I am reading this book called "Crazy Love" by Francais Chan and it absolutely wonderful!!! If you can pick a copy of it up then I highly suggest you do. No matter where you are in your spiritual walk it will be of great encouragement, great enlightenment or maybe even great conviction. My pastor's wife recommended it to me....Thanks Karen!!!
There is one chapter early on in the book that had a couple of statements I can't seem to quite "chewing" on so to speak. Here is the first...
"Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?" Wow...think about that! For those of us who have kids I think we have all been guilty of exaggerating at times of our childrens talents or gifts. lol...you know what I mean. Especially those first born...they crawl before any other child they possess a vocabulary at 10 months old that surely no other child has ever possessed, they walk sooner, feed themselves better and look the cutest of any child ever born! As time moves on and our chidren enter sports and activities such as dance, piano, band, etc. we are quick to state our opinion of how wonderful they are. I think that is natural and it just shows our love and pride in them and they joy they bring to our lives but to be honest.....we have probably been a little over the top in our desciption at times but you'll never be held guilty for that when you speak of Jesus. No matter how good you say He is....you are not exaggerating. Even if you spend days speaking of His holiness...you still aren't even skimming the top! If you write volumes about His love and how grand and infinite it is, you still will NOT be exaggerating!!! Just makes me want to shout! I serve a God who cannot be exaggerated!!! In this day and age where things are constantly being "overrated"....we have a Savior who will never disappoint!
Here's the second statement in the book that has really captivated me. "Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?" Immediately I think of people who have had great trajedy come into their lives and they never serve God again but are bitter and feel cheated by Him. I have never walked in their shoes and I certainly am not about to judge them but for myself I want to know more about the Savior so if the path He chooses for me is hard and holds a lot of pain I can still trust in His sovreignty and be able to serve Him. I do desire to be able to serve Him and not demand an explanation for His actions. This is the first step to that....realize He is God....and I am not. I do not want arrogance on my part to slip in and make me think God owes me an explanation. Instead I must remember he is fair and just, He is all-powerful and He is all-knowing and He is Holy. I have seen a lot of Christians who experienced great pain in their life such as cancer, loss of a loved one, betrayal by a spouse, heartbroken by a wayward child, emotional trauma because of sexual abuse and many other horrible things but I have also seen those same people be filled with such a love for their Savior during the trial and after the trial that it leads me to believe that they KNOW their Father in an intimate way and because of that knowledge, that experiential knowledge they recognize He is God and He really does know best. They KNOW that Romans 8:28 is truth and it has become a reality in their lives.
Well ladies, that is what I've been pondering on lately. I hope you get the book and I hope you evaluate yourself with those 2 statements. Love your Savior, the one who knows best, the one who is in control and the one you cannot exaggerate!!
A simple girl serving a Great God,
Lora
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
THANK YOU!!!!
To all my sisters out there who prayed for my dear friend during her storm I want to say thank you and PRAISE THE LORD!!!! He ANSWERS PRAYER!!!! God is so faithful and he hears every word you utter in prayer to Him and He definitely heard the one you prayed on her behalf. She is basking in the warm rays of His sunshine today and I am so happy for her. Just wanted ya'll to know!
Serving Him,
Lora
Serving Him,
Lora
Are you numb?
Well, it is almost here!!! What's that you say? ....Well, the Ladies monthly Bible study is about to start back up. The frist Tuesday of every month starting in September. I am VERY excited! We always have a great time of discussion and fellowship and I expect nothing less this year...in fact I expect more. I just feel like last years study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss "Experiencing The Joys of Personal Revival" was what some of us really needed to reignite us and our passion to serve the risen Savior but even more importantly to cultivate the rich soils of our souls in fellowship with Him.
This year the Lord has directed my heart towards a study by Max Lucado. That's right...my favorite christian author...wooooohoooooo!!! lol...can't help but shout that little bit of joy out! It is called "Experiencing the Words of Jesus, Hearing His voice and Trusting His Words", and it is going to be fantastic!
There is a quote from the book that has really struck me and I continue to chew on it. It refers to numbness. Allow me to share a few thoughts about being numb with you. Numbness is something I dare say we all have experienced. The older I get the more I realize that my legs go numb very quickly if I sit on them and I have a bad habit of putting one leg under me when I sit down. Just a little over a month ago on July 4th, Ben was playing around and sitting in my lap outside on the front porch and when he got up I did not think I could stand. I'm not kidding ladies, there was NO feeling what so ever in my legs and when the feeling came back I was almost wishing it hadn't! It was so painful I thought I was going to be sick! lol! Have any of you ever slept on your arms during the night and wake up with two useless limbs? lol...to funny. Or you ladies that have had epidurals....now that is some good numbing medicine! After I had Hannah I had a tubal and they increased the epidural to go up the bottom of my rib cage. When they brought me to my room and were trying to get me from one bed to the other they kinda let my legs get away from them and all I could do was watch and think...."wow, those don't even seem like my legs...I can't feel them!" Luckily Doug grabbed them and didn't let me hit the floor...as usual..he came to the rescue. :) We've all had dental work probably which has required some numbing meds too. For all medical purposes the numbing is to get rid of pain. Sometimes in life we go numb for the same reason. Broken dreams, dashed hopes, broken hearts. We build walls and go numb. Sometimes life is so busy that we become numb to the real things that matter. We have selective hearing and selective feeling. I know one time I was walking down the beach when Hope was just about 4 and Danita and I were talking and Hope was behind us saying "mom......mom.......mom........mom.......mom........mom" and Danita finally said "WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT CHILD!!"....Oh, I knew I heard her soft sweet little voice that never gets hardly above a whisper but that "selective" hearing was working and I was simply numb to my worn out name. Unfortunately, I think we do the same to God. Our dear Savior whispers our name, gently taps on our heart and we are to numb to feel it. The busy life we have, the schedules that are so packed, the constant noise of our lives makes our hearing weak, and the disappointments of life make our walls go up and our emotions numb. But here is the passage from Max's book that started all this thinking of mine...I hope it causes you to do a self check on your hearing and feelings yourself.
"Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. there is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a room so dark....a lounge so sensual....an office so sophisticated....that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts - waiting to be invited in.
Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door.
But NEVER interpret our numbness for his absence. For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of his presence."
Hebrews 13:5..."I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
Revelation 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him , and will sup with him, and he with me."
What about it ladies, are you numb?
This year the Lord has directed my heart towards a study by Max Lucado. That's right...my favorite christian author...wooooohoooooo!!! lol...can't help but shout that little bit of joy out! It is called "Experiencing the Words of Jesus, Hearing His voice and Trusting His Words", and it is going to be fantastic!
There is a quote from the book that has really struck me and I continue to chew on it. It refers to numbness. Allow me to share a few thoughts about being numb with you. Numbness is something I dare say we all have experienced. The older I get the more I realize that my legs go numb very quickly if I sit on them and I have a bad habit of putting one leg under me when I sit down. Just a little over a month ago on July 4th, Ben was playing around and sitting in my lap outside on the front porch and when he got up I did not think I could stand. I'm not kidding ladies, there was NO feeling what so ever in my legs and when the feeling came back I was almost wishing it hadn't! It was so painful I thought I was going to be sick! lol! Have any of you ever slept on your arms during the night and wake up with two useless limbs? lol...to funny. Or you ladies that have had epidurals....now that is some good numbing medicine! After I had Hannah I had a tubal and they increased the epidural to go up the bottom of my rib cage. When they brought me to my room and were trying to get me from one bed to the other they kinda let my legs get away from them and all I could do was watch and think...."wow, those don't even seem like my legs...I can't feel them!" Luckily Doug grabbed them and didn't let me hit the floor...as usual..he came to the rescue. :) We've all had dental work probably which has required some numbing meds too. For all medical purposes the numbing is to get rid of pain. Sometimes in life we go numb for the same reason. Broken dreams, dashed hopes, broken hearts. We build walls and go numb. Sometimes life is so busy that we become numb to the real things that matter. We have selective hearing and selective feeling. I know one time I was walking down the beach when Hope was just about 4 and Danita and I were talking and Hope was behind us saying "mom......mom.......mom........mom.......mom........mom" and Danita finally said "WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT CHILD!!"....Oh, I knew I heard her soft sweet little voice that never gets hardly above a whisper but that "selective" hearing was working and I was simply numb to my worn out name. Unfortunately, I think we do the same to God. Our dear Savior whispers our name, gently taps on our heart and we are to numb to feel it. The busy life we have, the schedules that are so packed, the constant noise of our lives makes our hearing weak, and the disappointments of life make our walls go up and our emotions numb. But here is the passage from Max's book that started all this thinking of mine...I hope it causes you to do a self check on your hearing and feelings yourself.
"Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. there is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a room so dark....a lounge so sensual....an office so sophisticated....that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts - waiting to be invited in.
Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door.
But NEVER interpret our numbness for his absence. For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of his presence."
Hebrews 13:5..."I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
Revelation 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him , and will sup with him, and he with me."
What about it ladies, are you numb?
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