Our Awesome God!

October 6, 2010

I found myself extremely ill just a few days ago. However, the “whatever” I had was stay in bed; not getting up to do anything, bad! Yet, I could not stay in bed and of course, I had everything to do, like teach children’s church, two fundraiser dinners back to back, be a mom, and be a wife.

I was to say the least, very distracted and focused on me, me, and me.  I always seem to leave God out of my focus when I’m ill and this is clearly when I should be completely focused on Him. Maybe, I would have received a miracle healing and not have had to cook 5 million pounds of green beans with a 102 fever!

But I was distracted. I will even admit, reasonably so. Tonight I found my Awesome, Amazing God, just waiting patiently like the perfect gentleman that He will always prove to be. I had put the girls to bed and was walking out to put my laundry in the dryer. The laundry room is in a room adjacent my garage, which is a cute coble stone walk from the back door of my kitchen. My house was built in 1938, and I love it!

I had my arms filled with some items that had been overlooked in the dryer as I started my journey back in the house and I looked up. It was a crisp, cool, budding of fall evening and the stars were everywhere. They were bright, vibrant, twinkling and I could not stop myself from traveling to the center of the yard, looking up, laundry in hand, and singing to God.

“Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love our God is an awesome God!"

I stood there in my yard, cool breeze, laundry and I raspy, sore voice and looked up singing out to our God!

Call me crazy, nutty or weird, but this is what it is about. I mean, at the end of the day, this is where we need to be, at the foot of His heavenly throne completely blown away at His awesome splendor.

I pray that each and every one of you will experience God and the worship of our mighty God in a new and exciting (maybe out of your comfort zone) way.

I love you, and God bless!    

  

No matter what, I'm just gonna love You!

God does not allow anything to come into our life that does not first go through His hands.

This is a quote from a song and WOW does that line bring comfort!

The author of this song goes on and says, “I have decided that no matter what, I am just gonna love you.”

This is exactly the place that we need to come to in our walks with the Lord. The realization that whatever it is in your live and whatever the pain may be, God has at some point allowed that thing or circumstance into your life.

He has a plan and reason and we just need to rest in His peace and love Him!

Today say, “No matter what I am just gonna love Him!”

Romans 8:28

We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares The Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  

Do you need a miracle?

Ok, it is 4:35 in the morning and God will absolutely not let me continue in slumber. He used an approaching middle aged bladder and two ducks, who would not quit quacking at my back door to wake me up to write this one, so He must have something really important that He wants to encourage me to write. First, I must add, the ducks are in my backyard and I live in town not out in the country, but that is an entirely different story I will save for another time. I know anyone out there reading this that knows me is smiling and thinking, “Christine, Christine………..”   

Well, back to it! Yes, all joking aside, God did prompt me to share something very specific this glorious morning.

DO YOU NEED A MIRACLE?

Do you believe miracles still happen? Have you forgotten that God still does miracles? I must confess, I do not usually ask for a miracle. I pray and present request to God, but very seldom do I come straight out in total and complete weakness and ask, “God, this is going to take a complete miracle. I believe you are the God of miracles and I ask according to your good and perfect will for a complete and total miracle to happen.”  

I sat on my bed a couple of days earlier in the same spot I was when Squeaky and Quacky, not so gently went to work for the Lord this morning in waking me up, and said in total frustration, “I don’t know what I am expecting to happen, a total miracle? It is going to take a total miracle for this to work out!”  I said this in vain and it was not a prayer to my Lord, and for this I am truly sorry, because a miracle is exactly what He delivered. The Lord brought me a peace that surpasses all understanding.  This peace was the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. The next day I began to pray and actually ask God for a miracle. I knew there was going to be one even before the evidence showed up, because the power and peace of the Holy Spirit was so strong in my heart and mind. I was at total peace resting in the will of God, whatever that turned out to be. This was the first part of the miracle, which was enough. But, God did not stop there.

He delivered a full blown, shock and awe miracle that only He could deliver and I got in bed last night and went to sleep. How could I? This is why I was awoken this morning earlier than I would have liked, because I am on God’s schedule, He is not on mine, Amen! He reminded me I need to shout, praise and remind everyone out there reading this right now…

“OUR GOD IS A GOD OF MIRACLES AND HE WANTS TO DO ONE IN YOUR LIFE TOO!”

My prayer this morning is that you will truly hear this and believe. God is an amazing, awesome, powerful, omnipotent, omnipresent Lord. He wants to, through His son Jesus, receive your request and by the power of The Holy Spirit infuse a complete and total miracle in your life.  Ask for a miracle!         

"I apologize, I was wrong."

Why is it hard to admit when we are wrong? Is it a sign of weakness that we make mistakes or a sign of strength, showing we are human and secure enough to admit it? I personally mess up all the time. I could spend a lifetime apologizing for a wrong attitude, misjudgments or lack of discernment and it gets frustrating! I find myself, most of the time, just wanting to be right. I want it to be someone else’s fault. I want to be the innocent protagonist.


I do spend a lot of wasted time walking around in self-righteousness; void of my connection to God.

I wonder, “God, where are you? Why do I not feel your presence?’

I strive and search for Him, sometimes giving in and just ignoring His absence for as long as I can survive in my indignation without Him. (This is not long!) Then I stop, quiet myself before the Lord and ask the question I don’t really want to hear the answer too, “God, show me what you see in me.” , and I can finally begin to feel His presence. God begins to show me things I have been refusing to recognize, like pride, anger, fear, jealousy and many other un-mentionable things.

Once I recognize my mistakes and begin to ask for forgiveness, admitting my faults; I feel God all around me. I must shrink for there to be any room for Him to enter. I notice, as I admit my mistakes and shrink down to proper size, God grows and is elevated back to His proper size, and then it all just clicks! He is alive, present, active and moving in my life. He is elevating me, growing me, surrounding and holding me. This is where I am strong and secure.

Why is it such a struggle to admit our faults? The longer and harder we hold on to our need to be right, the longer we suffer and face everything on our own. So, today, right now, ask God to show you your faults show you your mistakes and do not be afraid to see them. Admitting your weak will only give you strength. Opposites attract and being weak in the beautiful hands of your Savior will infuse you with un-surmountable strength.

Colossians 2vs13

You were spiritually dead because of your sins, God made you alive with Christ.

You are Royalty!

I was wandering around my kitchen this morning just about to clean up from a busy breakfast and morning. I knew I needed to spend some time with the Lord, but was not exactly sure how I was going to fit it in. I felt so far from Him. I was sure I needed a good hour or two just to catch up! I did not have an hour or two, so I was about to throw in the towel and say a quite prayer while I cleaned. I glanced over on the counter and there was my daughters IPod. I picked it up planning to listen to The Forest Gump Suite (this always inspires me and I thought it could be good background music for me to enter into prayer with the Lord). I slipped the ear phones on, turned on the device and up popped The Bible in a year. What? “Why is my 8 year old having The Bible in a year on her iPod? Who put this on here for her?” I wondered. “Does she actually listen to The Bible in year?” There are some parts of The Bible that are not Ok for her to hear yet. Leviticus for example! Anyway, that is a whole other thought.


I quickly turned it on and just knew right then, God has something to tell me. I got a little excited. It started playing, a man with a very dramatic voice started his introduction and I thought Ok, whatever, let’s see what I need to hear today. I started the dishes moving around listening, waiting, and then he started reading in Genesis1:1.

, “I don’t know what I could possibly get new from this.” I thought.

I do not know how many times I could have possibly heard Genesis 1 “. He began and I listened. I choose to keep my heart and mind open and just let the Lord speak. I was still in spirit as I moved around my kitchen and very willing to let The Lord speak to my heart. Then it happened. I received the word from The Lord………….

We were created to rule over the Earth. I have dominion over this Earth. I am a ruler, A Princess (I still hold to that, but with age, now probably classified as Queen). God has given me this earth as a gift. All that is on this planet was created and given to me. I rule over it and God has given it to me/us. This struck me. This was huge. I knew this, I have heard this, but I do not truly embrace and understand the gravity of this gift. I do not walk around as a ruler, as royalty. We are royalty. We rule this planet. Together, brothers and sisters in Christ, we rule this Earth. This means all that is in it is ours. Will our needs be met? Yes! Do we rule over Satan, the enemy of our souls? Yes? We are supreme royalty. God gave us this planet and He expects us to rule under His authority.

This will change everything I do today. This will change every interaction I have today. This will alter my entire mind set. I am a queen with a huge inheritance. God reminded me of this today. He reminded me who I am through Christ. Through Christ, I am redeemed and called to rightfully reign on the thrown of grace with dominion over this Earth. The trees, birds, fish, animals, waters and all that is on this amazing sphere we call home belongs to us, We own it and are called to rule over it. Satan has no power and he is beneath me/us. So, the next time you feel down, confused and sucker punched by the enemy of your soul; remember who you were created to be in Christ. You are a child of The God Almighty and ruler over this amazing planet that He created for us to live on. We must start to believe and act like who we truly are in Christ. You are a King. You Are a Queen. You are a princess or a little prince!

I am Thankful God reminded me today who I am created to be in Christ. Please help me to walk in my royalty.

There are not words enough!

Lord you are amazing

My thankfulness is full,

It’s full to overflowing and of that I am truly sure.

So, now I pour it back to you with praise and adoration.

I love you Lord, I praise you Lord.

I shout out from every pore.

I can’t comprehend or even try to understand your splendor.

Your grace is overwhelming and your touch and love so tender.

You are my King of Kings, My Shout, My Shout of Praise and Exclamation.

My Lord My God, My Jesus Christ how precious is your splendor.

My Lord you’re what I’m thankful for, your glory and your wisdom,

Your artistry, your love unbound, it surely has no limits.

How precious is my Lord My God, My Christ, Redeeming Savior!

Your love I will never fully grasp, but now I sit and worship.



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I worship with a thankful heart, my heart, oh it is singing.

It’s laughing, can you hear it Lord?

It’s dancing for my savior!

I love you My Amazing Grace, how precious is your splendor.

I love you My Redeeming Hope, how awesome is your wonder.

You’re mighty and now I must stop-



In silence………

With a whisper……..



Oh Lord there are not words to tell and sing enough your splendor.

  My thought for this week is God is in control. I know we hear that so often. However, I want to take a moment out and catch our breaths and meditate on that statement, “GOD IS IN CONTROL!” He is you know. It may not feel like it and we are so programed to drive our own lives, but we can’t. We can try. We can absolutely drive ourselves and everyone around us crazy trying, but it is of no use to Him or us. We ultimately have 0% control. I don’t want this to seem scary or negative, because I know to most of us out there the idea of 0% control is just plain scary and not an option in our thought process. It is just truth. It is Plain and simply the truth. We can fight it, resist it, argue it and turn our backs to it completely, but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of it simply, we have no control over our lives. God is in control. He can turn on the light and turn them off when ever and however He chooses. The only thing we can control is our willingness to trust Him and rest in His peace.


  So, this is supposed to be inspirational and so far it may sound a little absolute and harsh, but there is a light at the end of this blog. His control and our lack of control mean His worries and concern not ours. I don’t expect God to actually worry, but we shouldn’t either. We have no control. We should hand our hurts our fears our worries and concerns directly over to Him and say, “Here Lord, these came to me today and I believe they belong to you. Thanks for taking care of this for me. I know you’ll make the right decisions and do the right things.”

   It is really that simple!!So, I challenge you tonight as you lay down your head to truly give everything to its rightful owner. Quit breaking your back trying to still God’s job. It is not ours to worry about, so just give it to Him and rest in peace.

“Oh, this is so good and I like the sound of it, now can I actually join you in doing it myself?”

Philippians 4v6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Always flawed...........Always loved

Do we need to be perfect? Who out there shares the same issue as myself, when it comes to feeling like you need to appear flawless? I am OK with showing flaws as long as they are surface enough for me to poke fun at myself and give someone a good laugh. However, when it comes to the real stuff, the things that truly cut into my soul, I run away from everyone and hide in my protective bubble. Why am I so willing to offer advice or pray for someone and so un-willing to ask. The Lord said, “You have not because you ask not”. I am not asking, not telling and certainly hiding. My dear friend, prompted by The Holy Spirit, called me out on the floor this morning. She said, “Without the shield of your sisters in Christ interceding in prayer for you, you are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. Why are you so afraid to ask for prayer? Why do you choose to suffer alone? No one has it all together and we help each other when we are transparent and ask for prayer.”


I was just searching and wondering, who struggles with this? This feeling that if they see the real me they won’t love me. Fear of rejection. Being vulnerable is scary. Are you refusing to risk allowing yourself to be loved? God loves us and created us to be loved. Let’s not rob someone of the blessing of truly knowing us, faults and all, and truly loving us in Christ.

Thinking about the Seasons of our lives

Spring, summer, fall or winter. If each season on the calendar represented a season in our lives, which season would you be in now?  I proudly call myself summer. I am old enough to know who I am through Christ and young enough to still want to take on the world. I have experienced marriage, children and life, but still have marriage, children and life to come.  I am learning to talk, walk and quietly rest in a garden. My days of being asked to be in weddings are, for the most part, over. Do I miss spring? Often when I see spring and all that awaits them, I long to dance around again with spring on a beautiful day. However, I know summer is where I am and enjoy jumping in the pool to cool off.
        Which season are you? Which season do you long for? I am thankful for the seasons in my life.

My thought for tonight-You are not too old!

I am sitting here in an apartment at Princeton University on the couch of a 23 year old Seminary graduate student. I am here for a writers conference in Philadelphia with some other women and this young student has graciously agreed to let us stay in her apartment. I am almost double her age and just starting what I  hope to be a career in writing and Christian ministries. I am reflecting on my week so far and all that God has done, and is doing , in my life, but I am also confused when it comes to this young student. I mean, she is fine, not a thing wrong, actually she is astonishing for her years. It just makes me feel so far behind. It makes me feel old and it makes me question, "What am I doing," and "why did I not start 10 years ago." I truly feel so far behind the race. However, God is gently reminding me this is not a race. He has a special plan and design for each and every one of us. God has made and designed us all special and different.It seems that as I edge closer to the direction that God is calling me, the louder the lies of Satan become. "YOU'RE TOO OLD, TOO OLD, TOO OLD!", I hear. Well, I say back tonight, no I am not, simply, no, that is a lie. The truth is that God has a plan for me, a plan for the young Princeton graduate student and a plan for you.  If you are out there tonight reading this and feeling like your time has come and gone, I am here to say no, that is a lie.

       I want to encourage you from the bottom of my heart to go for it. If God has put anything on your heart, please pray first, listen and then go for it. Please be encouraged! Goodnight.

 He has made everything beautiful in it's own time

Ecclesiastes 3:11