The Secret

Do you ever wonder why Christians follow all those rules God has in an old book that seems like it was written for another world? Does the Bible seem like it just puts limits on your life? Do you secretly think that God wants to impose limits on your life instead of giving you freedom? Or maybe you think God could not possibly be a loving God because He allows such terrible things to happen to innocent people. Do you every feel like there is something missing in your life and there is a bit of a hole and you can't figure out why you are not more happy or more loving? Do you find yourself filling your life with more things or crashing on the couch with a bottle of wine to forget the craziness of the day? If you can relate to any of these questions know you are not alone. At one time or another I have thought, felt, and experienced all this too, but I found the secret to happiness.

Don't tell anyone my secret. It is way too good to let everyone know. Once you start following my secret recipe you will never look back. It does not promise complete happiness all the time. There will be some tough times, but the love and complete hope you will have will override those times. You will find you have a new love for your spouse and family. You will have a love that is overflowing. Want to know my secret?

Love God with your whole being and obey all He tells you to do in His book, the Bible.

It really is that simple. There is no promise of great wealth, only great love. There is no promise of an easy life, just one that is full of hope. There is no promise that you will be doubt free, only answers to all your questions. Read it, believe it, God's truth, His word, the Bible.

I can write these things because I know first hand that they are true. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of bumps and large pot holes in my road. The truth is, I can focus on the hard things or I can focus on God's truth and rejoice in the life He has given me. My love for life and excitement come from knowing God is bigger and capable of more than anyone or anything that has an influence in my life.

So, what are you waiting for? Pick up the Bible and start reading God's amazing truth. It does not matter what version you read or where you start, you will find that God's love for people and his character never changes. Best of all, He loves YOU. He loves you so much He allowed his ONLY son to die for YOU as a way to pay for all the times you did not follow God's rules. All you have to do is believe and obey. Take the head knowledge, believe it in your heart, and walk it out with your feet and God will bless your every step. I'll see you on the road.

As Silver Polished

One of the books that changed how I view God and my life is As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur. In this book Kay explains how the uncomfortable things in life happen for a reason; they are part of a refining process God puts us through. The idea is that God heats up our lives to burn off the droth (the unsightly things about us) so that pure silver results and when God looks into that silver He sees his face reflected back at Him. The process makes us more like God and people see his love, hope, and grace when they see us.

The flurry of activity in my life these days is putting the heat on a bit. Trying to make a good decision that will so radically change my current pace of life, dealing with the terrible 6 yo stage of disrespect my son is in, supporting friends who are going through some seriously rough stuff, finishing up my grad class, worrying about my parents who are stuck in Europe (thanks to the volcano), dealing with hubby's work schedule . . . the heat is ON! So, where does my help come from?

I was contemplating all of this as I was polishing my silver tea pot and it suddenly hit me: I am that tea pot! Though I am not going through a crisis (thank you Lord!) I am a bit stressed. I don't feel like there is a burning fire under me burning off droth, but I do feel like I'm being rubbed vigorously like I do when I am taking the tarnish off my tea pot.

This particular pot had a year's worth of tarnish and I really had to work hard to get it to shine so I could see my face. It dawned on me that if I would just polish it up once a month it wouldn't be so hard when I take it out for these occasions. Then wham, God hit me with a spiritual truth: the same is true for my relationship with God. If I only sit quietly with Him and His word once in a while the "polishing" is that much harder. If I allow Him to "polish" me on a regular basis then it is not as hard for Him to see His face reflected back at Himself.

That's when my argument with God started.

Me: Well, I spend regular time with you God, I have a Bible study I have to prepare each week. We spend time together then.

God: I want time with you for me, not for you with the point of teaching others.

Me: But I am a busy mom, I only have time for one Bible study.

God: I want whatever you can give me.

Me: I already pray as I go about my day.

God: I want to teach you from My word.

We went back and forth like this for a while, as I was making my way through half a jar of silver polish and mumbling about how much polish this was taking, when that still small voice inside said, "If you just used a little polish every day it wouldn't take as much. Just spend a little time in My word each day." No, I don't think the polish fumes were getting to me. I really believe God taught me that day that I just need to spend time every day in His word for our relationship. He doesn't need me to spend an hour each day in His word studying the Greek and Hebrew meanings behind translations. He just wants me to take it in bite sized pieces and apply it to my life.

Since my little talk with God I've been trying to take Priscilla Shirer's advice a just take time to study two or three verses a day. I'm tackling 1 Timothy this way: paraphrase the verses, pull out the spiritual message, apply to my life, and OBEY. It feels like it's taking me forever BUT I am learning loads, especially about that last part, obedience. God wants me to be fully His and I am learning to be just that. It's amazing what a conversation over polishing a tea pot can brew up!

Better Than a Hallelujah

Something God is teaching me right now is that He wants to hear from us no matter what our cry. Amy Grant's new song, Better Than a Hallelujah, speaks to just the words He is placing on my heart. I hope they encourage you today. (click on the title to hear/watch it on YouTube)

Better Than a Hallelujah

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

While I'm waiting.....

"I will worship while I'm waiting..." the song sang over the radio today striking a chord deep inside. While I wait on the Lord for His answer to my plea for direction I will worship Him and adore Him on this path, singing His praises. I am excited about this path God has me on. I know that no matter where I turn for information or advice He will ultimately show me His plan.

Today I met with our women's ministry director and am excited for new possibilities in helping with women's ministry at my church. I have a heart for women; to help them learn God's word and read it for themselves. I love how diverse and dynamic women are here in the D.C. area. I once helped with a women's retreat (I was a speaker) and had a lady come up to me and say, "You know, I think you are the next big thing in women's ministry." At the time I thought she was crazy! I had only been married for 3 years, had no child of my own and had accepted the invitation to speak at the retreat b/c I was speaking with my friend. I don't think I'm the next 'Beth Moore' but it would be interesting if women's ministry is where God leads me.

Keep looking up and have a blessed Holy Week!

A New Journey

Spring greetings to you and yours!

I wanted to let you know what God is doing in my life and ask if you would be a part of this important journey. Last weekend at our church's women's retreat I began a journey to seek what God's will for my life may be instead of just assuming I am to be a teacher of little children.

My church going growing up was very eclectic and at one point I wanted to become a pastor and was being groomed by a female chaplain. When my family moved to our final church (where I had wonderfully sound Biblical teaching and met my amazing husband) I was discouraged from pursuing that path and went into teaching little children since I loved kids and needed to do something that would employ me after college. Instead of going to seminary I did what I could to quench my hunger for God's word by studying on my own and with my husband.

Over a year ago, my husband and I became members of the Lutheran church where our child has been going to school for the past 4 years. We love the people and are totally on board with their doctrine (they are Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, conservative- check it out: www.lcms.org ). What I didn't know, but learned last weekend, is that women can work in the church and go to seminary!! My life long dream has been to go to seminary but I never pursued this course because in the churches we previously attended women did not go to seminary unless they were going to be a missionary in a foreign country.

My desire has always been to serve and teach God's word right where God plants me and I was ecstatic to learn that women have this opportunity in LCMS. My education choices and career paths have (mostly) been decided by the need for a career that brings in money. The last 2 years God has been putting on my heart that this perceived need for money is unfounded. My desire is to have a better, deeper understanding of His word and to serve Him. I have been doing this in my own study of the word and prayer and I hunger and long to know more.

I no longer want to make choices based on what career I can make money doing, but I want to serve God and learn more of Him and His word. I do not know if I am to go to seminary first and then be certified by the church (or vice a verse) or if God would chose for me to continue to volunteer and learn on my own.

So, why I am blogging about this? I do not want to make a career path change and make a decision based on emotions. I am asking for your support in prayer and this blog will be a wonderful way for me to communicate with you. Would you be a part of my prayer team? I will post some requests once a week and will periodically update this blog about what God is doing in my life. You can print my prayer requests off or just take a minute in front of your computer screen and seek God's will on my behalf.

I believe in the power of prayer and am claiming God's promise that if we ask of Him he will answer: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7: 7-8 ESV

In Him,

Liz