I’m mad at you! At all of you with a child over seventeen years old who left home! I hate you all! Why didn’t you tell me it would be this hard to say goodbye when they left for college!?
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At church this weekend, thirty people turned away from their old lives and chose to embrace a new life of following Jesus.
Yup. Thirty new people of all ages and socio-economic classes. And the normal size of that church is about 150 people.
That’s a shocking amount of growth in just one week.
What happened?
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
Well, we (about twenty-four of us plus about 10 visitors from the United Kingdom) put down our iPads and buckets of ice cream, which is how we all normally spend our Saturdays, and instead struck up conversations with strangers. We spent about half an hour per day doing this over three days.
Instead of a pie in the face, we were shocked by the incredibly warm reception we received.
“A couple of Christians stopped to help us after my brother was hit by a car right here at this intersection,” one stranger named Mark told us in the first two minutes. He gratefully and lovingly recalled the care shown to him by the Christians. Mark continued, “Then the Christians got mad at the person who drove right by without stopping, yelling, ‘Hey! Slow down! Why don’t you stop? Can’t you see this person needs help?’ ”
Mark continued with his story, “Yah. Those Christians were loving and fierce at the same time. No matter how the movies portray Christians, they’re awesome!” I stood up a little straighter.
I’ve never met this guy, and he already likes me!
“Hey, why don’t we pray for you?” I offered Mark. I probably looked exactly like Ned Flanders right then, eager and sincere (in fact, I usually look just like that!), but I didn’t care just then!
“No thanks, I’m fine. Thanks for the offer!” He waved, and we parted, friends. “Wow! People like us!” I thought.
I didn’t even know that people liked me!
And with another stranger named Joel, his blue eyes pierced my soul as my husband gently assured him that Jesus loved him, after Joel unburdened his heart in the first five minutes of conversation. “No, thanks, not right now,” Joel continued. He didn’t want to commit to becoming a Jesus follower right then1, but our hearts shared some love and some joy on that street, rather than the glance before sweeping past each other, as is the normal custom among strangers.
Why not share our hearts, our joy, and our excitement about following Jesus on a journey with a few others?
Oh! And Jesus healed two people as we prayed for them in Jesus’ name, as well, which was also pretty cool. But that story is for another time. (It turns out that realizing that Jesus has given us authority to heal others in his name cracks open a bit more of the gift of healing he offers to all who love Him. That’s also sort of a bit awesome.)
And so after a few of us put our phones away for that half hour three times that week, and Oh – after we purged our own demons from our souls in prayer and lovingly listened to each other and prayed for each other just before hitting the streets (That’s another story) – a bunch of new people joined us at the church that Saturday night, to have a little taste of God.
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is.
It turns out that when we shave away the extra stuff we add to Jesus, people are actually super hungry for the food Jesus offers.
Who knew!
Hey! Got time for church? Top tip: Don’t look for a church BUILDING but a church COMMUNITY.
Find one that is learning together, to find and to eat the food of love He offers to satisfy the soul, and then ask them for a bite! Because when we do this, and try to love each other and those around us, well, Hey! Heaven breaks out sometimes!
Like it did that Saturday night, as many of us took to dancing during one of the praise songs to Jesus. Why not? We have been set free!
We might as well dance!
And that’s when about thirty more people2, most of them plucked off the streets and invited inside after half an hour or less of conversation, experienced the love of God.
And they will never be the same.
And neither will we.
As the song below sings, “We cry out for revival,” consider asking God if the cost of “pure hearts” (I.e., forgiving the IDIOTS in your church and family that you know, for example) is a price worth paying for spiritual revival in this season?
(It may just be.)
Oh!
AND having a cool place to go after you die is another awesome reason to pick up the phone when God calls you!3
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Church is Cool! (Who Knew?) by Vince Fleming on Unsplash
1 We realized later that Joel DID want to become a follower of Jesus right then, but we misunderstood his French accent. Sorry about that, Joel! Better luck next time you pour out your heart to strangers, wherever you are in the world, friend Joel!
2 We have a picture of them, but I didn’t include it here because not everyone wants to be associated with my online writing for some reason! But please! I don’t ALWAYS say funny things about my friends and family online! “Have a bit of trust!” is what I told them!
Well, everyone, I am starting this article by telling you that I am a very spiritual person because I am EVEN going to a spiritual conference!
It’s not even a spiritual conference in my backyard (so I can get there and back and check off “Spiritual Thing – DONE!” while my cookies bake). I am ACTUALLY even TRAVELLING several HOURS to learn new, MORE spiritual things! (I guess that’s because I must have already learned all the spiritual things there are in the place where I live.)
Join people in fifty-eight countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
Just sayin. Did I mention that I provide spiritual encouragement and that you can trust me – of course! – implicitly? A reminder!
The guy we are going to listen to has stepped into the spiritual “MORE” than many of us1 realize. For example, Jesus has used this speaker, Jonathan Conrathe, and his team to witness more physical healings (cool!) than many of us (also VERY spiritual and important people!) witness. That’s pretty cool – not gonna lie.
Oh! And for the doubters or those who have watched Steve Martin’s excellent and funny movie Leap of Faith, about a snake-oil salesman posing as a preacher and staging fake spiritual healings, don’t fret too much!
Remember that only things of great (real) value, like paper money, are counterfeited – So OF COURSE we expect counterfeiting of valuable spiritual things, too.
THE POINT is that SOMETIMES healings actually happen at these conferences, and sometimes, the whole thing is a fake, which we expect, too! (Choose your conference wisely! People are sometimes idiots, remember?)
After all, finding counterfeit money doesn’t mean that all money is counterfeit, either, but instead, hints at the opposite.
Also, HERE is a podcast of a guy who accidentally got swept up in a spiritual miracle (his brain tumor went away – coincidentally some say! – when someone prayed for him). He is spending his life using science to verify “supposed healings.” Oh, and he’s a Ph.D. and Neuroscientist. THIS is his Medical Institute, which applies rigorous methods of evidence-based medicine to study Christian Spiritual Healing practices, and this is his book. But that discussion is for another day.
(His work is also very cool).
Essentially, to one still doubting these things occur (that’s fair!), we know that God’s tangible presence sometimes invades the earth, like a hole in a balloon pushing air into the atmosphere at certain places and times and in ways that many more of us sit up and take notice. For example, read more about these events:
Anyway, I wonder if maybe I can be like him, the speaker at the conference we are going to (Wait – I mean, I wonder if I can be a bit more like Jesus – It’s hard to keep theology straight!) But it would be cool to have a life that appears meaningful when people judge me! Wait – I don’t care what people think of me – I forgot!
So, anyway, I’m excited to go to this conference to learn some tips and tricks so that hopefully Jesus can use my life for His glory a bit more, too!
The only problem is that the last time I went to a conference like this, I sat attentively, my extra-sharp pencil ready to jot down every nuance. “It’s about holiness,” the speaker said, softly, simply. My pencil dropped.
That stuff is so boring!
It’s hard to do the hard stuff like forgive people (who are SUCH idiots!) and stuff like that!
I like to learn a lot and not apply it (the application part is usually boring!), like when I read lots and lots of books without applying stuff!
But not anymore! Now I am ready to obey God fully! Wait!
(I don’t think I’m QUITE ready to give up and (EVEN) forgive people in my church for being idiots.)
It will cost you everything. If you really want to know the price, it will cost you everything.
Kathryn Kuhlman2
That’s why we’re lukewarm.
So this conference MAY not impact my life as much as I hope, which, annoyingly, happens surprisingly often at spiritual conferences (The speakers don’t explain stuff in a way the audience can easily “get,” I find!). So this conference MAY not impact my life, but I’m obviously very spiritual because I go to spiritual conferences, and that’s a comfort to me, at least!
As the song below sings3, “I know it’s so hard, but out of darkness I choose,” is there a choice that God is nudging you to make, friend? Will you make it? The world needs a bit more “God” moments if we’re honest.
(Maybe me looking important to others isn’t QUITE as high a priority as I believe it should be?)
Nah! Anyway, I’ll update you after the conference! Stay tuned!
And oh yeah – What is the ONE thing you need to do to become more spiritual (like me)? Go to a spiritual conference, of course, preferably one that is far away! (And for some reason you won’t be able to understand, the people in your church may like it if you go to one VERY far away, as well.) Don’t fret too much about that, either! They HAVE to like even you!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
1 And that’s saying a LOT, because as you know, I already learned MORE spiritual things once too!
3 I also saw this singer recently in a concert in PERSON! (More proof that I am the kind of person who associates -at least! – with people in high places! Which doesn’t matter – of course! – but I say that humbly!)
My last post definitely proved that I am a good mother!
If that weren’t enough proof, check out this mug my daughter purchased for me!1
And now that I have established my authority as an excellent mom, let me tell you what I learned about becoming a slightly better Mom!
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
Previously, we talked about the fear that sometimes descends over us like an unwelcome blanket, smothering us. And yet, we cling to our fear as a self-soothing exercise. We are used to it.
How do we throw away the fear that always seems to linger on our hands, like unwanted gum we are trying to put in the trash?
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
When she was in the hospital, only a few days before her death, my fierce, feisty, incredible but aging grandmother fixed her intense blue eyes on me and said the one thing I never thought she would say.
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
So previously I talked about the day that our child received the diagnoses of:
So clearly, the night skies weren’t predicting clear skies and smooth sailing for this child. These diagnoses were the first true storm that woke us up to trouble ahead. Up until that day, we thought our growing feeling of seasickness was due more to our own queasy stomachs than to the ominous, ongoing waves of the sea that were making us feel unwell.
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I was devastated by these diagnoses in all honesty. Our beautiful, kind daughter, the one who tried so hard, loved so completely, and who still had her whole life in front of her, seemed to be in a fog most of the time.
We tried to wake her up with “Enrichment Activities” the experts recommended when she was a baby, but she still slept for 20 hours a day, piling up her milestones behind her while she slept.
It seemed that the horizon of her future would be truncated and shorter than the full expanse that we hope for each of our children.
What now? We were ushered into the new world of “Autism and Special Education” appointments with experts, which were like annoying fire alarms set into our otherwise peaceful homeschooling days. Having fun quietly playing a board game with a sibling?
“TOO BAD! You HAVE to go to X appointment RIGHT Now!”
Sometimes, often, she would scream in protest at these new, unwelcome interruptions, but I would force her into the car, strap her seatbelt so she couldn’t resist, and drive away, my supermom cape trailing behind me as I drove.
“Experts knew best!” I reminded myself as I drove! Except when they don’t. And they usually don’t in these situations.
But that’s for another time.
Got a stomach that can handle some seasickness, friend? Maybe take some Gravol for the seasickness before you read on. There.
Are you feeling better?
And now let’s sit for a bit by the seaside before we decide to board that boat together. The journey I am suggesting will require learning some sailing skills and building our physiques. Up for a challenge?
If so, what challenge or storm has surprised you on your journey?
Let’s sit here by the ocean, friend, and ask God for your next steps.
And so, how do we find the path through your storm?
As the song below plays, imagine that Jesus is right next to you. He is! Smile at this knowledge! Do you feel your soul relax? As you ponder the lyrics, “You are the peace in my troubled sea,” or “Your great love will lead me through,” consider sitting in the quiet for a few minutes and asking Jesus, “How can I stand behind You, and then row this boat ashore, with You guiding and directing, to help us sail through this storm?”
And I pray that God leads you through your storm, friend, as you listen closely to Him guiding you.
The journey is a thing, but you’ve got this, holding the hand of the one who walks with us on raging seas and sometimes even calming the seas raging in our lives. Oh! And our child was healed of the negative challenges associated with all of these diagnoses.
But I’ll have to tell you that story another time.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Some Storms May Look Like This by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash
So I woke up this morning in a tizzy. A tizzy of frenetic brain activity. Some might even be so low as to assume that someone of my high spiritual caliber was struggling with worry.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I poured out my heart to my empathetic husband, tenderly giving him glimpses and opening my heart to him this morning, as we sat next to each other, coffees in hand, neither of us quite awake yet.
His sensitivity to me pouring out my bleeding heart in front of him was on full display, evidenced by what he said next.
He said only two words: “YOU? Worry?”
Wait. Was that mock surprise? Could that (possibly!) be sarcasm in his voice?
No, it couldn’t be!
But was that a slight smile on the corner of his lips that he couldn’t quite repress? Impossible. But, yes, I do find myself worrying a smidge about a few things (every day).
Was he making fun of me?
Well, maybe, but sometimes that’s what we need each other for. In this case, however, he was wrong. AS IF I’m the kind of person who worries every day!
Well, my editor says I need to be more honest as I write articles, so there might be a twinge of truth in what he hinted at.
And when I went upstairs to my prayer room to begin my day (See! I AM spiritual! I don’t care what they say!), I wondered if Jesus would agree with my husband that I tend to worry a smidge more than necessary.
“Oh, you of little faith,” is the thought that comes immediately to mind, on repeat, whenever my mind quiets or when I begin my prayers lately.
I think this is a term of endearment in how God speaks to me with these words, but you can interpret them however you like. (If you have even less faith than I do, for example, you might take the words literally.1 ) Then, I wondered if Holy Spirit was perhaps reminding me to number each of my worries and then to lift each one to Him, one by one.
Yeah, I know this kind of stuff.2
#1 – I listed a problem. I lifted my problem to God. “What did I already say?” was what I seemed to be reminded of in my heart. Oh yeah! Holy Spirit had already been nudging me towards action in that area.
#2 – I listed another problem. I remembered that God has the whole world in His hands, and so if my hands aren’t big enough to hold the world, that’s okay. He’s got this.
#3 – Etc., Etc.,
“I got out of worry!” I jubilantly announced as I walked downstairs later that morning.
My husband didn’t look up from his phone.
My daughter didn’t notice me.
My dog, however, looked up at me, expectantly, tail wagging. At least my dog wanted to hear what I had to say! (Or maybe he really wanted breakfast?)
My (human) family was less impressed with my newfound wisdom and clarity because this is what happens often (more often than I care to admit, actually).
I accidentally take on all the cares and worries of the world on my back, again.
It feels amazing to me (swapping a twinge of suffocating anxiety for a smidge of sanity), but it happens every time that I remember to do this exercise.
So my family simply ignores me. This ritual has become a part of the mundane. But it is a transformative mundane, nonetheless.
And that has some sort of value.
“You aren’t solely responsible for the entire cause of and solution for climate change,” was one of the thoughts that clarified my thinking in the prayer room one morning. True story! And so I could live a little freer, with a little more joy.
I remembered some stuff that I already knew, but I had forgotten again.
And I’ll probably have to do that tomorrow. And the next day, too. And probably every day.
Are you feeling a bit heavy today? As the song below mentions the lilies and sings, “if I listen closely, I can hear her sing to me,” try numbering your worries, one by one, lifting them to a God who loves you and loves the world and has a plan for you. What do you sense in your heart as you do this today, friend? And I pray you will also soar (like me!).
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
. . . when you yield to the life of the Spirit . . . you will . . . be . . . soaring
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits: Carrying The Cares Of The World, Too? (That’s Too Hard A Way To Be Amazing) by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash, Why Not Soar, Little Ducks? by Rachel Fang on Unsplash
1 Ha! Spiritual neophyte!
2 I just sometimes forget stuff I once knew.
She was a shell.
She was skinny and sickly, often lost in her little world. Her stomach racked her in pain. Friends were elusive.
She was unhappy, never having (even once!) exploded in childhood giggles that should have been her right.
My husband and I oscillated between worry and confidence that she would grow out of “this.” One of us, either he or I, carried the ball of fear for this child. The ball of concern never went away.
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this! (What? Hey, I don’t know why they read this, either! I think it’s because I’m cool.)
I was introduced to the world of the weird (for lack of a better word) by my grandmother, a person everyone considered strong in her faith.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I was a child.
My grandmother, a devout Catholic with no vocabulary for “hearing from the voice of God,” but instead an intuitive inner knowing that could not be verbalized, was bothered one evening. She told me that she had been thinking about her dear friend all day and could not get her friend out of her mind. She wasn’t sure why.
In the end, my grandmother decided to telephone her friend.
A phone call is a no-brainer for us, but phoning to talk was not done by my beautiful grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression. Phone bills at that time were calculated by the number of minutes spent on the line. Once, I called my mom from their house to ask her to pick me up, and my grandfather paced behind me, quietly cursing me under his breath in Italian (I knew THOSE words!) for taking four minutes to say what could’ve been said in two minutes. In his opinion, this was extreme wastefulness on my part! It would be another half hour before my grandmother could calm him enough for him and me to resume our card game.
And thus, my grandmother, fighting the same inner resolve against wasting money on an unnecessary phone call and listening to my grandfather pacing back and forth next to her, cursing, phoned her friend.
After my grandmother said a few compassionate words, she hung up the phone again. “Mrs. Cabianca found out today that she has cancer,” my grandmother informed us who were waiting near the phone.
Mrs. Cabianca was shocked by this diagnosis, as she was as healthy as a mule, or so she thought.
“That was weird,” I thought, staring at my grandmother.
I resumed playing cards with my grandfather, and my grandmother resumed washing the dishes, apparently unperturbed by this usual unusual occurrence. I guess this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon for her. But God had planted a small seed of faith in me that day.
Was there more?
What do you do with the “weird stuff” that you have heard about or (Heaven forbid!) has actually happened to you?
Do you:
Are you longing to hear?
If so, I have great news for you, friend:
Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy, because they will be filled.
As the song below sings, “everything here ain’t quite what it seems, there’s more beneath the appearance of things,” plead with God to help you hear. That’s when the fun begins, friend. God, help us pick up the clues we stumble upon in this life, and help us want to find you and open the door to the greatest gift of all, you, Jesus.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits: Is That Heaven Opening? by Qiu MinFeng on Unsplash, Baby Birds Know How To Ask For Food! by Sandi Mager on Unsplash
1 That approach is just fine by the way! We are babes in these things, but if you are taking steps on our journey, however small, you can be sure God is pleased with you, friend. (Keep walking)
Restoring Life 