The Holy Spirit

God Afternoon Family,

This bears repeating in the light of the coming Christmas Season.

The Holy Spirit is so awesome. He truly is God with us. He is waiting, anticipating the moment when we will realize HE IS PRESENT. He longs for the one who will acknowledge Him and inquire of Him. It is the one that says "Teach me Holy Spirit" that causes His heart to leap with joy.

We go through our lives so hurried and distracted. We just breeze past the Holy Spirit, and sometimes trample over Him, to do what we think is best. He is so humble. He just picks Himself up brushes off our footprints and waits some more.

Oh how He loves us Family! He so wants to help us. Softly He speaks, barely over a whisper, the words that would take us to that place of blessing. We hear but we do not hear. Then after our lives fall apart because of our way of doing things we accuse God of not helping.

He is here! He is ever present! He desires to see us blessed more than we do. But He has a way. He will not shout, or force His way in. He is love and love waits to be invited.

Our Jesus died that we may know Him intimately. Even when He walked this earth no one had such a great privilege. Then, He could only be known in a crowd. But now His Spirit dwells IN US. He is Emmanuel...GOD WITH US! Yet we barely take notice...

How meek and gentle He is to wait for a people so stupid. How merciful the Father that He doesn't destroy us for treating The Holy Spirit like a pair of dirty socks.

Let us seek Him while He can be found Family. He waits and waits....

He will not wait forever.


Then she said, "Samson, the Philistines are here!"
He woke up and thought, "I'll leave as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Judges 16:20 (NCV)

Stay in Prayer and in the Word.

Love in Our Lord,

Lauren

Glory to Glory

God Morning Family,

It really cracks me up whenever I hear someone preaching about going "from glory to glory" and the people start shouting, cheering, and clapping. I'm no party pooper, but I don't think many

are really studying their Bibles. When the man or woman of God begins to preach that we will go from glory to glory or victory to victory I want to shout "don't forget to tell what happens in the in-between!". If people really understood the in-between they're response would be a little more sober and alot more reflective.

First let's remember that Jesus Christ was our example as well as our Master. He walked it out so we could know what it would look like.

First when Jesus came to this earth He gave up His glory. He gave up His rights, privileges, and His own will. The glory to glory walk begins with choosing to do find and do the will of God to the exclusion of all else. Good ideas (my desires, opinions, and will) pale in comparison to God ideas.

Second Jesus was willing to endure disapproval (from even His family) criticism, and hate in order to do His Father's will. He focused on His mission even though it made Him a very unpopular person.

Third when it came time to finish His mission, to do the hard thing, He didn't shrink back. He went to His Father in prayer, was honest about His resistance to God's plan, and stayed in prayer until He was strengthened to obey.

Fourth He suffered mentally and physically. Falsely accused, deserted by those closest to Him, beaten, tortured, and hung on a cross without hope of rescue. This was God's will and it was no party.

Fifth He died. He looked like a failure. To everyone who heard His words it was as victory died with Him, but they simply lacked understanding. Man does not define success the way God does and in our way of thinking a victorious battle should never include our death. But to God the death of one righteous obedient man leads to the salvation of the multitudes.

Sixth He resurrected. The power of the Holy Spirit brought this God-Man to life. Death had no power over Him.

Finally He ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father and came into all glory and power.

This is our pattern family and there is no way around it. The righteous will indeed go from glory to glory, and many times. But the in the in-between there are great trials and suffering, death even,whether it be to the flesh or a real dying and going to be with the Lord.

Do not faint, nor lose heart in the in-between, glory and reward is in His hands.

"Yes, I'm on my way! I'll be there soon! I'm bringing my payroll with me. I'll pay all people in full for their life's work. I'm A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion. Revelation 22:12 (The Message)

Stay in the Word and in Prayer!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Passion

God Afternoon Family,

I have an ax to grind if you don't mind.

I'm not too fond of the church's current definition of passion.

There is a popular teaching that says in order to discover God's purpose in your life find out what you have a passion for. This in itself is not wrong but the way most Christians define passion goes something like this,

Whatever you love doing or thinking about...whatever consumes you...whatever makes you feel good...that's your passion.

May I say that is an accurate definition for anything that excites the flesh. I love overeating sweets, staying up late and watching t.v., spending weeks at an expensive resort in Maui doing nothing but being waited on, and buying whatever I want at the mall. This is my passion.

There are 3 times the word passion is used in the Bible. James 5:17 and Acts 14:15 use passion in reference to the natural man and his inclination toward fickle emotions, temptations, and weaknesses.

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. James 5:17 KJV

Acts 1:3 uses the word passion to describe the suffering and death Jesus endured in obedience to the will of His Father.

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God...Acts 1:3 KJV

The Strong's Concordance defines passion in Acts 1:3 as Sensation or Impression (Usually painful.)

Jesus said His meat (source of strength, satisfaction, fulfillment) was to do His Father's will...even to the point of death. The fact that He wept blood in the garden of Gethsemane and asked His Father to let that particular cup pass from Him, tells me His flesh, in no way, felt good about the suffering He was about to endure. Yet, through prayer, He was strengthened to obey.

In my 14 years of salvation it's a pretty rare occurrence that God tells me to do something that makes me feel good and excites my flesh. Maybe it's just me, but God usually makes me do something I don't want to do. In the long run I'm glad I obeyed but initially I generally find that the will of God for me is not much fun and takes me way out of my comfort zone.

Passion.

There is one thing and one thing only that should satisfy a Christian, that should eat away at us until we are nearly insane, that should consume us until we burn...

To find out and then do the will of the one who died for us...no matter the pain it causes us.

This is passion.
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work...John 4:34 NLT

Stay in prayer and in the Word!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Wilderness

God Evening Family,

This morning as I prayed I felt such a desire to cry out for God's tangible presence to be with me always. But then I sensed a question.

"Why do you want my presence?"

My answer seemed reasonable, at first. When I'm lost in His presence I'm nicer, wiser, happier, and stronger. Being in His presence is like living in the eye of a storm. All around is chaos but in the center is his peace. Life is easier in His presence, I prefer that to struggling.

Suddenly I realized how self-centered my desire for more of God was. I want more of God, not because He is so wonderful, but because He makes me look wonderful. I want Him near, not because He is my all consuming joy but because He makes my life more bearable. My hunger for God has a form of godliness but God has a way of getting to the truth doesn't He?

It is true that when God's presence manifests in our lives it is His goodness that allows such a blessing.

It is equally true that when we can't feel Him it is His goodness that allows that as well.

When we do not feel God we realize how corrupt our attitudes, motives, and desires really are. We cry out for the anointing but what we really need is mortification. Somehow the anointing covers up our filthy flesh, and yet it still lives. God doesn't want the flesh prettied up with His anointing. He wants the flesh dead. Therefore it is a greater goodness to leave us in the dry wilderness to die to ourselves.

In the dry wilderness we are anything but beautiful and God seems have abandoned us, yet He is nearer to us than ever. We can't feel Him or hear Him, but He's watching over us as carefully as a mother her sick children. Just as despair would swallow us up He comes, reassuring us He is there. Once we are comforted He withdraws again.

It is not enough for Him that He covers up our perversity. He wants us clean through and through, holy, just like Him. In the wilderness we are changed...if we endure.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:26-28 (The Message)

Stay in prayer and in the Word!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Fruitbearing

God Afternoon Family,

I am amazed at how often I forget how utterly stupid I am without God. Of course I ought not be amazed...it is because I am stupid that I do forget I know nothing unless the Holy Spirit reveals it.

This past few weeks God has been dealing with me concerning my character. If you ever watch the show The Office you should be familiar with Dwight. He has a hunger for authority and doesn't mind intimidating people to get his way. He is arrogant, overbearing, and thinks more highly of himself than anyone should. I'm something like that...or at least I was.

Lately God has been dealing with me concerning the fruit of the Spirit, which I've never taken very seriously. When I think of fruit I tend to think in terms of numbers of people who I lead, work I've accomplished, sacrifice. This is where the stupid part comes in...I rarely think in terms of this scripture,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Gal 5:22-23 NKJV

I've been saved 14 years and it took all of it for God to get me to the place where I finally understand that the end does not justify the means. Bullying people to accomplish God's will is not God's will. I may get the job done but when I think in terms of reward loss somehow it takes the sweetness out of the success.

Let me explain. God desires that men fear him not one another. Therefore if I intimidate people into doing what I say, then they do what they do as unto me, not as unto the Lord. Because they obeyed me out of fear and not a sincere desire to honor God they lose their reward. The work was accomplished but the worker labored in vain.

I am a leader in God's kingdom. I take my responsiblity for God's people seriously. If I intimidate others into fearing me above God I have caused them to sin. I have sinned. This realization has caused me to pause in my walk with God.

Without love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, etc...I am a tree without fruit and good for nothing except to be cursed by God. I am a Pharisee, the blind leading the blind.

But yet God loves me and bore with me these past 14 years until I could understand. Therefore I refuse to waste time in regret. He didn't bring me this far to leave me now. It's His will that I go forward and He will lead the way. I've confessed my sin and now He will bless Me to live a life that brings honor to Him. It's fruitbearing time!

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Phil 3:13-14 (The Message)

Stay in prayer and in the Word!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Scars

God Afternoon Family,

I have skin that scars very easily. As a child I would rarely wear shorts because my shins were so banged up. One morning as I was praying I glance down and the scars on my arms seemed to stand out in stark relief. The next few minutes of prayer went something like this,

God my arms are so ugly can't I just go dip in the Jordan River like Naaman and come out with skin soft, beautiful, and young? (2 Kings 5)

Daughter I love your scars.

What? What do you mean?

Well like that scar on your left forearm....

The big one I got from jumping a hurdle that was too high for me when I ran track in high school?

Yes! What I love about it is you didn't think you could do it, but when your coach told you to take that event you tried with all your might.

But I wiped out God...flat on my face.

But you didn't quit. That scar is a permanent reminder that you're no quitter. It speaks of who you are.

But my scars are so ugly God and permanent.

So are the scars in the hands and feet of my Son.

Every scar has a story to tell. Every scar speaks of a persons life; where they have been, what they spent their time doing, what they loved most. There are scars that carry shame and there are the scars of great warriors. There are even those who carry no scars because they would never take a risk in life.

Obeying God involves risk. Those who say it does not perhaps have never had God challenge them to give up something they love. To do something they fear the most. Whether one risks their reputation, finances, or relationships, doing the will of God has a price. It's going to hurt one way or another. In the end there will be a wound that with time will become a scar. A scar that tells the story of what it costs to obey God.

The rich young ruler should have had a scar. Jesus told him to sell all he had and follow Him. (Mk 10:17-23) With shaking hands, a lump in his throat, and the knowledge that everyone would think he was a lunatic, he should have obeyed the Master. Years down the road as he was preaching the Gospel and healing the sick perhaps a memory would surface of the comfort he gave up to follow Jesus. But as he saw people coming to the Kingdom of God, being set free from sin, he would smile and think, It was worth it. The ache of sacrifice gone and the wound now just a painless reflection of the cost of following Christ.

He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum.But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. Is 53:2-6 The Message

Stay in prayer and in the Word!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Suicide Watch

It is so wonderful having a big family. Oh, it gets chaotic in my house, but I am not really looking forward to the day when they leave the nest one by one. I love the days when we are all together laughing and at peace. I love having six children to kiss goodnight.

What I hate are the times when life is going on as usual, then suddenly a scream of pain shatters the silence. I hate turning a corner with my arms filled with laundry only to run into an upturned face covered in blood.

I'll never forget when little Chelsea's hand was slammed in the car door and we had to take her for stitches. I'll always remember the terror of 2 year old Shannon falling out of a three story apartment window when the screen gave way as she leaned on it. The story of John Daniel playing Superman and putting his foot through his glass window as he was attempting to fly is classic....blood everywhere (And more stitches). Calling the ambulance on Christmas day because Salome thought it would be fun to drink finger nail polish remover was almost as interesting as calling poison control the day her little brother Mikos decided to drink bleach. Michael is 2 and I have no stories to tell about him. He will hopefully allow his mom to raise him in peace.

I thought it a very apt description when I heard parenting described as "suicide watch". We love our children, feed them, clothe and shelter them...and try our best to keep them from killing themselves until they grow up. Perhaps pastoring, leading, or mentoring should all be labeled the same way.

There is something rather perverse about human nature. I've noticed from the moment people get saved you really do have to watch them like a hawk. There are people who, no matter how good God is to them, will go out of there way to sabotage their walk. God gives them life and they do what they can to destroy that life.

They hang out with the wrong people, listen to and look at all the wrong things. They won't listen to wisdom and think you're trying to control their lives.

You can preach, pray, and praise them and they will still find a way to get entangled in pride, bitterness, or offense.

They are the ones who are bored at prayer meetings, but love to hang out with people who gossip. They find no value in reading the Bible but love entertainment. (The more carnal the better) They love to talk about everything but Jesus. You look at their immaturity (They've been in the church 15 years) and wonder if you're wasting your time.

Yet God says to bear with them, be patient, don't give up. Maybe they won't let you disciple them but keep watching over them. Don't let them kill themselves. Perhaps with time and trials they will weary of their way of doing things and let Jesus be Lord.

Perhaps they will soften their hearts and actually get saved.

Don't stop watching.

"Son of man, I've made you a watchman for the family of Israel. Whenever you hear me say something, warn them for me. If I say to the wicked, 'You are going to die,' and you don't sound the alarm warning them that it's a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I'll hold you responsible. But if you warn the wicked and they keep right on sinning anyway, they'll most certainly die for their sin, but you won't die. You'll have saved your life.

Ezekiel 3:17-19 The Message

Stay in Prayer and in the Word.

Love in our Lord,

Lauren