Stormy day at the beach

You know how you are usually wishing that you had remembered your camera when you see something breath-taking? Well that's me almost all the time. This time included. A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to hang out at the beach with a few girlfriends. Some of them decided to stay in their jammies all day watching chick-flicks. Tracy and I decided to head to the beach. It had rained the day before and there was a 60% chance of rain for Friday. But off we went. We had walked a couple of hundred feet when it started raining. We stopped, and decided to go on and figured the rain would pass over us. I don't know if Tracy has ever clocked it, but I am guessing we walked well over a mile to where the channel comes into the barrier island. We made the trek with sand blowing over the beach like you would expect to see in Lawrence of Arabia or a modern-day war movie.
But on we walked. When we reached the edge of the beach where it runs into the channel, there was a small crowd of folks gathered on the shore to watch the dolphins playing. It was so much fun, it was like you could almost touch them they were so close. After the dolphins swam out into the deep, we turned to head back.

As we turned what we saw actually took our breath. It was the biggest, darkest, closest cloud I have ever seen. Not only that, it was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen at the beach. Far beyond the most beautiful sunrise or sunset. It almost looked like the picture above. There were no light clouds at the top of the sky. It was layers of deep blues in varied hues, mingled with smokey white to foggy gray clouds hanging in streaks over the blue. The beach rippled in motion with what seemed to be three different beaches amid the waves. It was almost to much to take in. As we continued to walk into the storm, we could see the faint white mast of a shrimp boat out in the distance. Wow.

As I looked at Tracy I had to laugh. She looked like someone trying to walk into a wind tunnel. As the rain begin to blow in our faces it felt like small pins stinging our skin. After we had walked a pretty good distance, I told Tracy that I had just had to stop. I wanted to cry because it was so beautiful. I had to stop and praise the Lord for the beauty that we were witnessing in the midst of the storm.

It seemed like it took us a good forty-five minutes, longer really, to make it back to the board walk where we had left our shoes.

It must have been that kind of storm on the sea when the disciples saw Jesus walking to them on the water. No wonder He said "peace be still". I know many of you have had just that too... peace in the storm. Or maybe you are in that storm right now. Stop where you are, lift your hands and praise Him... for He alone is worthy!

Even though I didn't have my camera, I stil have the picture in my mind. I hope it stays there for years to come as a visual reminder of the beauty that comes with the storms in our lives. It's my prayer for you that you have seen beauty in the storm.

God + Me = Me or God

You know I got to thinking the other day about this whole Wellspring thing. As I was having my morning prayer time I told God that I believed He would super naturally provide for the funding for the Wellspring Home. But then I'll go write a grant proposal. So I had to ask myself after I prayed that prayer... how would that be super natural to do it like everyone else in Spartanburg County? Would God get the credit? I would give it to Him. But chances not very many people around here would hear or notice.

So here is my declaration as of Wednesday, October 9, 2008...
I do believe that God will do just what He has said. That part
of Wellspring is His yoke, not mine. Hence... I am hereby released from operating according to the world's system.

And when it happens... God will get all the glory and I will humbly bask in the comfort of His faithfulness as He provides for His daughters that will occupy the Wellspring Home.

Make me heart ready Lord... do whatever it takes. I trust YOU in ALL THINGS.

So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.
Acts 27:25 (New Living Translation)

five years and a day

I sat down at my computer desk last night to catch up on a few blog readings. As I began to straighten up a few of the accumulated piles something caught my eye. I knew immediately that it was my ticket to the 2003 Beth Moore conference in Atlanta. As I picked it up and realized it was dated September 26-27th, how it took me back. Yesterday was the 27th. Five... count them five years have rolled by as we continue to make strides to start a Wellspring Living in Spartanburg, SC.

This past Thursday night we held our board meeting at what we believe and hope and pray will become the Wellspring Home. One of our board members asked me how I decided on Wellspring. My reply was that I had not decided on it at all, that God made that decision for me as I sat in that arena of 20,000 women.

Remember when God spoke to Elijah in that whisper? More than any other way, that is how God speaks to me too. So soft that it would be easy to ignore Him and pass it off as a fleeting thought of my own. But when I stop to listen and act - there is no doubt that it was Him.

But on that September day... He was using more than a whisper. It was more like the earthquake.

Then there was the day that Geraldine and I went to Atlanta to meet with Mary Frances and she gave us the hope of carrying the Wellspring name to SC. That was the day God spoke to me with the fire of the passion He had placed in my heart in 2003.

Then there was the wind... as I waited for the board to arrive at the home Thursday night, I went out to the swing in the back yard. As I imagined the healing that might take place in that very spot the wind began to blow so strong that it seemed to push the swing even higher (yes... even with me in it!!). It was as though God was speaking in the wind.

So five years and a day later I am still so humbled to walk this journey with my Lord. There is so much excitement to think about all that He is doing in our city and the world. When you realize all the redemptive work He has going on all at one time. Woo-Hoo! When we are reminded as we were Thursday night that He is and has more than enough for all of us.

So Lord... again... help me to cease striving and rest in You. To do the things you have told me to do so we can get on with our next step. I thank you for hearts inclined to your voice and your heart that come along side to get Your work done. May we forever be reminded of who we are in You. As my old friend Allen used to say... "may we not try to possess the power but rather may we be possessed by the power..."
Thank You that You speak in earthquakes, fires, strong winds and whispers...with written words, through other people, dancing girls on a stage, birds that sing,
we love you for being You and are more than thankful that we are YOURS!

This weeks fav song...

Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman

Such Irony

This morning I read something that really caught my attention...

When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned
with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

I Samuel 17:28

That seemed a little odd because yesterday I read what God had to say...

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I Samuel 16:7

Isn't it ironic that God looked at David's heart and saw it for all it was worth and David's oldest brother looked into his heart and saw the total opposite? How many times have we been accused by those that are closest to us of motives, and actions that are as far as east to west from the truth?

And how many times have we listened to the voice of everyone but God for our self-worth? We think because of our sins or the opinion of others that God cannot use us or we are not worthy to be used. Yes, David was a young man here when all these conversation were going on, but God knew even then the sins David would commit in his lifetime. But when we think of David we always think of him as

"The Man After God's Own Heart"

No matter what, no matter where, may we too strive to live by what God has said about us over the opinion of others!

Just a tiny little question came to mind today...

Is there much difference between a "lame duck president"
and a ""luke-warm Christian"?

I am guessing there is not.

We are always quick to point out others lack of commitment or effort like ours is of little concern.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye

when you have a log in your own?"

Luke 6:41 (New Living Translation)

Will I do what ? ? ?

Will I give $100.00 to the democratic party for the upcoming election... huh? Do what?

My mind began to speculate as to why on earth they would be calling me. As I listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, she continued on and on with reasons why we did not want John McCain to be elected. That's when it dawned on me. . .

She thinks I am one of them.
She doesn't know where my loyalties lie. She is only following the lead of my actions.
She thought I was a part of their "family" because I voted in the SC Democratic Primary.

When she finally took I breath and I was able to tell her I am a registered Republican, she sounded rather surprised - said "thank you, have a nice day" and she hung up.

Like it or not - Democratic, Republican or Independent we are all the same at the end of the day.
I guess that's why people who are not Christ followers look at us and think we are no different than they are. We show up at church on Sunday and live like the world the other six days of the week. At the end of the day there are huge differences between us and the world. But only because we have the assurance of where we will spend our eternity.

We are registered "Christians" because our name is in the book.

But we do what I did back in the spring... we abandon our ship, we don't follow through with who we say we are. If our walk was only for us, it would be of little significance, but what Christ needs out of us is so much bigger and better than what we give to Him or the world.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry,
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3

So, no thanks I don't want to give $100 to the Democratic party... but I do want to give 100% of myself to the work He has called me to.

May we all be living letters of His greatness to the world each and every day.