Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Jordan Smith is a contestant on NBC's The Voice. He is not yet a "professional", but he moved me to tears tonight with this performance.

In days of such uncertainty, it was a timely and beautiful reminder I needed to hear. As I watch terrorist activity increase, as I wonder about how to pay bills, I am humbly reminded that all I have needed, He has provided.

Enjoy this stunning performance...

One More Thing...

God is really the ONLY need we have.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn

Valley of Vision: A Disciple's Renewal

May this resonate with you today, as it did me.

One More Thing...

I'd love to hear from you on the line that touched you the most.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Dreaded Words

"I've ordered some tests."

I heard those words during a routine physical last week. 25 years ago I heard those words and I was in surgery three days later, only one month before my wedding. I wasn't pleased to be hearing them again.

This was my response.

"I'm okay, they're just checking something. I'm not going to tell anybody unless there's something wrong. God's got this."

"I should probably let my husband know." 

Sent him a text. While typing that out, I started to worry.

"I'll text a few of my closest friends that are my prayer support."

I sit and think about what's probably wrong. Then I Google the keywords the doctor used.

"I'll just text a few more of the people near to me, and the staff, that would make sense."

Google some more.

"I'm likely going to die." Tears. Prayer...again.

"Why did I tell anybody? Nobody cares, I'm such a nuisance. It's going to be okay. Nobody has time for this. I should have waited until it was a real health concern."

"How humiliating. Now people know something's up. I NEVER should have said anything. Well, if I have to have surgery, or if I'm dying, I'm not telling anybody."

"God, I don't want to deal with anything. I'm scared, I'm helpless and I really want you to take care of this so I don't have anything wrong. But, I truly am okay with whatever your plan is. But, please, please, please don't let me be sick!"

In the meantime, I've received a few e-mails and texts back from friends saying they will pray. 

This was all within the first hour.


I then received one message that called me out and that's what I want to focus on here. I have a person in my life that speaks boldly and with my best spiritual growth interest in mind. Here's his response to my message asking for prayer...

"You may not completely understand, agree with or even like what I am going to say to you.  Here goes; stop praying for what God tells us he provides through his grace. In doing so, you are missing the best part of your trial...growth!

You might be sick, you might not be. You may have to go through some more tough times. Great! You will be much more developed if you do. Stop trying to get out of trouble.  Embrace it and pray for God's wisdom and understanding.  If you do die...how great to be with our King! Now that would be terrific.

Your life is no longer yours..quit taking it back and enjoy the ride."

"Uh...okay." But then I read through it again, and again, and again. Then I thanked him and told him I loved that he was a part of my life. He had the right perspective and the courage to share what likely wouldn't be the popular thing to say.

This was all on Monday. One test was done that day, a second test was Tuesday and the "big" one wasn't until Wednesday. I read those words repeatedly. I prayed those words repeatedly. Tuesday morning, my prayer had changed and I didn't even know it until I heard the words come out of my mouth. Sunday's sermon reminded us that it's okay to tell God what we're really thinking and my prayer Tuesday was something like this. "God, I don't want to be sick or face surgery but if you need me to do this, it's all yours, and I will happily follow you to where I need to be and what I need to go through. I trust you completely and I'm submitting to you...again."

The fun part? Today's sermon referred to this same amazing grace that is sufficient. I found peace in God and He surrounded me with reminders all week that He's got this covered. Lesson learned...again. My prayer now is that when my next "crisis" hits, I will remember this before the human tendency to panic sets in as it did. Enjoy these words from Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

"...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

One More Thing...

The tests came back without any concerns. However...THAT'S NOT THE POINT. It didn't matter what happened physically, it's what happens spiritually for each of us that truly matters.

Your life is no longer yours..quit taking it back and enjoy the ride. (Does anybody else wrestle with this one?)

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Walking on the Sea

This little gem entered my life this morning via a Facebook post from an area church I have connections with. God's timing was remarkable as I read these words. They touched my life today, may they resonate with you as well.

"God's purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. What He desires for me is that I see 'Him walking on the sea' with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see 'Him walking on the sea' (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God. God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now." 

-Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest

 

One More Thing...

Do you believe He can handle your storms?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Through Painted Deserts, Part 2

Our road trip is complete. My reading of Donald Miller's book, Through Painted Deserts: Light, God and Beauty on the Open Road is complete. I didn't realize this when I started the book, but his story ended in the same city our road trip ended in. Perhaps it was meant to be that this was my chosen road trip book, and perhaps I needed these reminders.

If you recall from Part 1, the introduction emphasized the theme of leaving. Read Part 1 Here

During his journey, Donald ponders a good deal about the idea of security and the feelings created by society and advertisers. His travel companion, Paul, seems to take things in stride and live unaffected by others and this intrigues him. He questions things. How does a person stop caring about the opinion of others? How does a person stop caring about money to pay rent? Where will the food come from? Do I sound like an idiot when I speak in public? Do people like me? Donald's questioning resonates with me. 

Life can be about the panic of having the right things, knowing the right people, etc. or it can be about the beauty in the sunrises, the glory of leaves changing colors, fresh air, and people. He had this to say about his friend, "Paul had become a human who no longer believed the commercials are true, which, perhaps, is what a human was designed to be."

Two options: 
1. "You will feel what you were made to feel if you buy this thing I am selling."




2. "Feel what a human is supposed to feel when he stops believing lies. And maybe when a person doesn't buy the lies anymore, when a human stops long enough to realize the stuff people say to get us to part with our money often isn't true, we can finally see the sunrise, smell the wetness in a Gulf breeze, stand in awe at a downpour no less magnificent than a twenty-thousand-foot waterfall, ten square miles wide, wonder at the physics of a duck paddling itself across the surface of a pond, enjoy the reflection of the sun on the face of the moon, and know, This is what I was made to do. This is who I was made to be, that life is being given to me as a gift, that light is a metaphor, and God is doing these things to dazzle us."

One More Thing...

Maybe this pilgrimage we're on really IS in God's hands and He is simply waiting for us to let him take control. I believe that. Go watch a sunrise or sunset. Go stand where the ocean meets the sand. Go stand in the rain. Go stare up at the trees...and let go.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Open Hands

A friend of mine preaches a few times a year and I finally listened to his sermon from June. It was a great sermon about Zacchaeus, a tax collector, and I wanted to share a few thoughts that resonated with me, with the hope you might also relate.

Growing up, the focus through the kid's song was always on him being a "wee little man, a wee little man was he." He climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus, and Jesus went to his house. That was pretty much my recollection of the story.

In this sermon, we were reminded that a tax collector was considered to be an outcast. An outcast would be considered to be poor in spirit. Poor in spirit means understanding our spiritual bankruptcy, understanding that we have nothing to offer to God.

Now at first, I was a little taken aback by the thought that we have nothing to offer God. Of course we do. We have our love, our devotion, our selves to offer. However, I realize that we simply have nothing to offer God that isn't already His. I really liked that perspective of spiritual bankruptcy, everything I am and everything I have is God's. I really do come to Him empty and bankrupt, with nothing.

I also appreciated that Jesus publicly declared that he was going to Zacchaeus's home. He was not concerned that this wasn't on the "approved list" of places to visit. He declared the value of Zacchaeus as a child of God, and simply a sinner like all of us, and yet worthy of hosting Jesus himself. Are we so concerned about our image that we fail to love others?

Another note I jotted down was about approaching God with empty hands. He wants to give to us, but we must be empty before we can run to God and receive anything. We need to let go of our pride, our possessions, our feelings, our misplaced sense of entitlement, our anger, our bitterness, etc. so we can approach with empty hands and an empty heart and be able to receive from God.

Challenge: Do you know Jesus in only a saving way or in a trusting, dependent, joyful way? Do you FULLY trust Him?

I must confess...this has been a challenge for me. I am growing immensely in this area thanks to some amazing friends who lead by example and are not afraid to challenge me. If this is a tricky area for you, I'd love to talk with you and share my story.

This was a fantastic sermon and there are many more noteworthy points. You can follow the link below to enjoy the full sermon and see what resonates with you.

One More Thing...

Are you willing to let go of that one thing so you can approach God with open hands and fully trust Him?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

NOTE: This link may not work, but I'm looking for a new source.

Listen to the full sermon here

Through Painted Deserts, Part 1

I began a road trip yesterday and thought it would be a great coincidence to finally begin reading Donald Miller's book, Through Painted Deserts: Light, God and Beauty on the Open Road. It seemed fitting since it's also about a road trip and a personal journey. However, I was forced to pause early in the author's note pages as I already found something that required time devoted to deeper pondering. I'm curious to hear from my readers what you think about the following quotes.

"I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes, so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it is time for things to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently."

"It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out. I want to repeat one word for you: Leave. Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed."

One More Thing...

Is there something you need to leave? 

Leave me a comment and let me know if you've read this book. It was previously released as Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance: Finding God on the Open Road.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Shine

Are you trying to do it all? Do you get your identity from your job, your spouse, or the random opinions of strangers? Do you believe you must shine in order to be accepted and loved? Do you fear failure because you fear what people will think of you?

I want to challenge us all to break this mold, this terrible but comfortable habit that keeps us from living a full life, the life God intended for us.

There are so many reasons we may hide our cracks, pretend that all is well, and not allow anybody to know we don't always shine. Pride, feelings of inadequacy, emptiness, history of abandonment, or selfishness. No matter the cause, I invite you to join me in the challenge to stop and allow others to see who you really are. 

I am confident there is somebody waiting to discover ALL of you and love you regardless. I know that God loves us unconditionally, and exactly the way we are. I hope you know that also, and a deeper hope is that you can accept that love and stop worrying about looking like you have it all together.

One More Thing...

Being 100% authentic is far more valuable than shining all the time. I dare you to show your true self one time this week. I will if you will...then tell me about it.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

"Shine" by Jan Krist

Something Beautiful

Did you think life was going to turn out differently than it has? I guarantee you're not the only one! I know, I know - that didn't make you feel any better, did it? Me either when I tell it to myself. 

One thing Facebook has succeeded in doing is keeping me in touch with friends I grew up with. Sadly, this also means I hear about far too many of my friends dying at young ages. Their life didn't turn out the way they had planned either, but I still have my life and so do you. Maybe it's time we choose to let God do something beautiful with them.

I believe God brings an awareness of the lyrics to me when I'm ready to hear them. Or perhaps when I need to hear them, whether I'm ready or not.

This happened to me today. I had been thinking recently about how smooth things have seemed. I feel like things are solid with God, my faith isn't wavering, I'm serving, only going through minor little life stuff, and basically flying under the radar and in a holding pattern. I consider that a decent place to be, if not even a great place to be. However, if I were to be really honest, I know it's not a good place to be for one reason. I'm not growing. These thoughts were bouncing around in my head today when this song hit.

"I'm gonna take all the broken pieces." We know that He can indeed make it something beautiful but here's my question. Do you really give Him ALL the pieces? Do I? It hit me instantly that I've been holding onto some of my pieces. They aren't good pieces, but they are like that comforting blanket we all had when we were kids. I KNOW them and I have let them stay too long instead of giving them to God to see what He wants to do with them. Sometimes I think I enjoy my treasure of broken pieces, I'm even tempted to review them and spend time with them. God's waiting on me to give them to him. Do you have some, too? Are we ready to let God turn them into something beautiful?

One More Thing...

Can you name your broken pieces? Are they familiar because you spend time with them? Are you ready to give them to God? It scares me a little bit, it's okay if you're nervous.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn

Something Beautiful by Steven Curtis Chapman

Color Struggles

I am struggling.

Our UNITED States of America is not representing this concept well right now. We hear "Black Lives Matter" and "White Lives Matter"...even "Blue Lives Matter."

We've heard the Sheriff of Harris county state the following after the shooting death of a Houston officer:

"So why don't we just drop the qualifier and just say 'lives matter' and take that to the bank?"

I do not understand why the color of a person's skin is used to intentionally create the view of inequality. Aren't we smarter than that? Don't we know that humans are all created the same, in His image? When did the media begin to feel it necessary to say a black or white police officer shot a black or white man? Isn't it as simple as a "police officer shot a suspect?"

I am struggling to understand why this is still happening...and my heart is sad about it.

I saw this today, and it resonated with me so I felt like it should be my featured topic today.

One More Thing...

We are ALL precious to God and we should be precious to each other. Why isn't it this simple? What can we do to stop this?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Mighty To Save

Originally when I began the draft for this post, it was because this song followed another powerful song at the Sunday worship/communion service I wrote about and they went hand in hand down the path that led to a transforming Sunday in my life. I remember being so struck by the phrase "everyone needs compassion" and realizing that this included the "really bad people" and not just your "average sinner." Oh come on, you know you know what I mean!

Well, fast forward to a week - no, a season with so much tragedy happening each day. Now I'm confronted by this phrase and an even bigger challenge. EVERYONE needs compassion.  The arsonist who starts fires and destroys homes and takes lives does. The killer of an innocent person does. You do. I most certainly do. Furthermore, we are all in the same boat when it comes to the need for God's compassion - yes, we are equals, nobody is better in God's eyes, nobody is "close enough to perfect." It sounds like a bad place to be, but our God is truly mighty to save and capable of anything and everything. This is fantastic news!

One More Thing...

Does the thought of surrender scare you or excite you?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn

Ephesians Prayer

In my reading yesterday, I came across this unfamiliar passage and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I would love to hear that somebody was praying this for me, what about you? What if we all prayed this for everybody in our individual communities, our cities, our states, our nation, all nations?

"I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  

Ephesians 3:16-21

One More Thing...

It sometimes seems so difficult to comprehend God's love. This week, list some of the things He has done for you and see if you start to understand it a bit more.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn

Feel It

Let's have a little fun since it's Friday. Try to sit perfectly still while listening to this one - I can't do it. I LOVE the music and was hooked the first time while I was playing the drums on my steering wheel, sunroof open, windows down, and the stereo cranked going to a meeting that completely fills my bucket. Could that morning have been any better? Later I listened to the words and it was confirmed - this is now on my playlist.

There's so much in this song that resonates with me. I appreciate the illustration of not seeing the wind but seeing the effect of it. We do not see God, but our faith should be apparent to those around us. It is our best hope to indeed be wrecked by God, to truly welcome the transforming power He gives us and not keep trying to make it on our own.

One struggle I've had all of my life is getting my head and heart to communicate with each other when it comes to God. I am in the midst of this today and so the song's lyrics "Oh I feel it in my heart I feel it in my soul" has almost become a goal for me. Some of you are lucky enough that you FEEL it already. Others of us are struggling to FEEL it instead of to simply KNOW it. If you are one of those people, I am praying for you as I write this.

One More Thing...

To love God, we need to know God. To know God, we need to spend time with God. To spend time with God, we need to hear His voice. To hear His voice, we need to read our Bible. 

Maybe you missed that last step - I did for the longest time. I can also tell you that reading it has been THE key to connecting my head with my heart and discovering a love for God.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

The Language of the Lid

"I don't have enough hours."

"I can't get it all done."

"I'm not good at this."


Do any of these statements resonate with you? These are all examples of the "language of the lid" - things we tell ourselves that keep us from expanding our capacity. Capacity is what you can handle. If you want to increase what you do, increase your capacity. 

In the video below, Craig Groeschel shares a brief story about his lid as he challenges us to remove the lid in our own life. (Thoughts based on a presentation by Craig Groeschel / Expanding Your Leadership Capacity)

Moment of Vulnerability Alert: In my own life, I have a full repertoire of "lids" I use on a seemingly continuous rotation. Do any of mine sound familiar to you? Whatever yours are, I feel certain you are not alone. Are you able to live at full capacity with those lids?

"I'm a burden to them, they don't really want me around. I'm in their way or they are annoyed by me."

"I don't have anything to contribute."

Ever feel this one? "I'm not a good enough Christian."

I want to challenge all of us, myself included, to find somebody you trust and confide in them what your lids are and ask them to hold you accountable to change the self-talk you use. Then let me know how things change for you.

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

NOTE: The video is clear when it plays, it's just the still image that's blurred. 

One More Thing...

Phil 4:13 tells us "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Do you recall times when you tried to limit God?

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.
Lois Lynn

Drops In The Ocean

I have heard this song numerous times, and while I enjoyed it, I found that I often had to turn the volume down if I was in the car because there's one part that sounds like a siren and I always felt compelled to check to see if I needed to pull over for an emergency vehicle. So, while it was memorable for many months, it was for the wrong reasons and I couldn't have told you much about it except for a couple of phrases that were with the best parts of the music.

That was, until two weeks ago when this song began to take on a new depth of meaning. I was visiting a church that does a special monthly Communion Sunday. 

The entire experience was marvelous, but the speaker that day emphasized the humanity of Jesus approaching and enduring the crucifixion. I always understood Jesus was fully man and fully God, but I never quite grasped what it meant to be fully human for him at that moment, knowing what He was facing and choosing to continue.

Our speaker put it in terms that showed the humanity of Jesus while facing great pain and torture. He did not face it with some kind of miraculous ability to not feel what He was going through. He anticipated the suffering. He suffered. He suffered in a HUGE way. He suffered for me. He suffered for you. SUFFERED...that is a powerful word.

I haven't had to deal with much physical pain in my life, but I have had a few painful and dramatic things happen. Many of those, I would not willingly face again and they were NOTHING compared to this. He chose to continue into the pain. Wow. That is love indeed. As the song says, "If you want to know how far my love can go, just how deep, just how wide. If you want to see how much you mean to me, look at my hands, look at my side."

Fast forward to the next Sunday. I went to hear a dear friend speak at his church and he spoke about Thomas. This was twice in 8 days that the physical injuries were impressed upon my heart. We all likely have the same thoughts of Thomas, "Doubting Thomas" - right? I have more to share later with another song, but there has definitely been a theme in my life in recent months and it's even playing out in the music that surrounds me. I hope you can see God's love with new eyes if you need to. I did.

In addition to how much he loves us, it's also a great reminder that he loves us as we are...now. Who else really loves us this much?

One More Thing...

"Won't you lay down your guard and come to me" was another line that hit me. If you think you're the only one who has trouble with it, you're not.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZH13wFGffg

The Potter's Hand

I was able to attend the Global Leadership Summit recently, where I'm always inspired and encouraged. One of the sessions was an interview with Brian Houston, the Lead Pastor from Hillsong, conducted by Bill Hybels. Bill then continued the session with some personal sharing about his own connection with music and how important he feels it is to leaders. I believe he said it's been officially studied and documented that top leaders spend a lot of time listening to music. He continued to share a few stories of when a song came into his life at just the right time, and the overwhelming power songs can have in our lives if we allow them to. He has a buddy that he sends songs to and they share in the joy, pain, challenge, etc. of the song and communicate back and forth.

I adore music and it has so often hit me deeply and had a profound impact. So, one of the ideas that popped into my head during that session was to do this on a bit of a larger scale with anybody that may be interested. Therefore, here I am with a new blog. I know I want to share things that inspire me, and my hope is that you will be encouraged, motivated, loved, challenged, or some other good thing by this endeavor. 

I want to start this with a song I heard Sunday, all in God's perfect timing. The Summit left me in a place of conviction to "step it up" among other things. This song has become my prayer since hearing it. To be honest, I was singing along with it, but I had to stop as I realized I was really singing a prayer and commitment to God. I wanted to be sure about it, yet couldn't quite say the words with full conviction. 

It speaks of knowing God has crafted the perfect plan and understanding that He has called us and will guide us. But then it hit me how much God wants a relationship with us when I heard the words about Him drawing us to Himself.

At this point, I was feeling fairly humbled, when these lyrics struck me as a wonderful prayer, if we are bold enough, "Take me and mold me, use me, fill me. I give my life to the Potter's hand."

My prayer for you this week is that you are touched by this, as I was, and maybe we can both pray for him to use us.

  

Please find a quiet moment to still your heart, then listen to The Potter's Hand by Hillsong.

One More Thing...

Can you see God's perfect plan and His holy calling? I'd love to hear about what He's showing you.

Take care, and I'm always here to pray for you if you have a need or request.

Lois Lynn