On April 10th, my world got very small as I watched my husband suffer from injuries caused by a car driving over his entire left side. He saw the wheel coming toward his head and turned it just in time, sparing his life by only an inch.
He ended up with 5 broken ribs and severe deep tissue bruising up his leg to the shoulder and a slightly punctured lung. It could have been so much worse and we are grateful that the Lord spared Ivan's life. This could have been an entirely different blog, that's for sure!
I remember sitting on the couch in Ivan's room and it seemed all I could focus on was his face; every movement, every grimace, every inch of the face I have loved for over 36 years.
We spent every night in the hospital together, waking up every few hours because another nurse was checking his vitals or taking blood. We didn't care; we still had each other.
We sat by the hour in silence and looked out of the window as we realized that things could have been so different. He didn't damage his hips, pelvis, arm, shoulder or any other bones except those 5 ribs.
We took short walks around the halls as Ivan tried to work his legs and expand his lungs. There wasn't much to laugh about, but we both tried to smile at the nurses and each other.
About 50 people came to visit us over the week we spent in the hospital and it was comforting to know that many more were praying us through this crisis. We saw how important human connection is and how valuable prayer is.
As I sat by the window each day, I began to think about the single parents and their kids who I minister to and how their world also shrinks when they are in crisis. Their world is altered, the loss is immense and the pain is long-lasting.
I have a stronger resolve to walk alongside our families, draw them to Jesus each day and help them in the depths of their pain. God is the Ultimate Healer; He is healing my husband and my emotions and He can heal them as well.
I praise God Ivan is recovering, I thank Him for carrying us through this crisis and I am ready to keep leading people to the Ultimate Healer. Praise His name!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Who Are You Really?
Who are you REALLY?
Why is it that we let human beings, imperfect human beings, determine our self-image? Why do we allow them to verbally and/or physically beat us down when all the Lord wants is to build us up and bring us to Himself?
I meet with and have phone conversations with women and kids throughout each week who are beaten down, depleted, confused and hurt to distraction. As they share their stories, my heart hurts for them as I realize how the enemy has buried them with guilt and shame, self-hatred and disillusion.
Psalm 139 begins with,"O Lord, You have searched me and You know me."The God of the universe made you, values you, loves you, forgives you, accepts you and wants to have a close relationship with you as His child. Now, doesn't that sound better than the lies we may believe from others?
Later in this passage, David says, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.'"
Replace those doubts and hurts that may have buried you with this. "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
The first step in standing stronger as a woman of God is to recognize Who is in you and define yourself by that! You are an incredible miracle of God, the apple of His eye, His princess/prince, full of gifts and talents you may not have even realized yet. Let Jesus Christ define who you are, throw off the negative influences and pounding you may have had in your past, in His name.
Who are you? You are fabulous, Dahling! May God bless you this day with a renewed sense of self in Him!
Why is it that we let human beings, imperfect human beings, determine our self-image? Why do we allow them to verbally and/or physically beat us down when all the Lord wants is to build us up and bring us to Himself?
I meet with and have phone conversations with women and kids throughout each week who are beaten down, depleted, confused and hurt to distraction. As they share their stories, my heart hurts for them as I realize how the enemy has buried them with guilt and shame, self-hatred and disillusion.
Psalm 139 begins with,"O Lord, You have searched me and You know me."The God of the universe made you, values you, loves you, forgives you, accepts you and wants to have a close relationship with you as His child. Now, doesn't that sound better than the lies we may believe from others?
Later in this passage, David says, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.'"
Replace those doubts and hurts that may have buried you with this. "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
The first step in standing stronger as a woman of God is to recognize Who is in you and define yourself by that! You are an incredible miracle of God, the apple of His eye, His princess/prince, full of gifts and talents you may not have even realized yet. Let Jesus Christ define who you are, throw off the negative influences and pounding you may have had in your past, in His name.
Who are you? You are fabulous, Dahling! May God bless you this day with a renewed sense of self in Him!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Why ,God, Why?
This morning, I met with a teen girl who is questioning why God would allow her family to go through some devastating things over the last month. She said, "I know God is aware of everything, He loves us and is supposed to protect us as our Heavenly Father, but I have a hard time understanding why He has allowed us to go through so much pain."
Have you ever been in this place? Have you ever had your faith shaken and you begin to ask God, "Why?" I know I have a few times in my life. I have a tendency to ask Him about why so many children are allowed to go through the devastation of divorce, abuse, neglect, etc. at the hands of their parents and other adults. "Why, God, why?" They did nothing to deserve this!
All my upbringing as a pastor's kid has told me that God sees all, knows all, is everywhere, etc. This world is ruled by sin, but the Almighty God is the Ruler of all. He doesn't cause the sins of human beings, but He is nearby to help us go through it and to heal from it.
Nothing gets by Him or is out of His sight, which can make us pretty uncomfortable at times, can't it? Yes, He was there when this and this and this happened in our lives. Yes, He sees us as we are sinning against Him, whether we want to believe it or want to notice it. He is there through every hurtful and painful experience and wants us to run to Him for shelter and comfort.
2 Cor. 1:3-4-"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
Psalm 10:14-"But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to You; You are the Helper of the fatherless.
Isaiah 41:10-"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Be encouraged, friends, that there is never a moment you are out of His sight. We may never know why He has caused or allowed something our lives, but we can use our pain for good and bring glory to Him by bringing comfort to others. Stand strong on His strength and step over the enemy's attempts to make you doubt the Lord God. You are stronger than you think, in the name of Jesus!
Have you ever been in this place? Have you ever had your faith shaken and you begin to ask God, "Why?" I know I have a few times in my life. I have a tendency to ask Him about why so many children are allowed to go through the devastation of divorce, abuse, neglect, etc. at the hands of their parents and other adults. "Why, God, why?" They did nothing to deserve this!
All my upbringing as a pastor's kid has told me that God sees all, knows all, is everywhere, etc. This world is ruled by sin, but the Almighty God is the Ruler of all. He doesn't cause the sins of human beings, but He is nearby to help us go through it and to heal from it.
Nothing gets by Him or is out of His sight, which can make us pretty uncomfortable at times, can't it? Yes, He was there when this and this and this happened in our lives. Yes, He sees us as we are sinning against Him, whether we want to believe it or want to notice it. He is there through every hurtful and painful experience and wants us to run to Him for shelter and comfort.
2 Cor. 1:3-4-"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
Psalm 10:14-"But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to You; You are the Helper of the fatherless.
Isaiah 41:10-"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Be encouraged, friends, that there is never a moment you are out of His sight. We may never know why He has caused or allowed something our lives, but we can use our pain for good and bring glory to Him by bringing comfort to others. Stand strong on His strength and step over the enemy's attempts to make you doubt the Lord God. You are stronger than you think, in the name of Jesus!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Layers of Ministry
I find that in every ministry I lead, there are numerous layers of ministry. I used to lead L.I.F.E. Aerobics in the 80's and had 50 instructors with about 1500 students. The layers in that ministry were to the students and their families, the instructors professionally as well as personally, dealing with the press, endless boards and pastors in the church. I would listen to every single lyric of every single song to make sure they were accurate and uplifting. I would also be careful about dance movements so they were helpful but not inappropriate.
Giving concerts for 8 more years, the ministry layers would include encouraging pastors, ministering in song and then to audience members after the concert. There were also times I would be led to minister to the people who had me in their homes.
Speaking at retreats, conferences and events always opens several layers of ministry. The minority of ministry sometimes is at the podium followed by hours of one-on-one ministry to the hurting and encouraging them to reach for God in their circumstances.
When I was the camp mom at our church-owned camp for five years, the layers multiplied. With over 3500 campers over each summer, I worked 70 hours per week loving these children with the love of the Lord. I heard children cry in hurt and anger over what was happening in their families. I heard the same things from the counselors and some of the summer staff as they would pour their hearts out. When there were campers who were in need of correction, invariably, there was immense hurt behind their behavior. Another layer.
Moving into Family Connections, our single parent family ministry, I feel like "everybody's mama". These families are in great need of the arms of Jesus around them and someone to just accept them for who they are; baggage and all. There are young children and teens who are devastated by the breakup of their families. There are parents who are defeated, stressed and filled with various emotions. There are grandparents who have lost their grandchildren through the divorce process of their kids. There are young adults who are afraid to commit to marriage because they don't want to go through or put their own children through the pain they lived through.
Yes, it gets heavy sometimes and I feel like the weight is too great for me and then I have to remember that Jesus is the Answer to every single hurt we may have in life. He is a God of forgiveness, healing, love, acceptance and grace. I want to be the extension of His loving arms to whomever God puts in front of me and let Him take it from there.
Layers are many in ministry, yes, but God is bigger than them all and His Holy Spirit can guide us through every single layer for His glory.
">"Thank You, Lord, that I am a layer to You too. Thank You for caring about me, filling me with Your Spirit, guiding me in all layers of ministry and for Your Word, my greatest resource. I give You all the glory!"
Giving concerts for 8 more years, the ministry layers would include encouraging pastors, ministering in song and then to audience members after the concert. There were also times I would be led to minister to the people who had me in their homes.
Speaking at retreats, conferences and events always opens several layers of ministry. The minority of ministry sometimes is at the podium followed by hours of one-on-one ministry to the hurting and encouraging them to reach for God in their circumstances.
When I was the camp mom at our church-owned camp for five years, the layers multiplied. With over 3500 campers over each summer, I worked 70 hours per week loving these children with the love of the Lord. I heard children cry in hurt and anger over what was happening in their families. I heard the same things from the counselors and some of the summer staff as they would pour their hearts out. When there were campers who were in need of correction, invariably, there was immense hurt behind their behavior. Another layer.
Moving into Family Connections, our single parent family ministry, I feel like "everybody's mama". These families are in great need of the arms of Jesus around them and someone to just accept them for who they are; baggage and all. There are young children and teens who are devastated by the breakup of their families. There are parents who are defeated, stressed and filled with various emotions. There are grandparents who have lost their grandchildren through the divorce process of their kids. There are young adults who are afraid to commit to marriage because they don't want to go through or put their own children through the pain they lived through.
Yes, it gets heavy sometimes and I feel like the weight is too great for me and then I have to remember that Jesus is the Answer to every single hurt we may have in life. He is a God of forgiveness, healing, love, acceptance and grace. I want to be the extension of His loving arms to whomever God puts in front of me and let Him take it from there.
Layers are many in ministry, yes, but God is bigger than them all and His Holy Spirit can guide us through every single layer for His glory.
">"Thank You, Lord, that I am a layer to You too. Thank You for caring about me, filling me with Your Spirit, guiding me in all layers of ministry and for Your Word, my greatest resource. I give You all the glory!"
Monday, November 30, 2009
Why Me, Lord?!
It is almost impossible to figure out why the Lord would place me in the ministries He has over my life. Why would He call me to have a group for troubled teen girls when my own kids were in elementary school? Why would He call me to direct a large aerobics ministry when my body would certianly say otherwise? Why would He call me to be the camp mom at our church camp when I had no experience in that? Why would He call me to be the Director of a single parent family ministry when I have been happily married for over 35 years now? Why?!
Because He knows that nothing is impossible when He calls us. He also knows that I can't take any of the glory for something I know nothing about, right? He doesn't call us to something and then leave us "flapping in the breeze." He goes before us and will equip us. We don't have to prove anything to anyone. We just need to be faithful in serving Him, be responsible and walk in humility.
I find it difficult to serve in ministry with people with large egos and pride. I don't believe there is room in ministry for those things because then it is about us. I also believe there is no room in ministry for competition. If we are all serving the Lord God, we all have the same purpose and all have our place in ministry.
Anyone who really knows me will tell you that unity of ministry is utmost because that is what the Lord requires. Division in the body of Christ, no matter where it surfaces, is, in my opinion, a slap in His face. If division is not of God, then who is it of? Hmmmm.
No matter, what you have or have not gone through, God can use you for His purposes and for His glory. Move ahead with confidence and strength and if you don't feel like you have those, then remember He can give it to you. Then you CAN give Him all the glory, just like me.
Why me? Why NOT me? Why NOT you?
Because He knows that nothing is impossible when He calls us. He also knows that I can't take any of the glory for something I know nothing about, right? He doesn't call us to something and then leave us "flapping in the breeze." He goes before us and will equip us. We don't have to prove anything to anyone. We just need to be faithful in serving Him, be responsible and walk in humility.
I find it difficult to serve in ministry with people with large egos and pride. I don't believe there is room in ministry for those things because then it is about us. I also believe there is no room in ministry for competition. If we are all serving the Lord God, we all have the same purpose and all have our place in ministry.
Anyone who really knows me will tell you that unity of ministry is utmost because that is what the Lord requires. Division in the body of Christ, no matter where it surfaces, is, in my opinion, a slap in His face. If division is not of God, then who is it of? Hmmmm.
No matter, what you have or have not gone through, God can use you for His purposes and for His glory. Move ahead with confidence and strength and if you don't feel like you have those, then remember He can give it to you. Then you CAN give Him all the glory, just like me.
Why me? Why NOT me? Why NOT you?
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