Pop Quiz

If I were to sum up the last 2-3 weeks, I would have to describe it as a time of testing.  God has been teaching me (or should I say correcting me) in so many different ways.  Almost daily I can see Him shining the light in areas of my life that need His help.  He has a gentle way of keeping me on the path that He has for me.  It seems that after He speaks, I am shortly presented with a "pop quiz" to really see if I learned the lesson.  Sadly, I fail more often than I pass.... I guess I'm not a very good student.  :-(   Thankfully God is a very patient and loving teacher.  His grace allows me to try again and again until I get it right.

For instance, God has been showing me that I need to be more active to reaching out to those in need.  He's been opening my eyes to the poor, and showing me that I need to change my attitude and judgmental thoughts.  He's been teaching me that everything comes from Him, and "my" finances are really "his".  He will fully fund me for anything He needs me to do.

So after all this, He plants a homeless man on the curb right in front of my office!  Then for 2 weeks my business comes grinding to a halt for no reason at all -- slower than it had been in years!  And then a different man in need, knocks on my door asking for money and food two days in a row.  Oh my!  It's hard to explain just from typing, but these things combined with everything He's been teaching me have shown me that I still have so much more to learn about love, trust, giving and faith.

I wish I could report back good news about all of these things.  It would be nice to tell you how I reached out like Mother Teresa and met their needs.  But aside from offering some very trivial help, I pretty much failed.  My business has started picking up again, but only after much prayer and realizing that I still have trust and faith issues that need to be worked out.  I've got so much more to learn.  There's a lot of other things that God has been dealing with me about, but I won't bore you with all those details tonight. 

If you're not hearing God whispering into your life... He is.  Spend some time with Him everyday... read His word (Psalms or the book of Matthew are a good place to start).  Talk to him like a friend, worship, pray, and finally be still and listen.  Don't listen with your ears (unless you're Moses!)... listen with your heart.  He wants to spend time with you and don't be surprised if he starts smoothing out your rough spots too.

God Bless You Friends!
-Me

Cuts Like a Knife

Luke 22:47-51 says...

While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them.  He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"


When Jesus' follower saw what was going to happen, they said "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.


But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him (immediately).

I speak with experience when I say "betrayal cuts like a knife."  Nothing that I have ever experienced has pierced so deeply and caused so much pain in my life.  Anxiety quickly set in, and depression lingered on and on.

My Father God was so faithful to rescue me.  For almost a year, He led me to specific scriptures that soothed my soul on a daily basis.  He put songs in my heart, and worship on my lips.  He taught me how to forgive, how to love, and how to move on.  He put friends and mentors in place with words of encouragement.  It's been a very long process, but today I am a new creation in Jesus, and my heart has been completely healed and set free.

Even after all of this, the process of healing still requires the hand of God in my life every day, and today was no exception.  In the middle of a perfect day, a simple, small reminder hit me like a brick wall.  Within seconds I could feel my blood boiling and my heart sinking.  It was like the devil had punched me right in the stomach and took the wind out of me.  Three minutes earlier life was great, now I was once again at the bottom of a pit looking up.

But Jesus is so faithful and He is so near...

Just like the scripture above, I could hear him say "No more of this!"  I could feel His hand reaching out to me, and swiftly healing me once again.  He lifted me and put my feet back on stable ground.  He reminded me of forgiveness and love, and he quickly restored my soul.  The whole experience from sinking to healing lasted about 10 minutes. 

God is so good, and so faithful!! 
Praise you Lord Jesus for your swift healing!!

Powerful Testimony

I love this song and I love the testimony of Shawn McDonald.  In 1999, Shawn hit the lowest point in his life when he was wanted on nine felony counts of possessing, growing and dealing drugs.  He picked up a bible and challenged God to show him the way.  The scripture was sharp and to the point and caused him to immediately take action in his life.  Then, with the help of a friend, and eventually a Christian roommate, God turned his life around and today he is a top Christian artist.

This song, "Open Me" is a prayer to open my eyes, my ears, my mind and my heart so I can know my Father's love.  Hope you enjoy the song (his testimony is further below)...

Shawn's testimony became the topic of a story on CNN.  You can check that out here...