Why God’s Love Is Better Than Boys’ Love

Women today, through the explosive impact of highly sexualized messages of romance in the media, have been led to believe that our love-hungry hearts will find ultimate satisfaction in modern Prince Charming. Hardly a twelve-year-old girl exists today that does not secretly believe her worth and value lay in her ability to get a boyfriend and nary a forty-year-old woman has not found herself profoundly disappointed by Prince Charming’s feet of clay.  Yet that same woman continues throughout her life to search for that loving feeling in the ubiquitous romance novel.

I’d like to offer a response through an excerpt from a book by Rebecca Manley Pippert about lifestyle evangelism:

“What drew me to [my man] was my desperate need to be loved.  He does love me, yet it feels like sand being poured through a sieve.  My heart has this unslaked thirst for love that can’t ever seem to be filled,” she said sadly.

“[Girl],” I responded, “romantic love can be real and deep, but only if it is not asked to be what it isn’t.  It is not within [your man’s] power to give you a sense of being and purpose.  No human can fill every inner crevice of our longings.”

“So it’s all a sick joke, right?” she replied.  “Why do we carry such a hunger when it can never be met?  I told him that I thought our love would give ultimate purpose and meaning to my life.  I banked all my need for love in him.  He’s already told me that he feels an unbearable pressure to be all that I need.  And it’s odd, but even knowing that he loves me, my heart is still restless and unfulfilled.  Can this immense wish to be loved ever be gratified?”

“[Girl], your longing for love is very valid.  But human love, for all its wonders, will never be able to handle the immensity of the task.  It can go away or die or fail us at the precise moment we need it most.  And if it is to meet our needs and longings, love must have a base.”

“But what base is there that is big enough and stable enough to build our lives upon?” she asked.

“The only base we can really count on is God’s love.  That’s what Jesus saw in the Samaritan woman.  He recognized a woman who was thirsting for a love that would truly satisfy her and never leave her.  So he directed her toward himself.  Jesus knew that what the soul longs for is a safe home, a place where we are loved and known perfectly – and that can only be found in God.”

[The Girl] sat for a long time, taking in what I had said.  Finally I broke the silence and said, “[Girl], would you like to come home now?  Would you like to ask Christ to come into your life?”

“Yes.  But what do I bring to the equation?”  she asked.

“All you bring to God is your faith and your willingness to let him be at the center of your life…” **

Questions?  Comment below or use the contact page for alternative ways to reach me.  Want to ask Christ to come into your life?  Pray (talk to God) something like this:

“God, I admit that I am a sinner.  I want to put my faith in Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross paid for all my sins.  I believe that you raised him from the dead and that by believing in my heart and confessing with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, I will be saved.  Jesus, save me and be the Lord of my life.  Let me know the love of God for me.  Amen.”

Now go and tell a Christian you know and trust that you have just prayed to become a Christian.  And tell me! May God richly bless you with the knowledge of the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which surpasses human understanding that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19).

** Pippert, Rebecca Manley.  Out of the Salt Shaker & into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life.  Second Edition.  Pages 41-42.  InterVarsity Press.  Downers Grove, Illinois:1999.  First Edition 1979.  Second Edition 1999.

 

Good Things Are Happening

“I’ve got news and I know how you like news.” – Mr. Knightley, to Emma.

Good things are happening in and Out Of My Mind!  It gives me great pleasure to tickle your fancy with a taste of what is coming up on my website and blog.  Let me explain:

I am at my best teaching and training others for spiritual maturity, biblical leadership, and ministry. It brings me sublime joy to witness women taking hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of them. My goal for the next year, therefore, is to expand this area of influence by developing an online ministry emphasizing teaching and training the emerging Christian women’s leader.

As the Women’s Ministry Director at my local church, I serve under the headship of our pastor and elders, enjoying their support and accountability.  It is my responsibility to provide the means for women to spiritually thrive and equip them to minister to others. In addition to exemplifying Christ in my own life, I seek to evangelize, educate, equip, and encourage women as they mature in their faith and practice. And now I’d like offer this website as a valuable resource to those women God is calling to become biblically founded servant-leaders.

While remaining flexible to God’s leading – after all, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21) – my goal is to slowly transform my website into a practical resource for women seeking to grow spiritually and women in ministry who desire to develop their leadership skills.  Look forward to participating in:

1. Bible Studies!
2. Bible Study Skills Lessons
3. Biblical Leadership Studies
4. Ministry Skills Development
5. Leadership Development
6. Ministry Development
7. Webinars, eBooks, printouts, videos, etc.
8. And much more

I am very excited about being a part of what God will do through this wonderful ministry.  Oh, that many would come and be edified, built up, and unified in the essentials as God matures the beautiful body of Christ.  I hereby commit to the LORD whatever I do, that He will establish my plans (Proverbs 16:3).  Amen!

 

A New Ministry Called LeadHer

As part of the LeadHer Blogger Pool on Facebook, I’m happy to promote LeadHer, a brand-spanking-new online service to those involved in women’s ministry. Here’s a little information about LeadHer, straight from the horse’s mouth (Christie Love):

Q:  What is the purpose of LeadHer?

A:  This purpose of LeadHer is to encourage, educate, equip, and exemplify biblical leadership for women so they can have a stronger impact within their spheres of influence.

Q:  How is LeadHer going to reach out to Women everywhere?

A:  We have a three platform ministry that we are launching.

The first platform is a program we call LeadHer Local.  This is a chapter based program that women can start in their city to connect local women.  These chapters will be asked to meet twice a month and will follow a video based curriculum and be based around a mentoring program.

The second platform is LeadHer Live and will be UNIQUE conferences and workshops all over the nation.  These events will be like nothing you have attended in the past— much more hands on and geared to practically and tactically equip women so they leave with ideas to put into place ASAP.  Our first National event will be held in Oklahoma City in September of 2011!

The third platform is LeadHer Library and will consist of books, bible studies, and materials to continue to reach out to women at home on a daily basis.  Our first devotional book will launch in December of this year!

Encouraging, educating, and equipping women for life and ministry has been the heart of my own efforts in ministry.  I’m truly looking forward to connecting and growing with these kindred spirits.  I will provide LeadHer website information when it becomes available in May.  In the meantime, here is the link to the LeadHer Blogger Pool Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/i9cyFO

 

 

Quiet Times In God’s Presence

Jeremiah 29:11-14a:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back from captivity.

God clearly calls us to His presence and assures us that if we seek Him wholeheartedly we will find Him.  In His presence, we find security, our needs met, our future assured, and we are freed to hope.  In His presence bonds are broken and we are brought back from captivity.  In His presence we, with tired spirits and burdened souls, come home.

Like the hymn says,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”*

What prevents you from purposefully spending time in the Lord’s presence?**  Busyness?  Debt?  Conflict?  Not enough hours in the day?  Something else?

Excuses.

What keeps us from coming into God’s presence is not a lack of time – we all have the same 24 hours in each day.  It is not long working hours, crying children, or a myriad of errands to be run.  No, the problem is not external circumstances.  The problem is even greater than our mixed up priorities.  We have met the enemy and he is us.***  The problems lies within the coldness of our hearts toward God.  It is not the habit of the sin nature to seek God.  It turns away from God, supposing it has better things to do.  But God says,

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with one another, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law” (Galatians 5:16-18).

In other words, we who are in Christ are no longer held captive by our old selves, but are free to obey the Spirit of God who indwells us. The Holy Spirit transforms us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness.  We respond in faith, lifting the pitcher of cool, clear water to our parched lips and opening our throats to receive its pouring.  God says,

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

God calls us, draws us, and enables us in Christ to find Him.  Living in His presence, habitually spending time with our heavenly Father, is less a choice than a matter of faith and obedience.  And God says we will find Him, we will enter His presence, and we will find rest for our souls when we seek Him with ALL of our heart.

* Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Helen H. Lemmel, 1922: Public Domain

**The Practice Of The Presence Of God, Brother Lawrence, 17th C.

***By Pogo, a comic character created by Walt Kelly, 1970.

 

Has Your Life Turned Out As You Expected?

How many of you can say your life has turned out exactly as you thought it would?  From an early age, we form a picture in our mind’s eye of what life will be like.  What we imagine often evolves from vague dreams stemming from a natural desire to feel significant and valuable. Maybe you mostly dreamt of being a hero, like a fireman who pulls frightened families from burning buildings, a nurse who expertly and compassionately cares for the sick and injured, a missionary who brings the good news of Jesus Christ in foreign fields, or a photojournalist capturing truth for the world to see during times of violence and mass confusion.

What shall you be when you grow up?

Whatever you dreamt, it probably centered around a desire to live a life of purpose and meaning.  When I was 13, I wanted to be a model because I believed no one could call me ugly if I had the world’s stamp of approval.  Later I wanted to be involved in the most important thing on earth.  At the time, I thought it meant finding a cure for cancer.  As a baby Christian, I wanted to evangelize everybody because things eternal always beat things temporal.  And now as a maturing Christian, I want to worship God by doing His will in Christ.

Of what kind of life did you dream?  I doubt your plans had much to do with wiling away the hours in a bland cubicle, crossing T’s and dotting I’s on paperwork that never ends. Your dreams probably weren’t all about working in retail, laying carpet, waiting at tables, collecting cash at a tollbooth, bagging groceries, or working for someone else’s dream. And I highly doubt you ever aspired to a future of  homelessness, prostitution, or poverty.

So what did you dream?  What did you want to be when you grew up?  Has your life turned out as you hoped it would?  Is this a measure of success or failure in life?  Why or why not?

What do you think the following words of wisdom mean?

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This is not a treatise on the world’s view of success.  I don’t believe we can be anything we want through willpower alone.  Not everyone is capable of being a brain surgeon.  And because of your own or someone else’s sin, life can land you in places you never thought you’d find yourself.  It doesn’t stop there, however, because God can bring good out of the most horrific circumstances.  The key is Christ who died on the cross in order to bring us into a right relationship with God.  God has a plan for each of us that includes both success and failure as He molds and shapes us into a vessel for noble purpose.  True success is the natural outflow of our relationship to God in Christ because it is nothing less than living life His way, on His terms.  He is, after all, God.  In other words, by following after the Lord in faith and obedience, you may live a far different life from what you once imagined, but you’ll never live more perfectly.

This life satisfies our hungry hearts like nothing else because we were designed to find true satisfaction only in God.   Our greatest longing, whether we recognize it or not, is for God Himself.  It is His will to give us the desire of our hearts – Himself.  Sin has spiritually separated us from God, but the good news is that Jesus’ death on the cross paid the debt of our sins and we have only to avail ourselves of His free forgiveness in Christ.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

It is our choice to receive Him or not.  In the end, we get what we have sought after in life – eternal fellowship with God or separation from Him forever.

Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Do you agree with God that you, like everyone, are a sinner in need of forgiveness?  Pray something like this:

“God, I know that I am a sinner.  I want to be reconciled to you.  I believe that Jesus’s death on the cross fully paid for my sins and that you raised him from the dead.  I want to live for you.  Put your desire into my heart.  Be my Savior and Lord.  Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please tell a Christian you trust or get in touch with me (see contact page).  It is important to grow in your faith alongside other Christians, learning to trust God for true success and satisfaction in your life and beyond.  Welcome to the family of God.

 

Doll Therapy

Doll therapy in Alzheimer’s – a solution to needing to feel needed.  My Alzheimama zeroes in on Shelby and pours love all over her.  

 

The Blame Shifters

This is my response to Plinky’s challenge: Write a haiku about something that drives you nuts.

Sand Dunes

Those who shift their blame

like the wind shifts sand and snow

hide but a moment

 

God’s Girls Warrior Princess Party!

Princess Di

I don’t know about you, but I love parties – food, fun, & fellowship – I’m all about it.  The crazier the theme, the greater the fun!  Because I like to celebrate so much, I don’t wait for a reason to party to fall into my proverbial lap.  Instead, I put my genius to the test and create one.

That’s actually the easiest part.  Most of us can think of at least one reason to party:  Somebody is getting married.  Having a baby or a 50th Wedding Anniversary.  There are many, many reasons to whoop it up.  Some of you are well-versed in these.  First-times are great reasons to party-hearty. First birthday, first tooth, first haircut. Then there are traditional celebrations such as birthdays, dedications, graduations, and coming of age.  But surely there are more good reasons to celebrate.  And a seemingly infinite way to celebrate each one.

I’ve celebrated some crazy things in my life, like the twinkling of sunlight on the morning dew or a new haircut.  I’ve celebrated not getting my hair cut.  Ma and I make merry on grocery shopping day.  I’ve even celebrated when my kitty peed on the waterproof pad instead of the chair.

Sometimes I celebrate clearing off my desk or cleaning the house.  I always celebrate a new purse, clothes that fit, and a day away from home.  No matter what I’m celebrating, hands down, the best celebration is with family and friends.  Food, fun, and fellowship.

More than anything else, we have the greatest reason of all to party:  Jesus.  Remember that song?  “Celebrate Jesus! Celebrate!  He is risen.  He is risen.  And He lives forevermore.”

So here’s a reason to party:  The first day of a new Bible study.  Oh yeah!  What a great tradition of celebration!  Next week we are going to party, party, party.  We shall be studying the book of Ephesians in the New Testament.  God has so much to reveal to us!  It is going to be a great study.

And what’s a party without a playful theme?  We’re having a God’s Girls Warrior Princess Party.  Oh yeah.  You read it right.  I’m making the coolest Jesus princess hats (or should I say, helmets), swords, and shields.  Not too sure where to find a couple of mighty steeds (my budget is zero), but I do have several old broomsticks and a bit of yarn.  Then again, folks might think we’re playing witches and that won’t do.  Any ideas?

Groucho Mama

Swords and shields.  Hmmm.  Better buy some aluminum foil.  Need cardboard too.  No palm tree this time around.  Perhaps a jungle vine.

I’m torn between wearing a ball gown (with my waistline, that’s probably a very bad idea) or dressing in some kind of an all-black panther-like outfit. Maybe with a colorful toga over it. What does a princess wear under her warrior gear?  What do you think?

No, I do not make everybody else dress up!  Fortunately, I recognize that it is possible to party without all the accoutrements.  Dignity aside, dressing the part is like a visual portrait of the Bible message.  And it’s just plain fun.  After all, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Okay, that was slightly out of context.  How about this:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4, 5).  How’s that for a reason to celebrate?

 

My Favorite Forms of Creative Expression

Jewels For Brains, Altered Doll Head

 

My creativity is expressed in several ways. As an artist, there is nothing so fun as combining acrylic paint and ephemera to create dreamy collage art on canvas, gesso board, cigar boxes, and in art journals. I love paint. If it weren’t toxic, I’d smear it all over me and roll around in it on the floor. Sometimes it looks as though I did that very thing because I’m kind of messy when I’m making art.

I also like to alter things.  At left is an example.  It’s one of a series of altered doll heads in which I explored the theme of “stuff for brains”.  Professor Higgins would be disappointed to find that none of them were full of feathers, hay, or rags.

Words are another favorite creative medium. I’m very careful to get my 10,000 words out every day. Get me in a group with my favorite people and it’s hard to shut me up. But I really love writing. I’m not terribly prolific because writing is slow work for me. It must be accompanied by buckets of really good coffee, a comfy recliner, and all the paraphernalia usually required such as a MobiCam so I can keep an eye on my Alzheimama while I work, glasses so I can peer across the room, laptop, pens, pencils, paper, dictionary, Bible, etcetera, etcetera.

I’ve been known to write a bit of bad poetry now and then and am rather fond of making lists. In fact, I take great pleasure in checking things off, crumpling up the list and then making a new one altogether.

Know where else I express creativity? Visual vignettes. I love designing little vignettes for special gatherings like our annual Hallelujah Party – surf’s up! I have bunches of small, found objects and inexpensive vintage items gathered together in little groups at home. You know, doll heads and rusty keys, figurines and miniature rib cages, etcetera.

I’m pretty creative with our budget, too, although my follow-through is somewhat lacking. It’s been said that once in a while I can actually get blood from a turnip. Lastly, I think I’m pretty creative at hiding that extra 10 pounds. After all, whenever I ask someone if I look like I’ve gained weight, they always say no.

 

When I get home, I put on pajamas

At home I pretty much live in my pajamas. Comfortable, loose-fitting, and it doesn’t matter if you drip coffee down your shirt or wind up with cat hair all over. This way my good clothes stay in good condition and me and my cats can relax. Everybody wins (except the UPS man who probably wonders if I ever dress).