A Clarion Call

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts. 4:13

Just recently I was having a 'heart to heart' with the Father and telling him how unqualified I feel for the things He keeps calling me to do. He wasn't too impressed with my pitiful "I can't" party, but instead reminded me of who I am, and more important than that.....who HE IS. Then He reminded me of a verse that He spoke 15 years ago to me that began to transform my thinking and how I saw myself. It's become a sort of 'life verse' to me, repeatedly calling me to change the way I think.

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world, and the despised things - and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."

He loves taking the 'are nots' and doing something magnificent through them just to show off His awesome glory and power. Inside of every 'are not' is a treasure waiting to be released and displayed for His glory!

I think we get hung up on our weakness, but scripture doesn't ever tell us that we are strong in our natural selves. If we are looking for that, or waiting for that before we move forward, we will always be disappointed. In fact, 2 Cor. 4:7, says that "we have this treasure in jars of clay". And the reason? To "show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us".

This is the message of Acts 4:13. When God's power shows up in an 'are not' like Peter, who cowardly denied Jesus 3 times, the world takes notice. I think many times we feel that our weakness is too much. Too much for Him? What are we thinking? He's the Creator of the Universe! We view ourselves through our natural eyes, but this whole transaction is nothing natural. It has to be supernatural!

So what is my place in all of this? The key is found at the end of the verse...."these men had been with Jesus". My place is just to "be" with Him. I've spent too many hours of my life 'doing' when I should have been 'being'. Someone wisely said that we are 'human beings' not 'human doings'. I love that!

If I hear anything at all, I'm hearing a clarion call coming from the Father's heart to come and 'be' with Him. He really wants to hang out with us. And it is in the "being" with Him that we are transformed.

For whatever reason, sometimes we settle for less. We get infiltrated into this natural world around massive amounts of mediocrity and start thinking that this is normal. Then, a Peter or John walks into our life and we see that there is something different and that there is real love to be encountered and real power to be demonstrated. (see Acts 4:14)

Once we see and touch and taste the more, we are ruined for anything less. At least I have been.

I'll be honest, I've tasted some of the more and it's really, really good stuff. But, I want so much more. Way more.

Father, deliver us from mediocrity and mundane abnormal Christianity. Touch us with your love, then touch us with your fire. Reveal Your glory in us that the earth might be filled with the knowledge of Your glory. Amen.

The Year of the Lion

They will follow the Lord; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. - Hosea 11:10

I love this time of the year and that each new year brings with it a story yet untold. I love the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. It has been my practice for many years now to ask God what it is that He wants to do in my life for the new year and then set my personal goals to coincide with what I hear Him saying.

New Years had come and gone this year and still I had not heard anything. It had been an unusually busy holiday season for us and we had just returned from visiting our daughter in Turkey. Then two weeks ago during Sunday worship I felt I heard Him say to me, "It's the year of the lion". We had been singing a song by Amber Brooks called "Like You Promised", and in the bridge of the song it says,

You come like a father, You come like a brother
You come like a lion, fierce like no other.

You violently chase me down to embrace me
Engulf me in who You are.

Here's Amber singing "Like You Promised":



I began to realize that He had been sending me other "lion messages" and I was just now beginning to understand. Even as I was working on this blog, a friend, out of the blue, posted a beautiful picture of a lion to my facebook page. Go figure.

A couple of months ago we were in California visiting Bethel Church where they have a beautiful prayer house (The Alabaster House) and gardens. I love spending time there and have always been drawn to a majestic lion statue that sits on top of a hill in front of the prayer house. I took a picture of the lion over a year ago and it was stored on my phone along with lots of other pictures. In November we were visiting there again and I glanced at my cell phone one day only to realize that the picture of the lion had mysteriously become my screensaver. I have no explanation for how this happened. Call me crazy, but I like to think that God put it there. I know that when I saw it, something happened inside of me. It was as if hope, promise, love and adventure had all come wrapped in this picture of a lion.

So, what does it mean for it to be "the year of the lion"? I keep thinking about the Chronicles of Narnia and how the people of Narnia were waiting for Aslan to come. They knew that when he came everything would be different. He was the epitome of hope. In Narnia, it meant that everything that had been frozen for years would began to thaw and once again experience light and life. In the Kingdom, it means that Jesus has come to redeem, restore, and bring us into His glorious light and life.

I don't know about you, but I have areas in my life where I need to see the lion come. There are things that could use a good dose of His light and life. But more than this, I just want to experience more of His fierce love. I want a lion hug.

What does it feel like to hug a lion? I imagine that it would be a strange combination of scary, fun, fierce, tender, and fuzzy. I would love to find out! A few months ago I was drawn to this ad that I saw on a friend's facebook page. It so reminded me of what it's like to receive a hug from Him. The good thing is that there are no bars between us.



So, how do I prepare myself for the "year of the lion"? I'm still thinking on that one. But I'm going to be watching and expecting, and I believe that one day soon, just like in the song, He will violently chase me down to embrace me, and engulf me in all that He is.

What's Love Got to Do with It?

Not too long ago I heard the elderly and well-known prophet, Bob Jones, tell of a time in his life when he actually died and was allowed to see a glimpse of heaven. After waiting his turn, he found himself before Jesus who asked him this question, "Did you learn to love?"

Life is a lot of things, but more and more I'm seeing that it is mostly about learning to love. Our pop culture has so cheapened the meaning of love with songs that contain confusing lyrics like found in Tina Turner's song "What's Love Got to Do with It?"

The journey to love is one that each one of us must travel and the bends and turns in the road are as different as the people who travel on them. But some things remain the same, and that is that a heart that can respond with love is a whole and healthy heart, and a heart that can't needs the healing touch of our loving Papa God.

So, how do you know if your heart is healthy? When you find yourself reacting to people instead of responding to people, you know you may need a heart check-up. Reacting usually looks like that list of behaviors you find in the New Testament where Paul is telling you what you shouldn't be doing. Galations 5:19 has such a list,..."idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like."

Responding to situations and people calls for us to draw from that deep place within called our "spirit". Gal. 5: 16 says, "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature". When we take time to "respond" instead of "react" we draw from our spirit which has been renewed and is inhabited by the Holy Spirit who always produces fruit. We know we are responding from our spirit when what flows out from us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.....the fruit of the Spirit.


Another sign that love has become difficult because of a wounded and hurting heart, is that you find it very difficult to trust. In Tina Turner's song "What's Love got to Do with It?", the following lyrics portray very well where a hurting heart is headed:

I've been taking on a new direction
But I have to say
I've been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel this way

What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken


When we cease to trust in relationships it is like we have set aside a portion of our heart and put up a "No Trespassing" sign. We adopt a "wait and see" attitude. The problem with this is that a heart that isn't fully engaged is always attached to a lonely and isolated person who longs for intimacy but never can seem to find it. They may present a "portion" of themselves and on the surface it can look pretty good. But, a closer look leaves you with the feeling that they're not all there.....and they're not. A "halfhearted" way of living is where many people find themselves because their wounded hearts fear the risk of trying to love and be loved again.

I am convinced that it is very difficult for an unhealthy heart to truly love. The person may try, but again and again will experience frustration through repeated episodes of failure to love.

So, what is the journey to a healthy heart? I believe it begins with forgiveness. Forgiveness first of all for yourself, and then forgiveness for others. Unforgiveness binds us and ultimately puts us in a place of torment. As we receive the Father's forgiveness, love, and grace for our sinful patterns, we experience a lightness and freedom that is liberating.

Sometimes the difficult work is forgiving those offenses against us, especially those of abuse and violence. We need to understand the high price we are paying if we hold on to unforgiveness against those who have hurt us. Many are trapped in mental anguish, physical infirmities and dysfunctional relationship skills because of their refusal or unawareness of the necessity of forgiveness. Many will live in denial for years, stubbornly refusing to face the humbling truth, and all the while they leave a wake of destruction to those in their path as well as to themselves.

The process of forgiveness may be simple for some and complex for others. Father may reveal layers of pain/unforgiveness patterns going back to childhood. But, in order to be fully free, the work must be done and the more thoroughly, the better. As you begin to forgive and taste the sweetness of being "out of prison", you will long for more freedom and the process gains momentum.

Another step in the journey to a healthy heart is learning to trust again. Actually, you begin to learn to trust again the moment you are willing to forgive. But, Jesus is calling us to a deeper place in this thing called love. The difficult person to love may be trapped in a cycle that is offensive and we are presented with a choice. Will we love? How will we love?

We, of course, cannot love the sin, and I am not suggesting that a person stay in a place of emotional or spiritual abuse, but I am suggesting that sometimes we are asked to be courageous enough to break our destructive "reactive" cycle by first forgiving and then beginning to love the offensive person by coming to see how Father sees them. Can we be unselfish enough to look past our own brokenness to see theirs? Can we give our whole heart to come into agreement with what Father intended for them to become? Can we join with Him in calling out the treasure? Can our heart be healthy enough to respond and not react to their sin?

When we begin to partner with the heart of God for the other person I believe a shift takes place in the atmosphere. Instead of perpetually stating the obvious and spotlighting their sin, we begin to hear from our spirit and state something entirely different. Love "always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres." This is love by a different definition. This is I Corinthians 13 love.

And love must walk hand in hand with trust. Not trust in ourselves, or in the other person, but trust in God who is big enough to change all of our hearts.

So, in answer to Tina's haunting question, "What's love got to do with it?", the answer is everything. Absolutely everything.

Who Do You Say that I Am?

Father continues to teach me about the importance of what I speak and think. Early on in this journey of "cleaning up" my confessions, I soon found out that just changing what I say is not enough, for "it is of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks". I find myself continually being challenged now on what I think and even deeper, what I believe.

It was just today that I was praying about a matter that in my heart felt 'hopeless'. In the midst of my thoughts I heard Father say to me, "Who do you say that I am?" I knew instantly that He was not asking me so that I could recite information back to Him, and He was not having an identity crisis, but He was asking, "who do you believe Me to be in your circumstance?"

I love the story of Moses and the burning bush. Besides the fact that it's pretty darn freaky, the story is rich with truth that spurred a stuttering Moses to lead the massive exodus of the Israelites out of slavery. After Moses is given his commission from God, who appears as flames in a burning bush, he timidly asks, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God's answer to Moses is stunning. He says, "Say to them, 'I Am that I Am'. This little Hebrew phrase, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" though surprisingly simple has challenged Hebrew scholars for decades. Some, but not all, of the possibilities include:

I am that I am (Hertz, p 215)

I will be what I will be (Rashi, from Hertz, p 215)

I am who I am (Sarna, 1986, p 52)

I will be what I want to be (S.R. Hirsch from Plaut, p 405)

I will be what tomorrow demands (Plaut, p 405)

It has been noted that Moses never used the name that was given to him by the burning bush. Though Moses inquired of God's name so that he might have something to tell the inquisitive Israelites, I believe that his asking was mostly for himself. Moses needed an anchor for his faith and he got the anchor of all anchors.
Father continues to teach me about the importance of what I speak and think. Early on in this journey of "cleaning up" my confessions, I soon found out that just changing what I say is not enough, for "it is of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks".  I find myself continually being challenged now on what I think and even deeper, what I believe.

It was just today that I was praying about a matter that in my heart felt 'hopeless'. In the midst of my thoughts I heard Father say to me, "Who do you say that I am?" I knew instantly that He was not asking me so that I could recite information back to Him, and He was not having an identity crisis, but He was asking, "who do you believe Me to be in your circumstance?"  
I love the story of Moses and the burning bush. Besides the fact that it's pretty darn freaky, the story is rich with truth that spurred a stuttering Moses to lead the massive exodus of the Israelites out of slavery. After Moses is given his commission from God, who appears as flames in a burning bush, he timidly asks, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God's answer to Moses is stunning. He says, "Say to them, 'I Am that I Am'. This little Hebrew phrase, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" though surprisingly simple has challenged Hebrew scholars for decades. Some, but not all, of the possibilities include:

I am that I am (Hertz, p 215)

I will be what I will be (Rashi, from Hertz, p 215)

I am who I am (Sarna, 1986, p 52)

I will be what I want to be (S.R. Hirsch from Plaut, p 405)

I will be what tomorrow demands (Plaut, p 405) 

It has been noted that Moses never used the name that was given to him by the burning bush. Though Moses inquired of God's name so that he might have something to tell the inquisitive Israelites, I believe that his asking was mostly for himself. Moses needed an anchor for his faith and he got the anchor of all anchors.

I love the translation above by Plaut that says, "I will be what tomorrow demands". Isn't that really what Moses needed to hear? I Am that I Am. I will be All that you need. I Am All sufficient for every problem that you could imagine. I Am the Author and Finisher. I am the Alpha and Omega. I Am that I Am.

So Moses left the flaming foliage armed with all He needed to rally the skeptical Israelites, confront the intimidating Pharoah, and probably most of all, steady the faith of the one he saw daily in his own mirror. Moses had received a name. Not just any name, mind you.  The Name.

So, going back to the question that Father posed to me today, "Who do you say that I Am?", I find my faith buoyed by the shoeless Moses and his encounter with a burning bush. Having read the story, we know that God was there for Moses every step of the journey. He equipped him, empowered him, and met Him in incredibly intimate ways, and I know He will do the same for me.

Bottom line for me is that it's personal. At least I believe it is to Him.  My negative thinking in any area or lack of faith always points to a problem in my belief about Him. Do I really believe He is who He says He is? Can He really do what He says He can do?

Who do you say that I am?

Mama's Books

It's funny the things you remember. As we sorted through my Mama's diverse library following her passing, I was surprised at how attached my emotions were to books. As I handled the well worn pages of book after book, I found it almost impossible to part with some of these old friends. In fact I carefully tucked the tattered copy of Uncle Remus along with several others in my box of things that I 'just couldn't part with'. One look at this book and I am launched back into another time and place.

I mostly remember Uncle Remus from a habit my Mama developed on warm summer days when the afternoon thunderstorms rolled over the Blue Ridge mountains and threatened us with ferocious displays of wind and light. My Mama, terrified of thunderstorms, would gather my brother and myself and run for the innermost bedroom of our Carolina home. It was then that she would pull out Uncle Remus or some other delightful world of fantasy and began to read in her deep melodious southern voice. As the lightening popped and the thunder roared, we soon found ourselves laughing at the antics of Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. Laughing so hard she could hardly read, Mama soon forgot the perilous winds that howled just outside our doors and so did we. In fact, I came to love the sound of thunder in the distance, knowing what fun lay in store for us should the storm head in our direction.

My Mama had a gift. I don't think she was really aware of it, but when she began to read out loud, she would enter the 'make believe' world of the story she was reading and take you with her. A teacher for some thirty years, it was not uncommon for former students to approach us in stores or restaurants and the story would often be the same, "You were my favorite teacher" and "I loved how you always read to us on rainy days and after lunch". Her contagious love of books transferred to the many lives she touched.

When I think of my childhood, books were a big part of my relationship with my Mama. At the earliest age we made trips together to the little village library and sometimes spent several hours pouring over the books. I can picture it well, and can still hear the sound of the screen door slamming each time someone entered. I remember the delicious smell of the pages of the books and the skillful hands of the librarian as she methodically stamped the books. I secretly longed to have one of those "stampers" myself.

It was there that Mama introduced me to some of my childhood favorites, The Secret Garden, Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, and The Boxcar Children. Armed with a stack of books almost as big as the little girl who carried them, we would leave our little library full of anticipation and wonder at what new adventures lay ahead. What a deep satisfaction she must have felt that I loved these books just as much as she.

Of course, the book she loved most of all was the Bible. A lifelong student of the Word, she never stopped learning and studying with youthful enthusiasm and interest. It was with a little New Testament that she knelt down beside my bed on a Saturday evening when I was just 8 years old. I was to be baptized the next day and she wanted to make completely sure that I knew what I was doing. So while my brother slept in a nearby bed, my Mama whispered me through the plan of salvation. I was baptized the next day, and so began the journey that continues to this day.

During her last few weeks of life, she didn't feel much like reading, which said a whole lot about just how bad she felt. But her Bible was still among the few things on her bedside table, and as she called out favorite passages I would turn to them and read. Just one day before she passed away we read together Psalm 23,..."though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil". I'm not sure who received the most comfort from those words, for I was walking through that valley with her.

I'm so glad I got a chance to sort through the books, and especially glad that I got to take some of the ones that are filled with memories. Next time there's a good thunderstorm, I may just pull out good old Uncle Remus.

I know that Jesus talks about 'going to prepare a place for us' and He even mentions the 'mansions' in His Father's house. I have a good feeling about the place that He prepared for Mama, and I won't be surprised at all if it's filled with books.

Reality Training

I recently came in the room to find my husband watching "Rocky" on TV. We couldn't help but laugh together at this over-the-top 'testosterone laden' creation by Sylvester Stallone that first aired in 1976. It is hard not to get caught up in this 'underdog makes it big' film and like everyone else, I was ready to down a few raw eggs as the theme from Rocky starts to play and the Italian Stallion courageously goes into his season of training.

I couldn't help but think how different it is for us as believers as we enter our seasons of training. There usually is no motivational music playing and it would seem no one to cheer us on in our preparation. But, Holy Spirit is a great cheerleader and never tires or gives up on urging us toward maturity. In fact, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit orchestrate many of our battles so we can try out our skill at using the weapons He has given us.

This is a really different thought for me. In the past I never related much to the "warrior" terminology and usually ran from anything looking like a fight. But we are told to "fight the good fight of faith".

After a while it becomes obvious that God seems to like using "battle" terminology and it becomes even more obvious that the battle is real. As children we could call "time out" if we became tired of the game or found ourselves on the losing side, but there is no "time out" in real life.

Thankfully, Father left us anything but defenseless, and much of life is about discovering who we are and discovering our weapons and learning to use them. Many times we find ourselves pushed back into the "game" before we feel ready, but it is in the struggle that we find that Father has been training us all along for the battle in which we find ourselves.

Like Neo in "The Matrix", as we learn and grow in our true identity, our confidence grows to pick up our weapons and skillfully use them to execute vengeance on the enemies of the Kingdom of God. Romans 8:19 says "the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed". Later in vs. 22 it says that "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth...."

All of this waiting, expectation, and groaning is calling up something deep within us as the sons and daughters of God. As deep cries out to deep, we find ourselves awakening to the glory that Father placed within each one of us. Before our rebirth we had 'fallen short of the glory', but since we have been made 'new creations' the glory has been restored to those who are in Christ. We have been made in the image of the Glorious One.

We are also finding that the battle is very different than we first believed and is more about being than doing, and more about knowing than learning. The weapons we have been given many times seem foolish at first glance, and it is the childlike and humble of heart who will learn to use them. The sword in our hand is much lighter than we thought and rises and falls as it is carried by the very breath of Holy Spirit. Our mouths are called to decree, agree, shout, proclaim, or laugh in sync with Him. Our feet have learned to dance on injustice, release joy into the atmosphere, or bring the Gospel of peace.

Again in "The Matrix", Neo was offered two pills. The blue pill would allow him to stay in his comfort zone and a blissful ignorance to accept the reality that he saw all around him. The red pill would lead him into truth and a reality that would require risk and the ability to operate in a realm not yet known to him. We are very much like Neo, and faced with a choice to accept this natural realm as our reality, or see with our eyes of faith the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us and in us. Our training is really "reality training" as we learn to see, sense, perceive, and hear from a different realm. We have been invited into an adventure of epic porportions. As the writer of Psalms 149 so aptly describes it, "this is the glory of all His saints".

"The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is', or 'There it is', because the Kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 17:20-21

Soul vs Spirit

Our walk here is, and always will be, a "faith" walk, because there is an unseen realm that eludes our earthly senses. I used to cry over the verse that says "without faith it is impossible to please Him". I found faith so hard, yet I wanted so badly to please Him. Actually my soul (mind, will, and emotions) found faith hard, but my spirit was ready when I began to get those other three characters in line! Our soul never likes learning to walk by faith......it will cry, get angry, feel sorry for itself, and demand it's own way when allowed to run things.

Learning to live from our spirit and not our soul is key in this adventure of faith. We all have days where we fall back into soulish thinking and actions, seeing things through this earthly realm grid. But as believers, we are called to learn to use our spirit muscles and see things through a realm not of this earth......His realm! And just like when we go to the gym to work out any other muscle, it takes time, and sometimes seems a slow process. But, little by little, as we learn to live from our spirit and not our soul, we begin to notice a difference in our lives.

I know now that when I'm feeling hopeless, I am believing lies and living from my soul. I'm evaluating my reality from my mind(what I think), my will(what I decide) and my emotions(what I feel). I've had some real battles over this one, but I'm learning that when those kind of thoughts knock on the door, I am to make my soul subject to my spirit and choose to believe what the Father says and not what my circumstance is saying. He is the God of the impossible and we are called to dwell in that realm with Him. Francis Frangipane says that if there is an area of our life that does not glisten with hope, then we are believing a lie.

I had to get rid of a number of lies in my own life that were preventing me from living by faith. When truth is revealed to us through revelation, then the lies have to leave. That's why revelation is so important. Jesus said that "man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". The revealed word or truth is our very life. It's what sustains us and gives us the ability to rise above our circumstances.

When Jesus was confronted by Satan in the wilderness and tempted, He overcame Him by reaching within His spirit and speaking forth the revelation that was given to Him by the Holy Spirit(the revealed word) and we are called to do the same. Satan sought to tempt Jesus in His soul, but Jesus overcame Him by the Spirit.  If in the middle of our own confrontations, we will stop and listen to our spirit that is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, and learn to refuse the clamoring voice of our soul, we will begin to experience such wonderful things as peace, joy, love, patience and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit.

I've learned that responding to the Spirit requires using my "faith muscles" and isn't usually the easiest choice. It involves a rising up and a taking hold of His strength and presence. Responding to my soul usually feels good to my flesh and doesn't require anything of me. It involves a falling back and a letting go of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:5 & 6 says, "those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." We can quickly tell when our choices are producing life or death by the fruit that results.


I'm so glad that we have received the Spirit of sonship that allows us to cry, "Abba, Father". We can rejoice that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are His children. And it is in this place of our spirit, where the precious Spirit of God dwells, that we can find the strength that we need to overcome the obstacle of our own soul and other weapons used against us.

Paul's words in 2 Cor. 4:16-18 give us a valuable perspective and stance for the journey ahead:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."