​Rainy days and Monday’s. . . Actually, I really enjoy a rainy, overcast day and today is a good one. I’m reflecting on Matthew 24 where Jesus is teaching His disciples. 
Now, imagine this; these boys are really boys. They haven’t hit what I’d call “their full statue as a man” yet. They are young men with a background of hard work in a possibly poor community. They live by the Sea of Galilee and they didn’t go on to study with a Rabbi when Jesus called them to follow Him. 
So I’ve said all that to say in Matthew 24 Jesus has taken these young men to the most incredible place, the Temple, it was probably a very overwhelming time. Then to hear that the Temple would be destroyed could have been crushing. They knew that Rome was over their heads and that there was conflict going on everywhere and then Jesus had been very challenging to the Pharisees, so they were aware of the troubling times they were living in, but to imagine that the Temple was going to be destroyed, unthinkable! 
Well, Jesus goes on to describe the end times with more detail and they hear Him say “You will be hated by all nations because of me!” I’m thinking, “Where do I sign up for this?” "Really, after all we do to help people and feed them and heal them and now they’re going to hate us? And what’s this about persecution?" And with every sentence it just gets worse! I can only imagine what they were thinking. 
 
Today, we would love to be appreciated for everything we do to be a blessing to our world. The amount of money that goes to feed the poor, the missionary efforts, the youth and children’s arena’s where we poor money into reaching our teens and children. Wouldn’t it be nice to just be given a little nod of approval? But, that’s not why we do what we do, and that’s not where we live – to be approved of. 
The reality is this: we can do no less than what we are compelled to do because of how God loved us and gave Jesus to disciple us and then die for us and our sins. 
This is our hope – it’s going to get worse! And we will know He is working because we belong to Him and He gives us strength, courage and power by His Spirit to live above this world. Jesus said; “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)
 

​I just finished a great book by author Lynn Austin. It’s called “Return to Me”. I know it’s fictional but it’s based on the life of Zachariah, the prophet. It really is a well written book and gives lots of insight into the life of those exiles who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. I highly recommend this book. 
What my “takeaway” has been from this book is the treacherous assault of our culture on Christianity. It really is clear that we are continually surrounded by lifestyles and choices that are clearly wrong. So, here’s my take-away:
I have spent the last 4 days at Disney Land. We’re watching people from everywhere just immerse themselves in the “happiest place in the world.” You can seriously dive into the emotions driven by the music, the sights and smells and take on the idea that really, everything is good here. The food is great and expensive; over indulging is the theme there. Every set of Mickey Mouse ears at least $25.00, and they’re everywhere. You can really be anything you want to be! 
If we are to gauge our economy on what’s going on here, let me just say – we are the richest country in the world. It’s amazing. It looks so good, so happy and yet it is all a deception. It’s nothing to wait 90 minutes in a line for a 5-minute experience, because you can be so manipulated by emotions. 
 
The book shares the same struggles of a group of dedicated Jews who have returned to their land to rebuild when they are assaulted by a culture of compromise. They have to redefine their identities and what their values are. They are also tempted by all that is around them. 
 
Walking with the Lord is neither popular nor easy. The fact is it really is a covenant relationship with a Living God who calls to us in love and with purpose. 
I’d love to hear your thoughts!

One of the things that has intrigued me for a long time is the matter of time. As I read and study I come across this "thought" over and again: "And the time came..." "it happened at the appointed time..." And yet God lives inside and outside of time itself. The essence of Shabbat is that God invites us into His realm of "timelessness." We are the ones who have to live within it. Time tells us what to do and when to do it. Our bodies are clocks that tick off time and grow old to the beat of time. 
But going to the thought that God lives within it and around it is, again, intriguing. It's like He's already done this and He knows the outcome so why am I frustrated? What do I have to offer that He doesn't already know and have in control? 
To know that at His appointed time He accomplishes the most amazing results and His redemption!

I was on my way to work the other day and I was telling Him that I imagined that He was so sad at what is happening in our world. Immediately, and I mean it was instant, I felt an overwhelming joy. He spoke to my spirit and said, I'm letting you see how great is my Redemption for people. In all of this madness and confusion, "I am still speaking, working and moving to redeem the world and I am letting you be a part of it! You get to see and participate in My redemption for people!"
Wow! The flood that filled me at the point was incredible. For every breath He gives me, for every moment I get to live He gives me opportunity to be a part of His great love and plan for this world!
Are you a part of that? I bet you'd love it!

We've home about 3 weeks now and I finally got through the jet-lag, the sick week and the "down" time. Sometimes it's hard to understand how your mind deals with what you're body is doing and going through. I just wanted to post a couple of things about the recent trip to Israel. 
What an amazing time to know that God is working in huge ways. He is using the hard things in life to get the attention of people and He is turning hearts towards others. Here's what I mean by this. 
Israel is being turned upside down with individual acts of terrorism in their country. The Arabs who live in Israel are insecure by the attacks as well, not knowing how they will be treated as a result. It's really like the way things are going here in the U.S. The racism is ramping up in such dramatic ways we will be unsure of our own safety with others of another race. Our world is upside down, but the great thing is this - the arrogance of humanism and the redefining of our culture is really playing out that it doesn't work! We will never be able to be our best until we realize that He is our best and not us. 
I've also been thinking about this idea of pro-choice verses pro-life. I guess it's because I've been pondering about our ability to make right choices in life generally. Pro-life, Pro-choice, It's really not a matter of abortion - it's really a matter of us getting to make the decisions. We've had the opportunity to choose since Adam and Eve. But the real problem is, we don't want to live with the consequences of our choices when it doesn't work out like we've thought or wanted. Think about this - have you ever made a choice where you found out that it was the wrong choice? I can't tell you how many times I've prayed for something and then told God "but whatever you want" only to later thank Him that He didn't do what I asked. My choices are not always good ones or right ones, but sometimes I still find myself angry because I didn't feel like I had a choice. Then I stop and remember, I always have the choice, but it seems like my life goes better when I surrender my choices to One greater than me who knows a whole lot more than I do. 
This week I was at the Women's and Children's shelter helping serve supper. I met a young lady with 2 small children and one on the way. I asked about her circumstances and who did she have to help her with her children when she delivered her baby next month. She told me that other than her mother who would help for a couple of days, there was no one. She said that her other children's dads didn't want anything to do with them and this baby's father didn't either. She said, "I think I've learned some hard lessons that I'll have to make better choices in the future." Sometimes the hard things that happen are there to teach us that the easy way isn't necessarily the best way. 
Israel and the Arabs are hard places and they are faced with hard choices. What a great place for the Lord to give wisdom and watch Him perform the miracle that we so desperately want to see. How great is that?

I wake up to quiet. I enjoy drinking a refreshing cup of coffee and knowing that I don't have to worry about incoming rockets that make me race to a bomb shelter. I know that I am blessed and I am so very thankful. But I also know that my freedom didn't come without costing someone their way of life to change things. 
We are so blessed and it is so nice to relax and enjoy it that it's hard to image why a person would sacrifice this way of life to help others enjoy the same luxuries that we have. 
But I know that we are blessed to be a blessing and that becomes a crossroads for me. 
It would be so easy to lean back and talk about what needs to change and complain about the government and the politicians who seem to making all the decisions for our country, but now I'm going to beg to differ!

I AM NOT THE GOVERNMENT! I AM NOT A POLITICIAN! I believe that when Jesus set me free that I have become a person with a different perspective and a different outlook. I don't need to get a vote on it and I don't need permission to make a difference. I can because I have been called, chosen and empowered to live above what is going on in this world. 

I can make (MY Choice, My decision) this world a better place! Because I know that God's love and favor rests on me (by Jesus' sacrificial atonement) that I bring that to my world that He puts me in. Wow, is that ever empowering to me! I get to bring a bit of Heaven to earth! Maybe not to a crowd, but maybe to a little person who needs me to look into their eyes and let them know they are important.

What are you doing to bring Heaven to earth? 
Just saying. .  

Well, there's not a drop of rain in the forecast, but I thought that I'd pretend. You see, what happens on a rainy day is that you do things that you can do when it rains, when you can't do the things you'd do on a sunny day. Now really, does that make sense? 

It's my birthday today! I'm packing for a big move into another house, getting ready for the CUFI summit and trying to stay sane and calm with little expectations for anyone other than myself. I'm thinking about the Torah portion for this week and wondering about the Israelites getting ready to inherit the Promised land. What would they want to take with them? What would they leave behind? What will it be like to live in a land that God had planned for them to enjoy?
I'm looking at some of the same things. What will I want in my new home? Will I want all the stuff from the old places? What are the real keepsakes? What are my treasures? Will they be something I can pass on to my children and theirs?
I don't think of myself as a hoarder, but in some ways maybe I am!
A new adventure, a new opportunity, another day of looking forward to what God has in store for me and will I be able to meet the challenges that He gives me?
My first call this morning was from one of our church friends who told me her husband passed away last night about midnight. A true reminder that God is the real answer in our lives!
How's your journey going? Are you packing? Moving in? Reorganizing? Or are you preparing for what God has ahead for you in the lessons He's teaching you? Whatever your journey is today, may it be Kingdom focused and filled with the Spirit of Jesus!

Sometimes reading the newspaper and listening to the news gets to be a little too much for me. It's not that I don't want to know what is going on, but sometimes I get tired of the opinions and perspective of those who are telling us what is going on.
This last week has been an especially heavy week with lots of situations that are easily overwhelming and scary. I know that my natural response would be to help fix them all. But there comes a moment when there is nothing anyone can do. It's just going to be what it is. I certainly can't be in every place at one time and if I were it wouldn't necessary be a good thing, because then I really would want to fix it.

But this is what happened and I need to share it. It really comes down to having the right mindset. If there is one (1) thing that I can give to the Lord it is my praise and worship. That's the only thing I can give Him that nobody else can. It's in my hands to give. So, I have to decide if He's Sovereign and if He's really trustworthy. Once I put my wholeheart into that and realize that if the enemy can distract me and rob Him of my joyful love and praise, then the battle is lost to worry and stress. You see, mindset is really everything! Then I realize that my weapons against whatever is going on is my joyful trust and praise. And what happened really was amazing. The joy in my heart towards the Lord started overflowing until I couldn't help but worship Him like I've never worshipped Him before. I know this must seem crazy, but I can tell you, my prayers weren't asking for God to fix things, but to reveal Himself in the midst of things because it was a perfect opportunity for people to see Him.
Then I called a time out with my "league of extraordinary women" and we prayed! We didn't beg, we rejoiced and filled our time with confident declarations! We rejoiced and agreed with each other that God is and will always be bigger than any problem or issue. We asked for His perspective that is "the Kingdom is coming to earth" through each of us as we allow Jesus to grow in us. You should have been here. It was great!

And now we watch Him! He isn't nervous! He isn't taken back by all the bad news. He's waiting for the Sons of Glory to be revealed! That's us! Where are we? Let's rejoice that for every set back there is a come back. For every piece of bad news, there is the Great News! God is not at a loss, but He's looking for those of us who will stand and be warriors to declare to this world - We are here! Full of the Holy Spirit and with great power and authority in Him!
Bad news? - Look for the opportunity and the Kingdom perspective - what will God do in this? Yeah God!

This last Thursday we helped sponsor a Night to Stand with Israel where Irving Roth was to be our featured guest. Irving is a holocaust survivor and travels around the country telling his story to audiences of all ages. He goes to schools, universities, churches, anywhere he can to tell people that what he is seeing today has the earmarks of the events that led up to WWII. He is alarmed by how fast our country is falling for the same propaganda as Germany did. 
Unfortunately, he had a slight heart attack Sunday evening and couldn't come. Randy Neal, who travels with him, came anyway and we got to meet Irving via video. It was not a disappointing evening by any means!
Irving was 15 when he lived to get out of the concentration camp, Auschwitz. He is adamant to educate the next generation to what is happening and the compelling evidence that this is necessary is what is happening on our college campuses. The hearts and minds of our children are being saturated with hatred for Israel and America! 
I pray that we will consider how dangerous it is to be ignorant and silent!
 

I've been thinking this week about what it means to be a "watchman on the wall." Isaiah 62:6 talks about how the Lord has posted these watchmen to be alert people who will never forget their responsibilities toward Jerusalem. This has been our theme for quite a while and I've been aware that God is working to call more of His children to this post. 

While studying Matthew 11 I came across a verse that I didn't quite understand. Where Jesus spoke of John the Baptist He said; "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it." 

After some research, I found that this verse implies a "dynamite" experience. That whatever this advancement was, it was like  dynamite that is exploding the way open. It is also directly linked to Micah 2:12-13 which is a "Messianic" passage. The picture is of a sheep pen where all the sheep are locked up and enslaved. But there is "one who breaks open the way" that "will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. ...[then] Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head." 

Then I head to John 10 where I hear Jesus say "The watchman opens the gate for Him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. ...I Am the gate for the sheep. ...I am the good shepherd."

John the Baptist was breaking open the way for Jesus to come. Could it be that we are called to be the "watchman" who opens the gate for Him? 
Just a thought, eh?