I am stunned to consider all that has happened since my last post. As I was reflecting on all the standing stones of our past year, I had no idea God was using that moment to prepare us for coming change.
John was offered a position at work that required a move to Kansas City, Kansas. Tears well up as I write that. I LOVE the Northwest. I am sure I am filled with a little bias, but I think it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I have taken for granted the ways the Glory of God cries out in the beauty of his creation. After much prayer, seeking God's direction and counsel; we arrived in Leawood, Kansas nearly 3 weeks ago.
This move has been one of the hardest things we have done thus far. I have laughed at myself as I have cried in my closet here. "God, I told you I would live in a hut in the middle of no where. Why am I having such a hard time sacrificing my security in feeling at home in the Northwest? I know my home is in Heaven!" I feel His gentleness and grace as I am honest with Him.
The International House of Prayer is in Kansas City and we feel part of our calling is to this place. It is when we are at The Prayer Room, http://www.fotb.com/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058181 or at The Daniel Academy, or sitting under the teaching of Mike Bickle during church on Sunday that I am reminded that I know that I know that we are to be here. There is a heart cry for an authentic bride readied for Christ's return like I have never seen. There is passion for Jesus, an application of intercession and adoration that challenges me in deep places.
Our kids have been sad too, but all of our perspectives change when we see the uniqueness of a community of people, in the same physical location, gladly sacrificing it all for Jesus. As we have gone to church, we are not the only ones who have a foreign license plate on our car. We marvel at all the license plates our kids have never seen before. God is clearly up to something here.
The journey here has not been easy. We have had lots of road bumps along the way and some huge caverns where the road has been washed out. But the real story is that God has been SO FAITHFUL! John was offered a job in Oregon after we knew we were called here for 3 times his current salary, the moving company we hired didn't show up to move us after we had paid in full. Stunned for a few days, we finally got to our knees and asked God to show us how to proceed. Withing 24 hours we had 2 big uhaul trucks in our driveway and 6 people to help us load them up. The following morning, my parents met us (saints that they are) to help drive us to the very place they had grieved we would be. Two and a half days later we arrived in KC; exhausted, emotional and HOT! This heat and humidity is a killer, I have no idea how so many people can jog with these conditions, but I haven't seen anyone needing my medical assistance yet.....
God gave us many Words during this storm, but "Keep your eyes on Me" was one of the biggies. I felt for those disciples in the boat with Christ in the middle of the storm like never before. I just kept saying, "He is in the boat with us! He is in the boat with us! He is in the boat with us!...."
Just this week, I heard an amazing message at The Daniel Academy (where our boys are going to school) about the heart change of choosing adoration in prayer for a season. They were encouraging the kids to get their eyes off the circumstances and praise God for His attributes that will address their circumstances. It was profound for me. So I have started using the alphabet as an acronym and praising God for all of his qualities that will be enough for my circumstances.
As I was in the Word this morning, God drew me to 2 Corinthians 4. I knew I had to post because He deserves all the glory for anything good that comes of this. He has authored it and I wait with great expectation to see how my faithful Father is going to use it!
2 Corinthians 4:6-16 (New International Version)
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."[b]With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Catching Up
Where does one begin when they haven't blogged for nearly a year?
Honestly, I wish God could summarize all He has done in my life for me. He is so much more succinct. He can speak a volume in a brief moment. How do you do that Lord?
My last post in April was following a Beth Moore conference in Portland. My husband had been asked to work in Bend, Oregon Monday through Friday for an extended period of time. For a variety of reasons, (mostly God's leading) we decided to come with John and leave our home vacant in Portland. The conference ended on the 18th, by the 19th we had moved enough of our belongings to live in the Bend area.
God has hi lighted this journey with many merciful exhortations.... The first came from my son, Isaiah (11 years old). We were living in Sunriver, a resort in the Bend area, homeschooling and riding the adventure. I was spending lots of time with Jesus but was feeling perplexed as I was asking Him, "What do I do now Lord? I have turned this vacation house into a home, found lots of activities for the kids, supported my husband.... But I am feeling unteathered... Lonely.... My tasks are completed but where do we go from here? I don't know what to do with this or even how long you will have us here."
I was changing the sheets at the time, my quiet mannered son walked in and said, "I think God wants me to tell you something... It keeps going over and over in my head..."
"Okay Isaiah, what is it?"
"Bloom where your planted mom."
The tears just flowed.... "Thank you Isaiah- Thank you Lord!" I had my charging orders, but I waited to see where He wanted me to engage. Lots of little things came up., I call them God moments. I was a lot more peaceful.
In June, God started laying something on my heart. Conviction about the kingdom John and I had invested in, flooded my soul. We had tithed throughout our marriage, but I was tied to a few things on Earth that I deeply loved. I am embarrassed to admit it, but one was my house in Portland. We had it built for our family and I manipulated and cojoled my way into that place. It was all I had ever wanted. Come to think of it, that sounds like a phrase in a praise song? Ouch! Anyways, God was telling me I needed to talk with John about putting our house on the market. I did and he thought I was crazy, but said he would pray about it. Within a couple of weeks our home was on the market. Even last June, nothing was moving so the realtor prepared us it could be a year. Within 30 days we had an offer on our home, lots of God details here, but for the sake of your time. Know that God lead us step by step.
The other part of this conviction about kingdom giving was that God wanted us to free up some of our finances to give to the church. Please hear me, I am not writing this to bring glory to myself or our circumstances. Glory is God's alone and I pray you see His fingerprints all over this. John, being the financial manager of our home needed to pray about this too.
Before we had gotten the offer on our home, it looked as if the company (my husband is consulting with here in Bend) would be extending the contract through the end of the year. We were listening for God's direction and John felt like we needed to find a house to live in a real town so the kids could engage in athletics, we could be near the church we were attending and open more opportunities for relationships. That created one problem for me, with what furniture? I didn't want to take all our furniture because it staged our home in Portland.
One day the kids and I went to look at rentals. I had prepared myself that this was going to be PAINFUL! The Lord had another plan. He took us to a home on a beautiful hill, with a gorgeous view and fairway for a back yard. The decor in the home matched everything I have and it had a huge garage to fit our stuff if we were to sell our home in Portland. Who says God doesn't want to delight our heart?
We are currently living in this house. It is a little smaller and we have made it work, but it is a gift from God and I am thankful for every square inch. We have commented many times that even though this is a rental it feels like our home. We don't know any different. God's presence is here. Where God is, home is.... It is His Kingdom I am after. It is His Kingdom I long for. More and more I am asking Him to share with me more details about His Kingdom that my eyes of flesh can't see.
There is much more to this story, but for now my heart says this is enough.... Bottom line is God wants each of us to prepare our hearts to believe we can hear His voice, obey to follow His lead, trust Him enough not to run ahead of Him; and allow Him to dig deep enough in our hearts and plant a root that will never be shaken. I don't want the storms, but when they come, I want to be one that never snaps! Oh God, I need YOU!!!!
Honestly, I wish God could summarize all He has done in my life for me. He is so much more succinct. He can speak a volume in a brief moment. How do you do that Lord?
My last post in April was following a Beth Moore conference in Portland. My husband had been asked to work in Bend, Oregon Monday through Friday for an extended period of time. For a variety of reasons, (mostly God's leading) we decided to come with John and leave our home vacant in Portland. The conference ended on the 18th, by the 19th we had moved enough of our belongings to live in the Bend area.
God has hi lighted this journey with many merciful exhortations.... The first came from my son, Isaiah (11 years old). We were living in Sunriver, a resort in the Bend area, homeschooling and riding the adventure. I was spending lots of time with Jesus but was feeling perplexed as I was asking Him, "What do I do now Lord? I have turned this vacation house into a home, found lots of activities for the kids, supported my husband.... But I am feeling unteathered... Lonely.... My tasks are completed but where do we go from here? I don't know what to do with this or even how long you will have us here."
I was changing the sheets at the time, my quiet mannered son walked in and said, "I think God wants me to tell you something... It keeps going over and over in my head..."
"Okay Isaiah, what is it?"
"Bloom where your planted mom."
The tears just flowed.... "Thank you Isaiah- Thank you Lord!" I had my charging orders, but I waited to see where He wanted me to engage. Lots of little things came up., I call them God moments. I was a lot more peaceful.
In June, God started laying something on my heart. Conviction about the kingdom John and I had invested in, flooded my soul. We had tithed throughout our marriage, but I was tied to a few things on Earth that I deeply loved. I am embarrassed to admit it, but one was my house in Portland. We had it built for our family and I manipulated and cojoled my way into that place. It was all I had ever wanted. Come to think of it, that sounds like a phrase in a praise song? Ouch! Anyways, God was telling me I needed to talk with John about putting our house on the market. I did and he thought I was crazy, but said he would pray about it. Within a couple of weeks our home was on the market. Even last June, nothing was moving so the realtor prepared us it could be a year. Within 30 days we had an offer on our home, lots of God details here, but for the sake of your time. Know that God lead us step by step.
The other part of this conviction about kingdom giving was that God wanted us to free up some of our finances to give to the church. Please hear me, I am not writing this to bring glory to myself or our circumstances. Glory is God's alone and I pray you see His fingerprints all over this. John, being the financial manager of our home needed to pray about this too.
Before we had gotten the offer on our home, it looked as if the company (my husband is consulting with here in Bend) would be extending the contract through the end of the year. We were listening for God's direction and John felt like we needed to find a house to live in a real town so the kids could engage in athletics, we could be near the church we were attending and open more opportunities for relationships. That created one problem for me, with what furniture? I didn't want to take all our furniture because it staged our home in Portland.
One day the kids and I went to look at rentals. I had prepared myself that this was going to be PAINFUL! The Lord had another plan. He took us to a home on a beautiful hill, with a gorgeous view and fairway for a back yard. The decor in the home matched everything I have and it had a huge garage to fit our stuff if we were to sell our home in Portland. Who says God doesn't want to delight our heart?
We are currently living in this house. It is a little smaller and we have made it work, but it is a gift from God and I am thankful for every square inch. We have commented many times that even though this is a rental it feels like our home. We don't know any different. God's presence is here. Where God is, home is.... It is His Kingdom I am after. It is His Kingdom I long for. More and more I am asking Him to share with me more details about His Kingdom that my eyes of flesh can't see.
There is much more to this story, but for now my heart says this is enough.... Bottom line is God wants each of us to prepare our hearts to believe we can hear His voice, obey to follow His lead, trust Him enough not to run ahead of Him; and allow Him to dig deep enough in our hearts and plant a root that will never be shaken. I don't want the storms, but when they come, I want to be one that never snaps! Oh God, I need YOU!!!!
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