Pray Anyway

The attacks on Paris this month November 2015 really broke my heart as they broke the hearts of so many across the world. Something deep within our soul tells us we need to do something. The Holy Spirit is the seal of the guaranteed promise of heaven. God tells me in my spirit - this is what you should do- pray. I came across a statement by a journalist from Paris. To summarize he said that he kept seeing  #PrayForParis. He encouraged people not to pray. He said that the world has enough religion...

This once again broke my heart.
How many times have we hit rock bottom and turned to God in prayer?
Trials and difficulties cause us to look outside of ourselves and look up to God, our Father who can help.

Even though this man is so far from understanding that God loves him and awaits his prayers I did something I often do when I don't know what to pray...

PRAY ANYWAY.

Years ago I was speaking to someone I love (a relative) who backslid and fell heavily into drugs.
I told him- I love you and I'm praying for you.
He told me "don't pray for me"
Guess what I did?

I PRAYED ANYWAY.

See Satan doesn't want us to pray.
Satan wants us to stay stuck.
Satan wants us to look within. To think we can figure life out on our own (pride)

Think about it... If Satan can trick us into thinking "there is no point to prayer"
He gains major ground

Warren Wiersbe says "Satan's lie 'You will be like God' motivates and controls much of our civilization today. Man is seeking to pull himself up by his own bootstraps. He is working to build utopia on earth... Through education, psychiatry, religions of one kind or another (most of which ignore Jesus Christ, sin, and salvation) and better environment, men are defying  God and deifying themselves. They are playing right into the hands of Satan."
[Strategy of Satan, How to Defect and Defeat him.] Warren Wiersbe.

God wants us to know His will and part of that plan always includes prayer and reading the Word.

"We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9

Satan has influenced our culture so much that this man in Paris said "don't pray"
In fact, we often say "I guess all we can do is pray" as if that's not an effective tool.

Hebrews says we are to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in our time of need.
We have a great need of God's grace...so why do we not pray and ask for help in our time of need?

Once again I like what Wiersbe says about Grace.

"our God is the God of all grace. The Holy Spirit who indwells us is the spirit of grace. Hebrews 10 verse 29. God's throne is a throne of grace Hebrews 4:16 and His word is the word of His grace Acts 20 verse 32 ...it is Grace from start to finish! God's grace is God's provision for our every need. Grace is not a mystical substance that God pours into us when we have a need Grace is God's bountiful supply of our every need."

So if you ever encounter a situation where someone tells you "don't pray for me" I encourage you to pray anyway. God will unleash great results when we come to him as babes seeking our Father's help in prayer.

Transparency- Let's Be Real

I had no idea!

When people hear about a suicide... 

They say "we had no idea he was going through such pain"

I had no idea!

I counseled with a women about to file for divorce after 40 years of marriage.

Forty Years...

It was depressing.

I had no idea!

"I don't know this man" she said after learning of some disturbing sin he was caught in.

I had no idea!

What is the problem?

Why are people failing to reveal red flags that they are trouble in such a deep way?

I am not an expert but here's what I believe is going on---

Lack of transparency

We often feel we need to wear a mask. 

I was thinking about this the other day in church worship-

"We'll be a church ready for you" 

But are we?

Are we a church ready for Christ's return ?

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." Revelation 19:7 (NIV) 

Are we a bride -holy -virgin -waiting in excitement and anticipation decked out with our bridal clothes and jewelry?

Ready for the groom?

That worship song brought me back to a dream I had before I got married. I had a dream that I woke up late on my wedding day.

I had to put on my dress, fix my hair fast and my girlfriends were pushing me out the door...because the groom was waiting.

I was not ready...I didn't have my make up on!

I walked down the aisle and felt embarrassed. I didn't have the chance to apply my make up and truly look my best for my groom.

As silly as it sounds...I have never forgotten this dream.

See ...we have a face we all try to keep up with.

When others ask you "how are you?"

We give the general "ok" or "fine"

We are not real.

We don't tell the truth.

I'm hurting. 

OR

I just got bad news

OR 

My marriage is sour right now

OR

I feel distant from The Lord

OR

I don't know what's wrong, I'm just blue, can I get a hug?

No.

We lie through our teeth and make-up and say "I'm fine"

I'm asking God to break us of this.

I'm asking God to make us transparent and be real with each other...

To pray and fast for each other

To esteem others better than ourselves! (Philippians 2:3)

I'm asking Jesus to make us a bride ready for His coming

We can't keep walking around with wounds and suck it all in.

We need to be real with each other

How many marriages can use prayer from a true friend?

How many moms need a shoulder to cry on?

How many ladies who can't conceive need to weep and let it all out and pray and receive encouragement from another lady who has been through the same trial? (Romans 12:15)

We need transparency. 

We need to be the Acts 2:42 church. 

We need to become the house of prayer and a beacon of hope to the world. (Isaiah 57:7)

Let's be real and love people and say  "I had no idea you were hurting. But now I know and let's pray and let me share a verse that helped me" 

Raising Isaac, Life on a Saturday- Personal Notes after Reading Through the Eyes of a Lion

Saturday
If you recall there is a fun song by De La Soul with a hook singing "Saturday it's Saturday... Saturday it's Saturday" over and over again.

I remember the first time I heard this song. I was at a dance party with girl friends and yes, it was a Saturday.  
Fast Forward 15 years or so....

My son Isaac wakes up.

He has autism.

He says "School?" I tell him no not today. Then he says "Church?" "No son not today it's Saturday."

He knows routines. It's wired in him.

He wants to know what's going on this morning but the world is so confusing to him.

I tried to explain it but he just walked away confused. I imagine he's thinking "What's a Saturday? She did not answer my question. What is planned for today?"

Then after a few weeks. I explained the same thing...it's Saturday.
He said in the best way he could "itz Sah-uh-Day"
Yes!!
I was so thrilled he understood.
Saturdays we stay home.
We don't go to the bus and we don't get ready for church. We can sleep in because it's Saturday.

I just finished reading Levi Lusko's book "Through the Eyes of a Lion," I have deeper meaning for the time of life that is "Saturday..." In fact autism now for me is living in a perpetual Saturday.

For us as believers, when we celebrate the resurrection weekend, Friday is painful and it's the day of crucifixion. Saturday is a day of great sorrow for the believers. They are scared and bewildered they do not know yet that Jesus will rise from the dead (although He repeatedly told them He would)
And even if they did know and believed it had not happened yet. It was Saturday. (Pastor Levi Lusko shares this in his book) Sunday was coming but it was STILL Saturday.

When I was praying for Isaac to speak it was so painful.
He was 2 no words...3 no words...now 4 and still no words. Maybe I should teach him sign language.
Would words ever come?

I trusted God and His Word.

I treasured every verse that spoke of the mouth or the tongue or speech.
One day I found Psalm 51:15, unseal my lips that I may praise you (NLT)
That's it Lord!
You made Isaac's mouth!
If you desire him to speak it will be done.
And if he speaks may his lips praise You.
I realized speech was more than verbal communication.
God could help Isaac communicate whether or not he spoke verbally in English.

The waiting hurt.
My heart ached.
It was a Saturday.

I shared with a friend that I trusted God created Isaac and I knew it didn't matter that he had autism and he could go to heaven and be freed from all speech issues, developmental delays and social skill difficulties but NOW I struggled with today- Saturday. Raising a child with autism was going to be hard and I needed Jesus' help or I would not be able to do it.

Years ago Pastor Greg Laurie said our life is a "dash" we are born and then we die. How we live out our "dash" that is our time on earth will determine heaven or hell, for Jesus or against him. (Pastor Levi Lusko also references this in the book)

I trusted God would use Isaac and could heal him if He chose to, but again, today felt like any endless Saturday....waiting and waiting with little progress regarding communication.

When I read "Through the Eyes of a Lion" the section on Saturday it really struck me...
Living with Autism is like Saturday.
Yes Isaac does speak now (glory to Jesus) but it's still very hard.

ME- how was your day?
How old are you Isaac?
ISAAC- No response.

I am a communicative person. It's in my core! It's part of my identity! I'm a lawyer and also an intercessor whether I'm taking in a court room or to God in the throne room- it's what I do! I talk. But my son can't. Pain like a flood. Why can't the rapture just happen RIGHT NOW? I want heaven and to be with Jesus. I found I have a longing for Saturday to be over and for Resurrection Sunday to be here!

I often day dream  of what it will be like talking to Isaac in heaven. I picture him praising Jesus. I picture him unbound by autism- freely able to express himself.
I picture eye contact...where he looks at me and doesn't feel uncomfortable.
I imagine him telling me that he did understand the Bible studies, the worship time, the spontaneous praise we exhibited as a family.

See in many ways- we are all like Isaac, autistic in our thinking.

We know we are heaven  bound but we have earthly fixations and quirks so tied into our DNA, our sin nature that it's hard to focus. We want to pray to our ABBA and praise in a heavenly language but we can't because we have communication set backs...how can we use a earthly tongue to talk to a Holy Splendor magnificent Father?
(answer:With God's Spirit that's how)
But you get the point...

So here's my encouragement whatever trial you are in, or life circumstance, it feels like a depressing Saturday...
But your joy is a choice. Psalm 16:11

We have the Bible we know the whole story!

We don't have to lock ourselves in a room like the disciples did afraid of the soldiers.

We can boldly say! OUR STORY ISN'T OVER!
God is for me!
He brings beauty from ashes
Changes Sorrow to gladness
Wipes all tears
Weeps over Israel
Jesus Was the wounded savior acquainted with grief
And He can (and WILL) make all things new

If you tune in to the Spirit, hold fast to prayer, Praise and meditating on His Word...He may give you a glimpse of ---- SUNDAY

One day Isaac was about 4 and non-verbal.
I prayed over him and wept and asked God to show me how to pray and prayed Psalm 51:15 over Isaac.
God spoke to my soul, not audibly, but He spoke to me that Isaac would speak. My husband had a dream Isaac said "chips"
In fact Isaac's first word was bacon ...and the boy does loves to eat.

One of our favorite memories is Isaac saying bacon. One of the best days of my life...Chuck Olivia and I all in the kitchen and he said bacon! Truly I thank God for unsealing my son's lips! (he doesn't speak sentences and will probably ignore you if you come over our home...but he talks and I'm eternally thankful to God)

God does work all things together for good, (Romans 8:28, Gen 50:20) but you sure don't feel good about it on Saturday.

I recall a friend I know... she literally told God please take my life when she was giving birth to her first born because of the pain. The contractions.
We can chuckle about it now but birth  pains are excruciating.
I pray God helps you know we ALL grieve to be home in heaven. That's a huge point of "Through the Eyes of a Lion." Pain is real, Saturday is long, but live out your calling for God NOW because tomorrow is promised to no one.

Isaac is a beautiful boy and many times I don't even see the autism.

But it is very hard having to explain his behavior and live on egg shells whenever we go in public.

I could never equate raising a special needs child with what the Luskos family went through. I just hope through this blog to remind myself and others about the grief, longing and groaning we all should have for heaven. It's real and it will be glorious, but until them may Jesus "unseal" our lips that we may praise  Him.

Beware of the Pedestal

Pray for your Pastor

We all read those 4 words and say:
AMEN!

Our pastors are the men God has placed for such a time as this to be the leader and shepherd over the church. Each individual church with unique shepherds for a unique set of sheep.

We must pray for them. Paul asked for prayer "pray for me"
"Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" Eph 6:19 (NIV) 

Prayer is something we must do ...

But something we shouldn't do is put pastors on a pedestal....

This reminds me of the lyrics of a Sherri Youngward song:

Pedestal
I held you so high on a pedestal
When you fell you had a long way to go
When you fell how was I to know
That I’d fall with you (Sherri Youngward)

A pedestal can be defined as a position in which someone is greatly or uncritically admired. Webster's gives this example:

"It's as if I'm on a pedestal and he worships me – I hate that"

Only God is to be Worshipped.

Of course!

We all know that. 10 Commandments 101 right?

“You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

But why then do people put Pastors on Pedestals? (I've done it too! Admit it, we all have from one time or another)

One reason- we're Americans. 

We worship the CEO (Steve Jobs) the Athlete (Michael Jordan) the office (President of the USA)  

The musician(s) the Beatles, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Back in the day New Kids On the Block (oh no you didn't) the actor Brad Pitt, the Actress Angelina Jolie, etc etc. 

Even doctors are placed on pedestals! They are "the expert" .

Gods Spirit lives in ALL OF US. From the infant, the adult serving in the children's ministry, the usher, the greeter, the groundskeeper, the accountant, the people in the prayer room interceding for  you, the study and Pastor, the friend who just accepted Jesus 1 week ago, the married couple who have attended for 30 years, and everyone in between. The Pastor is a VERY important person in the body of Christ no doubt, but we can't take the TMZ Entertainment Tonight mentality to our Pastor. 

Oh Jesus help us! 

I have literally heard people say "did you know Pastor so and so got a new car?" 

Are you serious? 
Or people call to find out if the Senior Pastor is here on Sunday or out of town? 

Why is this even important? 

It's not. 

Pastors are leaders and we must pray for them encourage them and show them grace just like any other brother and sister in Christ...but we are not to place them on a pedestal like a Reality TV show star or athlete. 

God alone is to be worshipped. Not anything or any one else. 

One of my favorite Pastor Teachers is Jon Courson. When my husband  and I met him in person he was totally down to earth and "normal" and encouraging. 

Yes I took a photo with him (I had too!) because I felt like he was someone I've known all my life and finally got to meet in person...like a pen pal. I listen to searchlight constantly...But The Lord reminded me that it's not the man, Pastor Jon per se that I admire- it's God's Spirit in Pastor Jon ...guess what ...that Spirit is in me too. And in you as well. Pray for your Pastor, the Pastoral staff and all church leaders...and pray for the church that we will not be like the world ---viewing Pastors as Super-Men, because there's only one Super-Man, JESUS.  

Also search your heart. Maybe you have never put a Pastor on a pedestal, but you have put a spouse, friend, or other leader there.  That spot is reserved for Jesus. 

Deut 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." 

Contentment

Contentment for me is...

I wanted to homeschool, God said no.
I wanted 4 kids, God said here's 2.

I thought I would work in a firm and juggle home and family, God said working from home is enough.

I wanted to go camping, and show my children all the fun I had when I was a child.  God said no...I'll find another way for you to enjoy the outdoors, just trust me.

I wanted to hear my son sing, God said you be his song.

I wanted to serve, God said sit awhile...

I wanted to pray, but there was no way to get there...so God said pray from home.

AND THEN...

He opened the door and said go.
He held my fearful hand and said grow....
Then when I looked up and saw His face...
I wanted nothing more.
No more me.
No more of my desires.
He was all I needed.
He was enough.
He was more than enough.
He was my family, my work, my time, my pleasure, my dream come true.

All that I am is content in I AM.

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil 4:12-13 (KJV)

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. Psalm 23:1 (TLB)
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 (KJV)

Christmas in July

The LORD put this on my heart on July 5...the day after America's birthday.

"It's Christmas in July"

Do you know how chaotic it gets during Christmas?
You start off really excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday.
But then you think about all the gifts you need to buy, the packages that need to be wrapped, the cookies to be baked, the tree needs to go up, oh yes and the lights inside and outside the home. The gift exchange at work (or with friends/family), the holiday meals to be prepared. You are exhausted just thinking about it...you forgot the true meaning of Christmas Charlie Brown!

What's Christmas really about? It's about Christ. (Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:12)

So here we are in July. How is it Christmas in July?

My husband and I have talked and prayed and discussed so many times the recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage.

The headlines...The news coverage...the rainbows on Facebook. It's every where!

As Christians...let's be honest. We do not know how to move forward from this....
We may think---Do I update my facebook status and say boldly - I DO NOT SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE? What am I going to teach my children? How will this change TV? Will they make a Disney movie including two homosexuals that get married? Should I now homeschool my children? What do I do how do I react to people in public? Ahhh!!

Stop.

Just like during Christmas the enemy loves to distract us and get us "off topic" so to speak...the world and all the hype about gay marriage has gotten our eyes off the prize-
JESUS
And who is Jesus?
Alpha and Omega
Almighty God
Everlasting Father
Immanuel
Prince of Peace
Great I AM
Wonderful Counselor
Lord of All
El Elyon- God most High
Yahweh Nissi- Our Banner
Adonai-Lord and Master
and so much more. He is EVERYTHING.
The Everlasting God

Homosexuality is plain ole sin. Just like lying. Just like lust. Just like unforgiveness. The problem with gay marriage is how society views sin. (Romas 1:32- approval of sin is also sin)

We need to repent of it.
It's a heart issue...not a legal issue.

But do we have a 3 hour discussion about how the world views fornication as "OK" and in fact it is legal and living together man and woman has been "legal" for many years. No. Fornication is already acceptable in our culture. As believers, we choose to live set apart from the cultural norm and raise our children and practice purity until marriage- covenant Biblical marriage between man and woman. Yes we are living in a new normal but....

We need to put our focus on Jesus.
We need to keep Christ in Christmas and celebrate Christmas in July.
We need to pray for homosexual people and remember that Christ died for ALL sinners whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15 NIV- Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst)

The point God's Spirit reminded me is this- You can legalize sin. You can celebrate it. You can have a "pride parade" about it. But it's still sin and it's sin that Jesus died for. (Romans 5:8) The focus is NOT and shall not be the sin, or the sinner, the focus is JESUS, the healer and redeemer.

The focus, friends please...needs to be put back on Jesus!
Let's live for Jesus.
Let's be radical for Jesus.
Let's be so outrageously in love for Jesus that people gay, straight, young, old, blue, purple, illegal aliens, etc. will see Jesus in us and want HIM.
Don't you want others to want Him?
I do!
I want others to see Christ in me the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
This world is dark and the days are evil.
We don't need to update our facebook status.
We don't need to put a bumper sticker and say "I'm mad about the SCOTUS ruling" No.
We do not need to do those things to show our loyalty to Christ and His Holy Word.

We need to show love. We need to live Biblically and radically.
Use EVERY opportunity to share the Gospel. The true unwatered down Gospel. (of course if we are approached we will openly say we accept the Bible's view of marriage man and woman only)

We need to live our witness and not compromise.
Our focus should not be on homosexual marriage, our focus should not even be on ourselves and how we think, the focus needs to be on JESUS!

Just like we need to remind ourselves in December to keep Christ in Christmas, we need to not grow weary in well doing, not faint, and keep Christ in July (and every month for that matter....)

Pray on.
Worship with all your heart.
Share your faith.
Be radical for Jesus.
It's HIS birthday we celebrate every day.

What I learned from my hydrangeas...

I love hydrangeas.
They are so beautiful.
They only bloom once a year....

To my sadness my hydrangeas in the backyard have not bloomed for a year. I couldn't figure it out. Too much sun? Maybe, my husband is the gardener not me...so I couldn't tell you what's wrong...but I look at them often....

I just enjoy looking at our garden and plants and stand in awe of God's beautiful creation.

This year The Lord taught me a lesson...

I looked at the plant and noticed a bloom! (remember they did not bloom last year...so it's actually been 2 years)

Just one bloom....the week of Mother's day ! I felt it was a bloom just for me.

What's different?
Same location
Same soil
Same amount of sunshine

What gives? Why did this plant bloom now and not last year?

The Answer- a lot of water. A constant drip. Water drops every day....

What I realized is as my son Isaac plays in the backyard, he constantly turns on the waterhose. The spout is not fully snug to the hose so the water drips directly into the hydrangeas.

The hotter it is outside, the more water play for Isaac.
The more water play, the more the hydrangeas are watered.

Jesus said if we abide in Him and His Word abides in us we will produce much fruit. Not some fruit but MUCH fruit.

JOHN 15:5

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me you can do nothing. (Amplified Bible)


Here's the lesson I learned (and am still learning)

The hydrangeas were watered daily.
My son turned on the hose and the hydrangeas directly benefited from the water drops day in and day out.

This is the same as we drink of the living water- Jesus-- drinking water daily.
The water symbolizes:
Reading the Bible - daily
Praying - daily
fellowship/relationship/accountability - daily
thanking God- daily
Praising Him- daily
listening to Godly Bible teaching- daily

Sound monotonous?

No way!
Does your body need water daily? Of course.
In fact we need to drink water every few hours or we'll dehydrate.
Do I want to hear "I love you" from my spouse daily? Of course
Do I want to tell my spouse and children "I love you" and pray with them daily? Of course.

When my husband and I were newly married we frequently discussed this.

How do I know if my life is "bearing fruit?"

We decided to check in with each other and discuss to see how The Lord was working in our hearts and lives and what evidence of "fruit" could be seen.

Frankly, both of us felt disappointed.

We aren't living in the mission field, we aren't serving full time ministry, we are just two people married in college trying to build a life together. We love Jesus and learn more about God in our daily Bible reading but in the "fruit" area back in our early years....we felt like the green hydrangea plant, green yes, alive yes, but no real solid fruit or colorful flowers.

Well we were young and did not understand what fruit was and what fruit IS.

First, Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us the FRUIT of the Spirit is love, joy peace longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control. Not FRUITS of the Spirit "Fruit"- singular. Love is the primary Fruit of the Spirit. Love is what our lives should reveal ...when we are abiding in the vine we should have an ever increasing evidence of love for God and love for His people.

A few months ago my honey and I had a talk and he said I can tell you are more in love with The Lord than when we first got married (16 years ago). He said and the reason is because you are in your Bible....

That's fruit!

When your child is being bratty and you hold your cool- THAT'S FRUIT
When you apologize first to your spouse instead of holding a grudge, that's fruit.
When you let go of the hurt that brother or sister "did you wrong" in the church and he/she was never called out...and you can pray for him/her with out any bad feelings, that's fruit
When someone gives you a call for a need and you PRAY FIRST talk to God about it before saying yes to the invitation, that's fruit.
When you turn off your phone and give your child all your attention and love on him, that's fruit.
When you wake up in the morning hungry to read the Word of God, that's fruit.
When you give and love someone without expecting anything in return, that's fruit.

Bottom line.

Like the hydrangeas in my backyard.... Drip drip drip.  It was watered a little bit every day for 365 days.
Consistency. Not religion or compulsion...but a daily intentional decision of the will to stay close to the vine, to get the water the branches so desperately need to bloom and reveal "Fruit."
Staying connected to the vine, thirsty for Living Water, staying thirsty for Jesus AND the Holy Spirit and seeking to magnify the Father's name you'll look back 16 years later and say wow Lord. I didn't do anything really. I just sat there being a plant and obediently read your Word, the Scriptures and lo and behold...BEAUTY brightly colored hydrangeas. Brightly radiant oranges, apples pomegranates! Fruit!

The fruit of Love will be produced in you as you stay connected to the water source of God's Word.
So you might think but I don't have 2 hours to sit and have a devotion.
I get it.
But do you have 5 minutes?
10?
15?
Just like the hydrangeas received just a few drips every day...it mattered.
"Every second you give to God is important" David Trujillo.

As you sit and drink, you'll notice you WANT MORE. You want to spend more time. You want to pray more. You want to talk about God with your spouse. You want to listen to Worship.
Drip, drip, drip.
You are staying close to the vine and you are staying hydrated.
Guess what else?
Hydrangeas are needy. It needs a lot of water and just the right amount of partial shade to bloom.
Just like us.
We are needy.
We can't hang in the heat of the day.
We need our shade, our refuge Jesus to shelter us.

Thank you Lord for teaching me through those gorgeous pinkish-purplish hydrangeas how much I need you! I thirst for you and I SO desire to bear fruit, MUCH fruit for you!