tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197488072024-03-06T06:34:44.904-05:00FAITH FUEL.......................................If You're Feeling Empty, Re-Fuel HereLAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.comBlogger417125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-8041602220599049392016-03-16T19:45:00.000-04:002016-03-16T19:49:00.289-04:00It's Always Spring!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91v2l57YbxxW_n_usa0tv_zb3XDAn33Sc8lTozbRJ0ZuADVlh0zIi8D9cCVG_D0h8b9LTR4fHkXvgfTD4a4dDpH1A6Izl8ljpe7nrk04c-l9DTXBEoYh9peLdY6hE-d8WfS1exg/s1600/1410922_1129427717089753_7095290990616725406_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91v2l57YbxxW_n_usa0tv_zb3XDAn33Sc8lTozbRJ0ZuADVlh0zIi8D9cCVG_D0h8b9LTR4fHkXvgfTD4a4dDpH1A6Izl8ljpe7nrk04c-l9DTXBEoYh9peLdY6hE-d8WfS1exg/s320/1410922_1129427717089753_7095290990616725406_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
New Life....it's always a possibility when you walk with God. Winter will give way to Spring. In a way, it's always Springtime, when you know the One who controls the weather, changes the Seasons, and takes you through each of Life's stages one day at a time.<br />
<br />
Don't be afraid.<br />
<br />
The Storm will pass.<br />
<br />
I can tell you that...from experience.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for more updates on my new Blog.<br />
<br />LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-66169799696453865822013-08-08T15:55:00.002-04:002016-03-16T19:41:38.334-04:00Dear friends,<br />
<br />
Please remember you can access all my previous posts by scrolling down to the TOPICS sidebar.<br />
<br />
This past year and a half I have been at work on a novel for the Christian Women's market, have compiled many of my posts into several devotionals, and have plans for a new website/blog. But until I can get it up and running, please stop in here at FAITH FUEL and refresh yourself with God's peace and love while scrolling through my previous posts.<br />
<br />
God bless you all richly as you trust in Him.<br />
He never fails us!<br />
<br />
P.S. Stay tuned for updates about my novel, EXPECTING YOU.<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">EXPECTING
YOU is the heartwarming story of a simple seaside summer in New England, one
woman’s journey through the complicated world of guilt and regret, and the
unexpected gift of perspective that guides a grieving heart toward home.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-31828777462465206712012-05-22T11:42:00.007-04:002012-05-22T12:55:08.943-04:00TAKING ACTION: A Book Review<a href="http://www.charismahouse.com/images/book_covers/takingaction.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.charismahouse.com/images/book_covers/takingaction.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>If there was ever a book I would recommend to an earnest seeker of God, a long time Christian, a questioning, bitter skeptic, or a passionate follower of God, this is the book I would recommend, without qualms, without reservation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I can't remember the last time I endorsed a book so heartily.</span><br /><br />This book, <a href="http://www.charismahouse.com/index.php/book-reviews/books/65/Taking+Action">TAKING ACTION</a> by Reinhard Bonnke, is full of wisdom, sound thinking, keen spiritual insight, doctrinal integrity.<br /><br />-Do you have questions about how the Holy Spirit operates?<br />-Are you looking for guidance and wondering if you're hearing God correctly?<br />-Have you ever had a bad experience with the supernatural gifts?<br />-Do you wonder why there are so many problems when people try to operate in the spiritual gifts?<br />-Is there such a thing as God's power, in action, in our lives?<br />Can we be sane and sober minded and yet powerful people of God?<br /><br />If you have ever asked any of of these questions, or all of of them, then you'll want to read this book.<br /><br />My copy is completely marked up with notes and exclamation points and underlining unlimited! Reinhard Bonnke writes with authority, confidence, and conviction, yes; but it's balanced with humility and an understated ego. You'll find some practical advice in here and good sound counsel. There's a light humorous touch, at times, and that is so welcome when you're reading through weighty matters.I can't tell you the last time I respected a Christian author so highly!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I particularly loved the chapter on FAITH</span>, and Bonnke is right: "there is no subject that calls for explanation from the Scriptures more than faith and the gift of faith. We particularly want to bring help on this matter." Have you ever had questions about how, exactly, you're supposed to "move mountains" with faith? Bonnke is tackling the outrageous claims of Christ, and he doesn't shy away from a single one! He will warn you, though, about what we have already seen happen with these explosive subjects: "Now, about doing the impossible- awful mistakes have been made."You see? The man is not afraid to deal with reality even when discussing the supernatural.<br /><br />Bonnke is traversing difficult waters but still centering in on the soundness and reliability of God's Word and God's love. <span style="font-weight: bold;">He writes about miracles and powerful things that can take place when we walk with God, but "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">the object is not to pull off a few sensational wonders, like stage tricks, but the redemption of the world</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">."</span><br /><br />This author visibly preaches God, as evidenced by his worldwide ministry; but he preaches our responsibility in partnering with God as well: <span style="font-style: italic;">obedience</span> is a key word throughout the book. You won't find snake handlers and magicians and crooked, corrupt Personalities proclaiming <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>word, first. Bonnke writes, "Note carefully that anointing is not a kind of emotional pleasure, but it comes into activity <span style="font-style: italic;">when we serve</span>."(Italics mine)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But along with service and obedience and discipline, you can expect anointing and power to live this life! And Bonnke will carefully explain how this occurs, how the Gifts operate, how to wisely use them, and what, exactly, they are.</span> Expect to learn some Greek and Hebrew, expect to understand the context of Scriptural passages- in fact, expect to realize you need to <span style="font-style: italic;">study</span> the Bible more, not just skim it!<br /><br />I eagerly present to you this book for your consideration; this author, who I personally endorse "<span id="en-NIV-29843" class="text 2Tim-2-15"><span style="font-style: italic;">as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth</span>." (2Tim 2:15)<br /><br />I'm not sure the world will note the wisdom in this book. But if you read this, you will find a world of life changing possibilities waiting to be explored, if you seriously consider whether or not there's truth in not only what <span style="font-style: italic;">he</span> says, <span style="font-weight: bold;">but in what <span style="font-style: italic;">God</span> says <span style="font-style: italic;">is possible</span>.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Disclosure of Material Connection: I receive books free from the publisher.I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255</span></span><br /><span id="en-NIV-29843" class="text 2Tim-2-15"><br /></span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-20401508929677133692012-05-09T09:12:00.005-04:002012-05-09T10:21:08.707-04:00How's Your Father Doing??What a long weekend it was! We left on Thursday and drove south to visit colleges for our daughter, and then on Friday arrived on our son's college campus to attend his Graduation Ceremony on Saturday. We went from the highs of celebration to the lows of exhaustion, from the highs of the powerful commencement address that stirred our souls, to the lows of the late night packing up of his dorm room. Late, late night.<br /><br />And then early, early morning we were up to prepare for a long 14 hour drive home that turned into a harrowing 17 hour drive--extended and lengthened due to all the stops along the way to check on four weary travelers in two cars, the one car overloaded with a car-top carrier and bursting out the seams.<br /><br />I still haven't recovered. In fact, my left eye burst a blood vessel in the white of my eye, so I look as ravaged by stress as I actually feel. And though Safety Bill really took on the whole responsibility of the packing and the driving, I could not shake the Anxiety that rose within me. I hadn't slept well before we took the trip, and I certainly didn't sleep well during the trip.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm not sure if sleeplessness precedes an Anxiety Attack or if it's the ultimate outcome of it-- but either way, I was a mess. And I knew I was.</span><br /><br />You should have heard my prayers late that night as Bill labored past midnight to get our son packed up before the 9am deadline the next morning. I prayed like a desperate person. I prayed about all the things that were burdening me-- and the trip home was only the tip of the iceberg. Launching a son into the world as a fully functioning adult is no easy thing, for some parents. There were financial burdens (since we were maxed out after four years of college, and now had a daughter heading to college in a year). I felt like a conglomeration of crisis points had converged and been presented to me to suddenly solve. I wasn't thinking rationally, really. And I was conjecturing all the worst case scenarios. And so I prayed frantically and pleadingly. It wasn't a pretty sight, and I certainly don't think it was music to God's ears.<br /><br />You see, HE was listening to me, alright. But God was concerned about my state of mind and my well-being and He could tell...I was not well. And you see, I'm a reflection of who God is because I'm His child. He's my Heavenly Father. I'm told in Scripture, repeatedly, not to worry, and I'm supposed to know that God cares for my every need.<br /><br />But the way that I was praying, as the hours got later and my physical reserves depleted themselves, sounded like I was frantically trying to get God's attention. I <span style="font-style: italic;">felt</span> desperate to get a measure of peace, and I couldn't seem to access that promised peace. And so I prayed harder but in reality I might have been doing more pleading than praying. And I'm not so sure that a child pleading for her Father to help is a good reflection on that Father.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">GOOD</span> Fathers hear their children, the minute they call. <span style="font-style: italic;">Good</span> Fathers WANT to help their children, and want to alleviate their fears. If you have a good father, people can tell: they look at you and see that you're well cared for, that you have a healthy self-esteem, that you are obviously loved and you <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> that you are.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Every time you call on your Father, <span style="font-style: italic;">the way</span> you call Him says something about <span style="font-style: italic;">you.</span>...and something about <span style="font-style: italic;">Him.</span></span> Think about that for a minute, because this isn't a judgment statement but rather a statement about reflection.<br /><br />What do we reflect when we pray? Obviously when we are in trouble, when we are situationally anxious or worried, we won't always immediately express the confidence that we would normally have in God because our adrenaline is coursing through us, and our fight-or-flight response is heightened. But for the most part, if we have learned to trust God, if we have learned to rely upon Him, we should be able to express a measure of that even in our desperate prayers. Because our <span style="font-style: italic;">relationship</span> with our Father is the Constant, and not the variable, our times of crisis-praying should still reflect, in some way, what we know is <span style="font-style: italic;">true</span> about that relationship.<br /><br />So as I prayed late into the night, that night...I began to hear myself. I heard the frantic tone in my voice ( I pray out loud). I heard the circuitous pleading. I heard the troubled voice of a child who does not know that God is listening, already responding, already deeply involved in her situation.<br /><br />And I started to pray differently. I began to quote the promises in Scripture. I began to declare Who God says, in His Word, that He IS--not the way that I felt, in that moment, that He was (which was far away, inaccessible, hard to reach). I began to pray differently because I realized I sounded like an abandoned child. I sounded like a child who'd been living on the streets, hand to mouth, without a guardian or protector or Defender. And while I felt like one, in that moment (because Anxiety will run you into Dark, into the Deep Unknown of Despair), still I <span style="font-style: italic;">knew</span> that I had a good heavenly Father--not a bad One, not an incompetent One.<br /><br />I'm a reflection of Him. I'm a child, and spiritually speaking, though I'm supposed to mature, I still will always be a child in the sense of me belonging to Someone who created me. He's the eternal Father and always will be One. This aspect of our relationship will always be there.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And so every time I pray, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">how </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">I pray will reflect what our relationship is like, and what kind of a Father I have, what kind of a child I am.</span><br /><br />This is no small thing. What kind of a Heavenly Father do <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> have?? How do you know Him to act towards you? Do you understand His heart's motive? When He is silent, do you think that means He is also uncaring and cold? Your resulting conclusion will reflect what kind of a child you are, and what kind of a father you think God is.<br /><br />Let me remind you, in case you're going through a crisis, in case you're feeling very anxious or worried or stressed out: God definitely cares about you, and does not want you to feel anxious or worried. He knows that you and I <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> battle these awful feelings that cause our stomachs to feel sick and our heads to ache and our fingers to tremble--but He does not want you to <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> this horrible emotional pain because He does not want you to feel UN-Loved. Loved children are secure. Children who <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> they are loved <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> loved.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What good is it if Somebody loves you- but you don't </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">feel</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> like they love you??</span> 1 Corinthians 13 begins with "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,<span style="font-style: italic;"> I am</span> only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." I'd like to add, that if you have a Heavenly Father who loves you, but you don't feel love, then you are--in <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> mind-- an unloved child. And what does that solve? What does that reflect? Unloved children have horrible parents. and children don't get to choose their biological parents, so it's not the child's fault if he or she is not loved by the parent. No child should be un-loved. Maybe the definition of "child" should really be "one who is loved."<br /><br />And friend, you <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> loved. You have a Father who is merciful and constant in His watch over you. He tells us, in His word, over and over, not to worry. He does not want us consumed with anxiety. He wants to to be at peace, and to be at peace with Him- because "He himself <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>our peace" Eph.2:14.<br /><br />He is our Peace. He is our Father. Call on Him today. Try out the voice of a child who is loved. Start speaking the words of a child who knows he can ask, freely, for help. Try asking boldly, because Your Father loves it when you trust that He is Good.<br /><br />And when you bump into an old friend who asks you how your Father is doing, tell your friend what you've been learning about your heavenly father (even if they were asking about your human father).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tell your friend that your Father is doing well...<span style="font-style: italic;">and therefore so are you.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="hthttp://championyourdreams.blogspot.com/2012/05/talk-to-father-book-review-of-father.htmltp://"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></a>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-46373676409521866742012-05-01T13:49:00.002-04:002012-05-01T14:12:21.440-04:00Talk to the Father- (A Book Review of Father Hunger)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> I have to give this book a special recognition that I call "<i>the book anointing.</i>"</b> I've blogged about this before, that sometimes certain books seem to leap off the shelves and call for me to read them. And sometimes certain books resonate with me so deeply, and speak to me "where I'm at" that it's like the book was anointed and appointed for me.<br />
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Well, this book, <b>Father Hunger by Douglas Wilson</b>, gets the Book Anointing designation. No sooner had I received it in the mail, than 24 hours later I wound up miraculously having a heart to heart conversation with my own earthly father.<br />
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"For some reason, I felt like I should stop over," my Dad said to me, sitting down on a stool at my kitchen counter. We sipped tea and had a real honest talk about our relationship, about what fatherhood is all about, about our family history and our hurts.We needed to have this talk. It cleared the air. It opened the doors of understanding.<br />
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That's what will happen when you read this book.(I'm not saying you'll have an unexpected talk with your own Dad, but you may just wind up having a good long talk with your Heavenly Father.)<br />
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Now Douglas Wilson get get a little pedantic and a little too moralistic, but I think the reader can handle a little passionate exposition of truth. Some statements you might not agree with. Some statements are boldly proclaimed and you wonder if you have to swallow the conjectured point completely, like "Simply put, masculinity is the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility." Hmmmm, I'll have to contemplate that. <br />
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<b>Expect to cover a very broad array of topics underneath the concept of what Fatherhood is and deals with</b>: gender roles, the role of the state, Atheism, Education (if you went to boarding school you'll want to read his opinion on that!), the Church,etc. You might sometimes think he's going off track.<br />
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But there are some poignant and powerful points he makes that might rock you off your feet. "Fathers are speaking about God the Father constantly" he says, even if what they are saying indirectly leads to an awful depiction of what God the Father is. Hopefully you had a loving human father. Chances are, though, he was a very human father, and therefore you've got some "issues" to deal with.<br />
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Chapters 11 and 12 are not for the faint of heart, but boy are they eye opening! There's some very frank discussion of sexuality and gender roles.<br />
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At the end of each chapter, he has some great study questions called "Questions to Consider." This book could be a great resource for study groups and it would certainly prompt some vigorous discussion!<br />
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I hope you consider reading this book, if for no other reason than that you need to know God as your Father in a better way. We all do. Since earthly fathers are human and botch things up, and human fathers are an indirect representation of the Heavenly Father, this book could shed some light on some "issues" you might have in your theology of the Father.<br />
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This book is deep, weighty, controversial, and not at all a light read. But it's impacting and illuminating as well.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Because everyone is hungry for more of the Father's love, even if they don't realize they are.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><b><i>Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this
book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review
bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own.</i></b></b></span><br />
<br />LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-5013543928558959402012-04-27T10:04:00.000-04:002012-04-27T10:04:53.717-04:00If You're Angry and You Know It<b>Yesterday was a rough day.</b> Ask Harry. I yelled at him for hovering around my feet as I went in and out of the sliding door to the deck in order to grill the chicken for dinner. Of course he was hovering--he's a dog, and loves grilled meat. Any kind of meat, really. Heck, he'll even munch on paper and tissues out of the garbage, if we don't empty the wastepaper cans right away.<br />
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I don't normally yell at him. Then again, Safety Bill doesn't normally snap at me when he comes home from work. He's normally very slow to get angry and long on the patience and love. And then our daughter was acting like a belligerent teenager yesterday, and got her feathers easily ruffled when normally she's very mature and sweet with me. She's 17, and we still haven't hit a stage where I wish she would go off to college and mature. I don't want her to ever leave home. But yesterday I could actually envision it.Yesterday I wanted everyone to leave home, the dog included, and leave me alone.<br />
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<b>Pressure. Frustration. Disappointment. Anger.</b>Oh, I felt all these things yesterday. There was a lot going on under the surface too. Everyone is dealing with challenges and decisions to make. Each one of us is facing important decisions that have to be made. And we've all been praying. A lot, really. We've all been seeking God, seeking His will, trying to step out in faith, trying please Him with our actions of faith.<br />
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<b>But remember, if you're stepping out in faith, then you're stepping out of your comfort zone.</b> And there's only so long that you can deal with being out of your comfort zone before you realize you are, and you freak out a bit. Sometimes we've been trying so hard to please God, and going that extra mile, and then we hit a wall--it's a wall that we know God could have easily removed for us. We feel almost slighted by God. It's like we're a child that gets up early to surprise their parent by cleaning up the kitchen, and the parent walks out into the sparkling clean kitchen and....merely nods. Doesn't say a word. Oh, it's a pleasant nod of acknowledgement, but we were expecting so much more than that!<br />
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Well, I'm that child. And I felt close to a throwing a tantrum yesterday. I was frustrated. Bewildered, a bit.<br />
How much more could I show God that I was trying to change and grow in Him? I felt dejected. Angry, really. I didn't want to be angry with God. It's not a good feeling.<b> Most people aren't even sure that you <i>can</i> be angry with God. </b><br />
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But every healthy relationship includes an honest sharing of emotions and feelings and thoughts, one to the other.Actually the healthiest of relationships have a "safe zone" where each person can share their feelings without fear. With "safe" people, we can afford to let our anger out. We can risk being vulnerable. We can say, "I feel so angry with you right now."<br />
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<b>Of course, there are healthy ways of expressing anger, and then there are dysfunctional, abusive ways of dealing with anger. Let's be clear on that.</b> Let your anger out--but don't shoot it out. Don't shoot it out like an arrow with a poisonous tip!<br />
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"BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger," Ephesians 4: 26 tells us.<br />
<i>Would somebody care to explain how that's done</i>, I always used to think the minute I'd read that verse. Because I don't know about you, but I don't know many people who know how to be angry and yet not sin. Getting angry, and not sinning, is like getting on and staying on a balancing beam that's a 1/4" wide-- would you know how to stay on perfectly and not fall off??<br />
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I really don't think, though, that God would tell us something that's impossible to do.<b> I wonder if we've misunderstood what the sin is, in anger, and what's acceptable, when angry.</b><br />
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Anger builds up the more we've felt slighted, frustrated, misused, ignored, hurt.....The point is, that Anger builds up. And maybe we shouldn't let it. Maybe we should learn to quickly acknowledge the first sign of it and admit it, right away. Of course some of us are more prone to getting angry at the first sign of anything, and some of us have to be prodded to express our feelings. You know which one you are.<br />
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<b>Here's the GOOD NEWS:</b> God is the very first person you can safely go to, when angry. In fact, He is the best one to go to when angry so that your anger doesn't grow volcanic and explosive and out of control.<b> </b>Because, you see, you can tell God what you're feeling and you can talk it out with Him. Even if HE is the One you feel angry with, tell Him what you're feeling.<br />
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<b>But here's a warning that you need to be aware of when you feel angry with Him: Don't curse God, or accuse God, when you're angry. </b>Just tell Him how the situation <i>looks</i> to you, how it <i>feels</i> to you--don't malign Him, though, and attribute evil motive to Him. Be very careful with what you indirectly are saying.<br />
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<b>That's what Job understood.</b> That's how Job prevailed through one of the worst trials a person can go through. Job experienced an unexpected series of losses, when he'd been living right with God, and he didn't understand why. In fact, Job had been going out of his way to show God that he respected His ways. He even made sacrifices to God on behalf of his partying children who apparently didn't worry about living right with God like their father, Job, did.<br />
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And when faced with unexpected, horrific tragedy that Job didn't see coming, he still refused to accuse God of evil motive. "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."(Job 1:22)<br />
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Oh, Job was hurting! He was frustrated and angry. He was in shock, almost, astounded at what God had apparently allowed, or caused, to happen to him. <b>You see he didn't know what God had in mind or why this had happened but he knew one thing, for sure: that though it <i>looked like</i> God was out to kill him, Job would still trust God's motive and plan for him.</b>(Job 13:15)<br />
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Can you do that? You can if you have really come to know God, know His heart, know what He was willing to do in order that you could be made right with Him. You see, if you truly understand that God loves you with a sacrificial love, a merciful love, a love that says "Come unto Me all ye that labor and I will give you rest," then you would never accuse God, or curse Him, or charge Him with wrong doing.<br />
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Instead, you would say,<br />
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"<i>God, I don't understand!"</i><br />
<i>"Lord, <b>it feels like </b>you're ignoring my prayers" </i><br />
<i>"God, <b>I feel</b> so angry!"</i><br />
<i>"Lord, it <b>looks like</b> You are not with me!</i>"<br />
and God would say, "I can see why you say that. Tell me more. Let's talk about it."<br />
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We will not always get a Birdseye view of what's going on, or why God is allowing something in our life. We will not always get a clear answer from Him, even after hours of tears and prayer and journaling and petitioning and sharing of our feelings. What will we get is the knowledge that He hears us--and cares. "I love the LORD because he hears my voice, my pleas for mercy," the psalmist writes. He bends down, and listens to us. He's willing to hear your heart. He wants to answer you. And He is... answering you.<br />
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Job kept his trust in the Lord, even though it <i>looked like </i>he had no reason to. It almost looked like God was out to get Job, that's how bad the situation was. Why trust someone who's out to hurt you? <i>Can</i> you trust someone who doesn't have your wholeness and well-being in mind? <i>Exactly.</i> <br />
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<b>You see, the reason why Job <i>did </i>trust God is that he leaned on something more than circumstantial evidence: he knew the <i>motive </i>of God's heart.</b> He knew the God of Covenantal Promise, the God who would send a Savior to earth that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. That's God's motive.That's His heart. That's why He's trustworthy. That, and so much more. He's the number One most Trustworthy Being I know.<br />
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<b>Now go back to your anger</b>. Wait, you're not feeling so angry and frustrated? Yeah, me neither. Do you now have a bit of quiet hope that your situation is not shrouded in retributive punishment--but in grace? Do you see, now, how God <i>desires</i> to turn your situation around, to turn your mourning into dancing? To turn your anger and frustration into chortles of delighted laughter at how big He is, how much He loves you, and how NOTHING will ever stop Him from being the God of the Universe, <i>your</i> Heavenly Father, the One who truly <i>cares...for <b>you</b></i>.<br />
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<br />LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-16279834664486061422012-04-16T13:04:00.004-04:002012-04-16T13:33:22.362-04:00The Real Thing<span style="font-weight: bold;">Peace to you all!</span><br /><br />I feel like a hippie from the sixties, when I say that. But they didn't have a monopoly on the concept of peace, nor a perfect understanding of it. I refuse to let it be an expression pertaining to only them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jesus said, "I am leaving you at peace. I am giving you my own peace. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I am not giving it to you as the world gives</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. So don't let your hearts be troubled, and don't be afraid."</span> (John 14:27)<br /><br />If you get a moment's peace from your kids' fighting and bickering, it might really be just a moment. If your marriage enjoys some peace, it might be because there have been no "issues" that have recently arisen. And if the world experiences a ceasefire in some region of some country, the fighting will cease for a season, but just for a season.<br /><br />There is no lasting peace <span style="font-style: italic;">in</span> this world. There is no lasting peace<span style="font-style: italic;"> created by</span> the world. There's only One person who not only holds continual peace for you, but who IS actual Peace, Himself. <span style="font-weight: bold;">But if you feel frustrated that you haven't tapped into His peace, remember: He doesn't give it the way the world gives it.</span><br /><br />If Jesus left you with peace, HE LEFT YOU WITH PEACE. Don't let anyone take it away from you. He gave you peace of heart and mind. It is flavored and imbued with His essence. Christ was never alarmed or fretful when He walked this earth. He <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> presented with many opportunities and reasons to be anxious or upset, but He did not give in to anxiety or agitation. So if He says He gave you peace, this is a quality Peace He has given you! This is an abiding powerful peace that you can rest upon and lean on and cling to and soak in!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's YOURS-- He gave it to you. And He hasn't changed His mind. </span>It's still yours. You see, the world and your kids and your daily problems will give you a moment's peace or a bit of peace now and then, but they can't give you lasting peace. They really can't even GIVE you peace, period, because they did not create the concept of peace nor are they able to hand you the actual substance of peace.<br /><br />HE IS OUR PEACE, the Bible tells us. If I want God's continual presence in my life, then I should also expect the manifestation of peace. I can walk in peace even in unsettling circumstances. I can lay hold of this peace with my mind set on receiving what has already been given to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I will not be anxious or troubled. Say that again. <span style="font-style: italic;">I will not fear. I will not be anxious or troubled.</span> I HAVE HIS PEACE.</span><br /><br />"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble," Psalm 119:165 tells us. What kind of peace have you been given? Great peace. Abundant peace. You're in good standing. You won't fall or stumble about. You are not orphaned or without resources. You are not in hot water! If you have Peace, you have the promise of His love, His favor.<br /><br />You've got the peace that passes understanding, which means that people won't be able to figure out why you're so relaxed, so expectant of good, so capable of not only making it through the day, but making it through the day like the day was made just for you.<br /><br />This is the day the Lord has made, and yes, we can be glad in it-- because we've got peace like a river. I know the source of the river. But as to where my peace goes, that remains to be seen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You see, I'm taking it with me, wherever I go.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-21927581949363544392012-04-11T08:12:00.005-04:002012-04-11T09:06:53.643-04:00Every Step I Take<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBq26w1aFrR_Yr46UsASBOpLEAeWDbRmfMmCeVSdOkBYZVl_UnmOwTb7P7eG8o4ewJUAsYwyfd8xqabV9u6wYimwDBykzMTST3t0VnXVNV3E8LJNnBFMrCOCqwuolpOqXLvGXSA/s1600/IMG_5122.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBq26w1aFrR_Yr46UsASBOpLEAeWDbRmfMmCeVSdOkBYZVl_UnmOwTb7P7eG8o4ewJUAsYwyfd8xqabV9u6wYimwDBykzMTST3t0VnXVNV3E8LJNnBFMrCOCqwuolpOqXLvGXSA/s320/IMG_5122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730128683364154018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">I thought I'd start out this post with some simple powerful truths that you need to know for today:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Today is already a very good day.</span><br /><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">You've got some choices to make today, but I know you will choose well; so I'll say "good job!" already.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You've got God's favor working on your behalf, even if you can't see it; so just know that you've got way more going for you, than against you.</span><br /><br />Lately I've been realizing that I know more than I think I do--but that isn't even the victory. It's not what you know that matters so much as what you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> with what you know. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:24 that successful, healthy people are those who put into practice the good things that they know. There's knowing something, and then there's<span style="font-style: italic;"> doing </span>something with what you know. <span style="font-weight: bold;">But take heart</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">you are doing this already</span>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> God has given you a head start...when he designed your brain.</span><br /><br />I've heard some people say that they've never gotten a lucky break. And I know some people who feel like God has failed them when they asked for His help. They didn't feel like they got specific direction from God. I've had times, myself, when I feel like God has let me loose in a fog and yet told me to follow Him. "Oh, this is just ducky," I've muttered to myself as I go bumbling about. There have been times when it didn't feel like my steps were at all ordered by God, much less directed by Him.<br /><br />But let me share with you something about how God is leading you right now (because He IS leading you). He designed you, designed your brain, to aid you in the actual taking of every step. He designed you so that you will not fall. He thought of the concept of equilibrium and balance. Even if you're in a wheelchair, God wants you to know you can stand in Him. Even if you're lying down, beseiged in exhaustion or grief, God wants you to know you can be upright in Him. He designed us that that we can take actual physical steps of progress-- and that's not even the beginning of tapping into His storehouse of wisdom and insight and revelation.<br /><br />Ruel Hinaloc writes in <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/the-brain-more-than-a-computer-464324.html">The Brain More Than a Computer</a> about how our brain helps us take steps of progress. "Although extremely fast, computers handle only one piece of information at a time, whereas the human nervous system processes millions of pieces of information simultaneously. For example, during a stroll in the springtime, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery, listen to the song of birds, and smell the flowers. All these pleasant sensations are transmitted simultaneously to your brain. At the same time, streams of information flow from the sense receptors in your limbs, informing your brain of the moment-to-moment position of each leg and the state of each muscle. Obstacles in the footpath ahead are noticed by your eyes. On the basis of all this information,<span style="font-style: italic;"> your brain ensures that each step is taken smoothly</span>." (italics mine)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If God cared enough to make a brain that ensures your steps will be smooth and steady, how much more will He give you the emotional and spiritual assistance to make those physical steps endued with power when they become steps of faith as well!</span><br /><br />You've got a lot going for you. You've got an incredible brain, designed by God, to aid you in taking steps forward. And then add to that ALL of heaven's resources at your disposal. Just trust God for that next step that seems so hard for you. It's not hard. It just <span style="font-style: italic;">seems</span> hard.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When you think of it, you were designed for progress</span>. You were designed for forward movement and you were designed to stay upright as you make progress.<br /><br />So, repeat after me:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It's a good day, already</span>. (Psalm 118:24)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I know how to choose wisely, and I will do so</span>. (Phil. 2:13)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is more going on for me than against me. </span>(Rom 8:31)<br /><br />There now. You've already made progress. Now take another step. And then another.<br /><br />I'll look for you at the next pit stop,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> further on down the road</span>.LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-65885044368891045682012-03-29T11:38:00.003-04:002012-04-03T09:11:34.927-04:00Book Review: Opening the Gates of Heaven<a href="http://g.christianbook.com/g/product/3/386535.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 180px;" src="http://g.christianbook.com/g/product/3/386535.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>(I'm pleased to now be doing Book Reviews for <a href="http://www.strangbookgroup.com/index.php/book-reviews">Charisma House</a>. So here is the first review!)<br /><br />I so wanted to <span style="font-style: italic;">immediately</span> LOVE this book, but I got bogged down with tedious, although Scriptural, multiple details within the first couple pages. <span style="font-weight: bold;">So much information!</span> The author, Perry Stone, writes on an important topic but supports almost every statement with some Biblical reference to the geography of Israel, the specifics of tabernacle sacrifices, geology specifics--and that's all in the first chapter!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Perry, Perry! I want to exclaim. Help us out here!</span> This is the reason why many people are frustrated in their prayer lives: they can't figure out what they're doing right from wrong because it all seems so hard, so much, so confusing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But there are many nuggets of gold in this<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?p=1142787&event=AFF&isbn=1616386533"> book</a>-- you just have to expect to do the hard work of a miner and dig for them</span>. I wouldn't try to read this book in one sitting, that's for sure! A page a day and you could have plenty to chew on and think about.<br /><br />And one minor detail: for some reason, there are so many references to what God did back then, back in 1982, "many years ago," sometime back in..., I recall when.... , that it seemed like answers to prayer happened, for him, long ago. It's just how it came across to me, initially; but as you read you discover, of course, that God is working NOW as well as then in his life, and God will give you history with Him as well as a future. <span style="font-weight: bold;">It was just a reminder to me, though, that we need to tell a </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">current</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> story of God's favor and deliverance and help.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My favorite chapter was Chapter 13</span>: it's motivating, encouraging, and specific. There are some concrete truths that he puts words to that are helpful, such as "Grace is unearned and is a free gift from God, but favor may be deserved or gained." Hmmm, tell me more, I think. He addresses questions such as "Why some (people) seem more 'highly favored' (than others)?"<br /><br />The last chapter is powerful: "Important Principles for Opening Heaven's Gates." And that's when you discover that, like getting through this book, walking in "the favor of answered prayer and blessing" is not walking, or tiptoeing, through the tulips. You want favor with God? You want your prayers to be answered? Don't give up after saying one prayer, after reading one chapter of a book on prayer. Persevere. Study God's Word. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Make the pursuit of God your aim, and the answered prayers will follow.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" class="BVRRReviewText" >Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Charisma House, a Strang Company, as part of their Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-77440619466527226562012-03-27T10:28:00.003-04:002012-03-27T11:20:17.569-04:00When You're Down...But Not OutYesterday I folded laundry, made a pot roast, worked on a chapter in the book I am writing. If anybody had been watching me do all this, they might have thought it was pretty insignificant, my day. Nobody would have been able to tell I was doing all this...by faith. Because the truth is, I felt like lying down, pulling the covers over my head and going to that murky place of dream land. Any dream I could have slipped into would have been better than the reality I was experiencing.<br /><br />I'm not going through any severe trial or catastrophic circumstance. What I am experiencing, though, is the doldrums, the spirit of heaviness. I feel exhausted but more than that I feel helpless, incapable. There are a number of reasons why I've lost confidence in my God-given abilities, but the point I want to make here is this: <span style="font-weight: bold;">sometimes people are acting on the last bit of energy, faith, and hope that they have. </span><br /><br />You see them doing a load of laundry, and really they are doing an incredible feat of accomplishment because they would rather just go to bed and forget everything. You see them walking their dog, but really they are taking step by step, in faith, because they are trying. Period.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We have no idea of what some people are experiencing because we don't always <span style="font-style: italic;">see </span>what they are feeling. </span>We see them as capable and talkative, and in reality, they are mustering their last bit of strength and faith just to talk to you.<br /><br />Yesterday there was a knock on my door. Harry went ballistic with his barking. I could barely hear the guy, when I opened the door, because I had Harry by the collar and was trying to restrain him. He's a sweet dog but don't mess with his territory or threaten his masters. This guy was no threat, but Harry didn't know that.<br /><br />"Would you like to see the seafood and meat we have for sale?" he asked me hopefully. I couldn't even hear the name of the company, but even if it had been legitimate and known for delicious food, I already had a freezer full of meat. And we're not much for seafood, except for in the summer time. So I told him no thank you, and I hope he heard the sincerity in my voice. He might not have because Harry had not ceased to growl and bark.<br /><br />He left and I went back downstairs to work on the laundry.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> But immediately I felt something in my spirit for this man- and it was compassion. </span>What a hard job he had, I thought. I wouldn't like to have to go door to door-- not in this day and age, not in this economy. But the operative words were "have to." He probably had no other choice. He probably had a family to feed. He probably had something better to do in previous years, but wound up with this job to do--because it was the only thing he could do.<br /><br />So I prayed for that man. Oh I prayed a thunderbolt of blessing to come and hit him. I prayed for a flood of encouragement and provision into his life. It was too late for me to go call him back to my house, and I really couldn't have bought much from him other than maybe a steak for that night. But it wasn't too late for me to reach him through prayer.<br /><br />Maybe it was good that I was feeling so low yesterday, so dispirited and discouraged. That allowed me to relate to someone else who literally had a hard road ahead of him. That caused me to pray for, and bless, that man. And believe me, we do have the power to bless, and not curse.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It is no small thing to ask God to bless someone. </span>God loves it when we pray for others and want others to have what we would want to have. So I wanted this man to be lifted up. I wanted this man to know hope and strength. I wanted this man to get a break and get a better way to make a living. I wanted his family to see him come home and say to them, "I don't know why- it was a crummy day in sales- but I feel encouraged. I feel hopeful." And then out of that encouragement, he may try to send out a resume again. He may try to start that business. He may decide to go back to school and get that degree that everybody told him he was too old to get. He just might decide that he can keep going.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friend, no matter how down you feel, God will send someone to encourage you or pray for you.</span> Be assured that He will not let you stay down when you feel down. He wants to lift you up. He wants to answer prayers that are spoken over you by someone else who saw you struggling to do things...by faith.<br /><br />In Judges 6, we read the account of an Angel greeting Gideon with an amazingly positive proclamation, "<span style="font-style: italic;">The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.</span>" Gideon did not <span style="font-style: italic;">feel </span>like a mighty warrior. He didn't even look like one. But the Angel is there to tell Gideon about the mission assigned to him of saving Israel from the Midianites. And here's the incredible thing the Angel says to him,"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Go in the strength you have</span>." The little that you have, use it. The bit of strength you have, fight with it. It might be more than you realize.<br /><br />Today, please know that if YOU are reading this, and you need encouragement, I care about your predicament. But more than that GOD CARES. He cares about salesmen out on the road, about stay at home moms who are exhausted, about teenagers overwhelmed with choices, about men who are out of work and out of hope as far as they can see. He cares about you doing the ordinary things that are taking seemingly extraordinary strength to do. HE sees you trying to take the next step of faith. <span style="font-weight: bold;">He sees you using the bit of strength you have-- and He wants to multiply that strength.</span><br /><br />So, go throughout your day, you mighty warrior!! There is more strength on its way to you. More blessing. More power. <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />There's just, simply...<span style="font-weight: bold;">MORE.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-13506667089653110052012-03-22T09:20:00.003-04:002012-03-22T10:14:17.696-04:00Spiritual Exhaustion<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6fhoe0Lr9LS3vrXvJJKRr7-SzzwsUDCcywzi9BtVzKwnZR0z788q4fT6vuhx-BWL-XpNeXWkfGGNaPxIVwlW-vzVlCZjXjqsccN3yrJmDfbpLx18TIwEa3nSQx12ezhKobZRFw/s1600/IMG_5435.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6fhoe0Lr9LS3vrXvJJKRr7-SzzwsUDCcywzi9BtVzKwnZR0z788q4fT6vuhx-BWL-XpNeXWkfGGNaPxIVwlW-vzVlCZjXjqsccN3yrJmDfbpLx18TIwEa3nSQx12ezhKobZRFw/s320/IMG_5435.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722711980104576338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">This post is for exhausted people only.</span> If you're pumped up about life and you've got everything figured out, enjoy your day and God speed. See you next post.<br /><br />Okay, if you're still here reading, it could be that you've had a hard week so far, or maybe a rough month, or maybe it's been a really long winter. You might feel beyond tired-- you're actually weary. You feel like a wet noodle,maybe. If you're floppy and you know it, say amen.<br /><br />But I've got some good news for you, friend. You can be weary and weak and just about out of steam. In fact you might have one last little prayer of "Help, God!" in you and you're about to utter it pleadingly- and even then you're not sure it will availeth much.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Can I tell you something about spiritual exhaustion?</span> It happens. It happens to the best and the brightest and the strongest and the most well-intentioned of us. The fact that it happens is not the thing I want to tell you. That's just what I want to establish as our base line truth. Here's what I want to tell you though: <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">spiritual exhaustion is not necessarily evidence that you've done anything wrong.</span> In fact you may have been doing many things right, lately. You've prayed up a storm. You've read your Bible faithfully. You helped someone and never bragged about it. You've tried to utter blessing and not cursing when you've been hurt or rejected. You've tried to do good and not cause pain. You've tried, period.<br /><br />Last summer, on vacation, my son tried and tried to skim board. Skim boarding is when you take a board and "skim" across the surface of the water-- but it's shallow water. You can't drown in it. You're just supposed to glide across it. Glide, I said. Not pound the surface. Not fight the current.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And now let's enter the "deep" end, here: you were not meant to always be pounding the surf, hitting against hard wave after wave. You were also meant for gliding. You were made for "easy" times too. </span><br /><br />Don't get offended about that word <span style="font-style: italic;">easy</span>. So many Christians do. I can hear all the pulpit pounders telling me that life is hard and the life of a disciple is harder and get ready to fight the good fight. And fight again. And fight to the end.<br /><br />Do that. Fight when you need to. Contend for things when it's a matter of faith verses sight. But don't forget to glide....when you can. When there's a wave of ease and opportunity, by all means, take it! When Christ offers a yoke that is "easy" and a burden that is light, He is talking about ceasing from trying so hard and accepting the suitable and comfortable yoke of obeying what He's asked you to do. And sometimes obedience requires such perseverance and denying of self. And sometimes God sends a wave of refreshment and He expects you to take it ...and glide. Step out into the Spring air and breathe deeply. Enjoy that late evening walk. Take the hand that is offered to you instead of saying, "Oh, no, I'm fine."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Psalm 46:10 tells us to "Be still and know that I am God...."</span> Stop all the strenuous exertion and get a revelation of how powerful He is and how weak and floppy you are. It's okay to be blown away by the contrast. One <a href="http://bible.cc/psalms/46-10.htm">commentary</a> on this verse digs deep into the meaning of "be still" and explains that it has to do with casting down or letting something fall. "<span class="titletext"></span>...to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue."<br /><br />I'm all about persisting in prayer, persevering in prayer. I believe in contending for the promises of God. I believe Scripture tells us, over and over, that we must be bold and strong and obedient and faithful. But it also tells us that when we are weak, HE is strong. When we are "relaxed" He is still powerful--and not at all offended by our taking a glide across the water and shouting "weeee!" as we go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stop striving to make things happen. Let God see you relaxed and expectant at the same time.</span> I can raise my hands to heaven and pray and I know this pleases God. But I can also let my hands hang down in exhaustion and marvel at the fact that God is never weary. I can honor Him even in my weakness; perhaps because when I know I am weak, I might just realize, in a greater way, how strong and powerful and capable God is. When I understand this, really understand this, that's my faith in God showing. I might even display more faith in God when I am going through a time where I'm weak and exhausted-- if I can admit He is not offended by my fatigue and I am not resistant to His offering of help and grace.<br /><br />Be still before Him. Let go. Let your hands flop down in fatigue if you have to. Rest easy in the knowledge that He's got a wave of refreshment coming to you. It's<span style="font-style: italic;"> for</span> you. It's yours for the taking. Glide on it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">There's more where that came from.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-66722692113086472122012-03-09T09:28:00.004-05:002012-03-09T11:18:25.594-05:00Caution!! Open Doors Ahead!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPpAMJy0SiKdzgxdlpP3vFOY6E9ofbublIWJ9R3IsGwWPUOdo63iEX6fmX3z519Utbx5_7s2aLiKODkybbnDdfJVm2yYBdrju2JOJTEJ6obZDGpuNNfdtTGFLf1uaDeULL51ZcQ/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPpAMJy0SiKdzgxdlpP3vFOY6E9ofbublIWJ9R3IsGwWPUOdo63iEX6fmX3z519Utbx5_7s2aLiKODkybbnDdfJVm2yYBdrju2JOJTEJ6obZDGpuNNfdtTGFLf1uaDeULL51ZcQ/s320/IMG_0101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717924250046983298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Safety Bill and I had just fallen asleep.</span> Well, I was about to enter that deep stage of sleep when little noises and nagging thoughts start to disappear and you give in to that wave of blessed slumber that should hopefully last for about eight hours. Mine lasted for about eight minutes-- because I woke to a strange whimpering, scratching sound. It didn't sound like our dog Harry because he either barks with conviction or cries pitifully (and theatrically, at times). This was more like a very panicked cry for help and the sound of struggle.<br /><br />"Did we leave Harry outside by mistake?" I whispered to Bill, elbowing him awake. If it was a robber in the living room I didn't want to advise him that we were awake.<br /><br />"No, I brought him in. He was with me downstairs just before I came to bed."<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oh. Now I knew what the noise was and where Harry was: he was between a rock and a hard place. </span><br /><br />My poor shaggy boy is now about ten years old and getting slightly arthritic and more than slightly unbalanced. He has fallen down the last couple of stairs a couple times and scared us and ourselves by his lack of ability to do things he used to so easily do.<br /><br />I ran to the door leading to our downstairs finished basement and carefully but quickly opened it. It was dark and there was the sound of his nails scrambling on the top painted step; and then he flopped into me. He could have fallen the other way, down the stairs.<br /><br />You see, he was at the top of the stairs, but the door was clsoed. It was dark. (Bill had left Harry asleep on the couch downstairs when he had come up to bed.) The stairs are slippery because they are a painted wood, with kind of a enameled coating. The stairs- each tread- are narrow. Harry is wide. And thus his predicament: he was waiting for us on the very top step, leaning against a closed door, his body half falling over the step and threatening to tumble down. He was in the dark. And what scared him the most, I think, was not that the door wouldn't open if he cried out or barked loudly, but that the door would suddenly open and he'd lose his balance and tumble down.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">You know where I'm going with this, don't you? Opened Doors are not all that they're made out to be. </span>You think you're waiting for an opportunity so you can get to something better, but if God opens the door suddenly, are you ready for it? And more than that, just the door opening itself can sometimes be a violent act, a scary sudden thing. Opened doors are not necessarily safe.<br /><br />Oh, I don't mean that God will ever lead you into unsafe, sinful territory. He won't ever, ever, tempt you to fall. God does not work that way. (When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone...James 1:13). But God will bring you into a promised land filled with giants. He will bring you to the edge of the Red Sea with a chasing army thundering behind you. He'll open doors alright, but then you'll find yourself with greater responsibility, greater opportunities to need a miracle. You'll find yourself between a rock and a hard place, or in Harry's case, between the top of the stairs and a closed door.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;">But I would rather perilously rest against a closed door that I want to open, than to stay at the bottom of the stair and just pitifully cry and whimper for God to do something in my life. You want God to move in your life? You want a long-awaited door to open for you? <span style="font-weight: bold;">REST AGAINST IT.</span><br /><br />Fall asleep praying about your problem. Let God find you with your hand to the plow- even if he finds you asleep. Be like the widow in Luke 18 who kept asking for justice and because of her persistence, received it. Let Him find you faithful in carrying out the tasks that you CAN do, such as actually climbing up the stairs. You<span style="font-style: italic;"> can</span> do that. Even if there's a closed door at the top of the stairs, at least climb up the stairs and position yourself, in faith, at that closed door. .<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You know, I'm pretty much an expert when it comes to closed doors. </span>(Some of these closed doors never opened or still haven't opened.) I would rather be an expert on opened doors, and I pray someday I'll get there, but for now, let me tell you what I experientially know about closed doors. There are different kinds of closed doors. The kind of closed doors I want to have in my life are closed doors that could have, might have, opened, given the right timing, the right situation. But I never want to have doors that are closed because I was asking for something wrong. I don't ever want God to look at me with that knowing look that says, "Lauren, really? You want me to open a door that is actually sinful to open?" May it never be that I ask God to open a door for me that is sinful or that leads to sin.<br /><br />But if we ask God to open doors that we KNOW are in His will- these are doors that lead to healing, that help others, that bless others, that use our God-given talents and gifts- then if these doors don't open, we know it's not because they're not in His general will. We know it's not because we asked wrongly. They're not against His will- they're just not in His specific will for that specific time and place. For some reason--God's reason.<br /><br />Think about Joseph (in the book of Genesis), in prison, waiting for release from that dark place. He's praying for God to open the door and get him out of there- because he never deserved to be there in the first place. But circumstantially speaking, God allowed his brothers to gang up on him and put him in a pit and then sell him off as a slave. God allowed the defamation of Joseph's character when Potiphar's wife falsely accused him of rape and he wound up in prison. He wound up without any resource for deliverance, unless God opened the door for his release. His only recourse was God sovereignly, powerfully and at the right time, getting him out of prison. And GOD DID.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You have to know with conviction, when you're leaning against a closed door, that it is right for you to press against it.</span> You have to know that you are, to the best of your conscience, asking for something good- not evil. And then once you know this, you have to entrust yourself and the door-opening to God's timing and providence. There will be some doors that don't open-- and not because you asked for something bad or sinful. And there will be<span style="font-style: italic;"> some</span> doors that<span style="font-style: italic;"> eventually</span> open, <span style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span> after years and years of waiting. Notice the "some" the "eventually", the "maybe." Because we only know in part, we only see in part.<br /><br />When I opened the door last night, I did it carefully and with the knowledge of what could happen. I knew Harry was leaning against the door and he was in a dangerous place-- he could fall and tumble down the stairs if I jerked the door open too quickly and he lost his balance. But it most certainly was my desire to open the door and let my poor sweet dog come up and be with us. Bill did not deliberately leave him downstairs in the dark as some kind of punishment. Harry, as sweet and not-very-bright as he is, hopefully knew that, even if he didn't know the particulars and how and why he came to find himself resting against the closed door.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to take care to consider the doors before me. </span>I can easily rule out some that I should never try to open. And then there'll be some that I<span style="font-style: italic;"> think</span> He might want to open. And then there'll be some that have not opened for a long time, but I'm still resting at the doorstep against the closed door. I'm not afraid to wait or rest there. I'm trying to stay ready to tumble forward if it suddenly opens. And most of all, if a "great and effective door" opens to me, I know it could be sudden and scarey and it could catapult me into unknown territory in which I will need Him more than ever--and will need Him to open more doors further down the road.<br /><br />But one thing I know <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span>: God's love is in front of every closed door and behind every closed door. <span style="font-weight: bold;">An opened door does NOT mean I get more love from Him. </span>I am loved, right now, where I am--opened door or not. My shaggy bear of a dog knows this truth. He was relieved when I opened the door and he flopped forward. Then he walked over to the living room couch, jumped up, made a little nest for himself with the cushions, and promptly fell asleep. His trial of waiting was over.<br /><br />I went back to bed thinking about the particulars of what just happened, envisioning myself wedged on that top slippery step, pressing up against the closed door. Maybe I identify with Harry too much! But he's such a trusting sweet dog. It was clear to him that the door would eventually open. Yours will too. And if it's not the door to your dream, if it's not the direct answer to your problem right now, there most certainly will be an open door to more grace for however long you find yourself having to wait at the top of the stairs, <span style="font-weight: bold;">resting at the closed door.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-34371131078429850032012-03-05T14:33:00.004-05:002012-03-05T15:28:28.482-05:00The Invisible Ceiling Above You<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFIsD1Vjb6xx5PxsG_gFX2oim_6axhwLZ-JK-wCGzIMfhSkoSDPF6SSJoi3h02Vwhyphenhyphen9uYd0-LppmcWrvFEhaXxk1cqyX2ybi6HtzU6DlxygZMjvEpANPR_FaRBziT9xcsAxDAuA/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFIsD1Vjb6xx5PxsG_gFX2oim_6axhwLZ-JK-wCGzIMfhSkoSDPF6SSJoi3h02Vwhyphenhyphen9uYd0-LppmcWrvFEhaXxk1cqyX2ybi6HtzU6DlxygZMjvEpANPR_FaRBziT9xcsAxDAuA/s320/IMG_0083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716498773634682402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">It all depends on your perspective- but there could be a ceiling of limitation above you, whether you see one there or not.</span> According to Wikipedia, "A <b>ceiling</b> <span title="Pronunciation in IPA" class="IPA"></span>is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper <span style="font-style: italic;">limit</span> of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface <span style="font-style: italic;"> concealing the underside of the floor</span> or roof structure above"(italics mine).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You may not see this ceiling but it could be there: it's the limitations that you, or others, put on you.</span> Try to break through that invisible ceiling and you'll see what I mean, because you'll sense resistance and pressure and limitation. Perhaps, in your family, no one has ever gone beyond a high school diploma. Or maybe you're facing a career change and it doesn't make sense to those who know you, but deep down inside, you're yearning to break through that barrier that says you don't deserve to be that fulfilled in a job. Maybe there's a ceiling on your finances or a blockage in your ability to do that one thing you know you need to do- and it's scaring you.<br /><br />Of course there may be some people who don't feel like they have any limitations on their lives and maybe some are exploding through their limitations even as I write this. But chances are, if you're reading this, you might have an invisible ceiling above you, and you're realizing it now.<br /><br />Let me help you get this negative covering off you. It's not really a structural element anyhow. It conceals things more than it supports things. We have dear friends who have entertained royally for months, maybe years, with a big gaping hole in their kitchen ceiling. We sip our coffee, standing underneath the exposed beams. We love their gutsy, loving hospitality that says they don't have to have a pristine perfect kitchen before they can invite people in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Take a deep breath and ask yourself what, exactly, is your ceiling made of?</span> What's blocking your view of God's resources, His available help? Why does it seem like problems are so big and God's promises, well, don't seem bigger? It's your ceiling. It's that limited faith: you want to believe, you try to believe, b ut you just can't believe big enough, sometimes.<br /><br />Jesus addressed the issue of our limited faith in Matthew 17: 20 and said, "<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you</span>.” He didn't say it won't <span style="font-style: italic;">seem </span>impossible, just that it <span style="font-style: italic;">won't</span> be impossible.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ah, you have seen your invisible ceiling when you address the word </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">seem</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> What things<span style="font-style: italic;"> seem</span> to be are, many times, imposing, impossible, impenetrable. When things seem overwhelming, you're hitting your head against that ceiling of limited faith or constricted faith. Yes, you can <span style="font-style: italic;">start</span> with a mustard seed of faith, but you won't get too far in your journey of doing great exploits if it only stays the size of that seed. Start with a mustard seed of faith, yes; but LET that mustard seed GROW, because when it does, the mustard seed explodes into a plant incredibly huge in proportion to its size at the beginning. I would venture to say that the mustard seed <span style="font-style: italic;">explodes </span>through its ceiling of limitations.<br /><br />And you know what's on the other side of the ceiling of man's limitation? Heaven's floor. Remember, the ceiling conceals the underside of the floor above you. If your mustard seed of faith is growing, you'll start to hit the ceiling of resistance and then go <span style="font-style: italic;">through</span>. You'll go from the constraints of this earthly life to the principles of the kingdom of heaven. You'll discover more and more that what things seem to be are inconsequential compared to the truth of what Jesus says they will <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> be: <span style="font-weight: bold;">they won't be impossible</span>.<br /><br />So speak to your ceiling. It's probably yellowed with age and cracked, anyhow. It's not serving a good purpose. And when you walk around with an invisible ceiling above you, you really can't see the forest for the trees. Or I should say, you can't see heaven above you. But if you pull down the rest of the crumbling plaster above you, pull down those strongholds of resistance to new things and resistance to new journeys, you'll see God's arms opened wide, and the smile on His face. <span style="font-weight: bold;">They've been there all along. </span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-43545782845976906552012-03-02T11:25:00.005-05:002012-03-02T13:26:32.112-05:00Loud and Clear<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UoJOhAjJ11Outzc6QT39R9ZMiGJx5j3xR-tqjE0zuHrxvi8aToeFYHABVFpX9T5IgZTqA5Nz3-refBHGo_cXYz3izpV8Xoq5ZCdaVYl5f-TqHPyoSV2Kj-DXFf2zrtjAn18M3Q/s1600/IMG-20110424-00103.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UoJOhAjJ11Outzc6QT39R9ZMiGJx5j3xR-tqjE0zuHrxvi8aToeFYHABVFpX9T5IgZTqA5Nz3-refBHGo_cXYz3izpV8Xoq5ZCdaVYl5f-TqHPyoSV2Kj-DXFf2zrtjAn18M3Q/s320/IMG-20110424-00103.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715338458848864114" border="0" /></a>Well my dear blog friends, for those of you faithfully dropping by here to see if I have gotten going on my intention to make things "loud and clear" here at FAITH FUEL, the answer is No, I am not yet at the point of broadcasting live or vlogging, but I haven't been silenced either. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sometimes when you're trying to break through into doing something new and you haven't completely succeeded, you can at least say you haven't stopped trying.</span><br /><br />And you know why I'm trying to make a change in how I get my messages to you? Because <span style="font-style: italic;">certain</span> people in my life are prodding me to do this and I have been resisting as though they were asking me to jump into a pool of alligators. I like writing down my thoughts and my struggles and my "lightbulb moments" of sudden illumination that I share with you all here; and I love speaking at Retreats and Conferences and Bible Studies. But to speak out into the blog world and try bringing you some words of encouragement in that manner- well, I would; I mean I'm not against doing that; but really, is that what I <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be doing? (Can you <span style="font-style: italic;">hear </span>the resistance?!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My husband, Safety Bill, has been telling me that Change is in the Air.</span> He says he can almost smell change coming, that it smells like something fresh and new. I don't smell anything. Well, other than Harry, who is in desperate need of a bath and total mowing- I mean, grooming. The only thing I sense is that I'm used to writing my thoughts and I'm used to posting them quietly. The only way you'd hear my posts is if you read them out loud. And now I've got a bit of prodding to change things, change the way I do things. Change the way I come across to you, how I come across to you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But the key thing is that we do cross over- from resistance to cooperation, from fear to faith, from old ways of doing things to new ways of doing things.</span> I don't even think you have to know exactly what you are doing when you start to make concrete changes in your life. Nobody would make changes if they waited till they were exactly sure of what they were doing!<br /><br />I'm never exactly sure of what I'm doing- it's more like I'm sure of <span style="font-style: italic;">what</span>- or Who- is motivating me to make the changes that I will eventually not be sure of. Does that make sense? I'm sure that God is behind the prodding for these changes. And actually, I'm sure God is behind not so much the changes themselves, but the <span style="font-style: italic;">willingness</span> I need to have to make these adjustments and turning points.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">God looks for bendable people.</span> Flexible, bendable people are <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> willy nilly in their convictions- they're just open to <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> their convictions will be carried out. They know that when all is said and done, things just might look completely different than when they first started out on their new journey to Change.<br /><br />Maybe you feel impressed to take a certain path, pursue a certain job, and you're just about to reach out and lay hold of it when- poof- it almost seems to evaporate. The offer is withdrawn; someone else gets the job. Maybe a serious relationship that you thought for sure was going to lead to a proposal of Happily Ever After is now a relationship crumbling into the dust. Maybe the Answer that you fasted and prayed for is now turning out to not exactly be the answer you were looking for. But, hold on! Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold;">Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. <span style="font-style: italic;">Now I know in part</span>; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span> (1 Cor. 13:12) Sometimes we only get <span style="font-style: italic;">part</span> of the picture; sometimes we get a partial revelation of what God is doing but then we add to that partial <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> idea of what's happening. We need to get used to saying "I only know in part, but I can fully obey God." God is after our willingness to pursue Him and His will in all things. He knows we only see in part, but He's got the full picture. He will lead, and keep leading you, into the fullness of His will and His abundance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stumble about, if you have to- but at least stumble forward</span>. Stumble into change. Thrash and flail about it, but do it anyway. That's what I'm doing. My techno-son is helping me make this transition with changes coming to my blog and website. My husband is prodding me. My friend Scott who has a ministry going through changes is encouraging me to get going. And most of all, God is calling me to enter into the Transition Time with gusto and excitement for the new things He has ahead. I don't really know what the changes I make now will lead to in the future. But I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> know that my <span style="font-style: italic;">willingness</span> to change- to move with God- will definitely keep me hearing Him calling me onward- and I will hear Him <span style="font-weight: bold;">loud and clear.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-43314786830583185672012-01-25T15:55:00.006-05:002012-01-30T11:43:31.016-05:00NEED a SPEAKER for an Event?I have taken a break from posting here at FAITH FUEL in order to pursue other possibilities of communicating the Good News to my friends far and wide. (<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Hint, hint</span>- how about <span style="font-style: italic;">hearing</span> my posts and not just reading my words?I'm looking into doing Video-blogging or what you call vlogging). While I am transitioning to new avenues of communicating with you all, please know that I am available to speak at Women's Events, Retreats, and Conferences.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please see my Speaking site for more information</span>:<br /><br /><a href="http://laurencaldwell.wordpress.com/">http://laurencaldwell.wordpress.com/</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />God bless you all richly!</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-86633310031894234732011-05-29T18:19:00.005-04:002012-01-30T11:16:50.055-05:00Just Down the Road<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGEeES3KgfIOael3F6jb3NaAsiP4ElsmcxT_WP3rPOGrmmrtpBHMdAVr2I0LuQoYugHgaYIpxZQmdasoGasa0UzhIXZGe9kashg_WFJWwfV4kzphwi5BwUhAxzXlWDj1dTCQ9Cg/s1600/IMG_5095.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGEeES3KgfIOael3F6jb3NaAsiP4ElsmcxT_WP3rPOGrmmrtpBHMdAVr2I0LuQoYugHgaYIpxZQmdasoGasa0UzhIXZGe9kashg_WFJWwfV4kzphwi5BwUhAxzXlWDj1dTCQ9Cg/s320/IMG_5095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612266635558653298" border="0" /></a>My posting has been less frequent--and let's face it: It appears I'm winding down, closing up shop, moving onward, and heading down the road to the point that I'll soon be out of sight. And probably out of mind. Out of your mind, hopefully--not mine!<br /><br />Maybe it's just a summer sabbatical I need or maybe I need a complete overhaul of my life. But in any case, I think a break from writing will be good for me. I think I need to try some new things and contemplate some new ideas and simmer them deep within me before I share them out loud or on paper or on this blog.<br /><br />So you might not hear from me for a while. <span style="font-weight: bold;">You can always read some of my old posts on topics that interest you</span>. (see Topics listed on the sidebar). Or you can step out on the road, like me, and venture down the road, beyond familiar territory, and explore the unknown and wander into some unexpected blessing or an unexpected place of peace or ministry. The world is waiting for your unique touch. God has meaningful and surprising work for you to do.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You'll discover it....as you go.<br /><br /><br /></span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-52682404585209213442011-05-01T17:29:00.004-04:002011-05-01T17:48:54.977-04:00The No and the Nod of God<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAwKD8PY2SK5RO2I58TijSbuBkPzVoHGjZdF2pFGLCIrfbtFnR5PKFhNw9ZegzkzXhIIReB9iEX9JVc47SVRTx3ldFeems5PBk1MTUb4a1M0_W8QX_yFkPcAkJXhRZptBrtrc1w/s1600/IMG_5111.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAwKD8PY2SK5RO2I58TijSbuBkPzVoHGjZdF2pFGLCIrfbtFnR5PKFhNw9ZegzkzXhIIReB9iEX9JVc47SVRTx3ldFeems5PBk1MTUb4a1M0_W8QX_yFkPcAkJXhRZptBrtrc1w/s320/IMG_5111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601867664961789714" border="0" /></a>I haven't been posting as much, lately--I know. But I've been having a sort of mini revival--all thanks to recently discovering anew that God's No is not the same as God's frown. I suddenly feel so loved and protected, in spite of all the No's I've had.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">God's No is not such a bad thing, I've been discovering.</span> But No is not a word we normally enjoy or appreciate.<br /><br />Think of it: when you were a child and you reached out for something and heard a severe "No!" it was probably not an enjoyable experience. There might have been a No to dessert, a No to getting a toy, a No to going to a party. We remember the No's. And yes, of course, your parents (hopefully) said No to protect you: No to touching hot stoves, No to walking alone at Night, No to staying past curfew, etc etc. But still, a No is not a word we heartily embrace.<br /><br />The word "No" has gotten a bad rep. And lately I've been discovering that when God says No, He might just be saying "I love you too much to let you go through that door....at least right now." Sometimes No is "Not yet" and sometimes God's No is a resounding Alarm not too unlike the clanging fire alarm that goes off because a call comes into the local fire station that some bo-bo has set their kitchen on fire because they had their dish towel too close to the stove (I have never done that, but I have set my hair on fire when I leaned too close to the candle, once. But no fire truck was needed, thank you).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When God says No it could often mean an indirect Yes to something else--something you don't YET have in mind, but God does.</span> God always has your Best in mind when He answers you. Because He knows the plans He has for you (Jer. 29:11).<br /><br />Lately I've had a renewed enthusiasm in coming to God in prayer and discovering that I really don't care whether he says No or nods Yes--I just care that He cares, that He bends down to listen to me...and that His Answer is always perfect, always in my best interest. Sometimes it takes me awhile to figure out His answer.<br /><br />But one thing I know for sure: I'm begining to appreciate and love the No and the Nod of God...because I know that He <span style="font-weight: bold;">loves</span> me.LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-15471436178445185802011-04-23T08:51:00.002-04:002011-04-23T08:57:58.124-04:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-wXtoTKhdf0KFyTL4GPnhD7Zu1xJSsGpfeOJYUalbQFOguY72TpC8z2vwW1dd5fHBR9EcifLVsyYtpWNVrpRI3VENSdr-BG4iyck9BY3bMgtMKrxVdR3EN9es-2pKYN82AxTuw/s1600/IMG_5093.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-wXtoTKhdf0KFyTL4GPnhD7Zu1xJSsGpfeOJYUalbQFOguY72TpC8z2vwW1dd5fHBR9EcifLVsyYtpWNVrpRI3VENSdr-BG4iyck9BY3bMgtMKrxVdR3EN9es-2pKYN82AxTuw/s320/IMG_5093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598761062778519986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Have a Blessed Celebration of Resurrection Sunday!</span><br /><br />May you live the life of an overcomer because of the One who overcame death.<br /></div>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-14029703596748960042011-04-14T08:25:00.004-04:002011-04-14T09:18:08.367-04:00Above It All<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglESbaRkWoO1rVYogx-0MJU21NYcAUNaGdYXVCMtwyZAcF80NBhOxcu2S7Qw4Nrhc-_lJxXSCcq6zdE-sAl9LqGD2Iqrp3Dwz3MMHEcH0EDNoxs8BMb97xebuGPFtN3L7yke6VnA/s1600/IMG_5108.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglESbaRkWoO1rVYogx-0MJU21NYcAUNaGdYXVCMtwyZAcF80NBhOxcu2S7Qw4Nrhc-_lJxXSCcq6zdE-sAl9LqGD2Iqrp3Dwz3MMHEcH0EDNoxs8BMb97xebuGPFtN3L7yke6VnA/s320/IMG_5108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595414663803969586" border="0" /></a>I just launched a missile...I mean, wrote a lengthy missive to my 21 year old son, just now. It was one of those letters where you're trying to get things off your chest, so to speak, and trying to communicate love and acceptance at the same time. I felt like I was going through this hole in the rock, and didn't know how I was going to come out or come across.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I've been operating, lately, out of the dregs of my post-winter reserves.</span> Which is to say, I've got about a quarter ounce of grace left. It's time for a big gulp of joy and some rolling-on-the-floor laughter which would rekindle my sense of humor, my sense of perspective.<br /><br />I feel like there's going to be the clash of the titans, what with my son coming home for the summer. He's like a tornado of creativity and joy--but a tornado, no less. There'll be a lot of flying debris, a lot of stormy discussions, much laughter, a lot of pizza making, and probably some exclamations of exasperation on my part. The four of us are all adults (well, my daughter is 16--but 16 going on 26 as far as maturity) with well-formed opinions and personalities and preferences. Harry, our dog, is the only amenable one of the bunch. He will acclimate to every situation. He is the one with grace.<br /><br />I don't know when I felt my reserves running dry. Obviously Old Man Winter took the majority of my joie-de-vivre. But it's also due to the fact that my son will be graduating from college in a little over a year, and my daughter is working a summer job and talking about college choices and ready to go off to college in two years.<br /><br />And here's the thing about raising children: you never see when they become adults. Oh, technically they become adults when they turn 18 and then especially at 21. But there are so many times along the way that you have to intervene and coach them through things. And there is no clear end to when you'll feel relieved enough, or settled enough, about them and the decisions they are making and the experiences they are going through.<br /><br />Safety Bill and I were sitting on the couch one morning last week and I had my feet in his lap and he had his coffee mug in hand and we both had our kids on our mind. We were talking about our daughter --who rarely makes us worry about anything major. But of course we're always concerned about her emotional state, her spiritual journey, her physical health, her academic choices. And then just when we had finished discussing one particular little issue in her life, it occurred to us that every choice in her life would then affect us. It wouldn't stop at college or marriage or career. We'd never be done parenting-- or with the concern, I should say, that parents feel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don't know how God does it: how does He handle the weight of the world, the numerous requests coming to him night and day, day and night?</span> I would be so weary. I AM weary, right now, just thinking about it. I'm weary and....relieved-- that He is NOT weary.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom</span>."Is 40:28<br /><br />Maybe contemplating that mystery alone--that God does not ever grow tired or overwhelmed-- will help renew my strength. Because my strength is in Him. My ability to go the distance, whether its in parenting or any other task or responsibility, can be tied into His ability to not grow weary-ever. He's fresh on the scene of our life, night and day. He refreshes weary parents. And weary wanderers.<br /><br />I poured my heart out, in that letter to my son; telling him things I wanted him to know, reminding him of things I didn't want him to ever forget: things like I love him, like I believe in his ability to persevere and succeed, and that therefore I'm looking forward to what he's going to choose. I challenged him but I also reminded myself of some things as well. He's at a cross-roads of choices. But really, so am I, the biggest one being that every day I've got to choose to renew my strength or pay the price of running on empty.<br /><br />But if I do remember to renew my strength in Him, this will refresh my perspective, which will give me a second wind. Sure, I'll also get pushed out further and further into the mainstream of life where the challenge of complex choices might tax me some. I'll get weary, often. But God never will-- and He's sustaining me. So, I know that there will also be those times where, once in a while, I'll get to soar on eagles' wings, <span style="font-weight: bold;">above it all. </span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-60610287821563891422011-04-07T14:05:00.002-04:002011-04-07T14:24:56.856-04:00Happy New Day to You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/101676854_ss.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 470px; height: 702px;" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/101676854_ss.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I'd like to say this is a picture of an elegant birthday party that I threw for my husband this week. But the photo is from <a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/food_entertaining/entertaining/birthday-celebration-recipes_ss3.html">Traditional Home</a>- not from my home, mainly because I didn't take any photos when we celebrated Safety Bill's Birthday. We forgot to do that. Or actually, I guess we just didn't plan on taking photos.<br /><br />What we did have was a nice simple birthday dinner for him and there was chocolate cake for dessert. No candles. Come to think of it, we didn't even sing happy birthday to him. It was just my daughter, Safety Bill, and I celebrating his big day. Our son is still away at college. Harry was under the table hoping for scraps of steak.<br /><br />So yeah, there wasn't a lot of hoopla or singing or decorating. But there was peace. And I gave him lots of kisses. And our daughter made him a little card. And Harry curled up on his lap later, like he was a fluffy cat instead of an old dog.<br /><br />I love the fact that both Safety Bill and I have come a long way when it comes to Expectations. Life is simpler and more peaceful when your expectations are realistic. This was a mid-week birthday. Safety Bill was tired from the hard work on the job site. I wasn't feeling all that peppy myself. It's been a long winter. So we three centered in on the one good thing we could expect: being together, at the table, eating a meal, relishing the peace.<br /><br />I may go all out for his birthday next year. It all depends on where we're at. But for now, each new day we get to be together is a celebration. I treasure the little things now, more than ever; things like peace, laughter, a good long talk in the morning as the sun rises, hot coffee, Harry at our feet, our daughter singing in her room, our son texting us that he did well on an exam, a cup of hot tea at night, a soft pillow, my husband's hand in mine. Sometimes I celebrate big and loudly and sometimes I enjoy the quiet celebration of another birthday, a small victory (like finally folding three baskets of laundry) and the possibilities of another new day.LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-67065283578484552562011-03-30T08:20:00.002-04:002011-03-30T09:26:09.902-04:00Higher Ground<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYRnHk8_P4xONLeCybchz_xPkKRuYKDJ7iZ_0hDN_LwQPXzHgpSNjBw1QDSBXFyPKbZPYnTff1qNxnOvU4Oo_6jhtQh69-zHGzxFR8XkqxGIe1YB68RuD-rbTyKQvShmn7u4fLQ/s1600/P1130924.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYRnHk8_P4xONLeCybchz_xPkKRuYKDJ7iZ_0hDN_LwQPXzHgpSNjBw1QDSBXFyPKbZPYnTff1qNxnOvU4Oo_6jhtQh69-zHGzxFR8XkqxGIe1YB68RuD-rbTyKQvShmn7u4fLQ/s320/P1130924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589847008853735346" border="0" /></a>I had one of those light bulb moments this morning; you know, your brain is foggy, you're dutifully eating your pasty but good-for-you oatmeal, and you're looking at a Scripture verse for minutes on end while your mind is somewhere else, and then....Blink! The light is turned on.<br /><br />First, though, there was coffee and a bit of "discussion" with Safety Bill this morning. I like to say we discuss things, but anyone listening in might say "That sounds more like arguing." But that's only because when I "discuss" things, I tend to get a little vehement, a little heated, and Safety Bill gets more quiet and goes on high alert--like he's thinking that the boiler pressure relief valve might let go. His thinking is Safety first. Mine is Make Way for Truth. We try to meet in the middle.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But there's no middle ground when God is pruning you.</span> That's what I've been thinking about lately. John 15:2 alludes to some kind of "pruning" that God does in our life--like you're an apple tree and God is going to lop off a few branches. NOT! If that were the case, you would <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> what was going on when God was pruning you. It's easy to see the branches come off--if that were pruning.<br /><br />But the Greek <a href="http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/2508.htm">word</a> here has to do with God purging your life. It's more of a vicious cleansing than a lopping off. He takes what is mixed-up in your life and un-mixes it. He removes things. He peels things away. And I'm convinced that when God is pruning, you feel more of a panic and dismay than a non-chalant attitude of "Oh, that's just God pruning me."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don't think we have to go around pretending that we like being pruned.</span> When we're going through a confusing, botched up situation and things are falling apart in our life, and we feel a little uncertain about what the heck is going on, and someone asks you how you're doing, we don't need to give some spiel about how wonderful it is to walk with God and be pruned. It's better to say, "I feel like I'm in a storm. I'm a bit confused as to what God is doing in my life right now. It's all a b it murky right now." <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />But hold on for the light bulb moment! Because at some point down the road, it WILL come on. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the PURE in heart, for they will see God." And in this case, the word PURE has the same Greek root word meaning as PRUNED: you're PURE because God has purged you, He's made you clean in your motives, He's removed undesirable elements from your life. And if you've ever prayed to see God more clearly, He'll take you up on that prayer. He'll shake up your staid life, purge things from it, remove the impure motives, and make you look like a mess all the while it's happening. (Ask Job.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But hang in there, friend. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> Because blessed are the pure (and pruned and radically purged)--they're going to see God. When God has messed up your organized life a little, and torn apart your nest, and re-arranged relationships and purged addictions from your life, get ready for some major light-bulb moments. You're about to see things in a whole new light. You're about to see God. And when you do, you'll be glad that when you were <span style="font-style: italic;">this close</span> to giving up, you didn't. Because like Job, though He slay you and purge you, yet you trust Him<span style="font-weight: bold;">... to see you through.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-25774906181822599732011-03-23T13:11:00.005-04:002011-03-23T14:18:01.692-04:00Between Two WorldsI've just spent the last hour trying to clean out my email inbox. (I'm still getting these warnings that the mailbox is precariously full, though.) This is more a statement about my inability to make quick decisions about what is necessary and what is superfluous in life, than it is a question of pressing the delete button over and over. These are the things that weigh us down in life--I'm convinced of that. When your garbage cans and email inboxes are overflowing, it means things have caught up with you.<br /><br />I've got more than spring cleaning on my mind, lately. It seems like it's time for me to do a little soul searching too; or maybe you would call it a re-balancing, like the way they re-balance the tires on your car so that uneven weight distribution doesn't cause noticeable vibrations.<br /><br />I've spent a bit of time over the last week reviewing some news stories and videos about the Japanese people and their state of emergency after the earthquake and tsunami. They are not dealing with petty things like cleaning out email inboxes. They are dealing with issues of survival. They are trying to find someplace solid on which to stand. They're looking for lost loved ones and dealing with a death toll that some say is hovering near 22,000.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">What can I learn from the Japanese? They are going through hell right now. They are learning to cope, to endure, to overcome. Everything is critical in their life right now.</span><br /><br />I do not face these same challenges. But I'm called to the same actions of persevering, enduring, overcoming. In light of their overwhelming pain right now, the light bulb has gone on in my brain: it's called Perspective. I see things differently. I realize that I have some challenges in life, but I am not challenged to the point of death and despair. I realize that there are things I don't want to do in life, but I am not dealing with the daunting undesirable task of searching through dead bodies so that I can identify a loved one. I'm not in a season of crisis. I'm not, in any way, at the end of my rope, so to speak.<br /><br />So on behalf of those who are in crisis, I contribute to the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/">Red Cross</a> relief efforts through my local grocery store. But more than that, I pray--for divine help, miraculous strength, a way...where there seems to be no way. And then I also set my mind about how I will deal with the challenges in my life. I want to have the right attitude, the right undercurrent of thought about every big and small problem: <span style="font-style: italic;">this is just an obstacle, a minor issue, a relational blip, a financial challenge; and I can deal with this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">It's not a feeling of guilt that teaches me this perspective. And it's not so much relief either--relief that I'm not living through the aftermath of catastrophe-- but it's the understanding that in between those two opposing worlds of guilt and relief is the healthy balance of an appreciation for Life, sweet and full, messy and frustrating, challenging and precious.</span><br /><br />I think our Japanese friends would tell us this, that when all is said and done, a hand in yours, an embrace of comfort, an understanding look, a listening ear--these are the things we <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>cherish, no matter what season of life we're in. This is what Life is--the flow and the undertow, the crisis and the calm after the storm, and everything else in between that makes us look up for help and then reach out for those around us.... <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">gratefully</span>.LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-74512072081444164462011-03-17T09:32:00.004-04:002011-03-17T10:47:56.644-04:00Book Review: Skipping a Beat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cover-skipping-a-beat175px.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 272px;" src="http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cover-skipping-a-beat175px.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Speaking of timing, here's a book that explores what happens when someone suddenly wakes up to the truth of how fleeting this life's journey is. As we empathize with the Japanese people in the aftermath of catastrophe, we certainly have a higher sense of the brevity of life, the preciousness of time with loved ones, and the question of what <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> matters in this life.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/">Sarah Pekkanen</a> explores some of these questions in her latest novel, <a href="http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/the-books/skipping-a-beat">Skipping a Beat</a>. I eagerly began reading the book and was hooked right from the beginning. The story centers in a prosperous thirty-smething aged couple who has it all--after having had little as children-- and what happens when the main character, Julia Dunhill, finds that after a cardiac arrest, her husband, Michael has come back to life, but not exactly in the same frame of mind as before.<br /><br />This is a beautiful story. I probably related more to Michael than to Julia at times, throughout the story, but there was ample backstory and exploration of character nuances to get anybody tied in to the unfolding of the story and the ultimate outcome. Some reviewers have discussed the ending as surprising, but I wasn't surprised by the resolution of the story. The only thing I couldn't relate to at all had to do with what you call the theology of Michael's experience and his viewpoint of the afterlife.<br /><br />But this novel certainly explores some of the more impacting experiences of life. It's no picnic in a fairytale world, but a thoughtful look at a marriage in trouble, a man with a new outlook on life, and a woman who has never forgotten her past. Sarah Pekkanen's SKIPPING A BEAT is aptly named. More than that, it's a moving story; a treasure chest of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">reality and hope</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Disclosure of Material Connection: I receive books free from publishers. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255</span></span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-48614230129629517232011-03-08T10:50:00.003-05:002011-03-08T11:34:56.052-05:00Have You Got the Time?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="data:image/jpg;base64,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"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 68px; height: 94px;" src="data:image/jpg;base64,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" alt="" border="0" /></a>My timing has been a bit off here at Faith Fuel--I've been writing sporadically and posting from time to time but not with any degree of regularity. Getting the timing right on something is always a bit of a challenge, isn't it?<br /><br />I love how the Psalmist writes, "<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">My times are in your hands</span>" (Psalm 31:15). He's referring to the seasons of opportunity and the timing of certain events being directly in God's powerful hands. It's a good thing that divine timing is not left up to me, I can't even get human timing right!<br /><br />The thing is, if our seasons and windows of opportunity are in God's hands, then chances are (timing, again) that we're going to be in the dark about things until they're made clear. And most people who are "in the dark" feel somewhat afraid, a bit tenuous about their sense of security.<br /><br />For example, I'm in the dark as to when I'll hear from my college-aged son, what exactly he is doing down south, what he is up to. I'll get a text message from him from time to time, but I basically don't know what he is doing, if he's getting to classes, sleeping at all, or remembering that college is about getting an education and not about having an extended vacation. He's a creative, wild type, my son; prone to taking a hair-raising adventure like Mr. Toad in the Wind in the Willows. It's best if I am kept in the dark about what he's up to because my heart rate might accelerate out of control if I know all the things going on in his life.<br /><br />But maybe there's a correlation with how God works as well: I don't think I could handle knowing everything that is coming my way, or what "adventure" God is lining up for me to experience next. I thought I wanted to know more about what God is doing in the dark so that I can take a more definitive stance to what I am doing in the light. But God does not play fair--mainly because He doesn't play with our lives and He has a different standard for what fair is.<br /><br />If I cast my bread upon the waters, as it says in Ecclesiastes, I may have to wait days, weeks, months, years before I see what happens. A better way to understand this verse and see that it doesn't have to do with soggy bread but Timing, instead, is to read the verse in the New Living Translation: "<span style="font-style: italic;">Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you</span>." So you're really casting your ships on the water, over tumultuous seas, where they sail out until you can't see them anymore. They've disappeared into the horizon. You don't know when they'll return, and if they'll return full or empty.<br /><br />My Dad didn't want me to major in English, back when I was in College, because he couldn't see that there would be a very good return for me career-wise. Where do English majors wind up? In various and sundry places, I can tell you that from experience. I completely understand, now, why he wanted to guide me into calmer waters where smooth sailing--at least career-wise--was a bit more possible.<br /><br />There have been a number of ventures and adventures that I've taken over the years and when I look back, I can see where I would have taken a different turn or where I would have changed course, depending on what I saw coming my way, at <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>time. But all my seasons of life are woven together, working together for good; they're held in God's hands and He has promised to make sense of them all.<br /><br />And after recently having a pivotal birthday, I'm obviously wondering if I've got the time, still, to make my life count, make my mistakes count even. Mistakes go hand in hand with risk. And risk is an ingredient in Faith. And without Faith, it's impossible to please God, says Hebrews; because God is looking for people who send out their ships on the waters and release them to the wind and to the chance of storms and danger. There's a chance an endeavor you've gotten involved in may start to go south. There's a chance that you can't quite reach that goal that you've set for yourself. But there's one thing I'm sure of: you've got the time, still, to reach out and go for the impossible. It's still the opportune season for taking a faith adventure because it is always God's will to press onward, press toward Him, and reach for something that would take His power, in you and on you, to do.<br /><br />Don't stand too long looking at your ship sailing into the purple strirated horizon and wondering how long it will take till you see a return. It's probably a better usage of our twenty-four hour time to pour ourselves into the work at hand and leave the timing of it all, the outcome of it all, in God's hands where mysteries lay concealed... <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold;">until the opportune time.</span>LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19748807.post-31462761644490047772011-03-01T08:44:00.005-05:002011-03-01T09:40:30.961-05:00O Happy Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLHzhqck1eQ4uofGAQ0SXzzrE9enXb-JoG0FFPZqCEd55XtRuZeS4FQ4aOWEkGBJe_67eANLjAZLVyCruH1RB4ZMdmNxnkwE1TS7NbXOmQRl3ITJxC4icJh8Cu0HdQq_fXO1A9w/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLHzhqck1eQ4uofGAQ0SXzzrE9enXb-JoG0FFPZqCEd55XtRuZeS4FQ4aOWEkGBJe_67eANLjAZLVyCruH1RB4ZMdmNxnkwE1TS7NbXOmQRl3ITJxC4icJh8Cu0HdQq_fXO1A9w/s200/IMG_0101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579121369790795874" border="0" /></a>Harry's fan club is growing, mainly because as he ages, his adorableness does not seem to wane. I, on the other hand, experienced a rather traumatic event in February that has to do with the accounting of time in a chronological manner. Yes, the dreaded birthday. I really was having a hard time with this one in particular and wasn't even going to write about it. I was going to try to pretend that it hadn't occurred.<br /><br />But that's cowardly. We don't "do" cowardly here at Faith Fuel. So let me share what went on in my head and heart over the last week and a half. I tried to be plucky about this new decade and age category I was entering. I tried not to be so shallow that getting a year older should upset me so.<br /><br />But it really wasn't the birthday that was getting to me. It was the fact that a year had passed and I had not accomplished anything significant--at least in my mind. Which is the place where age matters, really--it's all in your mind. That's where a lot of our problems are as well, or the magnification of our problems, I should say. In our mind's eye, everything looms large and threatening when it might just be a whisper of a problem.<br /><br />I was not happy on February 21st, the day of my birthday. I went to bed that night and felt listless, defeated, deflated. I woke up the next day and things were still gray: the skies, my mood, my outlook. I think God had had enough of my pity party because that afternoon as I was driving around doing errands, I felt that whisper of tender inquiry, "What's really bothering you, Lauren?"<br /><br />So I told God, "It's that I don't <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> like I'm 50. I feel like I'm 41 or 42. I wish I could still be in my forties. That would just feel like I have more time to, you know, 'get there.' "<br /><br />I felt like God was in a forbearing mood when He countered with, "So then, do you want to turn back time and go back seven or eight years. That would mean your son is back in middle school, having that rough year, and you would be without the church family that you're connected with right now."<br /><br />"Oh, no, I don't want to go back to that season of my life" I thought. "How about 45 then? I'd like to at least be in my forties."<br /><br />"Well then you'd be experiencing that delightful transitional stage with your son. Remember that period of time where there was a lot of yelling and asserting of independence and storming around the house and slamming of doors- and it wasn't just him doing all that??" God reminded me.<br /><br />I flushed with embarrassment. This was not going well. I saw where God was going with this. I saw that to survive somewhat-trying seasons, you had to pay the price of time. You gave up minutes, hours, days, months of your life. But you also got the reward of having gotten THROUGH that time. And once you get through a difficult time, why would you want to go through it again?<br /><br />I felt a sudden wave of deep appreciation for where I was in life, at that very moment, at that very age I was. It's not really your age that defines you anyhow--though society wouldn't exactly agree with that.<br /><br />I think of Abraham in the Bible. "<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.</span>"(Genesis 25:8) This is the man we affectionately and respectfully refer to as Father Abraham. You don't get to be a father unless you pay the price of years spent. You don't get to be a grandparent unless you are "full of years."<br /><br />I want to get to the point where I can view advancing age, old age, as something that is GOOD, something that is a Reward. After all, ask anyone battling a life-threatening disease if they are worried about getting a year older. They want to get to the point where the possibility of living to "a good old age" is a reality.<br /><br />And so, on behalf of them, and on behalf of those who are trying to get THROUGH trying times, I embrace this new age, this birthday I just had. This was my reward. I didn't just make it through another year, I completed a level. I passed some tests. I have made it into a new season of life. I've got a brilliant son in college who will be graduating in a little over a year. I've got a teenaged daughter who has excellent judgment and such perspective for a sixteen year old. My husband and I will celebrate 27 years of marriage this August. My mind is still clear. My dreams are still alive.I've got a lot going for me, even though gravity and the passing of time might defy my body.<br /><br />You know what a birthday<span style="font-style: italic;"> really</span> is? It's a Door. Each Year that Comes is an Open Door that leads to many things. I turn the doorknob and step into a new year mindful that I get the opportunity to explore and question and grow. I get to experience the grace of God, and if anything, I think I see His grace more clearly the older I get. Hopefully I am more grateful than I was last year, more thankful than ever to be alive- because this is Life, moving fast and faster. I step into the flow of wonder and awe expectant and eager to live <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">to a good old age</span>.LAUREN at Faith Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11123609025411858471noreply@blogger.com2