He restores my soul...

Some of the most powerful words were written in the midst of turmoil.
God breathes life in the presence of death. He promises hope in the face of fear.
He restores my soul.

March can be a challenging month for me, but God has never failed to meet me here.
Painful anniversaries....painful memories....heartache...questions...God is there.
He restores my soul.

"The Lord is my Shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me 

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23

Here's to feasting in the very presence of pain and darkness. May my cup overflow when everything around seems parched and dry.

May His goodness and love follow me; may they pursue me the way a thirsty animal pursues a water brook. May my heart be overwhelmed in it's pursuit for Him.

May my dwelling place be none other than the very presence of God today. 

He restores my soul. 

Blessings

<><tce 

a weekend snapshot

It is cold.
We are ready for spring.
We are making the best of the snow.
Here's a peek into our weekend that is now just a happy collection of memories.

"Mama, I am determined to be the next Kelly Clark.
She started on the bunny hill too right?"

Here's to praying for warmth and safety as you and your lovelies sleep.
Here's to thanking God for warm coffee on Monday morning.
And here's to knowing that as sure as God is faithful, we will either meet Him face to face or live another weekend.
Blessings to you all!

<><tce

a girl on Sunday morning

I know what you're thinking.
I can't make up my mind.
I know there is 18 of you that are likely to notice and because I am proving to be 'one of those girls' that can't ever make up her mind, I feel I owe you an explanation.

A girl on Sunday morning is likely to find herself before a wide array of clothing--some too small, some too large, some too bright, some too dull, and nothing just right. She is as frustrated as her husband is puzzled. "Everyone else always looks super cute and trendy," the girl thinks to herself as she pulls off yet another shirt that just isn't quite right. During this time she notices all the physical flaws, some that were supposed to have been taken care of during last year's resolutions, and some, well, she just blames her Creator for. Overall, she is discontented and tired of trying to measure up to this ideal that she herself has created in her head.

This girl is me. Not with the clothes part, but with the comparison and flaws part.

I have been blogging for nearly three months now and God has spoken such truth to my heart through my own writing that I never want to stop writing. However, I am finding that the deeper I go into 'BlogWorld' the more and more aware I am of my inadequacies. There are so many cute blogs out there, full of fabulous photos and creative custom touches--none of which I am gifted with.

I have spent hours in front of my screen trying to figure out how to make blog look like those other blogs.

It is then my faithful God tenderly draws me back to the simple truth that it's not about me. It's about Him. It is by God and through God and for God that I write. It is not about creating a blog that will impress or writing words that will make others think I'm fabulous. It's about communicating the simple, uncompromised Truth of the Gospel.

I always tell my kids, "there will always be someone smarter, faster, or 'prettier' when we measure by the world's standard. When we use God's standard as our guideline, we will find peace and rest. The other is like trying to catch the wind in the palm of your hand."

If only I would remember that.
Good night blog land.

<><tce
 

{this moment}

a {moment} in time at some point through the week. A {moment} that made my heart smile and my mouth breathe a small prayer of thanks. A {moment}...

{imagine}

{pray}

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, 
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 
bearing with one another and, 
if one has complaint against one another, forgiving each other; 
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 
And above all these, put on love, 
which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful. "
Colossians 3:12-15


Remember who you are. You are chosen by God. Holy and Beloved. 


Wear compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience like a garment. Everyone will see them. And if worn correctly, everyone will want to know where you got them.


Remember, you have been forgiven. You are commanded to go and do likewise. In responsive gratitude to your Forgiver, go and forgive another. 


Above all, wear love. Wrap it around your neck like a scarf. Wear it like perfume. Savor the harmony and be blessed by the beauty. 


Choose peace. Allow the overwhelming presence of God's peace to penetrate the anxious, sad and shamed recesses of your heart. 


Remember too that you have been called to be a part of a Body--a body of Christ and a body of believers. You have not been called to bear your burden alone. Reach out. Share the pain that you carry. Carry the pain of another today. Pray with someone before the sun sets.


Be thankful. Look for God in the smile of a stranger, the touch of a child or the embrace of a friend. Utter a quiet breath of thanks. 


Happy Friday!
<><tce

blessed are the merciful...

"Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy."

~Jesus Christ

Matthew 5:7

Jesus Christ spoke much about mercy and forgiveness and doing good to those that least deserve good and loving those that are difficult to love. However, this does not mean putting one's self in a place of abuse or neglect and calling that love. There are occasions when loving an abusive person is removing oneself and the children from the situation so that the abusive and hurtful behavior is not learned and the cycle of pain and abuse is not continued. Love will sometimes mean boundaries and severing the relationship, but love always, always means prayer (Luke 6:27). 

I was hurt so badly by another several years ago and I remember feeling such an unrelenting sense of hate and anger. The Holy Spirit gently brought me back by reminding me, "Tiffany, I have not held your sin over your head, how dare you do it to another."

The truth is, you and I are in need of mercy as well. Although our sin may take a different form, our sin is sin nonetheless and hurts ourselves and others in the process. It is not until we understand the greatness of His undeserved love and mercy upon us, that we will even begin to understand the need to forgive and show mercy to others. 

Jesus says it best in Luke 6:32-36...

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is it to you?

Even sinners love those who love them. 

And if you do good to those who do good to you,

what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 

But love your enemies, and do good, 

and lend, expecting nothing in return, 

and your reward will be great, 

and you will be sons of the Most High, 

for he is kind to the ungrateful and evil. 

Be merciful even as your Father is merciful."

Paul reminds us in the 5th chapter of Romans, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't wait until we had it figured out or even realized we needed a Savior. He knew we needed forgiveness and atonement and offered it regardless of what our response would be. 

Dear friends, I speak as one traveling this rocky, solitary road of mercy and forgiveness. I remember hearing an unforgettable sermon on mercy preached by Pastor John Piper that compelled me and frustrated me both. I went and spoke with him afterward because I wasn't sure how to take these unbelievable words and bring them to life, in one relationship specifically. I don't even remember the conversation, but I do remember ending with prayer. You see, prayer is not only petitioning God to change others or to relieve the situation, but to change my heart in the midst of the pain and uncertainty. Prayer takes our eyes off of our own pain and suffering and refocuses them back on the person and sufficiency of Christ. Prayer is not pretending that we aren't confused or scared or ashamed or broken, but prayer is acknowledging that God cares and that God is greater than any affliction of earth. 

As you begin to move into the weekend ahead, I pray that you would lay your relationships bare before God and ask boldly and humbly what mercy needs to look like. In Gary Thomas' unbelievable book Devotions for a Sacred Marriage his 'sequel' to Sacred Marriage (two books that have changed my life and marriage) he considers mercy a necessary ingredient to creating and maintaining intimacy in our marriages. It is not until we forgive and let go of this idea that we are always the victims of others that our relationships will even begin to be what we hope they will be. Intimacy is directly linked to mercy. We experience intimacy with God when and only when we understand our need for and experience God's all consuming mercy in our lives. 

May the mercy of God meet you in your moments today and may that mercy compel you, change you and challenge you to show mercy to those that need it. May prayer be the spoken language of your heart today and may it change you from the inside out. I pray that you would understand what mercy needs to look like and that you would have the heart to obey. I pray that just as Jesus promised, you would experience mercy as you endeavor to extend it.  Please, pray likewise for me as I walk this road as well. 

Blessings.

<><tce

blessed are those who hunger and thirst...

"Blessed are those who 

hunger and thirst 

for righteousness,

for they shall be 

satisfied."

~Jesus Christ

Matthew 5:6

I read this verse and my heart leaps within me--satisfied--I want to be satisfied! 

Other versions use the word 'filled'. 

Satisfied. Filled. 

Two words that are so elusive, yet so real. Two words that many will spend every last penny and every last breath searching feverishly for, and yet never actually obtain it. 

Ask those in Hollywood. Money. Cars. Fame. Physical trainers. Personal chefs. Silicone. Collagen. Spouse. Another Spouse. Yet another spouse. Still...that emptiness remains. 

It is almost as though we were created for something more than this earth can even offer. 

When there are people that have everything and yet still feel as though they come up short, is it even possible to be satisfied? Is it possible to be filled? 'Filled' insinuates there is no room for anything more. No room and no need. Is that possible when confined to earth? 

Many would say no. 

Jesus says yes. 

But...there's a condition. Satisfaction and fulfillment don't come when we hunger and thirst for love, or knowledge, or happiness, or friendship. Satisfaction and fulfillment are embodied in the intense craving for righteousness. 

When we crave righteousness we crave the very person and being of God. Romans 3:10 tells us that there is "no one that is righteous, no, not one." When we hunger--long for--righteousness, we confess that our hunger and thirst extend beyond any capacity of man and rest only in the person of God. 

Hunger and thirst. Two warning signals that are built into the human brain alerting us of a physical need that if not met, we will meet the grave. Our bodies can not live on Twinkies and Edy's Grand (although there are moments I am convinced otherwise). God created our bodies to crave nutrition, not junk. When we fill our bodies with the other, not only are we not satisfied, but the cravings for more junk intensify and we end up overweight and undernourished. 

Our souls are the same way. We were created for God (Genesis 1,2) and our souls crave the very person of God and the righteousness of God. There is nothing that will fill that void. We can spend our lives trying but we will come up empty every time. Every time.

But, the story doesn't end there. Jesus Christ promises that all that hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. He didn't say, "only those that I find worthy," or "only those that have lived good lives..." No. "Blessed are those..." the only criteria? We hunger and thirst. When we hunger and thirst, we are admitting that we are unable to meet our need and something--Someone--outside of ourselves must intervene. 

Are you tired of striving? Are you tired of trying to make sense of nonsense? Comfort from pain? Order from chaos? Fulfillment from the transient? Jesus Christ also said, "Come to me, ALL who are weary and heavy laden, and I WILL give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

When our hearts sincerely express a hunger and thirst for righteousness and the righteous person of God, He has promised to satisfy. 

Won't you come, taste and see that the Lord is good? 

Come. Be filled. 

<><tce

a Proverb and a prayer

"He who pursues righteousness and love

finds life, 

prosperity

and honor."

Proverbs 21:21

Good morning Lord! Thank you for your mercy in the sunrise and your faithfulness shown through even the smallest, insignificant things. Father, I pray that my heart would long for righteousness and love today in all things. I pray that Your Spirit of peace and reconciliation would abide in my heart today and be a close companion. I pray that I would strive to understand rather than to be understood. I pray that I would seek to love before I complain about being unloved. I pray that I would be a woman of integrity in all I do, say and think. I surrender those secret places in the unseen recesses of my heart, may you abide there and be glorified there. I pray that my pursuit of righteousness today would be greater than my pursuit for productivity, popularity, pleasure or prosperity. I thank you for your promise and I pray that you would grant me grace to see what life, prosperity and honor really look like. I confess that often my own ideas of life, prosperity and honor do not mirror yours. As a result I am quick to shake my fist and rebuke you for not fulfilling your promise, when indeed you are working in far greater ways than my wayward human heart is even aware of. Thank you for your tireless love. May that love be the desire of my heart today and may my pursuit of your righteousness change the way I see the world around me and my response to it. 

Thank you for life. 

Thank you for the abundant prosperity that I experience in every breath I take. 

Thank you for the honor of being your Beloved. 

I love you Jesus. 

<><tce