Run The Race

"If I just get this done, then I will be able to relax." This is the lie I tell myself (or listen to Satan telling me) often.  Just be more organized and get more done - then I will "feel" better and less anxious about the many open ended circumstances in my life. After spending 3 days in the desert (and after multiple eye witness accounts of God doing amazing and astonishing miracles), God brought food and water to the Israelites.  God promised that He was going to bring the food daily, and that the people should only store up enough for that day - unless it was the 6th day; then they could store up enough for 2 days so they could rest on the following day (the Sabbath).  But... "It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none." Exodus 16:27 Hmmm... I guess God does what He says He will do. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructi...

 It's the story that just about every American child knows... the story of Noah's Ark.  How cute - the animals going in 2 at a time... there's no mention of years of outcast from Noah's community, poop having to be picked up, or anxiety felt by Noah's family once they had to board the ark and just sit and wait. As I was reading the account of Noah's Ark in Genesis this past week, a few things really struck me about this story.  First, had anyone asked me how Noah decided to get off the ark - I think I would have only recalled him sending the raven and the dove out; I have assumed that Noah decided for himself when to get off the boat.  That is not what scripture tells us in Genesis 8:15-16, God told Noah it was time to leave the ark, and He gave him some instructions regarding the animals. The second thing that deeply struck me was the amount of time between Noah knowing there was dry land and when God told him to leave the ark.  From Noah's first indica...

Dare I write a post about the New Year, only to have my writings lost amongst all the other "New Years" postings by everyone across the world? The end of each year will forever be filled with a mix of emotions as Elliot died just before Christmas in 2011.  As time has passed, and we have been intentional in grieving well, depending on God, loving others, and allowing others to love and invest in us - I now find myself in a place of immensely deep gratitude.  I'm not sure when the days switched from intense grief to what it is today. I am so incredibly grateful also that we are saying goodbye to 2014, not because it was a terrible year or because I'm running away from it - but because I sense this momentum leading into 2015.   Most of 2014 seemed to be "training" and "waiting" for what lies ahead.  I see the Lord's fruit growing and growing and growing, and, it's as if, I am just waiting for the day to sink my teeth into it all.  I can...

For me, one of the most amazing stories in the Bible is where the angel comes to tell Mary she will become the mother of Jesus - Son of God.  After gaining some clarification from the angel, she said, "... may it be done to me according to your word."  I don't think she could possibly fully grasp at that moment all that being the mother of God's son would entail, but I do believe she knew it was going to change her life forever - and it wouldn't be easy. Sometimes it is difficult to step into a role that we know will be time consuming, and may require more of our heart than we feel capable of giving.  I want to share a story about a person in my life that was ready to accept that role, and it has, in turn, encouraged me deeply in my faith walk with God.  That person is Pam. On December 21, 2011 - many of you know my story... Being very pregnant, I awoke early knowing something wasn't right with the baby.  I had some Bible and prayer time before waking my h...