Abundant Life vs. the American Dream

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10

Abundant life.  It’s something that sounds so appealing, doesn’t it?  So fulfilling and hopeful.  It’s something that Jesus said He came to give to us – what a promise!

But as I look around today, I think there’s some confusion in the Church about abundant life. 

My fear is that the Church is being dazzled by the promise – not of abundant life – but of a Christianized version of the American Dream.  That somehow the goal of our faith is not a passionate, intimate relationship with Jesus and living to do His will.  Instead, following Jesus is a means to end - to end up with what I want, my own “heaven on earth”. 

My friends, this is not what Jesus gave His precious blood to give to us.

The American dream is what everyone wants, after all.  We want the 4-bedroom house with the white picket fence.  We want both us and our families to have what we need AND what we want.  We desire, not just financial security, but financial windfall.  (Which we usually want to happen overnight!)  We want to “live the dream”, follow our passions, become successful (and for many, insert ‘become famous’ here)!

I’m not, in any way, saying that these things are necessarily wrong or bad. Many of us have these things and they are a blessing from the Lord!  But what I am saying is that those things fall far short of being the definition of abundant life.  Attaining status and wealth were never meant to be a guarantee of a relationship with Jesus.  In fact, in some ways, those things can be the very enemy of the abundant life that Jesus suffered and died to make available to each one of us.

I’m reminded of the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10.  He comes to Jesus with an honest question:  “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus shared with him, “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”

But the rich young ruler was a rule follower – he told Jesus he had already done all those things, and from the time he was young!  Yet still he knew something was missing.

So he asks again what he must do.  I bet in hindsight, he wished he hadn’t asked.

“Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Fellow believers in America, I want to ask us to see ourselves as the rich young ruler.  We say we want eternal life.  We want salvation.  We want grace.  We want eternity in Heaven.

We want Jesus to be our Savior.  But friends, we aren’t sure we want Him to be our Lord. 

We want the free gift of eternal life.  But we don’t want it to cost us something.

The Bible says that Jesus looked at that rich young ruler, with all his wealth and possessions, and genuinely loved him.  Just as Jesus genuinely loves us.

But Jesus also told him that if he really wanted to walk with Him, he had to surrender everything of his earthly treasures to truly follow Him.

This young man had followed all the rules.  But Jesus wanted more than his actions – Jesus wanted his heart. Jesus wanted to be Lord and Master of this man’s life.  He wanted the young man to surrender what was most important to him on this earth for the all-surpassing Treasure of Heaven.

Jesus asked.  And the rich young ruler said no.

He was not willing to surrender his earthly treasures.  His stuff had his heart.  So he walked away from Jesus.  He felt bad about it – but not bad enough to change his ways or to give up his riches to follow Jesus.

Have you ever experienced that moment with Jesus?  Where He asks you to give up something that you love?  Something that you may have worked hard for?  Something you treasure?

I know I have.  And it has happened more than one time.  Making Jesus the Lord of our lives is a continual choice.

Jesus will let us make that choice.  Notice He did not run after the rich young ruler to try to convince him to change his mind.  He does the same with us. 

But if Jesus is asking me to surrender - if He’s asking me to let go of something I’m holding on to and reach out to take the hand of my Lord and follow Him more closely. . .

. . .is there danger in saying no?  I think that there is.

I don’t ever want to get good at saying no to Jesus.

I believe that Jesus stands today in front of the American church.  He’s looking at us with genuine love.  He knows all the good things that we’ve done and the ways that we’ve obeyed His commands. 

But He’s standing here asking us if we will also give up those things in our lives that we value more than we value Him.  He’s asking us to allow Him to be the Lord of our lives.

Maybe for some of us, He’s asking for riches.  Maybe for others, it’s surrendering our kids.  Maybe it’s our job.  Maybe it’s our dreams.

I invite you to wrestle with the Lord over these issues.  He understands that we are dust and that we struggle to let go of the treasures and rights that we hold so dear.

About three years ago, the Lord challenged me on my right to spend money the way I wanted to.  And let me tell you, this was especially hard when it came to going out to eat.  I really do enjoy a good meal that I didn’t cook! 
Jesus was asking me to let Him tell me how to spend our money.  To let Him decide where our dollars would go.  It wasn’t about the fact that we could afford to go out.  It was about the fact that I had to let Him tell us how we appropriated our funds.

I wrestled with God because I didn’t realize how much I just did what I wanted with money.  And frankly, I wanted to spend it as I wanted to!  French fries were never so tempting to me as they were in that month that I struggled with surrendering this to the Lord.  I know it may sound silly, but it was hard for me to let go of this!

How grateful I am that the Lord allowed me to wrestle this out with Him.  It took – no joke – a month of praying, arguing, and frustration on my part.  But I remember the moment, on my knees, when I gave my rights to our finances to God. 

In hindsight, I am amazed at His goodness in preparing me for this season when our finances would shrink to so little.  Not only was He asking me to be Lord of how we spent, but He was preparing me for a season I had no idea was coming.
That is the beauty of allowing Jesus to be Lord.  If I had said no, if I had walked away from Him – well, this may have all played out very differently.

When we contemplate surrendering to the Lord what we hold most dear, we are only aware of the loss.  Of what we feel that we are giving up and how hard that it is.

But we are trading these earthly things for the treasures of abundant life.  And not abundant life as defined by us, but as defined by God.  And that is a life beyond our wildest dreams and desires.


More on that in the next blog. . .

Lessons Learned in The Garden

My family and I just moved to a different house about a year ago. It is has been a blessing to live here, as it meets each of our needs so perfectly.  One of the best attributes that we have all come to enjoy is the backyard. And it is an area that most definitely needed a great deal of attention in order to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.

You see, this house sat unoccupied for over a year before we moved in. You can imagine the state of disarray and disrepair that had befallen the unattended backyard –no watering, no weeding, no trimming, no pruning. It had truly become a ‘wild’ environment where anything goes. It was our own personal Jumanji and the ‘jungle’ of wild life was ready to be tamed.

Luckily, I had two very willing assistants, my daughters, Meagan and Kelsey, who were ready and able to join me in the daunting task of conquering this wild outdoor habitat. It took us 7 days and 8 full trash cans of debris to whip this backyard into usable condition. Once the space had been prepped and cleared it was time for the real work to begin – tilling, planting and growth.

I used soil, fertilizer, soil nutrients, mulch, flowers, plants, tools, weed killer, bug spray, gloves - everything that could possibly be needed to make this backyard space a perfect outdoor living environment. It took me roughly 4 weeks of hard labor and lots of love to make the transition from wildlife habitat to tamed backyard.

During this labor of love I began to hear the Lord speaking to me about the similarities between all of this physical work and the work of my spiritual life. I know this comes as no surprise to anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time, as the Scripture is constantly using garden analogies to make comparison to our spiritual lives, but these particular lessons that the Lord taught me caught me off guard and made me think.

Allow me to share the lessons learned in the garden (my backyard):

1. Despite all the same work of tilling, feeding, watering and weeding the soil, I could still plant 2 of the exact same bushes 3 feet apart and watch one of them thrive and flourish while the other struggled just to survive. For the first time I saw things from the perspective of the Gardener and realized that each plant requires personal care and attention based on the exact conditions and circumstances that arise from their exact location.

I saw my own life in these plants – in one area I was thriving and growing with just a little effort (i. e. journaling and reading my Bible).  Yet there were other areas where I was struggling when showing the same effort (i.e. dealing with anger or self control).  The challenge was to meet each “plant” or area of my life with the necessary effort and focus that will cause it to grow.  One area might need more prayer, more counsel, more discipline, more focus, where another happens a little easier.

2.  Weeds (a cheap and free alternative that I didn’t want) popped up out of nowhere and grew at a rate much faster than the bushes and flowers (items of worth and value that I did want) that I purposefully planted and desired to grow. 

I saw the physical weeds as a spiritual metaphor. There are always going to be ‘free’ alternatives that cost nothing to initially buy and will show growth at a much faster rate and actually might be attractive. However, ultimately the weeds will consume the ‘real’ plants and flowers as their root systems choke out the foliage that I truly want to grow and flourish.

There have been times when the weeds in my life are when I am searching for the approval of man.  I worked hard to prove myself and show that I was worthy, and at times, it caused my family to suffer.  The instant approval of man can look good, as some weeds can.  But ultimately, it choked out life in me, because I was seeking to please man rather than God.

3.  My yard had endured a full year without water, food or any care at all. Yet somehow I really felt that after 3 weeks of back-breakingly hard work on my part - consistent watering, feeding, and maintaining - that I could reverse the neglect of 52+ weeks and get this environment back into shape. But a long time of neglect takes a long time to be brought back to health and life.

This reminded me of the spiritual ‘quick-fix’ that often gets communicated, either intentionally or unintentionally, that once I choose Jesus and begin to change my life all will go well and my garden will be fruitful. This is not necessarily true!  The Lord showed me that true environment change takes time and that the consequences of neglect and bad habits will not disappear just because I have begun the process of change. It must be sustained over consistent seasons in order to bring about the desired results.

In this current season of struggle there were several things said about me that were very hard to hear. I had to take those things before the Lord and find out what was true and what was not.  And of what was true, what would require life change. So then, after implementing these personal changes for two or three months, why hasn’t everyone’s opinion changed along with it? After all the changes have been made haven’t they? The Lord was using this to show me how although immediate change is good true change will be measured over time and with my consistency.     

Using this metaphor of a garden makes me think about my spiritual life very differently. And begs a few questions:

Am I being purposeful in my spiritual garden or just allowing things to happen?  

Am I truly being the gardener that I have been called to be and doing all the work necessary to ensure personal spiritual growth?

Am I being purposeful and feeding the soil of my soul, asking God to remove rocks, watering the ground, ensuring proper sunlight, and keeping the grounds free from weeds? Or am I being accidental and allowing things to-fall-where-they-may based on the blowing of the wind, receive water only when it rains, and weed only when it becomes a problem?  

I hear the Lord calling us to cultivate a spiritual ‘green thumb’.  Let’s not wait another day to get started!

Doing For Jesus VS. Being With Jesus

Have you ever had those moments where you realize you’re seeing the same Bible verses or story everywhere?

Someone posts if on Facebook.

Your pastor uses it in his sermon on Sunday.

The book you’re reading uses this passage.

I’ve learned that those moments are never coincidence.  That’s the Holy Spirit trying to get our attention!  And those are the three ways He used to get my attention this last week.

The story the Holy Spirit was drawing my attention to is the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42:

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

My friends, I am a Martha through-and-through.  I’m a doer.  I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when I have completed a difficult task.  I like checking things off my to-do list!

But sometimes doing is the enemy of being.

Martha placed the priority of what she was doing over being with Jesus. 

Think about that!  She was in the very presence of the Son of God, but what she was doing was more important to her than being with Him.

And let’s not forget that Martha was doing good things – what she was doing, she was doing for Jesus!  She was cleaning, cooking, preparing for Him!  She is doing what she’s doing unto the Lord. 

But Martha missed the most important thing: her doing was keeping her from being with Jesus.

Maybe you are like me:  we use what we do to give us a sense of worth or add to our personal value.  But Jesus wants me to understand my value by being with Him.  He loves me and gives me an identity that is not based on my doing. 

This being doesn’t come naturally to me.  It means I have to quiet my busy mind and my anxious heart.  I am learning to choose to lay aside my doing for the sake of being with my Jesus.  It is there that I find who I really am – not based on what I have done, but based on Who He is and Who He says I am.

Remember what Jesus said to Martha:

“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

We find ourselves doing a lot of things.  But what would Jesus ask of us?  He wants to be with us – in intimate relationship that changes us from the inside out.  What we do can be taken away from us.  But what is formed in us by just being in His presence can never be taken away.

One of the most powerful books I have read on this topic is called “With” by Skye Jethani.  Please, if you get a chance – READ THIS BOOK!  It is life-altering in how we look at being with God.  In “With” it says,

“In other words, it is not our circumstances or behaviors or radical decision that give our lives meaning and hope, but our unity with God Himself.”

We somehow underestimate the power of being with Jesus.  I don’t want to blow past Jesus, just as Martha did – even when what I’m doing, I am doing for Him.  He wants to be with me.  And when I am being with Him. . .everything changes.  I change.  It’s about the being.

Being Me in the Face of Adversity

Have you ever noticed that when we face adversity, loss, injustice or pain, we start to act…differently?

Someone may say, “Are you OK?  You seem down.”  Or. . .

“You haven’t been yourself lately!”  Or. . .

“Geez, lighten up!”  (That one may or may not have come from my hubby!)  J

Those who know me know that I am an outgoing person.  I love to be in on the conversation, laughing, hugging, joking, sharing.  That’s who God made me to be!  I love being with people, offering hope for the future, finding my big God is real and is moving, even in the small, everyday moments of life.

But when challenges begin to come – especially the ones that pull the rug out from under me and leave me gasping for breath – I struggle to still be that same woman.  Suddenly things aren’t so funny.  I’m more quiet and withdrawn.  Hope for the future seems hard to find.

I think the Enemy loves that – when we face trauma, big or small, he wants us to react in ways that are opposite to who God made us to be.  He wants us to forget who we know God to be and how we have the authority in Jesus to move in faith and confidence, even in the midst of adversity.  Instead, it is easy for us to pull away, to nurse our fears and our wounds.

If you, like me, struggle with this, we are in good company.

In 1 Kings 18, we read the story of the prophet Elijah.  This is one strong man.  He is confident when he has heard from the Lord and moves forward in great boldness.  At this point in his story, Elijah is confronting the idolatry that the people of Israel have given into under the reign of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. 

So God sends Elijah, as a lone prophet, to challenge the 450 prophets of Baal.  And he boldly puts forth a challenge:  both he and the prophets will build an altar and present a bull.  A real God will be able to set the sacrifice on fire.

Though the prophets of Baal pray, cry out and cut themselves for hours, nothing happens.

Here is Elijah’s response to their efforts:

“About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself, or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”.” (1 Kings 18:27)

Elijah is no shrinking violet, is he?  This kid had holy confidence that his God would come through in this challenge!

After the prophets of Baal have failed to call down fire from their god, Elijah then rebuilds the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.  He places the sacrifice on it and then instructs it to be doused with water over and over.  Here’s what happened next:

“At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “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.”

“Immediately 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! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:36-39)

What an incredible miracle!  God has used Elijah in a powerful way and the people of Israel are drawn back to the Lord!

That’s the beauty of when we are being who God created us to be.  We have holy confidence.  We are unafraid.  God uses us in miraculous ways and people are drawn to the loving heart of God through us!

After this great victory, Elijah orders all the prophets of Baal to be executed.  King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, was infuriated by this. 

“When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.  So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.””  (1 Kings 19:1-2)

You’d better believe Jezebel would do everything in her power to end Elijah’s life.  And our prophet knows the type of insane, murdering woman Jezebel is.

So when Elijah hears Jezebel’s threats, this confident, faith-filled, just-seen-God’s-miracle prophet stands firm in the Lord and defeats her!

Just kidding.  Elijah runs away.

“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”!” (1 Kings 19:3-4)

I told you we are in good company!

Elijah had just seen God at his best – displaying His miraculous works that put the schemes of the enemy to shame.  Elijah had moved in the boldness that God created him to walk in.  He was sure of his God and knew He would come through.

And then a madwoman threatens his life. . .so he forgets the power of the God who had just come through for him and he runs away in terror to a remote mountain and prayed to die.

Do you know what’s amazing about God?  He doesn’t berate Elijah for his running.  He doesn’t condemn him for his lack of faith in God’s protection of his life.

God sends an angel to give him food and sends him on a journey to Mt. Sinai, where God meets him in a very real way.

God knows that we are dust, friends.  He understands the torture of sin on this earth that causes us to run and hide, to forget who we are and Whose we are.

And in those moments, He wants to remind us of Who He is and who we are in Him.

At the end of 1 Kings 19, a few things happen.  First, God reminds Elijah that He is in the still small voice – closer and more intimate than Elijah can even imagine.  Second, God goes on in verses 15-18 to give Elijah a new assignment.  His call to be a prophet to speak on God’s behalf had not changed.  God also encourages Elijah that he is not alone.  He is to anoint Elisha to come alongside him and God also has a remnant of those in Israel who are still faithful to the one true God and have not bowed to idols.

This is just what Elijah needed to again walk as the man God created him to be – a bold leader, fearlessly serving his God.

And these are the things that we need, too.  We need to know that in danger or trial, God is closer to us than we can ever imagine.  That we can bring to Him our fears and doubts and find rest for our souls. 

It is in that time before God that we are reminded of what is true.  We are reminded of Who God is and that He has a plan for us beyond the painful circumstances of this moment.  That the threats of the enemy are not bigger than our God!  The enemy will always try to get us to back down and walk away from who God has called us to be.  But we can, with our identity solid in Jesus, walk in boldness and confidence, no matter what we are facing!

And finally, we are reminded that we are not alone.  God has those who are there to come alongside us and support us.

Where is God calling you, like me, to walk in renewed faith and boldness?  Where is He calling us to be exactly who He has created us to be?  I am praying that we will experience that intimate time with the Father that reminds us of the bigness of God on our behalf and that we can walk in holy confidence in Him, no matter what we are facing!

Faith Beyond Belief

A few months back, my beautiful wife, Jen wrote a blog on the story of Jesus raising Lazarus back to life found in John 11. In that blog, she brought attention to the actual miracle itself and spoke of how God can resurrect things in our lives that have died and how He cares for our hurts and pain in the midst of that death – even when that death will ultimately be used to bring about a miracle of resurrected life!

I wanted to take a moment and revisit that same passage of scripture but with a different focus. Many of us are very familiar with the story itself: Lazarus, a friend of Jesus becomes sick and ultimately dies. His two sisters, Mary and Martha, send word to Jesus about their brother’s physical predicament in hopes that He can come and heal his ailment. Jesus receives word of the need and deliberately stays away a few extra days until Lazarus ultimately dies and then comes to Bethany to meet the sisters. The sisters, family and friends are perplexed by Jesus’ lack of response and share their opinions on what could have happened if Jesus had only arrived sooner. Then Jesus surprises everyone and raises Lazarus back to life.

As I reread this scripture the Lord was drawing my attention to three particular verses/responses from each of the main ‘players’ – Martha, Mary and the gathered crowd of mourners. The overwhelming theme that captured my attention in each of the responses was a strong sense of BELIEF in the power and person of Jesus Christ but with a limited FAITH based on current circumstances and present understanding. Allow me to show you what I mean as we look at each of the responses:

“When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him… “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11: 20-21).

“When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11: 32).

“The people who were standing nearby said… “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” (John 11: 36b-37).

Each of the responses has the same proclamation - the complete belief that Jesus was fully capable of healing Lazarus from this sickness. In fact there seems to be no doubt that if He had arrived just a few days sooner this death would have never happened. Even the on-lookers seem to have the same unwavering belief that Jesus had the ability to save Lazarus from death!

What I am amazed at, and where I find myself in the story, is that this same cast of characters who profess the BELIEF in Jesus’ ability to heal Lazarus from sickness also have a clear limit of FAITH that considered there was another possibility.  They believed Lazarus’ death meant that all was lost. 

They have the courage to believe that Jesus can heal and perform miracles because they have seen them with their own eyes and have heard the accounts from others. However, in their humanity, there were limits to Jesus’ power. They can believe in the supernatural but only when it involves the manipulation of the natural – a withered hand made straight, a sick person made well, a blind man receiving sight. But this was different. This miracle stretched beyond the natural and moved outside the realm of understanding. It never occurred to them that Jesus was taking that which was dead and bringing it back to life.

How many times do we do the same thing? Do we put limits on what Jesus can accomplish in our lives? I know that I am incredibly guilty of this in my own life. I am able to muster enough faith and belief to see God work a miracle but only up to a point. Only up to the place where I can still comprehend and still see how God could make that work. Although it might be a mental stretch for me to understand but as long as I can still see the dots (no matter how faint) that God is connecting then I can believe and have faith. But is that really faith?

The challenge for us is to surrender our desire to understand and submit to the greatness of our God! After all, Scripture tell us, “As high as the heavens are from the earth, so My ways are higher then yours”. And if I truly believe that statement, then I must come to the conclusion that even if God explained himself to me I still would not get it.

We must learn to let go of our humanity and let God work without obstruction. Surrender our human way of thinking and allow the Lord to function without limits and beyond our comprehension.

The goal is for a faith that moves beyond belief and trusts that God can truly do anything. Let my prayer become like that of the father who was asking the Lord to heal his demoniac son, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief”.  Let my circumstances and humanity not become a limit to what God can accomplish.

During this prolonged season of unemployment I have found myself putting limits on God and my sense of belief based on what I can “see” in front of me. As long as there were jobs to apply for and websites to search then there was ‘hope’ and ‘possibility’ on the horizon and therefore God could move at any moment. This was opposed to the days when the listings were thin and the opportunities were nil, which made me feel God was far away and the possibility of the miraculous was gone. All along, I have wanted God to provide a job for us – but He has chosen to give us provision in numerous other ways, most I would never have thought to even consider.  And yet, His provision has been miraculous and faithful!

Where in my life do I need to remove the limits or boundaries that I place around God? Where do I need to surrender my beliefs and allow faith to move beyond them to accomplish God’s purpose? No matter what I believe about God, He is more and greater than I can possibly conceive of, comprehend or even imagine.

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Have you ever seen the amazing, giant redwoods trees that grow here in California?  They are majestic and beautiful – I think God was showing of when He made them!  They grow up to 300 feet, powerful and strong. 

Did you know that redwood trees never grow alone?  Though a redwood may grow to 300 feet in height, its roots do not grow deep they grow outward - up to 900 feet out!  So if a redwood tree was alone, the storms and wind that come would surely uproot it and blow it over, because the roots don’t go down deeply enough to keep it in the ground.

So instead of growing in solitary places, redwood trees grow close together, in groves.  Their outgrowing roots intertwine with the roots of the other trees in the grove, giving them a solid stability underground that will withstand any wind or storm that may come.  

We have now been facing unemployment for 16 months.  In that time, though we have experienced much wind and many storms, we were already planted in an amazing grove of strong people – a community of believers.  Our roots were already intertwined with theirs, making us strong, even when we have felt weak.  This community has been our lifeline during this season.  They have given us an incredible amount of love, care and provision.

There are been those who have listened to our pain, cried with us, hugged us, been there when the days were dark.  There are people who reached out because the Lord put us on their hearts and they just wanted us to know they were there and praying.  There are those who spoke prophetic words or encouragement to us, reminding us that this is a season and will not last forever.  These family and friends have been an extension of the heart of God to us.

In addition to the powerful spiritual support, we have also experienced an incredible amount of practical blessing from our community, as well.  People have generously given to us from their own finances.  They have blessed us with groceries and gifts.  When we were doing garage sales to raise money, they donated items for us to sell.  And they have not just given to our “needs” – they have also provided for delightful moments of reprieve – a pedicure, taking us out to lunch or dinner, enabling us to go to Disneyland, gifts where we were told to “buy something for yourself, don’t spend this on a bill”!  We have been completely overwhelmed by their generosity and care and we are so extremely grateful for all they have done.  Words cannot fully express our thankfulness.

There is no doubt that if we had not been surrounded closely by such strong, godly people, we would have absolutely been decimated by the storms of the last few years.  But God has so faithfully sustained us and provided these “strong trees” of support that have surrounded us on every side.  We are beyond grateful for them.  We are buoyed by their love.  We are humbled by their support. 

We have learned that when we are facing difficult times, the tendency is to become isolated.  That’s just what the enemy wants!  Part of the reason that we felt the support of our community is because we decided that we would humble ourselves and ask for help.  There are times when it wasn’t easy to reach out.  Times when it felt embarrassing.  But if we had not reached out, we would not have been blessed by their prayers and encouragement, would not have received the blessings that they so generously gave.

If you are in a storm right now, we encourage you to reach out for help!  Galatians 6:2 says, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”  We are so grateful for those who have carried our burdens and we also want to carry others, too.   If you aren’t sure who to reach out to, we are here!  Please message us on our Facebook page and know that we are committed to praying with you through whatever season you are facing.  God wants to bless you through His people.  It’s worth the risk to reach out!

Carried To Jesus

For those of you who saw our Facebook post last week and prayed for us - thank you!!  We are so grateful for those who help carry us through this journey.  We were so glad we can join in prayer for those of you who shared your needs with us, too.  It is a powerful thing to know that we are not alone and can walk through life's difficulties together.

A few months ago, I was facing a really painful time and called out to my friends for help.  What I'm sharing below is what I posted on Facebook shortly after that time.  I hope it encourages you to reach out to others when you are feeling weak or in need - Jesus created us to live life together and encourage one another in Him! 

"He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, 'Son, I forgive your sins.'" Mark 2:4-5

I have had an emotionally crippling few days in the last week. I felt like I had reached the end of my ability to have faith and hope in God. And like the crippled man in the story above, I too had some faith-filled friends who carried me before Jesus when I couldn't get there myself. They prayed and believed for me when I couldn't do it. And Jesus must've been impressed with their bold belief too, because a miracle thing started to happen - hope began to rise in my heart again. Jesus forgave my unbelief because my friends carried me before Him and He touched my faithless heart.

When you can't take one more step on your own, call out to faithful, godly friends who will carry you before Jesus. I am amazed at the incredible women God has placed in my life! God has done a deep work in me. . .because of my friends. I am so deeply grateful!