Great is Thy Faithfulness

Today the sun is out (PTL), the snow is melting and I am in the role of homemaker (my very favorite role) because I'm not working and I am in my home, making it a secure, orderly haven for my family Thank you Jesus for this role.

And today I feel so the need to press into Jesus.

Last night we went to our hour prayer time in this season of 24/7 prayer we are having in our neighborhood. This season is called AWAKE, and we got to pray with some dear new friends who even though we have only known for months feels like we've known each other for a lifetime. (That's Jesus - building his family) We sought the face of God, pleading for an awaking in our own soul, and our families, for more of Christ. Oh how good it was to sit in HIS presence

I met with a very dear sister in Christ this morning for prayer (you know who you are). She one of those people we just share deep real things, I ask her "Doesnt your heart ever grow cold"

I feel mine growing cold, and I hate it, I really do. I've been asking God why is my heart growing cold. He has revealed to me that..

I long to see results... I long to see Dave to come and know Jesus and live a life of restoration...but time and time again he shows up sober and wanting and then the next time high and refusing.

I long to see Joe remain sober and living his life in victory because of Jesus, but again and I again I see him, staggering around just surviving, holding his homeless sign up at the highway exits.

i long to see popeye take hold of the truth that Jesus loves Him so much and that all the loss, pain and suffering that he has lived through, Jesus wants to make whole, and turn them into good, but no, this morning I see popeye, in the dumpsters looking for popcans so that he can survive another day on the streets, medicating his hurt with alcohol.

I long to see my refugee boys find their sonship in Christ Jesus, and to know that they are dearly loved, and they are no longer orphans but adopted by the most loving Heavenly Father. And to know that all the horrific things they have expereinced, Jesus was with them, and every tear cried, Jesus cries too. And that God is a just God.

When I share to people about Dave, or others - people ask me...so how are you doing that, or you are a better person than me - I cant put up with people who choose this life style.

I get angry when people say these things out loud to me but if I am honest, they are speaking what I am sometimes feeling.

I want results, I want to see that it is worth it, yes I want it for them, because we love these beautiful people and we want them to be FOUND by Christ,and most the time it does break our heart, but I would love to testify all the fruit that we are bearing in Christ, Jesus is teaching me that it is obediance, that's my part, being faithful day after day, moment by moment...the fruit - that is His business. What he is teaching me is more profound through this calling of steadfastness than He could probalby teach me through any quick miracle is this... its me that needs to learn to perserve, its me that need to take on the love and promises of Christ daily and live them out in this crazy world.

But this world says no, it likes to say that it has been and will always be this way. There are the "haves" and the "have nots". Its survial of the fittest. And that is the lie that to some extent we all believe.

But God says " It is not by power or by might...but by my Spirit."

People are hurting everywhere, another earthquake and tsunami in Japan - hundred dead...

The earth is groaning for the return of Christ...are we? The more we experience the hurt and brokeness in this world the more we groan, the more we are put through trial the more we are made like Jesus and the more we groan, the more we enter into other peoples hurts and needs and God opens us up to the hurt, the more we groan...the more loss the more groaning.

because it is in all these things that we find Jesus and we are reminded that this is not our home, we have a far better place waiting for us. I see Jesus in our homeless friends, He is with them whether they believe it or not, I see it with my refugee boys, Oh...God' heart is so for the orphan. I see Jesus in my single mom friend who is raising her beautiul boy by herself, and who is tired. I see Jesus in the families who have taken in the orphan, and even though it is hard at times, He is so seen, I see Jesus in my brother as he lives with a heart condition, and has finally had surgery, trusting God to be the Healer. I see Jesus in my parents as they live their lives to bring the HOPE and LOVE of Jesus to everyone they know and dont know.

I see Jesus in our own trials, I not only see Him I meet with him, because even when our circumstance in the world's eyes seems pretty bad, Jesus is there saying trust and peace I give you, and I am refining you through this stripping to be more radiant for me.

And so as I am praying and pressing into Jesus today, I am asking Him to reveal things that are good but are getting in the way of Him. Even good things can be enemies of God.

One thing that I am praying through is sports in our family. We love sports. I grew up in a family of sports, Kevin loves sports, and I have many sweet memories, our kids are very gifted in sports, and we have been blessed to watch them play and really see the glory of God in them as they play. They learn a lot from sports and we know it is of God. And it has been a great way to get into people's lives but...

Sports in our family take up a lot of time, and we dont even do the "travel teams"

We are praying about asking our kids to pick two sports instead of three. I know to some of you reading you say "well that is a no brainer" but to us it is a big deal.

I listen to voices saying "they are only young once" "no regrets, looking back wishing they had" "they are going to let the team down" " its good to keep them busy"...really?!! so busy that even if our intentions are good we are still conveying the message that you need to give your best in the sports you are in...you need to get good grades, you need to work.. be involved here..be involved over there.. perform perform perform, how do we teach our kids to rest, to be in God's Word..to develop their own relationship with Jesus. How can they be used for the Kingdom in their schools if they are not getting filled with TRUTH they cant I dont care how good of kids they are. "Its by my Spirit" says the LORD

Why is it we dont take the training of our children up in the way of the LORD as serious as we take training them in sports or whatever. We can talk about the game, spend hours training for the game, play the game, think about the game...do we do the same for training them to be disciples, warriors, contenders for the Gospel, exposing them to the heart of God.

Paul says that there is some worth in training for the games but not even close to the worth of training for the race of life and the Kingdom run which is eternal.

In Exodus God commands His people to "teach your children, when you are walking, talking when you lie down, speak about thses things...put them on your doorpost tie them around your neck"

I dont know about you...but running after the good things leaves very little time to run after the best. We can say this, agree with this but are we living this.

God is not saying go live your life in a cave, and just read my word and pray and Im not considering that but I am asking the questions, how off balance are we. How much have we conformed to this world and have justified everything.

How often in God's word does he say, pray continueously, meet together, spur each other, edify each other, serve each other, give to the needy, be about the poor, and the orphan. We only have so much time in one day.

Our Father in Heaven is serious about us, he is pursuing us, and He has work for us, he wants to bring the lonely into families, He wants to be the Restorer of our own souls,We are meant to live this life to the full, but we need time to get charged up by the Spirit.

Our God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and tommorrow, but times are changing, I know I cant get by anymore with just bare minimum of Him and a lot of the world because I feel my heart growing cold, I need Jesus to whisper that He loves me and He loves the lost world and to find HIM I must be going where He is at.

Strength for today
Bright hope for tommorrow
Blessings are mine with ten thousand beside

Great is thy Faithfulness
Great is thy Faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All that I have needed thy hand has provided
Great is thy Faithfulness unto me

Today

I feel incredibly blessed, not because of anything grand, but the Spirit of thanksgiving is in my heart today, believe me not everyday is like this, but God is teaching me a lot and giving me His eyes, and today I choose to see through HIM.

Thankful that the sun is shining, and Spring is making its way slowly but surely.

Thankful for my job, today working with some courageous and Jesus loving people, all with different skin color. I love being part of the family of Christ. I love my brothers and sisters who are from All Nations.

Thankful for my family, God has given us a sweet season of growing together and putting a mission on our hearts. To see all of us growing in Christ - really there is nothing better. To see my kids interacting with three new boys from africa that we had over this weekend. so sweet...

Thankful for Kevin, for the way he lives his love for Christ by being the biggest servant to others, to watch him work so hard and never complain, to see him love our kids and take the role of fathering as the calling on his life. For not ever wondering if I'm the most important person to him..because he reminds me all the time that I am.

Thankful to take my dog mya for a walk today down to Jenn's house on 2nd street and have a great conversation of thankfulness,family and grace.

Thankful to see DanMike riding his new motorcycle around the neighborhood.. just another sign of spring.

Thankful to hear from Dave, our homeless friend, that is still sober and he's taking care of some health issues so that he can go to Mission Bible, just calling to say he is doing well, and he is...

Thankful to hear kids laughing and playing on the playground acoss the street.

Thankful for my home.

Thankful that I get to go and watch my kids use their talents whether on the atheltic fields or singing in a concert or whatever else and seeing them having the time of their life.

Thankful to hear from dear friends in Zambia today through email.

Mostly thankful for Jesus... that he hasnt given up on me, and he is showing me that he is constantly making all things new... He is you know... its up to us to take time and see. He's making all things new, He's working in our struggles, He's working in our weakness.

Even though there are only glimpses of Spring and winter seems like it will hold on forever, God is working, the earth is preparing for the budding of flowers, the trees are preparing to bud and leaf and turn green, the cold and snow wont be here forever.

We need to hold on, He's doing the same for us, Oh how much more does He love us over the sparrow or the lillies of the field. He's making a new creation.

PRAISE HIM!!