The Same Glory as Christ

I attended the Ted Dekker “Outlaw” tour event on Friday night. He said something that I hadn’t given much thought to:

In John 17:22, Jesus says “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one…”

Wow!  We have the same glory as Jesus? God has made us that special?  That floored me. 

Amazing love.  Amazing grace.

God Opens Doors

All at once all the prison doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose.  Acts 16:26b

I had the privilege to go to Legoland, CA this past weekend with five amazing kids who had made it to the North American Championships with their robot.  Because they had poured hours and hours into their project, the robot had been scoring 630 points in practice. When they got to CA and used their one practice session allowed to them, the robot's color sensor wasn't happy with the stage lighting, and our robot became erratic.  The kids went right into problem solving mode - Can we shield the sensors? Reprogram the robot? - and they worked hours on solutions. They came up with three plans, but were unable to test them until the competition. For each round (there were three), they used a different plan, and the robot responded in various ways, but their final score was only 435.   The winning robot got 605.

What amazed me about these kids is they didn't give up and instead of looking at this is a failure, they turned it into a learning opportunity. While disappointed, they are already working on how they can improve their robot for next year.

Sometimes when failure strikes, it's hard for us to move forward and see the other paths. I think what these kids showed in their problem solving can be used in daily life situations. Don't quit, and just because one door closes, doesn't mean another hasn't opened. There are always other answers. Look around - not down.

Faithful Abandon!

An opportunity arose last week which I absolutely didn't have the funds for, although I knew I should do it.  "I can't afford that," was my instant response.  My heart told me different, though. So Monday morning I prayed about it and then opened my quiet time Bible study and the words that jumped out at me were "Why do you say 'I can't afford this or that when your Heavenly Father has all the riches of the world at your disposal?" Wow - that really spoke to me!  Oh me of little faith! So I said "Yes, I'll do it" and I've set up some fund-raising and am excitedly waiting the opportunity!  What a fun chance to watch God work!
       I know that in general I have to be sensible in my expenses and frugal with my budget, but there are times when I can throw all caution to the wind and let my awesome God shower me with blessings.  What a sense of excitement and freedom when I abandon myself to His will!

My Favorite Blessing!

    Grace is one of my favorite topics because it means we are FREE!  I feel so overburdened sometimes with my schedule, my to-do list, all the demands placed on me.  I feel I have to work, work, work.  But God has a different plan - He gives us grace.  You don't have to earn it.  You don't have to work for it.   All you have to do is accept it.

    For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.  - Ephesians 2:8-9

Wisdom is a Process

Wisdom.

It’s more than an accumulation of knowledge.  It’s an ongoing daily acquisition.

When I started writing my latest book A Kid at Heart I thought it would go quickly.  God had given me the title, the subject, and even most of the chapter titles!  My publisher told me she’d like it in six months to a year.  “No problem,” I said.  But God wanted to take me to a deeper understanding of Him first.  Last year was abysmally dark and for the first time I found myself afraid of God – and of what He would – and could – let happen.  Could I still trust Him then?  Could I run to Him as a Father and take refuge in Him? 

For while I couldn’t. Now, coming out the other side of that dark year, a bit battle-weary, it seems I can.   As a child, we not only have the privilege of coming to Him, but we have the responsibility of coming to Him.  Where else, after all, can we go?

Wisdom dictates Him as Lord.  There’s no other way – there’s no better way.  

What Are Your Dragons?

The past couple of days have been difficult ones, and busy.  On Sunday I first noticed that gnawing in my gut that I call anxiety.  Yesterday it was worse, and I couldn’t figure out if I needed to exercise and burn off the excess energy, or take a nap! 

When I tried to figure out what was causing it, I realized it was my schedule.  I had far too many responsibilities crammed into a couple of days.  Not all of them were bad – it was just nearly impossible to fit them all in, and I spent a large part of Sunday ruminating about Monday and how I would get everything done. I had three different appointments at different times and in different places, and that didn’t count my kids’ various activities, and the fact I needed to pick up groceries.  Or my looming writing deadline.

            I have read that our thought life is the greatest cause of anxiety for most of us, so I tried to take control of my thoughts.  I wrote everything down in my calendar – color coded – and just looked at my list every few hours.   Then I tried not to think about it.  I even read Psalm 91 several times.  I’ve got to admit, it didn’t work.  On most days, I can handle my “to-do” list but I had a few very unpleasant tasks to do yesterday and today that I just couldn’t get out of my mind.  I was fearful.

            I’m done now.  Mostly.  And I’m better.  But anxiety has been my dragon the past few days, caused by my over-loaded schedule.  Next time I’ll have to manage my time more wisely, and put in some “fun” breaks as a reward for an unpleasant task accomplished. Lesson learned.

            In order to slay our dragons, we need to know what they are.  What steals your joy?  What takes away your peace and brings you fear, or stress?  When you identify your dragons, you’ve taken the first step toward conquering them.

            Just remember, your power comes from God.  You aren’t in this alone, and you have every resource you need to overcome.

            Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. – Ephesians 6:10