tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80241361972327648452024-03-12T20:11:37.769-07:00Heart to HearJennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-36159551632205025192017-04-19T13:11:00.000-07:002017-04-21T18:23:40.660-07:00Look to the Rock<br />
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I woke to a morning of gray clouds and heaviness after a restless night. T<span style="font-size: 11pt;">he weight of many worries settled on my shoulders, I stumbled to the place where I meet my Lord.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Sometimes the only words we
have are the scripted ones, but I believe Jesus gave us these words as a lifeline,
always leading us back to Him when we get lost in the dark of this enemy
territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Our Father Who art in heaven...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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I began to sing this age old prayer and suddenly there was a new
melody in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cried out for His words
of life - the true daily bread, and He gave them. The song became an affirmation
of His goodness. </div>
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<b>All good, every single good that exists is from Him... is
Him.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>My voice failed and my heart
cracked open and I poured out the sadness, the deep longing for redemption of
all the terrible mistakes I've made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
then He reminded me that Redeemer is His name and what He came to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>He is the One Who Saves.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Light in the dark, key to the prison cell,
physician to the broken-hearted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rebuilder of ruined streets and broken homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I grabbed my Bible and sped to the book of Isaiah, intent
on getting to chapter 61 that enumerates all His glorious ways of redemption, but on
the way this heading caught my eye, </div>
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<b>The Faithful Are Called to
Courage. </b></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>What?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped and began to read chapter 51. </div>
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Isaiah 51:1-3 NKJV</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Look to the rock from which you were hewn,</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: super;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Look to Abraham your father, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">And to Sarah who bore you; </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">For I called him alone, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">And blessed him and increased him.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">For the Lord will comfort Zion, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">He will comfort all her waste places; </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">He will make her wilderness like Eden, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">And her desert like the garden of the Lord; </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Joy and gladness will be found in it, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. </span></div>
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What a
fascinating command: <span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Look to the rock from
which you were hewn.</b></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Abraham was
a man willing to walk away from the comfortable and familiar and
follow a Voice into the wilderness. He entered into covenant with this God and believed
His impossible promise to make him the father of a nation. He believed despite a wrinkled and weak body of
evidence screaming, "No way, that will never happen!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>This is the rock from which we as believers
are hewn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are the crazy people who
step out of our comfort zones without really knowing why and believe promises
that make the unbelievers laugh us to scorn, if we dare to tell them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><b>And to Sarah
who bore you</b></span><b>.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sarah, bless her,
believed and received strength to carry a child in her very old age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's the real deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's no faking that. Her body and his, as
good as dead, and yet, God said, "Go for it. I'll bless you."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And then an even
stranger admonition. <span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Look to the hole of the
pit from which you were dug.</b></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look
to the hole?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, look at that gaping
hole in the ground where God wrestled you free. Ever fallen into a deep pit with no hope at all of ever being back on
the surface with the sun on your face?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But God, He likes buried treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He digs in dirt and pulls out rocks and says, "I know where this
one will fit."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is the
Cornerstone, but there are many more stones being laid in His house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at that pit. If God can take you out of
that ugly hole in the ground, surely He will be faithful to finish this house
and make every stone in it a thing of beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><b>For I called him alone.</b></span> You may feel all
alone. You may be all alone. On this journey, we often are. But He who called
us is faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a redeemer. He is
a finder and fixer of lost and broken. He is a comforter. He is a gardener who creates
incredible beauty in garbage dumps and deserts, places where glad hearts
overflow with thankfulness and lovely melodies fill the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is His promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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So no matter what it
looks like around me today, I choose to hear the voice of my God, to take
courage as I follow the only completely faithful One.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will keep His promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-51419912177717880002013-09-27T08:59:00.002-07:002013-09-27T08:59:56.677-07:00Nothing But Grace
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I still
remember – 23 years and 27 days ago when the sweetest little blue-eyed, blond fuzzed
baby was handed to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Minutes before, she
had finally emerged after a ten month pregnancy and 16 hour labor, gray and
still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The midwife quietly said, “Rick,
pray for your baby.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked, “Why?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother told me later she nearly screamed
at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My precious midwife
simply stated that our little girl was not breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Donna worked to clear her airways and
administer oxygen, my young husband prayed for God to breathe life into our
little girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched, propped up on my
elbows, curiously at peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In just a
few minutes, she took her first breath and began to turn from ashen to
rosy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She didn’t cry, but I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much later, after we shared a bath of healing
herbs and made it through the strenuous ordeal of my first attempt at dressing
her, we were tucked into bed together and I looked down at my daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those long months ago when I lay on this
same bed terrified at the prospect of the labor I had just experienced, I had
no idea how amazing it was going to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt so proud of what I had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had never known grace like that – as strength to do something hard,
something scary and do it well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To know
that no matter what, I could get through it because I wasn’t doing it
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Rick
came to me later, a little worried that somehow our little daughter knew he
thought she was a boy all this time and was somehow wounded by that, I was
still marveling at the grace I had experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was able to dip into it himself and let go of his fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together we decided to name our daughter
Catherine Grace, which simply means pure grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was the living embodiment of the grace we had been learning to receive
from our Heavenly Father while she was being formed and delivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, here I
am 23 years and 27 days later, counting the few hours that remain until she
leaves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, she will be back,
but not to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is her time to
fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nest is too small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The community is too small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire state of Texas is too small!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This woman has a heart for the nations and
she won’t be held back!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is still the living embodiment of pure
grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has an astonishing capacity
for love and joy that I could never have given her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a priceless treasure, mine and yet not
mine anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And this
mother is once again looking for the grace to do something hard, something
scary and do it well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-7344998040012143052013-06-08T08:19:00.000-07:002013-06-08T08:19:26.793-07:00Real Life Meets Real God<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yesterday was tough: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>busy schedule, heart-bruising conversation
with someone close, crowded roads, endless demands and finally headache and
mind-numbing fatigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing new here, sad
to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an age-old joke - the
weariness of women and the headache that goes with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the quiet sunlight this morning, this thought came:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if the weariness comes from taking up
burdens and carrying them on my back all day as I try to go about my
business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear, self-reproach,
disappointment, anger, shame – they are all like heavy rocks in my pack and not
very conducive to leaping up to the high places!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then my heart cries out to my Father God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see my foolishness so clearly this morning
as I never did as I staggered through yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why didn’t I run to Him and lay all these
rocks down at His feet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Placed there,
they could become an altar for my wounded pride, my self-sufficiency to die
upon once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, I know the
truth – Apart from Him, I can do nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So why do I so often shrink back from drawing near?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Because… I'm mad at Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For allowing all this pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
not fixing it all years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look
around and everyone else looks so much closer to “done” in God’s oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They look golden brown and ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like mush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My soul screams, “Why?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does it have to be like this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why this road?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why these problems?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And now, I need to go find a secret place and pour out the
anguish of my soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I’m on my knees
and undone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is pain, but it is a good
pain because instead of a pain that sits like a rock on soul, it is a pain that
pours out and leaves behind the absence of heaviness, something that feels like
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this place, He asks me a
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is not important
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Will you trust Me?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I weep on Jesus’ feet and know that He was here before
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look at the pain, poured out all
around me, and I look at Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know Him
to be faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know Him to be
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look in my heart and I know that
I believe He will keep His promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
will make it all right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will even
make all the pain worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of course I will
trust Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fits and starts of my
slow-to-learn heart, I will trust Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For me there is no choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is Life
and Light and though I do not understand His ways, I trust Him and His Love –
for me, for the ones I love and for all the souls who cry out “Why?”.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-87689532776205203552013-02-28T07:29:00.001-08:002013-02-28T08:39:50.865-08:00Spring Cleaning My Heart<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Like dust bunnies under the bed that you don't think about until you have a reason to confront them, I've recently found some not so cute and fuzzy things hanging around in my heart. Timidity, fear, apprehension, tentativeness - they all belong to the same family and I've only just been made aware of a whole other crop of them that have been hiding in the corners of my heart. I've battled fears in many forms and really thought I was walking in freedom. My first clue that I wasn't quite as victorious as I thought came from an unlikely source: piano lessons. I've been so blessed to begin taking piano lessons from a wonderful, gifted, amazing Russian woman who just happens to live across the street. My Abba Father is so awesome! She is unlike any teacher I ever had growing up. She has a passion for music and life that inspires me. She also intimidates the heck out of me! As my lessons have progressed, we've both become aware of this timidity and fear of making a mistake that has a strangle hold on my mind and my hands. I even battle it when I am practicing at home. Weird, huh? I've begun praying about it and asking my Abba to set me free from it. As usual, it is not a microwave fix, but slowly and surely He is peeling back the layers of this mess. I've come to see that the root is the lie I believed somewhere way down deep and long ago that says, "You must be perfect to be loved." I can't make mistakes because I have to do it <em>all </em>right. I've been tempted to quit playing the piano just because I make so many mistakes. I thought if I really had any talent for it, I wouldn't make so many mistakes. How silly! If no one ever did anything unless they could do it well from the beginning, how very little would ever be accomplished. I don't want to live this way anymore - afraid of trying and failing. I want to be brave enough to try even if I fail the first twenty times. I want to live my life in a brave stride instead of a cautious crawl. As Miss Luda tells me, I must be courageous! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">So, this morning, the Holy Spirit and I took the broom of Truth (it can also be a sword!) and we swept out those lying spirits. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of being hurt - and all their friends were given their notice of eviction. I told them they no longer had any permission to hang out in my heart and to take their junk and go in the name of Jesus. Yes! I am asking the Holy Spirit to clean that area up completely and bring love, power and a sound mind to live there instead! Hallelujah! Our God is so good! He takes broken, imperfect, hopeless people and transforms them by His mighty power and love. How can you not love a God like that? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Just one more thing - when He transforms us - it isn't into perfection - it is into relationship with Himself. I can't, but He can. Apart from Him, I can do nothing, but I am not apart from Him anymore! I'm in Him and He is in me. That means anything is possible! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.<br /><span class="keywordresultextras"> 2 Timothy 1:7</span></span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="keywordresultextras" style="font-size: large;"><em></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="keywordresultextras"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8</em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="keywordresultextras"><em></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="keywordresultextras"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-24326804136252703402012-11-14T07:29:00.000-08:002012-11-14T07:29:10.202-08:00Look To Him
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">They looked to Him and were
radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Psalm 34:5</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I read
this and all I felt was shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
that I was a failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But
when I looked to Him and I asked Him to speak to my heart His word of life for me
in that moment, He did.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He
reminded me that all my children will be taught of the Lord. </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All your children <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">shall be</span> taught by the Lord, and
great <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">shall be</span> the peace of
your children. Isaiah 54:13</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I
cannot fail at a job that isn’t mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
job is to live an authentic life of following the Lord before my children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To tell them Who I know Him to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest is in His hands and theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have to choose Him for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot do this for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will reveal Himself to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is His part.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He is
relentless, just as our enemy is relentless in his attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, the truth is that Love has already won
and will win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will stand in the
victory Jesus has already secured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
will trust Him and His word that says not one who belongs to Him will be
snatched from His hand. </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall
never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who
has given <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">them</span> to Me, is
greater than all; and no one is able to snatch <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">them</span> out of My Father’s hand. I and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">My</span> Father are one.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John
10:27 – 30 </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I will
remind my soul that He is the One who started this and He will complete it.</span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being confident of this very
thing, that <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">who</span> has begun a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I
sat down to write this, my eyes fell on the verse above the one I had
read:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I sought the Lord and He heard
me, and delivered me from all my fears</span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psalm
34:4</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank You, Abba, for hearing me, for speaking to
me, and for delivering me from the grip of my fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will trust You.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe You.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help my unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love you.</span></i></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-68952505496488786542012-08-15T06:16:00.000-07:002012-08-15T06:16:20.566-07:00Come
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_MailOriginal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Sunday morning my family was spending time
together as the church in our home. It wasn’t our first attempt to do
this, but lest you imagine that we have a long-standing tradition of
experiencing the manifest glory in our living room, let me make clear that we
are taking baby steps here. I hope that someday it will be something like
that, but in the meantime, I’m just incredibly grateful for where we are.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As we waited for the Lord to
speak, I began to thank Him in my heart for the fact that He says to us,
“Come.” A few minutes later, I was sharing this with the rest of the
family and this truth just blossomed in front of us. In Isaiah 1:18 … God
says, “Come<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>let us reason, though your sins
be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus
said, “Come all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you
rest.” The author of Hebrews encourages us to “Come boldly to the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:16) <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Growing up in American culture
has shaped my thoughts about God and not always for the best. I realized
this morning as we began to see this wonderful truth of God with His arms open
and extended in loving invitation, that my default imagining of God was nothing
like that. In fact, the picture that came to mind was more like that of
Dorothy and her friends coming before the Great and Terrible Wizard of
Oz: fearful trembling before an angry powerful One Who demands performance
before there can be acceptance or assistance. This is the essence of most
religions in the world. And yet, if we flush all the lies the world and
its belief systems have told us and focus on the truth revealed by the written
Word and the Living Word, what a wonderfully different scene we see. We
see the Father running to embrace the prodigal. We see Jesus coming into
the world as one of us, to defeat the enemy none of us could overcome, even
though it took Him all the way to a painful, shameful death. We see Jesus
making breakfast on the beach for one who denied Him and saying, “Come have
something to eat.” God is good. He is so much better than we give
Him credit for. He loves us, and He says, “Come.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Thank You, thank You Lord
for being a God who says, “Come.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"></span>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-63445338030874925182012-08-09T09:18:00.001-07:002012-08-09T09:18:35.890-07:00Where I Am<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dear Friends,</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I
need to sit down and talk with you today from my heart to yours. I wish
we could sit down over coffee face to face, but this will have to do.
Getting Heart to Hear written has been a struggle lately. This is due in
part to the fact that it is summer and I find it very difficult to get the
quiet I need, both to spend time with the Father and to <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">write</span>. On the
other hand, I’m also wrestling with the concern that I have nothing more to
say. I’ve shared all I know and maybe it’s time to say, “That’s all I
have to say about that.” Bottom line, I love hearing God and sharing what
I hear with you, but what I do not ever want to do is to pretend I’ve heard
when I haven’t and this week, I haven’t.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I
think that what I really need to do is take <span style="color: black;">more</span>
time to listen. My Father has been stirring my heart about a new
direction for writing. No surprise there since every other area of my
life seems to be going in a new direction, too! I need to take time to
focus my hearing, and to wait<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>on the Lord to
speak to me. I also want to be sure that what I’ve been hearing, I am
actually living and walking out. Thanks for understanding and bearing
with me on the winding road. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With
Love,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jennifer
Davis<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-59259607467429308922012-08-01T10:44:00.001-07:002012-08-01T10:44:42.915-07:00A Life That Lasts<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
year has been all about change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
church has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My weekend routine
of when I attend a worship service has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The gym I’ve used for seven years has morphed into something completely
different and the bit of community I had in those weekly classes is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even my favorite Mexican restaurant has been
torn down due to road construction, and even though they built a new one, it is
just not the same!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what is up with
all this stinking change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Last
night, as I lay in bed waiting for sleep to come and praying a little, this
thought came to mind, “Nothing lasts.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This morning I’ve been thinking about that statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a more accurate one would be,
“Nothing lasts except what God does.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Depending upon your age and background, you may be familiar with the
poem that says, “Only one life will soon be past, only what is done for Christ
will last.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up with those words
in my Bible, inscribed there by a visiting evangelist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those words captured my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to live a life that would last
before God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lately though, I’ve
wondered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is what I am doing of lasting
value?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are my prayers anything more than
selfish, misguided requisitions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is my
“service” more than a project that anyone could undertake?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I’m skating out on thin ice to
even suggest that not everything we do for the Lord is gloriously pure and
blessed by His hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much of it is
just us trying to find our own identity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to do great things for God, but more than that I want to do great
things <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">with</b> God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still I wonder…maybe the highest aim would be
to simply do those things that He wants to do, trusting Him for the outcome and
unconcerned with how great or small it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, I won’t know what He wants to do unless I spend time with Him,
getting to know Him, listening to His heart instead of always pouring out
mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottom line is that there
isn’t anything greater than coming to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is the end and not the means, and I don’t think I’ve really gotten
that into my heart yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Abba, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit –
please teach me what life with You really is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-34674372324943080902012-07-11T07:58:00.002-07:002012-07-11T07:58:53.265-07:00A Living House<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As
many of you know, we have been experiencing a major transition in our lives in
the area of where and when we worship. For 23 years, we were part of one
church, but that church has ceased to be. A new fellowship has risen in a
new place, but the old one is over and the building will soon be torn
down. There is no going back. The only direction to move is
forward, so that is what we are doing. It isn’t easy. It feels very
strange at times, but God is still my Abba Father and Jesus is still Faithful and
True. The Holy Spirit is at work in each of our lives and it is very
good. </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Goudy Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This
week when we attended the weekly service, we were waiting for friends to arrive
when I saw another dear friend across the room. I hurried over to give
her a hug and say hello before the service began. As I went back to my
seat, I realized that now I felt like I was at church. Before that
moment, it felt like any other place where you go, get a seat, experience an
event and leave. But after spending a few moments with my sweet friend, I
felt the truth that I was a part of the Body of Christ in this place.
Even though there are many I don’t know, just knowing there was at least one
there I did know made all the difference<span style="color: #1f497d;">!</span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Coming
and going, even entering into worship and responding to the message isn’t
enough. I need connection with other believers. I need to join my
faith and my life with theirs. Isn’t that what church is all about?
I Peter 2:5 tells us, <i>“You also, as living stones, are being built up
a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” </i>We aren’t meant to be
scattered stones. We need to come together to be built into this
spiritual house. Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 2:22, <i>“In Him you
also are being <b>built</b> together into a dwelling place for God by the
Spirit.” </i>I have no clue what the future holds, but I believe with all
my heart that it is my Abba’s intention that we be part of His house and I am
trusting that He will fit us in exactly where He wants us. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dear
Father, thank You for Your amazing love. Thank You for Your incredible
wisdom in designing us to need to be connected to one another. Please
help us trust Your plan and your timing in placing us where You would have
us. Please help us trust You even when we don’t understand Your
blueprints. We love You and we know being in Your hands is the very best
place to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-25608175182715967632012-06-27T08:12:00.000-07:002012-06-27T08:12:37.434-07:00Feeling Overwhelmed?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lately,
I feel a bit of dread every time I check the news or even my email inbox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There always seems to be another urgent
message informing me that I need to SEND MONEY NOW and save the world from the
latest threat to life as we’ve known it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The worst part is that most of the threats are real! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing I have a harder time figuring out is
how throwing money at the problem is going to fix it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere I turn, I am confronted with the demand
to do something to make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hear this in the Body of Christ as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“How are you changing the world?” has become the new “How are you?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways, this is not a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For too long, it has been easy to stay
self-focused and complacent about the world outside the walls of our homes and
churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, I feel
overwhelmed with the huge array of need and the incredible number of claims on
my response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t do well when I’m
overwhelmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it usually
paralyzes me and I end up doing nothing except beating myself up for doing
nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This morning, as I struggled to
enter the presence of the Lord and hear His voice above all the noise in my
head, I read Psalm 27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, since I
had the house to myself, I sang it aloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’ve never tried singing the Psalms, I highly recommend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Singing those words to the Lord was powerful
and my spirit was awakened and energized to respond to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself pouring my heart out to Him
with tears and yet, feeling a renewal of my courage as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The Lord <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is</span> my light and my salvation; Whom
shall I fear?<br />
The Lord <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is</span> the strength of my
life; Of whom shall I be afraid?<br />
When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes,<br />
They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me,<br />
My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me,<br />
In this I <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">will be</span> confident.
Psalm 27:1-3<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">What I
believe the Lord is telling me is that He will show us what our part is in His
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not panic or be overwhelmed or
leap into action apart from His direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He knows exactly where we are and who He has made us to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will show us our place as we wait on Him
and find our strength in Him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Wait on the Lord; Be of good
courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait, I say, on the Lord!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 27: 14<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-84143760159561309132012-06-20T06:57:00.000-07:002012-06-20T06:57:48.726-07:00In the Boat!<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">“May the Lord answer you in the
day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May He send you help from the sanctuary, and
strengthen you out of Zion.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 20:1</span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Last
week, I told you about how the Lord has surprised me recently with the
realization that I had a swamp in my heart and how He has uncovered some twisted,
stinking thoughts lurking beneath the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve begun to see how I’ve been looking at my relationship with the Lord
wrongly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been talking about Jesus
being the One who makes me right with God, but I’ve continued to slip back into
living as if I am still trying to earn rightness with God every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of seeing that He came and pulled me
out of the murky water where I was drowning and put me safely into His boat, I’m
acting as if He has just given me a better motor for mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is that apart from Jesus, I don’t
have a boat and I’m not a very good swimmer either!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, that is where I am today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m in His boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t build it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not steering it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not even sure of where it is headed, but
I am in it, and I trust the One who knows all the answers to my questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I hear the Lord saying to me today is
this, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">“Trust Me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are safe in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stop treading
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You really are in the boat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, there are high winds and storms
sometimes, but never think that I have left you helpless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Call on Me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cry out to Me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pour out your
heart to Me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will give you what you need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am all you will ever need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Settle it today in your heart – apart from Me
you can do nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything good
comes from Me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t fret because of
what you see others doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust Me to
show you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">your </b>path and give you
grace to walk it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love you with an
everlasting love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take joy in knowing this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is looking for a perfect home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have it in Me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-15754860788322928942012-06-13T07:12:00.002-07:002012-06-13T07:12:48.797-07:00Drain the Swamp!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">My husband has been praying an unusual prayer lately. He has been asking the Lord to “drain the swamp.” Driving East from New Orleans along Highway 10 you can see swamp land that is very lovely, down in the Louisiana bayous where the tall cypress trees rise up out of the murky water and trail Spanish moss from their limbs. However, I don’t think that is the mental image my husband has in mind. His swamp is the kind of place where the water is so stagnant that you smell it before you see it. The surface is covered with scum and you do not want to know what lurks beneath the surface. I believe this prayer to drain the swamp came from the Lord. Who else could tell a man he has a swamp in his heart and enable him to respond with the faith to believe He can and will drain it? So far, so good, but here’s the weird thing: my swamp is getting drained, too, and I didn’t even know I had one! I honestly thought I was doing okay. I was in a good place. Then the waters started drying up and things began to appear that I hadn’t known were there: twisted, stinking thoughts and emotions with big ugly roots going down into my heart. Just like those massive cypress roots, there are some assumptions and beliefs in my heart that my Abba Father wants to deal with. He called me to be an oak of righteousness, not a swamp cypress. So, here’s where I am – facing up to what is being revealed, choosing to believe I am still loved and accepted by my Father God, and trusting Him to complete what He has begun. I’m realizing once again that most of my yucky stuff stems from still trying to be perfect and in control. I’m praying for the grace to lay those impossibilities down at the feet of the Lord Jesus and the courage to get up and walk every day in a new life where I trust His righteousness to be all I need. So far, trying to do everything right and remain in control at all times has only made me a fearful, brittle, frazzled mess. I believe the life I’ve been called to looks very different and I want to choose that life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Abba Father, I can’t change me, but I know You can. Please enable me to cooperate with all that You are doing. Please enable me to hear and obey, believe and walk in the freedom in Christ Jesus that is mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-24158058111756256032012-06-06T07:05:00.001-07:002012-06-06T07:05:38.048-07:00He is sure<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that “there is a time for every purpose under heaven.” The next seven verses go on to describe many actions for which there is a time, and each one is listed with an opposite action. “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to tear down and a time to build up.” There is even “a time to keep and a time to throw away.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Clearly the writer has been around long enough to know that in this life things are always changing. Sometimes it is slow and barely visible, like the opening of a bud or the growth of a child from week to week. Other times it is a total rearrangement of the furniture of our lives that leaves us feeling tossed about like a little boat on the open sea. My mental image for this has been the deck of the Titanic tilted to a 45 degree angle. Everything is sliding, but I don’t think I’m sinking. It is just really hard to keep my balance. Nothing seems sure, but I hear my Abba Father saying He is sure. He is my rock and His love is the ocean beneath me. His mercy and grace are as high as the puffy white cloud mountains in the sky. He says, “I have not abandoned you. I am holding you by the hand. In fact, I am holding you and your entire world in my hand. Trust Me to be God. Trust Me to be good. Because I AM.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><em>Thank You, Lord! I will trust You. I choose to embrace this time and all its uncertainty, because I know that it is simply the next step in a journey that ends in Your arms. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-66039253191012224722012-05-23T08:02:00.000-07:002012-05-23T08:02:56.359-07:00So Simple<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is all I know this week: God is God and I’m not. He can do anything. Apart from Him, I can do NOTHING! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />The Amplified Bible says it this way, <em>“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”</em> John 15:5 <br />
<br />I find it very easy to forget I am only a branch. It happens so easily. I begin to think I am the Vine and if I don’t make fruit happen, then it just won’t. Sometimes, I get really crazy and start thinking I am the Gardener and it is my job to take care of all the other branches. For a branch, this is not only exhausting, but downright impossible. <br />
<br />So…deep breath…I say to myself, “Hey, you are a branch. All that frantic activity – mental, emotional or physical – that is not your job.” Then I hear the Holy Spirit’s sweet still voice saying, <em>“Just live in Me. It really is that simple. Lay down your plans, your worries, your cares, and rest in the fact that I am good and I know what I am doing.”</em> <br />
<br />He said it this way to Jeremiah, <em>“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” </em> (Jer. 29:11 NLT)<br />
<br />All I really need to concern myself with is living in Him. For me this means waking up and making the choice to believe I am in Him. He has brought me through the night and He will see me through the day. He will lead and I will follow. That is how simple it really is. <br />
<br /><em>Abba Father, I’m so tempted to make it more complicated, to make a to-do list of how to be in You. Please, teach me to simply, humbly live in You, for Your good pleasure and glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-64915746235912129762012-05-16T10:36:00.000-07:002012-05-16T10:36:41.952-07:00Step Up and Stand Firm<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Do you ever feel like a failure? I woke up yesterday morning from a dream in which I was sitting in a school desk and in front of me was a paper with a big ‘F’ on it. It was even circled for extra emphasis! Realizing this was not the best way to begin the day, I began to cry out, in a rather whiny way, to the Lord for help. Instantly, I heard His response in my spirit, “<em>You feel like a failure, but your feeler is wrong. You don’t need to be rescued from these bad feelings, you simply need to stand up and believe and speak the truth about yourself. This is maturity. This is your call to step up and manage what you have been given. To walk in strength you must not listen to lies or those who would advise you who don’t share your goal.”</em> At this point, I had to ask myself, “What is my goal?” I realize my goal might be different from yours. I know we are all at different places in our journeys. For now, my goal is to stand by my husband in training our children to walk in strength and truth. I also want to walk in strength and truth, myself. I want to be ready to move on from laying the foundation stones of salvation, forgiveness, and acceptance. I want to hear His voice and do what I see Him showing me to do – each day. Being human, especially a female human, means having to deal with a body full of crazy hormones that fluctuate wildly from one day to the next. I want to know that truth is still truth on the days when I can’t seem to put down the potato chip bag or my emotions are in a free-fall. Essentially, those are the times when we just have to gut it out, as my husband likes to say. This means thinking and doing what I know is right, regardless of the total lack of warm fuzzy feelings. These are the times when going back to the Word and taking in truth as a life-saving substance is so vital. Yesterday, I found Hebrews 4 and 6 most helpful. I encourage you to read them. I will leave you with a few highlights.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><em>“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us…” Hebrews 6:18-20 The Message</em><br />
<br /><em>“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV</em><br />
<br /><em>Abba, thank You, for your Word and for Your faithfulness. Please keep us faithful to You. In Jesus’ strong and mighty name, Amen. </em></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-41155122203913766942012-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:002012-05-09T09:38:04.547-07:00Dangerous Territory<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last week as I rushed around trying to get ready to take a quick trip to Virginia to see my parents and bring my baby girl and her baby car home from college, I took a few minutes to mop my bathroom floor. I’m not sure why, but God always seems to be able to speak to me best when I’m doing something like that. I had a song playing in my head, the Eagles singing “Take It Easy”. There’s a line in it that says, “Looking for a lover who won’t blow my cover, she’s so hard to find.” Yes, I know, this is not praise and worship music, but as those words rolled through my mind, I heard that quiet voice in my heart that I know is the Lord. Here’s what He spoke to me through those lyrics. If we get into the dangerous territory of real love we will find that our cover always gets blown. Am I willing to let people know me? Not the made-for-public- consumption version, whitewashed and airbrushed, but the real person that lives inside my skin? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul tells the believers, “<em>Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”</em> Most of the time, it isn’t enough to hear the truth from someone. We want to hear it wrapped in love from someone who is willing to share not just the truth, but “their very selves” as the English Standard Version of the above verse reads. Real love is not for sissies. It requires of us that we push past our fears, and insecurities. It means being brave enough to have the hard conversations when offenses have occurred. It means being willing to work through problems instead of pulling away. Real love isn’t easy, but it truly is the only kind worth having. Today, I want to encourage you to take another look at your relationships. Are you still keeping up a pretense with those who should be trusted with your very self? Do you need to take some hurts to your Abba Father for healing so that you can be willing to be real with those who love you? More and more, I am coming to believe that in our hearts we are all so much the same. We all have those same feelings of being different from everybody else. We have all heard the same lies from the enemy our entire lives. We all have the option of choosing to hide or coming out from behind our walls and living in the sunlight of true love. It is scary, but so worth it. <br />
<br /><em>Abba Father, please give us the courage and grace to love and allow ourselves to be loved. Please help us bring our hearts to you to have the thorns pulled out of the sore places. Help us be brave enough to face the pain of pulling them out instead of just living with the ache. Thank You for being a God of truth AND mercy. We love you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-89067137596430248572012-05-02T20:21:00.000-07:002012-05-02T20:21:09.121-07:00The Journey Continues<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dear Friends,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />Each one of us is on a journey. One of the things I love most about our Father God is that He relates to us as individuals. My journey will not be the same as yours, although we may visit many of the same places. I find myself at the beginning of a new chapter in my life. For now, most of the page is blank. I want to write a word of life and encouragement for you today, but in my heart I feel that this a time when I need to keep silent. The Father is speaking to my heart, but for now, it isn’t anything I am free to share. I need time to process and time to wait upon the Lord. Maybe you do, too. I love you all. I feel so blessed that you are willing to read what I write. Please pray for me as I seek the Lord for the next step in my journey as a writer. For today, I leave you with a prayer from the Apostle Paul to his brothers and sisters in Christ in Thessalonica:<br />
<br /><em>May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May He, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all His holy people. Amen. </em><br />
<em><br />I Thess. 3:11-13<br />
<br /> </em>In His Love,<br />Jennifer Davis</span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-50379018677642984612012-04-17T16:36:00.001-07:002012-04-17T16:38:44.433-07:00We Are One<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the ladies of Restoration (my home church for the last 22 years), we are nearing this chapter’s end. However, it is definitely not the end of the story. Yesterday, I believe I heard the Lord say the heart of Restoration is still beating. Even as we commemorate the end of this part of our journey, the heartbeat of Restoration continues because it is alive in our hearts. The desire to see individuals restored to God’s original intent for their lives is something we will carry with us wherever we go. Some of us are going ahead with CityLife Church. Others of us will be walking with the Lord into new areas of His Body. The thing we need to remember is that no matter what, the Lord only has One Body. Some may be here and some may be there, but we are still connected as the Body of Jesus. We don’t need to draw circles around ourselves. Jesus came to break down dividing walls, not build them. We are still family no matter where we find ourselves on Sunday morning or Saturday night! In the end, we all have the same destination – the presence of the Lord Jesus. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Abba Father, thank You for bringing us together. Thank you for knitting our hearts together in love. Keep us one in Your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-65069987200084710422012-04-10T19:36:00.000-07:002012-04-10T19:36:32.894-07:00Honestly Angry<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Have you ever noticed how God likes to speak to our hearts when we are busy doing something else? Yesterday, I was drying my hair with my amazing jet-engine blow dryer when the Lord began to speak to me. Some “frustrations” (this is the polite word I use for things that make me angry) began to rise up in my heart. As my thoughts flowed on, I surprised myself by saying out loud that I was angry at someone. Wow. Why was that so hard? Growing up I heard Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and sin not” quoted so much that I think I got the idea that you’d better not ever admit you’re angry – especially not at someone. Admitting I’m angry is like standing too close to the cliff’s edge. I might fall into that sin if I don’t stay way over here in denial of my anger. The problem is if I can’t be real about where I am, with myself and with God, how can I invite Him into the situation? Instead, I wear myself out denying what I really feel instead of bringing it to my Abba Father and getting His help. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
So right there in my bathroom I got real with the Lord and told Him how I really felt about some things. It’s important to note that I had prayed about this before and tried to forgive and forget, but it is difficult to let something go when you still haven’t been honest about how you feel. If I’m saying, “Oh it’s nothing. No big deal,” when I’m actually really irate, I’m lying to myself and to God. How can the truth come and set me free when I won’t even let myself speak it? So, I got honest and God did, too! Just kidding - He’s always honest! However, He did say some things to me that I hadn’t considered before and they reframed the whole situation. He gave me a new perspective, one that included my own need for His grace. It’s remarkable how much easier it is to give grace when the Holy Spirit gives us a little peek at our own massive need for it. In the course of a few important moments of truth, what had been a huge deal became something I was willing and able to put behind me. Thank You Lord!<br />
<br />
Bottom line: Getting real with God about our feelings is a whole lot more effective than living in denial. Be real. He can handle it. Besides, it’s not like we’re really fooling Him. He’s God – remember? And, best of all, He loves us.<br />
<br />
<em>Abba Father, thank You for Your amazing, never-ending love and mercy. Please give us the courage to be our true selves with You. Thank You for knowing the depth of our sin and choosing to redeem us anyway. Your grace is amazing! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em> </span>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-66732904576356679962012-03-28T04:25:00.000-07:002012-03-28T04:25:25.861-07:00Getting The Victory By Giving Thanks<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I’m writing this week on Monday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today was one of those days when you want a rewind of the last seven hours when the alarm rings in the hope that next time it goes off you’ll actually be ready to face the day, instead of wanting to hide under your pillow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I moved through my morning routine of getting kids up and out the door to school, collecting laundry, and making myself get ready to go the gym, I stayed busy enough not to notice the heaviness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I pulled out of the driveway and joined the rush of traffic out of the neighborhood and onto the freeway, it became almost overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, just as the enemy was pouring a wave of discouragement over my head, the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered the thank offering verse He showed me last week. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 50:23 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I knew this was battle time, just as clearly as if I had heard the bell that rings to sound the beginning of a boxing round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to sing to the Lord, just making it up as I went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This is a wonderful benefit to being in the car alone!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told Him how I felt and then I began to thank Him for things anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was singing in the face of discouragement and sadness and somehow I know it was powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sang some more and it morphed into a prayer time for friends who are going through very hard things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I reached the gym, I was refreshed and encouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart was back in alignment with the One Who is in control and my soul had been reminded that He is good no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what incarnational life looks like:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ Spirit speaking to and empowering us and enabling us to draw on His strength to get through the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I want you to know something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every life lived in pursuit of relationship with our Abba Father through His Son Jesus is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not one is more valuable than another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kingdom of God is not a contest or a tournament where we try to outdo one another’s exploits and compete to win our Lord’s favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have His favor because we wear the robe of righteousness bought for us by the blood of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He delights in each and every one of us as individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write because He’s put it in my heart to do it, but my life with Jesus isn’t any more than yours because of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now more than ever, I believe we need to live for the audience of One, knowing that His eyes are smiling at us with compassion and encouragement, just like a proud parent watching a beloved child take on any challenge whether it is their first steps or their first wrestling match or recital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to face each day knowing our Abba is rooting for us, Jesus is praying for us, and the Holy Spirit is as close as our next breath to give us grace to get through each moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Hallelujah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Praise His Name!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-29506163130425696822012-03-20T19:25:00.000-07:002012-03-20T19:25:10.216-07:00Hearing God Through His Word<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This week I’ve been reviving a practice my dad taught me; reading the Psalms and Proverbs that correspond with the date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on Monday I read Proverbs chapter 19 and I began reading the Psalms at 19 and continued reading by adding 30 each time – 49, 79, 109, and 139.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always interesting to see what treasures I’ll find.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday, I came across a verse that really blessed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Psalm 50:23</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Isn’t that an amazing verse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we focus our hearts on all that our Abba Father has done for us, it creates a highway for His saving grace to flow toward us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wahoo!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s pretty cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Then there are those other verses that pop out because they are charged with conviction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had one of those yesterday, too.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ps. 50:20</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">How easy it is to pass judgment on those around me – almost as if I thought this were my job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus talked about the harvest fields being white and He talked about sowing seed on good ground, but He never said anything about appointing me as a fruit inspector for His Body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James 4:11-12 covers this pretty thoroughly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Busted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t even really realized how much I’d been doing this until I saw the Word telling me not to and then I knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That feeling of conviction from the Holy Spirit is pretty unmistakable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great thing is that with it comes grace to repent and ask forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">As always time in the Word of God is time well spent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe our Abba Father can speak to us in so many ways, but spending time in His Word is definitely one of the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Abba Father, please give us hearts to listen for Your voice, and hunger for Your Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jesus’ name, Amen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-49500076939719550862012-03-06T16:40:00.000-08:002012-03-06T16:40:40.662-08:00Storm Season<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I have a love/hate relationship with springtime in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love to see the fresh green leaves coming out on the trees and all the beautiful flowers blossoming in every direction, but I hate fighting the symptoms of seasonal allergies my children endure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also really hate the fact that it is storm season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love a good storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thunder and lightning don’t bother me a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the tornado warnings and watches – never can keep the difference between the two straight – that cause my anxiety to rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night, I was musing over this problem and I realized that the terrifying thing about tornadoes is that I can’t control them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no way to guarantee the safety of my family if one hits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are completely in the hands of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, when I actually had that thought I saw the foolishness of my isolated fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, whether I realize it or not, we are completely in the hands of God every single moment of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is at once a wonderful and terrible thought:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wonderful if you believe He has your complete best interest in mind; terrible if you like to imagine that you have some control over your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At any given moment, a crisis of any kind can whirl into our lives and reveal the fact that we are completely at the mercy of our Creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, the nature of our relationship with Him will determine how we feel about embracing this idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to admit, as much as I love the Lord and see Him as my loving Heavenly Father, I also really love the idea of having a storm cellar where I can go and be safe from whatever happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideally this would be a charming, comfortable space stocked with everything my family could possibly need to survive any type of calamity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be so easy to put my trust in a place like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that is why the Lord hasn’t seen fit to get my husband on board with building one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I hear the Lord saying today is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He</i> wants to be my storm cellar, my hiding place in time of trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants me to trust Him with the ones I love and believe that He will bring us through whatever crisis may befall us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Security will not be found in a list of 47 essential items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any supply we may put our trust in is subject to destruction or theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, all we have for sure is our hope in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to believe that He is all we need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dear sisters, I don’t know what high winds are blowing in your life this morning, but I do know how scary it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve wept as I’ve written today and I’m not sure if it is my flesh, my spirit or both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only know it is hard to say, “Yes, Lord, I trust You – with everything,” but I believe with all my heart that it is the only way to survive, thrive, and walk in the joy and peace our Abba Father means for us to have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">In His unshakeable love, <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Jennifer<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 32:7 New Living Translation</span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-12080454443006822462012-02-28T19:53:00.002-08:002012-02-29T05:39:09.760-08:00What if?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Slow down and take time to be with me.<o:p></o:p></span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Slow down and stop running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Be still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Breathe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Listen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Rest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This is what I hear the Father saying today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s been talking to my heart lately about the things I do to refresh myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s been daring me to find out if spending time with Him could be better than picking up a book or flipping on the television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m being honest here – I’ve spent most of my life finding rest for my soul in a plate of nachos and a good book. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the Lord and I love spending time with Him, but I think this may be one more wall in my brain that needs to be torn down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in the morning and last thing at night seem like natural times to seek the Lord, but there are lots of times throughout my day when I turn in other directions for rest and relaxation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still…there’s that quiet voice in my heart saying “What if you turned to Me instead?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if I found relationship with Him on a whole new level when I let Him into all of my day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Abba – my loving Father God, Jesus – most faithful Friend and Lord, Holy Spirit – Comforter and Helper to You I pray. Please help me believe You to be this big in my life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please help me trust You to be all I need all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please help me be brave enough to lay down my crutches and really walk with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jesus’ Name, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-60076664399952524922012-02-22T09:11:00.000-08:002012-02-22T09:11:11.331-08:00Waiting for "Well Done"<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Have you ever found yourself incredibly discouraged by hearing someone else’s success story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the long nights and endless days are reduced to a couple of sentences and it seems as if the hard times really didn’t last very long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s kind of like watching Julia Child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see her begin to make a really complex dish and then after the next commercial break, suddenly she is pulling the finished product out of the oven looking picture perfect and saying, “Voila! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bon appetit!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re all sitting there thinking, “I’d be a chef, too, if it were really that simple.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem with all of this seemingly instant success is that it is incredibly discouraging to those of us living in real time, isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are waiting on some situation that involves people dear to us to be resolved and it seems like it will never happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray, we cry, and we resolve to leave it in the Lord’s hands and then, bam!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The smoke alarm is going off and we are calling our 911 prayer line again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where I am today - opening the windows to clear the smoke out and getting on my knees again to put this dish back in God’s oven, trusting His timer to be the right one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As dearly as I would love to already be at the “Voila!” moment, I know the Father is asking me to trust Him for as long as it takes for this dish to receive His “Well done.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">What I hear the Lord saying today is simply, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Don’t faint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t let go of my promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep holding on and trusting that I am holding on to you.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hebrews 10:23 puts it this way, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Yes, He is!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep holding on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day, we will have a joyous celebration when all of the works of the Lord are complete, and all the waiting <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">will</b> be worth it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024136197232764845.post-78842221827604694902012-02-15T04:52:00.000-08:002012-02-15T04:52:12.999-08:00Leaping Over Walls<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">For a while now, I’ve been aware of walls in my thought patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barriers that only exist in my head and yet, they still keep me from doing things I need to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, I have a wall in the area of my head where I plan meals, buy groceries and cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reasons for this are mostly fear-based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m afraid I’ll spend too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m afraid no one will want to eat what I make, including me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m afraid it won’t be healthy enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I hit this wall, I usually sit there and beat myself up for not having licked this thing 20 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of those places where I need the Lord to step into my everyday life and set me free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, I am choosing to believe that the amazing God who has saved me from my sin is also willing to help me live moment by moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regarding this wall, His answer to me is to step past the fear and just do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make a plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stop sitting there stewing and wishing for perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My family will be blessed if I make them food – period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t just fear that makes a wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wishing for perfect is another wall builder for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night, my ideal was sitting down to dinner together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately schedules didn’t come together and I only had one family member out of four around when it was dinnertime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was frustrated and hungry (never a good combo!) and then I realized, my daughter and I could just go ahead and eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the family would eat later and it wasn’t the end of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I heard the Lord saying: Just do what you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may sound really lame and obvious, but for me I’ve felt like each day was an obstacle course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought for a long time it was because of all that I had to do, but now I am beginning to wonder how much has been the mental/emotional baggage I’ve been dragging around as I tried to do what needed to be done <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perfectly</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today the Lord is saying to me:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just do what you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just do what I give you peace to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many times do we tie ourselves up in knots doing things that we really aren’t called to, but they sounded like good ideas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not saying there won’t be times when we are called to do something out of our comfort zone, but if God is saying “Go for it!” we will have peace even as we push ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Abba Father, thank you for being so faithful to speak to us right where we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please help us turn to You always, no matter what kind of wall we are up against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank You, Jesus, for being the Good Shepherd who promises to lead us and never leave us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">John 10:27<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Psalm 18:28-29<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">For You will light my lamp;<br />
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.<br />
For by You I can run against a troop,<br />
By my God I can leap over a wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jennifer Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06237071869892294286noreply@blogger.com0