100 DAY Challenge - And Then They Were Done

Well, would you believe there are only FIVE DAYS left in our 100 DAY Challenge? FIVE DAYS!

Easter Monday will be our 100th day. It seems fitting that our end would be complete on a day we celebrate new life. May this journey have brought you to more abundant living, more real living. Through this process may you have drawn deeper and closer into the One who is life.

Because that's the key: HE IS LIFE.

Whatever we gave up, whatever we added, whatever our challenge was, it wasn't the answer.

Jesus was the answer. More of Him. More of Him, less of us. Less of our self-assertions, self-protection, less of self.

Watchman Nee said that God never gives anything that is not Jesus. We pray for patience, or to be more loving or kind or compassionate...but God always answers with Jesus; bringing a greater revelation of who Jesus is to our hearts, opening our minds to understand in greater depth the magnanimous-ness of Jesus.

And whether this challenge was a success or a failure for you, if it brought you closer to Him, it was worth it.

All of God's promises are "yes and amen" in Christ Jesus.

Do you see it? IN Christ Jesus. No where else. No programs, no agendas, no challenges....no where else but IN Christ Jesus. He is the "yes" and "Amen" for everything, every need, every one.

While we celebrate His resurrection this Sunday, I trust it will be a sweet and tender time for you, reflecting on the awesome work He did on your behalf. And when Easter Monday comes, I trust you will take some time and allow Him to reflect to you what this 100DAY Challenge has REALLY been about; how it all worked out from His perspective. And whether it was "success" or "struggle" praise Him. Praise Him.

Our worth is not dependent on our works.

Our worth is not dependent on our works.

His finished work on our behalf gives us worth.

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worth of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12

Thank your for taking this challenge, this journey with me. If you feel so led, I would love to know what the Lord has taught you through the process.

Blessings....

LIVE

Cinderella is a big hit at our house. So is Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and the rest of them...something about hidden royalty dressed in yesterday's pjs just sits right with my girls. (yesterday's pj's is how my girls wear their princess-ness.) If you ask my 3-year-old her name, she'll tell you with hand on her hip and just a bit of attitude, "Princess Elise Carly Trivette". (and we just don't mention that Elise is really her middle name and not her first name because when "Princess" is not just a title but your NAME, everything else IS in the middle....who cares what order...)

I was thinking about our 100DAYS....to own the corner of honesty for a moment, my 100DAY resolution has been so long gone I'm not sure I would recognize the back of her head....life got in the way of my resolution....I got in the way of my resolution....why can I not for the LIFE of me just stick a commitment out till it's end? I can do it when it involves someone else in the mix...but when it's a commitment I've made to myself? Well, I give myself the short end of the stick every.single.time.

And here's what came to me this morning with an ugly-cry-heave of emotion lodging itself squarely in my throat....when we continue in the same pattern of slavery-lifestyle that dictated our past, we will never have time, room, or energy to engage in the priorities befitting our new station....to put it another way, when we, as Cinderellas, keep behaving like it's our job to be slave to a lie, we cheat ourselves - even prevent ourselves from fulfilling our royal duties as princesses(who we really are, royalty in Christ)....

God has a call on your life....but it is your choice to take that calling on and live it out. If you do not realize who you are in Christ, and who He is in you, you will forever be in a whirlpool of frustration....you know you are not as you should be, but what you know you should be doing, you don't do....the epitome of Romans chapter 7. And as my mother always says, "Stop 'shoulding' on yourself."

A devotional I was reading suggested these questions as checks to make sure we are living in a way that mirrors our true identity:
Have we been born again? Then we are of Christ and we can trust His finished work on our behalf.
In whom do we trust? Those who believe in Jesus are the sons (and daughters!) of God.
Whose work are we doing? (This is the one that made me choke on my own inhale) We are sure to serve someone, for whomever we serve is truly our lord.
What company do we keep? If we belong to Jesus, we will fellowship with those who wear the cross. (not literally, necessarily)
What is our conversation? Is it earthly or heavenly?
What have we learned of our Master? for servants learn much from their masters to whom they are apprenticed. If we serve our time with Jesus, it will be said of us, as it was of Peter and John, "They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

In answering these questions we can clearly identify whether we are living like we're still slaves to our old lives, or if we are slaves to the Love that set us free....set us free to live out our "royalty" for the glory of Him Who saved us.....

"I am the resurrection and the life.

Those who believe in me will live, even though they die;
and those who live and believe in me will never die."
John 11:25-26

What is your name? "Oh, I'm just so-and-so's mom, so-and-so's wife, so-and-so's employee..."

No. NO! You are Princess. You are royalty. You are called to a divine inheritance and captured by an extravagant grace.

LIVE. LIVE!

100 DAY Challenge - Month Three!

Welcome to month three of your 100 Day Challenge. We're on day 65. OVER HALF WAY THERE! Does it seem like you are half way through a goal? Or perhaps feels like you've been doing it forever? Or are you one of the ones who says, "Goal? What goal? Oh THAT? That was like two months ago!"

If you need some recharging, I encourage you to find what you wrote to yourself in the first few days of our 100DAY challenge. Read what you wrote aloud. Slowly. Let your penmanship, your dialect wash over you. REMEMBER. Remember why you felt it was so important. Why 100 DAYS seemed like not enough time, and you secretly wanted to commit to the whole year....remember why you are worth this hard work and change. Remember how the Lord said, "You are not to go back that way again" (He really did! Read Deuteronomy and the story of His precious held-captive children and His reminder that though change is scary, voluntary re-entry to slavery is horrific.)

Remember. Renew your vows. Reflect on what is at stake. Recharge by taking some few moments away with God and ask His Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you....Only 45 days left. What can you do in 45 days?

What will you do with these 45 days......

The Gift of Giving

It started with looking around her room wondering how we would fit another birthday's worth of gifts in with all the rest of her "stuff". A sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head, just shutting the door, wishing that birthdays didn't have to equate with gifts. But she was turning seven and I couldn't exactly stop the cycle cold, now could I?

But then my friend Lisa sent me some posts to publish on her blog and as I was reading the posts, I realized I had an answer to my problem. You see, Lisa is the executive director for Caroline's Promise; a non-profit focused on reclaiming hope for orphans through education, financial assistance for families adopting and orphan care. And right now, they are collecting gallon-size bags filled with school supplies for children at Casita Adonai in Guatemala City, Guatemala. And an idea began to form...

I talked it over with Rachel, who, at first was very hesitant, and then within a few minutes was ecstatic about the idea. We decided that in lieu of birthday gifts at her birthday party, we would ask her friends to donate to Caroline's Promise on her behalf. (I had to reassure her, she would still be receiving gifts from us and her grandparents.) Her excitement at "making a difference in the world!" was so sweet and touching. She actually thought she was going to change the whole world by this one act.

So we sent out invitations, giving details as to how they could donate, where and why we were doing it. The day of her party arrived and some kids still came with gifts, but all had donated. There were questions and comments and many opportunities to share with the families why we were doing this seemingly strange thing.

A couple weeks after the party, Lisa called and told me all the money had come in and we planned on a date to shop for the school supplies. It was very important to me that Rachel be able to see what her sacrifice of birthday gifts had truly done. So one night last month, we met Lisa and her daughter Caroline at the store. (Caroline and Rachel have been friends since infancy. It was so fun to have her join us in the special shopping spree!)

(Can you tell who is more interested at her face on the surveillance monitor than shopping?)

When we got to the school supplies section we told the girls how much had come in for Rachel's birthday. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS. $150.00!!!!! When we added up the price per bag, with tears, we realized that 21 children at Casita Adonai would receive much-needed school supplies...because of the generosity of 8 families. We were blown away....

(Rachel and Caroline thought they were hot-stuff getting to shop like "grown-ups".)

Rachel and I took the supplies home, divided everything up and packed up all the bags. Three grocery bags later, Rachel stood there shaking her head at all the "stuff".

Rachel: "How many kids again mom?"

Me: "How many kids again, what?"

Rachel: "How many kids did I save?"

Me: "Well, you didn't save any of them, honey. But you did give 21 children school supplies that they wouldn't have otherwise."

Rachel: "I'm glad I did this. It makes my heart happy to give up birthday prizes to make a difference in the world."

I have to say, my heart was swelling with pride. My girl, learning at this young age, that there is more to her world than her little world. Others, who desperately need basic things that we take for granted and treat with disregard, are being helped by her willingness to make a difference.

You know, its been over a month since her birthday and she hasn't missed a single gift. She never speaks of not receiving, but only how giving made her feel. This certainly will be a yearly tradition for us...I cannot stomach the idea that next year we would receive $150 worth of gifts that she doesn't need, when we could do something much more important. Because you see, in the end, it was never really about Rachel receiving less birthday gifts, less clutter in her room, or teaching her about doing her part...I realized it wasn't even about us.

It was always about those who would receive......

If you are interested in donating school supplies for the children at Casita Adonai, or to learn more about how you can make a difference, check out Caroline's Promise website at http://www.carolinespromise.net/ for more information.

The Gift Of Unemployment

Dear hubby found out today that come December 1st, he will be out of work again. Through circumstances that had nothing to do with him, we will be experiencing our third round of unemployment in the nine-ish years we've been married.

In light of that fact, and the crazy economic situation most of us are enduring, what I'm about to say is going to sound crazy. Ludicrous. Insane.

I believe that unemployment has been a gift to us. And not for the reasons you might think. Getting out of a horrible job situation, having a chance to reevaluate your career path, taking time to get some extra education are all positive ways to look at unemployment. And we've done all of those things. But that's not why I call it a gift. I call it a gift because...

~in our seasons of unemployment, God has been able to show off how faithfully and lavishly He cares for us~

God has promised in His word that He will care for our needs. Neither shelter, food or clothing do we need to have a worry or care about, as He has promised to provide it all. In the book of Philippians, it says, "And my God shall supply ALL your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." That's a huge promise. It is fulfilled with every paycheck you receive from your job. It is fulfilled with every meal that is placed on the table, every month the bills are paid, every season of clothing that is available to be worn. But until those needs have no human way of being met, that promise seems to lose its oomph on us.

Let me say it another way: when we enter a season with no provision but continued need, and somehow everything is provided for anyway, we are experiencing the reality of God's promise in Philippians 4. And may I boldly say, most of our wants too.

This has taken me years to realize and appreciate. Our first round of unemployment lasted seventeen months. It began in our first year of marriage. (Um, can anyone spell "stress"?) And I was a jumble of emotions from the first month to the seventeenth. Begging God. Pleading with Him. Angry at Him. Rarely trusting Him. Our second round of unemployment I started out on the proud foot of "I'm-gonna-make-Him-smile-at-how-I-handle-it-this-time." and then as the months ticked by - all fifteen of them - my stance waivered and waivered and wobbled until I was back to the begging, pleading, angry tears of confusion.

Through the process of dear hubby landing a 6-month contract job at the end of those fifteen months, I went through a really rough patch, asking questions that were the wrong questions. I wanted to know "why" on so many levels I could have built a sky-scraper with them... And "why" isn't necessarily a bad question to ask. But when the goal is to have a relationship with and glorify God, "why" is usually not the question to ask. "What?" is a better question. "What was the purpose?" "What did I learn?" "What did God do?" "What could have been different?" "How?" is a good question too. "How did I grow from this?" "How did God reveal Himself?" "How did I bring Him glory?"

So gentle and patient, God showed me the many, MANY ways He provided for us in every situation. From truly miraculous interventions, to the Body of Christ, looking more like the first century church than a building, to guiding us through some financial decisions...God showed off in huge ways how very capable He was of handling our needs. We truly were on an adventure, watching, sometimes daily, to see how He would show up and provide. He always did. Hear me on this: GOD ALWAYS PROVIDED. And it RARELY looked like how we thought it would/should/could. But it was sufficient. More often than not, it was LAVISH.

God is the epitome of a joyful giver.

Do you know what I came to learn through this experience? I am not afraid of what lies ahead. I know God will provide. I know He is quite capable of caring for me and mine. And as we broach this next season of uncertainty, I nearly embrace it (just being honest here...I'm nowhere near perfect and in my flesh, this slightly sickens me) with a full heart. Though I know God was the ultimate provider with every paycheck we received these last six months, I also know its easier for me to see His creative ways when no paycheck is in sight.

In the United States, Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Can you believe it? Christmas is around the corner. We are about to enter this holiday season with no clue as to what lies ahead. And I am so thankful that God has given us this chance to show our little world what it looks like when we trust Him not just for eternity, but for today. For the needs of this day. This unemployment, I tell you, it is a precious, precious gift. As we look at the recent past of His faithfulness, may we daily walk in trust and give Him much well-deserved glory for how He loves us.

Do you have a story to share of God's faithfulness to you?

Orphan Sunday

Today in the United States we honor Orphan Sunday. A day that we speak, even briefly, on the plight of orphans in our neighborhood and around the world. Millions of orphans. And many will probably hear this Bible verse quoted:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 27

Have you ever wondered why that is? Why looking after orphans and widows is what God considers pure and faultless religion? (I think we all kind of "get" why keeping yourself from being polluted by the world fits in...) I was reading a book by Susan Meissner, called Widows and Orphans and through a character in her book she addresses this very thing. I thought it fitting to share with you.

The reason that God accepts looking after orphans and widows in their distress as pure and faultless religion is two fold:

1) we get to remember what we would be, were it not for the great mercy and grace of God. In Biblical times, widows and orphans were the most vulnerable of all people, without basic necessities, but also battling loneliness and trying to survive without an inheritance. Since God is spoken of as our Father, and Christ, as the bridegroom of the church, we spiritually are just like orphans and widows without God's great mercy and grace - with no father and no husband...just as needy, just as vulnerable, just as broken. Without God, we are most like the orphan and the widow. (This is taken directly from her book, p.189. Copyright 2006 published by Harvest House Publishers)

2) In caring for these especially vulnerable people, we get to represent God's love and concern for them in a very tangible way. In caring for their physical and emotional needs, we open doors for God to reveal Himself to them in the greatest way - to meet their spiritual emptiness. No one wants to hear about spiritual needs when the growl in their tummy or fear of their safety overpowers the spoken word, right?

Would you like to know a way to help? There are many...here is one place you could go for more information, education, and opportunity. Sometimes, that's all we need - to be educated and given a chance to do something good. So here's yours...what will you do with it?

When She Cries Out

Her cry pricks my ears from rooms away. Its a cry of surprise and pain and hurt feelings. Mostly of pain. Funny how a parent can distinguish a cry down to its degrees of meaning. I pause for just a second to make sure I heard correctly. Yes, its a real cry. I come running. I can't help myself. My baby is crying and I must know why. Must make it better. So I run. Straight to her.

Hold her face in my hands as the words tumble out in pieces and hiccups and tears. Seems little sis was a bit too aggressive. Again. (insert large momma sigh here. Large as in size of sigh, not as in size of momma, thankyouverymuch)

And as we three hold hands and one tiny "sowwy" and genuine big hug is given and received, I remember something:

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:17.

He hears my cry. Immediately. In the book of Daniel, it says the angel of the Lord told Daniel that as soon as his prayer was uttered, it was heard, and an answer was given. He is moved by our cry.
Swiftly He moves, with certainty and intense purpose He holds us in His hands, as our words and pain come tumbling out. His heart is to heal and to make Himself known, the greatest healing balm...He comes quick for He can't help but be moved when His children cry.

And don't you know, like any good parent, He too, distinguishes, with precision, a cry down to its degrees of meanings. He knows my frustrated, cry, my scared cry, my angry cry, my physically in pain cry, my terrified cry, my fake cry. Oh yes, He knows the fake cry.

Hosea chapter 7 verse 14 says, "And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds;" (emphasis mine) Yes, He knows the fake cry. Does He still come? Well, He's always HERE, so to say He comes, is, well, a mis-perception. But there are times in the throws of a fake-cry-party where I am the sole star of my own show, I sense Him waiting. Waiting for me to get a hold of myself and take a breath. Waiting for me to see if I notice Him waiting. So I can be ready for His healing. He is ready, am I?

"O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me." Psalm 30:2

"I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul, and You have set my feet in a spacious place. " Psalm 31: 7,8

"The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34: 17-19

The verses are many that proclaim how loving our Father is to hear and respond when His children cry out. My deep and intense love for my child, how I am moved to immediate action when I hear her cry is but a poor and pale reflection of how God cares for us in time of need, fake cry or not.

What about you? Real cry or fake? Angry or sad cry? Hurt or scared cry? Are you ready for the healing He offers? He's been waiting to love on you....are you ready?

Family Friday

Whose arms are you trusting to save you? Whose hands are strong enough to hold your cares? Who is worthy for such a trust?

May it be the arms of your Father, and may you jump carefree and headlong into the strong capable Hands of the One who created you.

And should you need a bit of cheering on to help you jump....

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41: 10

Oh how He loves you today. He's worthy of your trust. Jump.

A gift for you

Have you ever wondered what God's will for you might be? Ever wanted a billboard plastered up in clear, bold letters that says, "This is God's will for you!" Well, dear friend, let me just take the privilege of granting that desire.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

There you go. God's will for you. In big, bold letters.

The Longest Post Ever

So I'm finally making good on that promise to write about our video session 3 weeks ago. Ya'll remember that one, right? What? You mean you can't remember if you brushed your teeth this morning let alone what we saw three weeks ago? Well! I never....
Seriously, in the video, Beth was reading from The Red Book, you know, the one with all the comments about what we think the three toughest things are about being a woman. One comment she read was, "Being too much and not enough all at the same time". Do you know how I remember that one? Because its mine. That's the answer I gave for my numbers 1, 2 and 3. Because that's how strongly I felt about it. For me, when I sent in my top 3 toughest things about being a woman, "being too much and not enough all at the same time" was such a burden to me, it was the only thing I could think of. Everything else seemed to be encompassed in that one statement. Now, I must say, its not really MY statement. I read it in a book...either Strong Women, Soft Hearts, or Captivating. Still, it rang true for me. But friends, here's the point: it may have RANG true, but its NOT TRUE. Its a LIE from the enemy himself, and one of his favorites he uses on me because I so easily buy into the lie. And Dear Sojourner in the Faith - its not true for you either. No matter how much you feel like it is.
In one of our first video sessions, Beth mentioned some Bible verses that she keeps by her bedside and reads just about every day to herself. Psalm 90:17 "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us..." Song of Solomon 7:10 "I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me..." Did you know that the word "desire" in that verse means "to stretch out after"? God's desire is as if, quite literally, He were stretching out after you. She also mentioned Colossians 2:9, 10 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." This last verse hit home for me. Particularly in light of the above lie I have believed. Do you mind if I break it down for you? (If so, just stop reading.)
The word "in" found "For IN Him" and "you are complete IN Him" 'denotes a fixed position and a relation of rest. Common related words: by, with, among, at, on, through' So when the verse says that "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" it means that He is at rest in that relationship and its a fixed position, it doesn't change. Similarly, when it says "you are complete in Him" its a fixed relationship of rest. There's no striving because there's no change in that state. The word "dwells" means 'always present'. In Christ, the Godhead is always present. Again, a fixed relationship. "Fullness" means 'as in filling up a ship, abundance, a fulfilling, keeping, fullness'. In Him is the abundance of God, constant, always present, and at rest. Here's the kicker for me; the word "complete" as in, "you are complete in Him" means (and I know this is long but please read all the definitions because it packs such a powerful punch): 'accomplish, completely, completion, end, fill up, fulfillment, be full, to cause to abound, furnish or supply liberally; render full, complete, to fill to the top so that nothing shall be wanting, to full measure, to the brim, to make complete in every particular, to render perfect, to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out, carry into effect, bring to realization, to cause God's will to be obeyed as it should be and to receive fulfillment.' Dear friends, YOU ARE (Fill in the blank with your favorite definition)__________ IN HIM, right now. Always.
If that isn't enough, yes we are in Him, but what is in Him? Remember? The fullness of the Godhead bodily. What does that mean? Well the rest of verse 10 says "Who is the head of all principality and power." I won't break down each word for you but basically the definitions of those words mean that He is the supreme, prominent Chief over every beginning and the first power over every single kind of power you can imagine - power of choice, physical power, mental power, power of authority, power of right, power of rule, governmental power. That's the power in you. Right now. That's the power in me. Right now. Our choice is to believe Him for it as truth.

Anyone need to know that in Him, you are "rendered full"? Or "supplied liberally"? Do you need to know today that in Him, "nothing shall be wanting" in you? or that you are "made complete in every particular"? Anyone need that hope, that bit of truth today besides me?

None of us are "too much and not enough all at the same time"; we "are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."

All definitions were found on the Lifeway Library's website from the KJV with Strong's Concordance Bible choice.

Wednesday Check-In

UPDATE: Obviously, my week has had a mind of its own, since I just realized that its not Wednesday, its Thursday. Oh well. At least you're not alone if your week is playing tricks on you too!

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How's everyone doing? Is your week going like you hoped or has it already taken a mind of its own? How's the homework coming? No worries if you are behind. Just dig in wherever you are and get started. This study is not about condemning yourself for not keeping up; its an opportunity to learn and grow. So pick up at the last placed you stopped and start reading. Its really great stuff. Can't wait to chat about it with you on Sunday!

He Loves You

There was a man I worked with a few years ago who consistently would tell his coworkers, "Jesus loves you today friend. Did you know it?" Most of us would roll our eyes at him and smile a "yes" so we could go about our day. For him, the statement was everything. For us, it was the first line of a children's song. Nothing else mattered but that Jesus loved him. All that seemed to matter for us was making the deadline, getting our work done and getting our paycheck. We didn't want to be bothered. But he wanted everyone to know what really mattered.

Turns out, he spent years on the mission field in Africa. Persecuted, facing hardship after hardship, battling the seen and unseen, the ONE thing that he clung to was the fact that Jesus loved him. His faith was not cultural, not natural, not a "given". It was life and sometimes literally death for him. What kept him from throwing in the towel was a love that compelled him, a love that captivated him and encouraged him to continue on. Not just any love. But a personal love. The love of Jesus.

Jesus loves you today friend. Did you know it?

Mid-week Reminder

UPDATE: I just "caught up" on my homework. (Accidentally, I spelled "homework" "homeword". Isn't that the truth? We are doing our Home - as in Heaven, WORD - as in God's Word.) Friends, it is some GOOD EATS, as Eddie would say. Of course, he's referring to food and I'm referring to our spiritual food of God's word, but you get it, right? Do not let the length of Day 3 deter you. Beth provides some great word-pictures and opportunities for us to check ourselves and where we stand on a few issues. Don't forget as we study Esther, to study yourself too! Have I mentioned lately how excited I am to be doing this study with you?


Hey friends! How's everyone doing? Are you working steadily at your Bible study? Or has your week (or the enemy) overwhelmed you to distraction and you are behind already? (Like me.) No worries! Technically, you still have five days left before our next get together to get your work done. Don't lose heart yet. Let's do it together. Come on friends! Onward, study!