Lost Sheep, Mary and Joseph, and James 2

There were lost sheep at church tonight. One lost sheep in particular caught my eye and my heart. She was crying pitifully, caught in her own set of brambles, feeling lost and alone, tired and frightened, with no where to go; no shelter or food for the night. My heart goes out to lost sheep. I was one once myself. I know what it feels like. I wanted to help. All I knew to do was hold her and pray. As I prayed, God reminded me of Mary and Joseph needing a room at the inn and finding none, and James 2:15-17: "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action is dead". Praying was good, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to offer this sheep my home, my bed, my shower, my food. Before I could ask my husband if this would be okay, this homeless sheep and her fiance slipped out the door and were gone. I know there are people who would question my sanity for wanting to invite a total stranger (and her fiance)into our home for the night, but all I could see were a homeless Mary and Joseph. Lost sheep slipped into the night and I didn't go find them.

Change in the Atmosphere

God is, once again, up to something. There's a change happening. You can almost feel it in the atmosphere. There's a shifting taking place. Spiritual change and spiritual shifting. There's an increase in spiritual giftings and I want, in the worst way, for God to increase and develop spiritual gifts in me.

LIFE (?) TRIP?

In less than sixteen hours, twenty-six people will converge on our church at 0230, to load up for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. God reminded me this morning that one year ago, my family and I were on a different trip. My mother-in-law, Grace, was dying. We had gone to say our final "good-bye's". To me, that trip represented DEATH, but God taught me something during the planning of that trip that I have already shared in another blog, but want to share again.

In the process of planning all the details for that trip, and in thinking about my feelings for Grace---what a wonderful woman she was; what an influence she had been in the lives of so many people; how she cared for, and mentored hundreds, if not thousands as a teacher, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt; and how it didn't seem at all fair that she had to die the way she did---God interrupted all those thoughts and said, "I'm not done yet". What?!? When we have done all that we know to do, God is not done yet. When we have prayed every prayer we know how to pray, and still, it seems as though those prayers have not been answered, God is not done yet. When all possible hope is gone, God is not done yet. When death is inevitable, God is not done yet. God is not done yet.

In planning all the details of this trip to the Dominican Republic, and getting all the last-minute items taken care of, and things packed, God reminded me of that trip a year ago and that He was "not done yet". I don't know if God is trying to tell me that no matter what we see happen on this trip, He's "not done yet" or if He was trying to tell me something else. For me, that was a DEATH trip. Maybe God was trying to tell me that this would be a LIFE trip. That trip brought physical death; maybe this trip will bring LIFE. His LIFE. ETERNAL LIFE. That is my hope. That is my prayer. Out of death springs life.

Luke 19:10

This morning I was humbled by Luke 19:10.."For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

That was me. I was completely and totally lost. My heart was completely and totally lost. Gone. Absent without leave.

Jesus was telling me He came for me. He came for my heart. He came, and he searched till he found me. And finally, I saw Him. Not only did Jesus have my heart, He was my heart.

Doors

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about putting my testimony down on paper. I have so many testimonies about what God has done in my life, that were I to tell all of the good, kind, and merciful things that God has done in my life to show me He loves me, I would probably be writing for the rest of my life. So, in my head, I have been trying to narrow it down.

I was thinking about these things this morning when I went downstairs to get something. I was drawn to a boring wood plank door that used to be the bathroom door. Several years ago, I covered this door with pictures of people. Not just ANY people, but MY people. My family. My ancestors. My descendents. To me, this door represents history. My history. It represents who I am and where I've been. My family, and where they have been. It's not just a physical reminder of the past, it's also a reminder of things spiritual. The spiritual paths that my family has walked.

As I was thinking about all these things: my testimony and my past, my family's history, and the spiritual paths we have walked, God pointed out to me that door represents PAST history. It's an important door to remember, but now it is time to create a door that represents the FUTURE. What will that door look like? What will it hold?

As I begin to imagine this door, I see it covered in fields of wheat, ready for the harvest. I see me represented as a big green John Deere harvester. I see Jesus as Lord of the Harvest, waiting to direct me; and I am ready, and wanting to start.

Prince of Peace

Oh my gosh(!), my Prince has come! My Prince of Peace has come and he's at my house. It's so weighty in here I can hardly stand it. I feel like I'm drunk and I'm heavy and I'm going to melt all over the place. Wow! This has never happened before...Prince of Peace...of the increase of his ggovernment and peace there will be no end. I'm lovin this.

Breakthrough!

Breakthrough! I can feel it! Something exciting is coming! Can't wait to see what God is up to. Can you feel it, too?