Choosing to Move…

Hey y’all ~ Check out my latest blog post for Hello Mornings Blog. Here’s the first couple of paragraphs and then the link to their site to read the rest! Hope you enjoy it!

I still marvel at those who call themselves “morning people.” I have never been a morning person. I’m more of a “wake up in time to go to brunch” kind of person, yet that’s not the lifestyle I lead at all. When I had children, that all changed because I was not just responsible for myself any longer. I had to become a morning person. As much as I didn’t like getting up before the sun, it made for a much more enjoyable morning. Having a few quiet moments to get myself to stretch a bit, get ready, and spend some time with the Lord always made it possible to have a more positive mindset.

Trust me, there were definitely mornings that did not run so smoothly, and it seemed no one was moving in the right direction!

When we take the opportunity to give ourselves even 15 minutes to stretch our muscles, it helps to wake up our brain. And while our mind is waking up, we can begin conversing with the Lord. As we stretch our bodies, we can marvel at God’s creativity in making our human form. As we pause and breathe in deeply, we can be joyful that we have the ability to move. When our ability to move is taken away, we miss it the most. 

Finish reading at ~ https://www.hellomornings.org/blog/choosing-to-move

photo: Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

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Let’s Have a Care Package Party!

Hello Friends ~ I’m so excited to be featured on the Joyful Life Magazine Blog this month! Below you can read the first couple of paragraphs and then you’ll find the link to their site to read the rest.

I’m thrilled to share this idea with you because there are SO MANY reasons you can send a care package. Right now is great time since so many of our kiddos are off to college. Even if your son or daughter is at home participating in distance learning with their university, you can still do something fun like this and deliver it to them. Or better yet, hide little gifts in their room for them to find throughout the week.

Blessings to you all!

Rene’

Let’s Have a Care Package Party!

The crisp, fall air brings to mind cozy days at home, time with family, and making memories. It’s also a time of year that brings change. The leaves turn from green to golds and reds, the bright flowers shift to a dormant state, and little birds leave the nest.

The fall season is also the time when our own ‘little birds’ leave the nest for college, and those days are filled both with joy and sorrow.

I remember when our oldest daughter was finishing up high school. My husband and I were so excited for her but nervous about how our family would be altered once she left the house. Our goal in raising our three daughters had always been to confidently send them off when the time came to begin their adventure of discovering God’s plans for their lives, but it was still a difficult transition. That sweet little person who’d been there for 18 years was turning into an adult at what seemed to be the speed of light.

I knew there were many things I would miss about having our daughter home all the time, but there was one thing I was completely looking forward to—sending care packages! Whether it’s for a college student, a new mom, a missionary, or someone else in need, care packages are a beautiful way to let someone know they are thought of and very much loved.

~ for the rest of this blog, please visit ~

Let’s Have a Care Package Party!

Spiritual Housekeeping…

Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash

Confession time…every once in a while I watch the TV show “Hoarders: Buried Alive”. It’s awful and ALWAYS gets me up and motivated to clean house and find a few things to put in their place, give away, or throw away! I’ve seen enough of these shows that when I heard a quick sentence in a bible study that I was in the other day about spiritual housekeeping, immediately I saw a rapid-fire vision of mental images of hoarder households.

Those images are disgusting and beyond sorrowful!

So what do we do with this? I’ll tell you what.

We’ve got to clean the rooms of our spiritual home so the Holy Spirit can roam freely to do His will!

Just as the person in the hoarder tv-stories, there is always some kind of traumatic event that has occurred in their life. It always centers around tremendous loss. So many times these people know on some level that they hoard because of this loss. But they gave in to it and didn’t, or felt they couldn’t stop the devastating behavior.

In the house of a hoarder, neither the homeowner nor any visitor can safely navigate the home with stepping on trash and other discarded items. The creation of the hoard stems from an incredibly false sense of providing comfort and protection.

The people who hoarded mostly trash and stray animals were usually the ones who had been left by a parent as a child through death or divorce. Or they had been in an abusive relationship that ended in death or divorce. The stories the hoarder shares would be heartbreaking as they recalled moments where their abusive spouse would refer to them as trash. They felt they had been thrown away by that person who was supposed to love them. So instead of throwing things away that are truly trash, they just keep it. They don’t want to hurt anyone or anything by determining what is trash or not.

And the piles grow.

I noticed that the people who are hoarders of things are ones who used the high of purchasing items and “collecting” things to replace feeling unloved. They loved their things and the higher the piles became, the more they felt surrounded by love; by things that wouldn’t leave them.

We do this same thing on a spiritual level and if we are not careful, we will have a spiritual house that is filled to the brim with trash and unnecessary stuff.

Is any of this resonating with you today?

Have you been made to feel as though you were no more important than a bin of rubbish? Or a pile of insignificant things?

My friends, that is the job of the enemy. He wants your spiritual home cluttered about with the unclean and the unnecessary so that you don’t have room for Jesus to do the beautiful work in your life He intends.

I know this may be hard to take in because it is something that the Lord has been working intently on my heart as well – as to the task of cleaning the house of my own soul.

Are you feeling a bit uncomfortable right about now? It’s okay if you are – that’s the glory of the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart to face the things in your life that you have just been piling up in the corner hoping they would go away on their own.

As you know, it won’t.

It’s going to take hard work but here’s the blessing of it all ~ we don’t have to do this alone. We have the gift of the Comforter in the form of the Holy Spirit and He is ready and more than able to clean out the junk and the trash of your life. The Lord is so gracious to be passionate about showing us the joy and peace He wants to bless us with.

But just like the hoarders on TV, they have to come to a final point where they say out loud, “I want your help. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Let’s throw it all out.” We too have to say the same thing to the Lord – OUT LOUD – that we want and need His help. He will walk alongside us to accomplish this arduous task.

Getting rid of the hoard is full of emotional pain, but the ones who stay committed to the clean up thrive in orderly freedom!

Whether the hoard is physical or spiritual, we have the tools that we need to win the battle!

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 is so encouraging,

“The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete.”

The rooms of our mind and corridors of our soul can be lush soil where we plant God’s Word and what grows is the fruit that can nourish our life and the lives of those around us. Or it can be a vacant plot of land that is unkempt without any growth.

Think about times in your life where you have agreed with the lies of the enemy to make you feel unimportant and unloved, and how that transferred into bringing discontent and darkness into our hearts and our homes.

Now think about moments in your life where you have walked with a friend through a difficult time in their life, pointing them to the One who can heal their hurts. It’s a beautiful gift that we can give to one another when Christ is present in our life. When we are filled with God’s presence we can pour out His joy and peace. We have contentment and grace leads our actions. We are strong to move through this life with the power of the God who created the Universe because our spiritual home is filled with His light and salvation!

One of my favorite scripture verses is Zephaniah 3:17,

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Is this not incredible! Every bit of condemnation is from the enemy. Just as every decree of goodness and love is from the Lord. God’s Word promises us that when the Lord looks upon our face, the person He created us to be is what He sees. He delights in the creation of YOU! The Lord has phenomenal purposes for your life and there are things that only you can do.

When you are having moments of doubt, remember that He is fighting for you! The Lord is singing over you and rejoicing in your life!

So get that dustbuster out. Bring a trash bag or three. Clear out the cobwebs of your soul and open the window so the light of Jesus can shine through.

Keep up with your spiritual housekeeping so the Holy Spirit is free to roam!

Blessings,

René

Defeat or Victory ~ where do you live?…

Photo by John Reed on Unsplash

During this time of quarantine – how many times will I refer to this ‘stay-at-home’ season of 2020, I have no idea. It’s what is occupying everyone’s mind these days, so here we are. What was I saying? Oh yes, during this period, we have a lot of TIME on our hands. Whether you are doing at home what you used to do in your office building, or you are rearranging schedules on the daily with new homeschool duties, there is still time to think. I daresay, there is still available time to think too much.

As I know that the majority of my readers are women, I can confidently say that we are all too familiar with the mental battle we fight each day as to whether we are enough or not. Do we measure up? Are our children thriving enough? The meals we make could probably be healthier? Why can’t our home look like “that one” we always scroll past on Instagram?
And so on.

When our minds begin to wander, where to we let it go? Do you give it free reign? Does the temptation to allow negative thoughts to replay over and over again win out over what we know is the actual truth? Are there moments when you hear the Holy Spirit whisper to you to take those thoughts captive, yet you ignore Him? Thinking those places of defeat will somehow bring you comfort or closure? NO! They never will.

Friends, this is living defeated and it is no way to truly live.

Yet, in the same way that it is dangerous to live in places of defeat, it is much the same to live in places of future imagined victory. We cannot survive in either of these places mentally because it takes our focus off what we should be doing, which is living for Jesus. Living in the present time; in the season that God intends.

And that takes focus.

One of the things that came to mind when I was thinking of ‘defeat and victory’ was of farmers fields.

I visited some Amish farms in Ohio a while back and was fascinated to learn the necessity of allowing planting areas to rest. First of all, the patterns of these fields are mesmerizing; equal parts of growth and bare dirt. I realized the beauty was in the areas of rest and not actually in the rows of corn growing. There was just something about the emptiness that drew me in but in a peaceful way.

As I researched it more, I began to understand that these fields were not dead and bare, they were alive and resting.

Farmers will typically give various plots of their farmland a rest for at least one year so that it can be ready for a new season of planting. No wonder God uses so many farming applications in His word to convey the importance of rest and growth. That bare ground is not striving to be anything but content in its waiting. It has been allowed to regenerate.

I can’t think of anything more beautiful to consider in this quarantine season in our world right now.

Exodus 23:11 says,

“but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”

There were periods that the Lord instructed His people to let their ground rest, not just for regeneration but allowance for people in need to gather food and nourishment. The land that was left to become fallow still held importance for the community around it.

I believe that this is a truth we can hold onto, that even in those seasons we feel bare, forgotten, and underutilized, we are still important to the people around us. We continue to hold value. We can generate sustainability for the future while we are resting.

This my friends in living from a place of victory!

In Hosea 10:12, God gives direction as to how we are to be proactive in cultivating fallow ground; in cultivating seasons of rest.

“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”

Depending on the kind of crops that are being grown is the deciding factor for how long the ground stays fallow. Isn’t that how it is for us? The Lord knows the seasons that we have come out of, the ones that we are in, and the ones we are headed toward. Which means He knows how long our rest seasons need to be.

And it means that we can trust Him.

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Scattered Together…

Photo by João Ferrão on Unsplash

We are in crazy times right now where a lot of things don’t make sense. The onset and aftermath of the coronavirus has put the whole world off-kilter. We are all trying to make sense of what it means to quarantine, stay at home, what businesses are essential and what aren’t. I wish that hair salons and nail salons were considered essential! Lord have mercy on my roots!

One of the things I’ve been thinking about during this time is the usage of various words. Words that will most definitely be added to new versions of the dictionary. And some words that now clearly go together but are oxymorons.

Oxymorons are all around us:

• Jumbo shrimp
• Deafening silence
• Invisible ink
• Electric candles
• Sweet sorrow
• Accurate rumors
• Alone together

But what about this new one that has descended upon our world ~ Scattered together.
How can people be scattered but be together at the same time? Let’s take a quick look at the definitions of these two words:

Scattered: distributed or occurring at widely spaced and usually irregular intervals
Together: into or in one gathering, company, mass, place, or body

I mean, “distributed widely” and “in one gathering” simply do not make sense when put together. They are complete opposites.

How can we be so widely spaced from one another but still experience the joy of gathering? One of those ways is to remember that we are ALL going through basically the same thing. We are all being told to shelter at home, stay safe at home, wear face masks, be as isolated as possible only going out for absolute necessities.

My heart goes out to the mom’s with little ones at home, they have little to zero time to themselves. The widow/widower who is riding this out alone in their homes. To the grandparents who live in assisted living and cannot leave their rooms or see their families. Weddings that are live-streamed and new babies being born without waiting rooms filled with well-wishers. Graduations are being postponed to unknown dates.

It’s. Just. All. So. Much!

But…

There. Is. Hope!

The Lord is with us and He is not surprised by any of this worldly chaos. He did not create this disease but no matter how hard it is to wrap our brains around, He is allowing it.

There are so many examples of the Lord scattering His people in the Bible, and it is ALWAYS for a purpose.

In Genesis 9:18-20 (AMP) we read about what happened after the Lord flooded the earth and what needed to happen to fill the earth once again,

“The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. Ham would become the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah, and from these [men] the whole earth was populated and scattered with inhabitants. And Noah began to farm and cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard.”

Sometime later, the people of the land got together and thought they could create a tower that would enable them to reach God. Because the Lord knew this would eventually cause more problems than good, we see in Genesis 11:8-10 (AMP),

“So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the entire earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore the name of the city was Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth; and from that place the Lord scattered and dispersed them over the surface of all the earth.”

In the New Testament, we see how God worked through two guys arguing about what was best for the ministry of the Gospel. These were two apostles of Jesus named Paul and Barnabas were great friends and passionate missionaries for the Gospel. At one point, they argued about where to go next and who to bring with them. They both felt very strongly in their opinions.

Towards the end of the 15th chapter of Acts, we see that they did indeed end up going to minister in different areas. Paul and Silas went on a second journey to Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia; while Barnabas and John Mark sailed to Cyprus.

This disagreement was between two human beings who made choices. Satan thought he had won a small battle when they stopped ministering together. But we know that he absolutely did not! In the case of Paul and Barnabas, they and their new companions ended up reaching even MORE people with the saving grace of salvation. One strand of that ministry reached into Europe and eventually America.

God, in His wisdom, will always use what the enemy plans for our destruction, to ultimately be for our good and God’s glory.

In this time of being scattered together, the church buildings are empty and gatherings are indefinitely postponed. Yet, we are together through the genius of technology. Sunday morning services are being broadcast all over the world. People who’ve never stepped foot into a traditional church building, are hearing the Good News of the gospel in their homes. Students who had been enjoying weekly gatherings are still able to fellowship with their friends and leaders on their phones. Social media has ramped up encouraging messages of hope and grace.

The Lord is still in this. He is completely aware of our fears, worries, and anxieties. And He is here with us to weather the storm.

Psalm 91(AMP) is a beautiful chapter of biblical poetry that sings of the joy we can have in knowing our security lies in Jesus. The entire chapter is worth the read, but I’ll share this first verse:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].”

There are several more verses in Psalms that are full of encouragement and this truth ~ Jesus is our stronghold and our true shelter. In all the places you feel scattered today, give all the pieces to the Lord and let Him hold them for you. Trust that He will put them back together. The pieces may look different when they are replaced, but they will be stronger and more secure in the hands of a gracious God.

Stay safe at home during this Covid-19 pandemic, shelter your heart in the shadow of the Lord, and look forward to the day when we can gather together in person and share community face to face!

 

What do you “fill in the blank” with…

Photo by 童 彤 on Unsplash

This is a crazy season and I’ve been thinking a lot about what our lives look like during this covid-19 pandemic. I’ve gone through so many emotions in the past two weeks, and I bet you have too! So I wanted to share my heart with you today and be vulnerable with you.

What it has shown me, more than I want to admit, is that I have decisions to make every single day, whether in quarantine or not, to fix my eyes on Jesus and fill in the hollow places of my mind and my heart with Him.

However, too many are filling in the blank with fear.

Two weeks ago, I was doing just that.

I was allowing myself to be consumed with the news. It was on all. day. long! It was like a bad accident that I couldn’t look away from. I wanted to. But I chose the opposite. After about 5 days, waking up feeling miserable and fearful, I cried out to God in the shower and asked Him what I needed to do. I knew what the answer would be but I had to CHOOSE it!

The Holy Spirit was so kind and whispered to my heart, “Look up! Look to the Father! Turn off the news.”

There was no condemnation in His voice. Simply love and encouragement.

So I did ~ I turned off the news and each time I would begin to feel fearful, I would give it to the Lord. I decided that anytime fear was tempting me to walk down the path of lies, I would pray.

I would love to tell you that life immediately got easier on all levels, and it did but not in the way I expected.

As I began to embrace the quiet, embrace the rest, and settle into the slower pace of life, it allowed the Lord the opportunity to speak louder to me about how He wants me to come out of this ‘safe at home’ season a new version of who He has created me to be.

And as wonderful as that sounds, it kinda freaks me out! The process of change is not fun. Whether you are seeking it or it is seeking you ~ change is hard.

I was recently on a zoom bible study group (as many of us are in this covid-19 season) and my friend that was sharing, said that God was bringing her “to the end of herself.”

All of the things that God was peeling away was drawing her closer to Him, but it was not necessarily an enjoyable experience.

A lightbulb went off in my head ~ these were the words that finally made sense to me as to what I was going through for the latter parts of March 2020.

The Lord was bringing me to the end of myself.

And here we are.

I have not done the things I could. I have not done the things I thought I would do “once I had the time” to do them. I have not read the books in the stacks around my house. I have not spent dubious amounts of time reading the Bible.

But I know that I am coming to the end of myself so that God can fill that void of my self with His power and wisdom.

It will not happen all at once, but I know when we are allowed to roam free in our neighborhoods, gather in our churches, have coffee in cute little shops around town, and hug everyone that walks across our path, I know that I will be a different person.

So with all of these revelations, what will I be choosing to “fill in the blank” with, in the coming days and weeks?

• Joy
• Peace
• Study of God’s Word
• Writing
• Virtual coffee dates with friends
• Zoom meetings with our LifeGroup
• FaceTime chats with family
• So much more!

And when the temptations come to give in to fear or worry, I will remember this: the Lord has brought me to the end of myself so He can fill me with the fullness of Himself!

Blessings,
René

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Feasting or Striving…

Photo by Rebecca on Unsplash

If you have a dog, then you know how sensitive their hearing is when it comes to anything that might possibly be related to food!

We have a little 8-pound Maltese/poodle/mutt rescue dog who just turned 10 years old. And not slowing down anytime soon. He lounges around the house sleeping away most of the day, but open any kind of package or clank around the mixing bowls, and he goes into a dead run, straight for the kitchen.

I was making a double batch of chili the other day for a meeting that was happening at our house, and there was a lot of food prep. I had just put fresh water and food in his bowls for our little Max, but that soon proved to not be good enough.

As I opened up cans of beans (no shame…I’ve got other things to do that soak four different kinds of beans overnight, etc. etc.), cooking the ground turkey, onions, and celery and portioning out the spices. Oh yeah, the kitchen was smelling fantastic! And Max was right there for all the action!

God is so good in giving me insight into my relationship with Him through everyday tasks, and today was no different. 

I watched Max scurry around the kitchen furiously searching for scraps or random bits of food that had fallen on the floor. I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart, “You do the same thing sometimes.” What? Was the Lord really comparing me to my dog?! Then I heard Him say,

“I have provided all the nourishment you need yet you still scurry around looking for scraps that will never satisfy you.”

Whoa! He was right of course!

Let’s see if anything of these things resonate with you too…

When I get my feelings hurt (yes, even after 50 that still happens friends!) many times my first reaction is to complain about it to whoever will listen. I’ll call a friend, text someone else, or verbal vomit to my husband. I’m not looking for them to fix the problem, I just “want to be heard.” I want my side of the story to matter the most.

Honestly, I’m not looking for a solution to my heart issues, I’m searching for vindication in my quest to be upset. After all, don’t I have the right to be upset after being hurt?

Philippians 2:3-4 AMP, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.“

Hmmm…looks like I don’t have that “right” after all.

This is what I mean by ‘striving for scraps’: we will feel sad, hurt, frustrated, annoyed, mad, etc., but we do not have the right to stay that way. 

God has given us the most amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, and each time we choose our emotions over giving our hurts to the Lord, we are striving for scraps.

I Peter 5:6-8 gives us the perfect solution to whatever is causing us offense:

“⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, ⁷ casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. ⁸ Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. “

The Lord does not want us to come to Him some of the time, or most of the time to give Him our concerns. He wants us to come to Him ALL the time with ALL the things!

Years ago, after something happened with a friend, I felt offended and upset. I was venting to one of my daughters and she said, “Mom, you just need to give this to the Lord. It’s not doing you any good to be upset.”

I don’t know about you, but being parented by your adult children is not my favorite ~ especially when they are right!

I was immediately upset with her and unceremoniously replied, “Oh yes it does! I have a right to be mad, and I’m going to be mad for a while. Don’t tell me that I can’t be mad.”

Seriously, who’s the adult and who’s the child in this scenario?

Anyway, she was of course, right!

The Lord doesn’t want us to walk around mad, upset, or angry. It does not accomplish anything good! It is not beneficial to our life. And it can create more problems than you started with.

Instead of feasting on “the right to be mad”, what would have been better is to feast on God’s Word. Everything we need is right there. We don’t need to scurry around grasping for justification for our actions. We have to stop running around attempting to be filled by what the world says will work for our situation.

Turning to the Lord to answer us in various circumstances shows maturity. It means that we know our hearts will truly be filled only in His truth. By trusting what the Lord has taught us in scripture and by quieting ourselves to listen to the instruction of the Holy Spirit, we will not be tempted to scurry about like a dog looking for scraps.

Hebrews 5:13-14, “¹³ For everyone who lives on milk is [doctrinally inexperienced and] unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a spiritual infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the [spiritually] mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil.“

We are mature when we eat the solid food of God’s Word. 

When we feast, we are taking our time to enjoy the company of our host. 

When we strive, we are completely ignoring the bounty set before us. 

If you were invited to a dinner party, you wouldn’t bring your own food or scurry about the kitchen attempting to make something “better” than what had been prepared. You would arrive, ready to be treated to scrumptious food and delightful companionship.

That is how it is with the Lord. He’s provided everything you need to rest and relax in Him.

Sit down and feast! 

So my friend, when you feel like you deserve to be mad, or right, or sense that life is spinning out of control; take a step back and really look at the situation. When you keep telling people about the same problems over and over again, but still refuse to take anyone’s advice; when you walk around feeling like you deserve to act the way that you are because you got your feelings hurt; these are moments the Holy Spirit is waving a big red spiritual flag in your face!

STOP!

Stop the striving. Stop the scurrying. Stop the selfishness.

Trust in the good words of scripture and feast on His truths ~ the Lord will never lead you astray!

Blessings,

René

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Alive and Rested…

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Recently, I heard a fantastic word on festooning scripture. You may have read my previous blog (And then it was a New Year…) on this subject. So, I thought I today, I would share with you the reflections I experienced while using Psalm 23 to practice.

Pastor Christine Suh, Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Fellowship Monrovia, was the guest speaker at the Fellowship Moms Bible Study.

Festooning basically means “to decorate”. Pastor Christine then shared that she would teach us how to festoon scripture into our soul. That definitely caused me to pause. She also explained the beautiful benefits of time spent personalizing scripture to our current life circumstances.

I’ll also add, that God’s Word is not a merely a story book. It’s not a place where we can see how scripture fits into our life, or how God fits into our life. Quite the opposite. Spending time in God’s Word shows us how we are to live with God as the center of our life and how we can live so as to honor Him and glorify Him through all that we do. 

To festoon is to personalize. And because God’s word is alive, He can personalize it to us every time we decide to spend time with Him. That’s the heart of the good Father. He knows His children and what make each one of us respond to His voice.

As Pastor Christine continued with her teaching, she also showed how most passages have three parts:

• Orientation
• Disorientation
• Reorientation

I love this so much because these three qualities speak of how He works in our life to show us our path and purpose. God is the God of order and not chaos, so in no way do I want to confuse you at all. Let me be clear ~ God is ALWAYS oriented perfectly! We as humans are the ones who get disoriented and confused. This is why scripture is written the way it is:

• God gives us perfect direction ~ every time.
• When we get disoriented, God is there to keep us stabilized with the truth of His Word.
• Finally, God is there to refocus us and remind us Who is He, what He can do, and what our path is.

With that, I welcome you to join me in this exercise of festooning scripture! Go ahead and first read through Psalm 23 (printed at the bottom of this blog using the Amplified Bible version). After each verse, these are my first initial thoughts and feelings as I personalized this scripture.

Here we go ~

(Orientation)

Vs.1 “The LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.

~ Thank you, Jesus, that You are always faithful to lead me on the path You have set forth for me to travel. In that path, there is no fear of being lost, in danger, or abandoned. No matter what, You will always provide for me all that I need. It may not be what I think I want, but it will be exactly what you have planned to satisfy my needs.

Vs.2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.

~ I’m grateful that You take me by the hand and gently lead me to places where I can find rest from my weariness; to places where I am able to rest in a peaceful state, and my mind is given rest from the distractions around me. I am thankful that there are opportunities that You provide for rest, and when my eyes are on You, I am able to see those times for what they are.

Vs.3 He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

~ You are gracious Lord to bring refreshment to my soul through your Living Word, through prayer, all with the opportunity to bring You glory & praise. I’m so thankful that by pausing in my day to read scripture, pray, and apply it to my life, that I can be refreshed even through the storms when they arise.

(Disorientation)

Vs.4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

~ You know there will be times where I will allow my thoughts to wander away from Your truths & promises, causing confusion, disorientation, doubt, and fear. BUT ~ Your loving discipline will bring me back & Holy Spirit will wash my heart & mind clean with God’s truth over & for my life. I am grateful for Your gift of a comforter in the Holy Spirit.

(Reorientation)

Vs.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

~ I’m humbled Lord by how You want to celebrate me; how You intend to gather me to Your presence to bless me beyond measure with all Your love and protection, guidance and rejoicing. With You there is nothing that I lack. When I’m filled with You, the overflow of my life will be unmistakably filled with You.

Vs.6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the LORD.”

~ You have called me by name, You have reconciled me to Your heart, You have come to save my soul and not condemn me. With You there is safety and joy, and that whatever trials and events come my way to cause disorientation, You will cover them and bring me to a place of peace. Forever!!

Whoa ~ such refreshment! Praise God!

I would love to encourage you to choose a scripture, maybe start with your favorite Psalm, and give it a try. When we truly meditate on God’s word and what He has to say to us, our soul cannot help but feel refreshed and renewed! Our soul and spirit long to be with the Father and what a beautiful privilege and blessing we have to openly read scripture and share with others what the Lord has done in our life.

Let your soul be festooned with the everlasting and perfect Word of God!

Blessings,

René

(Psalm 23 AMP) The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.

² He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.

³ He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the [sunless] ^[a]valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with ^[b]oil;
My cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

 

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Seeds and Fruit…

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

My daughter Sierra recently said to me, “Well, you can’t eat fruit from a seed.” I challenged her because you absolutely can. She pointed out that if she handed me a seed and said, “Take a bite.”, it wouldn’t really be taking a bite of the fruit. It’s not ready yet. Um, hello? What is that phrase…’out of the mouths of babes!’  Okay, I mean, she’s 20 years old but still! Preachin’ to her mama!

This comment was made after I shared with her my epiphany that I was trying to get something off the ground too fast. I knew what I needed to do and I knew that God has definitely called me to begin a new ministry, but I was rushing it. That’s not so bad, but I have known that I was rushing it for a while now. And what’s worse, is that because I haven’t wanted to give voice to what I knew the Holy Spirit was telling me, I’ve also brought along the group of women who’ve said they want to join me in launching this ministry, and have made them wait unnecessarily.

Hello, my name is Rene’, and I’m stubborn.

When this ministry started bubbling in my heart more than a year ago, I was so excited! I wrote down all my thoughts and what the Lord was whispering to my heart. I talked to my husband and my kids and they were all super supportive. I prayed over a list of friends to join me in this endeavor. I sent emails. I made phone calls. I hired a web designer. My daughter created logos for me. I’ve planned conference, retreats, day events, fundraising dinners, bible studies, small groups, prayer groups, etc., more than I can count.

I’ve got this.

And I launched the ministry this past Fall to great excitement and support from family, friends, and social media friends. My friend Gus even helped me create a fantastic fundraising video for GoFundMe and it’s up and running! It was all coming together.

There have been plenty of moments in the past 5 months that I’ve been tempted to doubt that God really called me to this, but I battled those negative thoughts and won. The Lord and I are in this together. I have full support from my husband and phenomenal friends from across the US who feel the same.

But I’ll admit, all the new things I’ve seen pop up ~ ministries, day and weekend retreats, websites, books, bible studies ~ all the things have made me doubt there’s room for this new ministry.

So this has been a process for me of constantly going before the Lord and giving it back to Him. He has called me to it and I know He will “launch” all the things when the time is right. The mere fact that He has given me so many ideas is proof that this ministry WILL have it’s time and it’s more than okay that all the things don’t happen all at the beginning!

Remember what I told you at the beginning of this blog of what my daughter said to me?
“You can’t eat fruit from the seed.”

Dang! It’s true!

I mean, the fruit will come from the seed, but you can’t open the seed expecting to find fruit that is ready for consumption. And if you try to, you’re actually killing the seed before it even has the opportunity to produce the good fruit.

So now, I’ve come to this conclusion that some of the plans I was moving forward to make happen need to wait a year or so (or whatever God’s timing has to say about it); now the hardest part is to tell my awesome team members.

I don’t even have a “live” website yet (btw…it’s coming in early March 2020) and there is not the platform that is needed to gather the people for events yet. It takes time. It takes commitment and hustle to get the word out and garner a following. Just because I think this new ministry is something that is needed and something I know is from the heart of God for me to do, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen overnight.

Through all of this I have learned (well, more accurately, still learning) to take a deeper pause when I feel that I’m rushing. When I feel like I’m pushing something to be created faster than possible, that’s a pretty good indicator that I’m running ahead of God. Putting in the hard work of creating a website, an email list of interested parties, partnering with businesses who share my heart, and honestly, finding the people who want more of God in their life. There’s so much more that I must DO before the “end game” fruit is ready to eat!

There will come a day when the email list is in the thousands, when the day retreats will happen, when the weekend retreats happen, even when the merchandise happens…but until then, I must be patient and not rush the fruit of what God intends to grow. After all, it’s His ministry and He will guide it where it should go.

Oh, I don’t want to forget to tell you what I heard from my team members, my friends, after I let them know that I need to pull back and have a bit of a re-start.

Let’s just say I’ve got two words for ya ~ 

TOTAL CONFIRMATION!

I’ve heard from just about everyone now (at the point I’m writing this blog) and they are all so supportive. A couple of them are actually relieved! They were feeling a halting in their spirit and weren’t sure they could continue moving forward with the way I had been planning. Boy, if that isn’t spiritual confirmation! Even my friend who is our web designer was feeling the same way and was completely relieved to hear that I was initiating this pause and time of re-direction and foundation building.

This is why I need and want a team with me!! We are on our way to creating a great foundation in 2020, reaping the fruit as growth provides it when ready.

I’m already so excited for how God is going to move in the hearts of young women to find this new ministry, Awake & Arise: A Gathering for Women! We do have our Instagram and facebook pages, but the activity will really step up in late February/early March! Be sure to check it out!

And as I’m on the analogy of fruit, the following verses of course came to mind and I’d love to share them with you.

John‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭AMP, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”

‭‭ John‬ ‭15:14-17‬ ‭AMP, “You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.”

If you’ve got something stirring in your heart, always be sure to carry it loosely so the Lord can grow it how He intends. His timing is always best. The fruit of any endeavor He has laid on your heart will grow in the best way, in the best time, and will provide the best return for your obedience!

Let the seeds God is planted, or already has planted, settle into the deep soil of your heart being watered by the Holy Spirit. It’ll be a joy when that seed blooms to its full potential!

And hey, I’d love to hear all about it! Let me know what God is putting on your heart! You know, if He called you to it, He will equip you to do it!!

Blessings,

René

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Don’t Be Like Edmund…

Photo by Salih Akyürek on Unsplash

The first time I ever heard of Turkish delight was when I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia set of books by C.S. Lewis. Edmund, one of the children in the story, was offered some of this supposedly tasty treat by the White Witch, who was disguising herself as the Queen of Narnia. Anyway, it sounded completely disgusting to me, even though I knew it was supposed to be some kind of candy. But eight-year-old me thought, ‘no thanks’! And why would you take candy from a stranger anyway???

Then, I tried some last year! Ha!

My husband and I had the opportunity to have an overnight layover in Istanbul on the way to a work event for him. The tour guide who met us at the airport had a lovely tour of the heart of the city planned for us. One of the spots we went to was a local street market that made fresh Turkish delight and the owners insisted we try as many flavors as we wanted.

All I could think of was Edmund in the story, how he stuffed his face with this stuff. He was never satisfied and was left by the Queen wanting more. He blindly promised the Queen whatever she wished because he was blinded by the desire to have more of her Turkish delight.

But it was so good! We tried their traditional pistachio flavor, then chocolate rolled in pistachio, then some other nut flavors, and some other fruit flavors. Oh man! So sweet and delicious! And it did leave me wanting more.

As we know, eat the yummy stuff, but in moderation. Don’t obsess about it or put it above every other thing in our life.

This reminder of Edmund character and his clear obsession with Turkish delight made me think about myself.

What is my ‘turkish delight’? What do I give more thought to than I ought? What distracts me from operating from a place of obedience to God?

We all have those things in our life that we put too much focus on. And when we do this, we lose track of what the good things are that the Lord desires us to seek.

I’ll be honest with you. My biggest distraction each week is that thing that my Granmarie lovingly referred to as the “boob tube”. This was coined by the adult generation of the 1950’s when TV first came out. They were concerned that kids were spending too much time watching TV and allowing it to “dumb them down.” And that’s when there was like 5 channels to watch! Today there are over 50 networks and more than 1000 channels to choose from. You could scroll through all the channels every day and never be satisfied.

And then there’s social media ~ same thing…scroll for hours and days…and never be satisfied.

There’s only one source that can fully satisfy the heart, mind, and soul of every person on the planet ~ it is the Lord.

And He gives us the CHOICE to follow Him or not. 

We don’t have to wait for Him to open up Facebook Messenger to read our note to Him. We don’t have to wait for Him to accept our ‘follow’ request on Instagram. We don’t have to wait for Him to return our call. We don’t have to wait for an email reply.

He is present.

He is available.

He is waiting.

He is patient.

He is kind.

He truly is just one step away ~ no matter how far we have strayed, it just takes one step turning around toward Him, to reach Him again.

I think one of the best parts of my relationship with Jesus is that He is completely and always trustworthy. He never betrays my confidences. He never lies to me. He always encourages me even in the midst of discipline. His love has no ulterior motives. His plans are always for my good even when I don’t understand them. He never offers me something good in order to trick me into doing something wrong. He always builds me up. He always cares for my heart when I am sad. He will always be my protector. He will always be my defender. He will go into battle on my behalf. He is the giver of true peace.

And oh, so much more!

The truly best part ~ He is my salvation. He has saved me certain spiritual death. I will never be separated from Him and will in fact see Him face to face one day.

He is so very good! {and that’s putting it quite mildly!!}

So, what in your life has the enemy made you think is better than a relationship with Jesus?

What’s your ‘turkish delight’?

Whatever it is, give it to the Lord. Even if its minute by minute, or day by day, come to the Lord with your hands open and ask Him to fill it with what is important to Him. Jesus will absolutely show you what is important to Him and how His plans for you are good.

Savor these few verses today my friend ~ turn around and you’ll find Jesus right there ready to gather you up in His arms!

Luke 9:23-24 says,  ^{23 “}And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ²⁴ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake, he is the one who will save it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God].”

John 3:16-18 promises us, ¹⁶ “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] ^[a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because ^[b]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].“

You are dearly loved ~ Jesus, through salvation, has literally loved the hell OUT of you! Hang on, read that one more time a little more slowly. Because of the gracious gift of salvation, we have everlasting life with the Lord. We are saved from the penalty of sin which is an eternal death separated from Him in hell. 

Again, whatever ‘turkish delight’ you think you are enjoying, or think you need to live a full life ~ it ain’t got nothing on a truly free life in Jesus. I’m praying that you hear my heart for you today ~ praying for you to come to a real place with the Lord and receive His grace for your life.

Jesus is better than anything this earthly world has to offer. I promise!

Blessings,

René

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