff with super human feats, cape and all, but I guess what I'm trying to say in all of this is that God has the power to make you into a super hero.

     Do you believe he has the power to get you out of a jam?
     Do you believe that God is the same God today that he was then?
     Are you willing to make the sacrifices?

Are you focused on what you would do with that power, or what God would have you do with that power?

I love that Elijah's prayer on Mount Carmel had nothing to do with him, and was all about God's glory...

"O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself." (1 Kings 18:36-37)

God is the same God he was for Elijah and Elisha. He does have the power to do anything with you and through you and He wants to use you to bring people back to Him!

What are you doing with your Super Powers?

How much did you pay for that?

This question may not be asked out loud too often, but I am sure people think it! Today, I was challenged to ask this of myself in regards to my relationship with God. David, in 2 Samuel 24, has the opportunity to get something for free and his response caught my attention. I mean, who doesn't want something for free, right?

Let me recount the story for you...
David is near the end of his reign as king and "once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel." As judgement fell upon the nation in the form of a plague 70,000 people died. But as Jerusalem was about to be destroyed the Lord stopped the death angel at the threshing floor of Araunah. Then sent word to David to build an alter at that spot. As you may be inclined to think today, that was not David's property. David would have agreed, so he went to Araunah to buy the threshing floor from him. Araunah offered to give David the threshing floor as well as oxen for the offering. "But the king replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.'" David paid him, built the alter and sacrificed his burnt offerings to the Lord.

So, I ask you what I asked myself this morning...What are your offerings costing you? Are you giving up something in order to give to God? Are you making sacrifices to follow him? Or are you simply sliding by giving God only things that have cost you nothing?

These are a few questions that got me thinking today, I hope it does the same for you.

At least no one is trying to kill you...

Most of us know Joseph's story starting with the boy given the coat of many colors, thrown in the pit, then a LONG process of different seasons until he becomes the Pharaoh's right hand man and gets reunited with his family.  But what about David? David's story is very different, but still a story of seasons. Most of us can tell you about his poor choices leading up to and following his affair with Bathsheba, and we take hope from this story because even though he made mistakes he was called a man after God's own heart. What we don't usually focus on is the time between the boy who killed Goliath and him becoming the King that was on his roof looking for trouble.

He was a young boy, the baby of the family when God sent Samuel to anoint him king. He knew what God was going to do with him, but he didn't know how or when. He went from the shepherd in the field to mighty David who people sang songs about how he killed his tens of thousands after defeating Goliath. He became a man (son-in-law) that King Saul grew to hate out of pure jealousy. He spent YEARS running and hiding as Saul chased after him trying to kill him. He showed mercy and grace to the man who would never have done the same, only to spend many more YEARS in a war (after Saul's death) before he actually ruled the kingdom God had given him many years earlier. 

 

David experienced seasons in his life, seasons of joy and hope, seasons of heartache and pain, seasons of victory and defeat. We do know (Philippians 1:6) that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." We see this played out in David's life as well as Joseph's and many others in the Bible, but I think we forget that for our own lives. I know for me it is a struggle not to continually ask God what the completed Bonnie accomplishes. I have a hard time waiting out the season, sometimes good ones as well as hard ones. 

 

All of that to say...I believe the answer is to live each day to the best of your ability. Allow God to smooth the path ahead. When he begins something in you, he is at work. He continues to work even when you don't see how this is going to get you anywhere. You are simply asked to represent Jesus, show his mercy and grace and follow after the things of his heart. He will put you where he wants you and use you in ways unimaginable. Enjoy the seasons of hope...be calm in the waiting...push through the hurt, God is at work...and no one is trying to kill you!

What season are you in? 

 

What has God put in front of you that you don't know how to get to? (Remember, it is not your job to get yourself there. He is the one at work.)

A message for MOMS!

Something new God is teaching me I thought I would share today is about being a mom and a woman in ministry.  If I'm being really honest I can tell you I have been struggling trying to figure out what it looks like to be a stay at home mom. I am not a homebody. I like to be out and about. I certainly don't like to miss out on anything. And most of all I have prayed for a long time for God to use me in a mighty, powerful way. (Now, don't misunderstand, I don't care if that means I do something big and great or if it is something small and never recognized, I just want God to know I am here to serve him and want to be used by him to further his kingdom.)  I am not trying to minimize the role of the stay at home mom either. I am just trying to figure out what it looks like for me. I am used to going 90mph and I find myself in a new place only having to go 30mph. I don't really know how to "stop and smell the roses" being that I am wired to be very task oriented, so there are lots of discoveries for me here and now.
I have been reading through Ruth and Samuel and God has been really teaching me some different ways that it might look to be used by him. If you look at the story of Ruth and the little bit you get from the life of Hannah what you see is that God used them in a mighty way and they may not have ever known it.
You know the story of Ruth...(If not, you can read it. It's the little, short book in the Old Testament titled, :) Ruth.) She had the opportunity to go home to her family, but stuck with her mother-in-law and saw God go ahead of her and provide for all her needs. She wound up being in the lineage of David, who in case you don't know was in the lineage of Jesus! Pretty big role to play, I'd say, but she had no idea. She just lived her life of honor each day not knowing how she was going to be used.
And Hannah is only mentioned briefly in the beginning of 1 Samuel as one of two wives to Elkanah. That alone is the start to trouble - 2 wives...Anyway, we find Hannah crying out to God because she has been tormented by not being able to have kids. She asks God to give her a son and in return she will give that son back to him. God answers her prayer and she follows through and hands the young boy over to the priest to be raised in service to God. I love in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Hannah praises God for what he has done and honors him for his ability, recognizing that he is God! That son was Samuel who grows up to honor God and speaks for the Lord to all of Israel. Hannah, too had no idea how her life would play a mighty role in serving God, she just lived each day to honor him and God did some amazing things through her.
With all that said, I want to encourage any moms, working or not, that God just might be using you in a mighty way just by you being a mother and a woman of honor! So, in search of defining my role in ministry, my job is to do the best I can do to honor God today and teach my kids to do the same.

What speed do you feel like you are going? Do you find yourself focusing on how God might want to use you, or are you just serving him the best way you can where he has you today?

What are you putting in his mouth?

Ok - so it's been a really long time since my last post.  (I kind of feel like I'm starting a confession saying that.) We are moved, mostly settled and trying to start a new normal. As I pray about what to post, I just keep coming back to this same lesson that I actually started writing before the move. Throughout this time of crazy schedules, in between homes for a week, packing and unpacking for almost a month, the thing that stands out most about what God is doing is how he is teaching me to truly hear his voice. God's been teaching me a lot about the differences not only between outside noise and his voice, but also about the difference between his voice and the words I put in his mouth. It is funny how we can read scripture and twist something around to make ourselves think that it is God speaking when really it is how we have taken God's word and made it about what we want to see happen without even realizing it.
I have talked with ladies who have asked "How do you know it is God speaking?" or "How do you hear his voice?" I have spent many hours thinking about those questions and tried to come up with how I answer them.
Mind you - I have no Seminary training or background for this to be anything other than my own experiences. However, here is what I would say is how I know I hear God's voice...

1 - In order for God to speak to you there must be a connection between you. - You spend time with him regularly. You praise him. You read his instruction book, The Bible, daily. You love him and you tell him that with your words and your actions. (This doesn't mean that God can't speak to you and get your attention without spending regular time with him. It simply means that to have a relationship where you truly learn to hear his whispers there has to be a ongoing connection.)

2 - What God says to you is not centered around you. - God has great things in store for you, but what he says to you will not be about lifting you up and making you great. If you think God is speaking to you and what he is saying somehow makes you look really good or puts you in a really good position, just double check that you are not putting words in his mouth. God has designed us to glorify him and lift him up! There are many people in the New Testamant and still today who have lost their lives following what God said for them to do.
   
3 - What God says is often confirmed through people or circumstances. - God will use other people in your life or things happening around you to affirm to you what he has already said.

4 - What God says will happen, happens! - It is not from God if what you think he said does not happen.  Deuteronomy 18:21-22
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.

A little side story...
I found myself learning these lessons clearly not too long ago. I know that God has something in store for me, a ministry that I will be able to serve him in a mighty way. I have no idea what that looks like, so as I read scripture I began to picture some ways that could be accomplished. I took God's word and in my heart, as if God was saying it to me, I told myself this is what he is telling me. "He is going to allow this to happen and do this, so that I can do this..." I was completely convinced that it was from God. It came to my mind during a quiet time. It was based on scripture.I have been seeking him with all my heart, having a great connection with him. Why wouldn't it be what God wanted for me?
I had the opportunity for it to be confirmed through a circumstance that same morning, but it was not. That still wasn't enough. I was convinced God was going to do this, so I kept thinking of other ways that it could work out. Through out this time I have to admit God had to be looking down at me going "Oh Bonnie, when are you going to learn? What are you doing all this running around for? If you would just get out of the way and stop making your own plan, I could really do some pretty cool things with you." 
Finally, I was able to stop and look at why I came up with this thought in the first place. I was hiding the fact from myself, but ultimately this plan was to elevate me. Although God would be honored in the outcome, the plan itself was about elevating me to the place I thought I should be, not about following him and his plan. 

When Jesus was in the wilderness being temped, Satan even used scripture to try to get Jesus to mess up. It is very important to know when God is speaking vs when you are putting words in his mouth. I know that if you are a Christ Follower, if you have given your life to follow after Christ, God is present and he is real! If you spend time with him, and cry out for him to speak to you, he will answer. Jeremiah 33:3 says:  
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Are you putting words in God's mouth, or are you allowing him to teach you great things?


I would love to hear some of the ways that you know when God is speaking.  Please post comments and share what God is teaching you and how you hear his voice.

The Big News!

SO, the next step on the journey...WE'RE MOVING TO SOUTH CAROLINA!
PT has accepted a job as the Discipleship Pastor at NewSpring's Greenville campus, and we will be there by the end of July. I have to focus on the move and not on the leaving, but we are very excited to know we are headed right where God wants us to be. I can't wait to see what all he teaches us there. I will be staying home with the boys, (at least for now) and am really excited to see what all we can get in to. :) God is so good!

Here is a little note that PT and I posted on Facebook, if you are in town and can join us for a little farewell get together we would love to see you! Farewell Note