Place of Remembrance

Often in the Old Testament the Isralites were told to build a monument in remembrance of what God had done for them. He instructed them to set it up so they would never forget what He had done. God wants us to have places of remembrance that we revisit to remember His love, His provision, His mercy, His healing, His deliverance, etc. Those places don't have to be built of stone, but built in our hearts and shared with others. I have so many "remembrance monuments" that I have shared over the years with my children and others to acknowledge Father God's work in my life. I remember a year when my husband needed a new pair of dress pants. It was his birthday, I had seven dollars and a determination to find a pair of pants! I asked God to direct me and to provide the pants before I went shopping. I came home many hours later with empty hands! No pants could be found for seven dollars. A friend called a short time later and wanted to bring over some clothes for my husband - clothes that would no longer be needed by another friend who had recently died. I wasn't sure I wanted them since God hadn't met my request earlier and I was sulking over that dilemna. My husband was willing to receive them and as he was going through them later that evening, the last item of clothing in the bag was a pair of dress pants in his exact waist and length, the color he needed, with the price tags still attached! Wow! What a Father! He was providing exactly what my husband needed without my seven bucks. That was really the beginning of my faith walk with my Extraordinary Father that has produced years of remembrance monuments for me and my family. What are some of your remembrance monuments? Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to get them out and to remember what He has done for you! You've got a week to remember and to be so filled up with gratitude that it spills over onto everyone you touch on Thanksgiving Day! Start piling up those rocks on some new ones you might have passed over as well. It will reveal how dearly our Extraordinary God loves His ordinary children!

Building Distinguished Churches

I drive past a new church building on my way to work every day. It has an attractive design and color and appears to have a great deal of square footage. A sign at the site reads, "A Builder of Distinguished Churches". Having the mind I do, I started thinking about what that implies and would I want it. The dictionary defines "distinguished" as being marked by eminence, distinction or excellence; benefitting an eminent person; or dignified in appearance or conduct. I believe there are ways to make the definition fit into the Biblical call of the Church such as the call for excellence in all we do and being distinct in our function. Unfortunately, I see the adjective as being an inadequate representation of the function of the Church. Now, I know, that is not what the actual builders or the church itself is trying to convey - but, this is my mind, again! Is the Church in America too concerned about her "image" and desire for distinction that we spend way too much money and effort on attaining them and few too little time on building a Bride for the Bridegroom? The American Church has become distinguished by being seen as biased, bigoted and unloving places instead of places of refuge, healing and hope for a dying world and a wounded family of God. What does the average church have to offer someone who has been beaten up and knocked around by the world or other believers? I read a quote some time ago that stated, "The Church is the only army that shoots its' wounded." What a horrible indictment and yet, probably pretty accurate. We're told over and over again in scripture that we're to love one another, that without that love we won't see God. Yet, our churches can be some of the loneliest, most unlovable and unforgiving places around. Why would the world want to be like us or accept what we have to offer? Please don't misunderstand me, I am not against the Church in America, I love the Church. I am against the lack of acceptance of other parts of the same Body, the "showmanship" of religious activity and the absence of love for one another. We were told that our love for one another in the Church, would let the world know that we belong to Him and would draw them to Him! I think we've missed it! Rather than seeking to be distinguished for worldly ideals, let's get moving towards becoming distinguished by our love and our following of Christ's call! Oh, my, what one sign can do in the life of this ordinary woman!

Embraced by Father God

I love the way my Father loves me and loves to surprise me! I remember receiving a gift from my parents as a young teenager. We were money-poor and only received gifts at Christmas and birthdays. Upon receiving the gift, I started crying. I asked my parents if I was given the gift because I was dying. I had been dealing with a severe disease and thought the gift would only be given if I was close to death. My parents explained they gave it because they thought I would like it. There was no other reason. Of course, there was another reason - their love! Those kind of surprise gifts are what I have come to expect from my Father! He loves to surprise me and to delight me. It's not normally with "things" but with people and His workings. Yesterday, I saw a friend I hadn't seen in a few years. She has always been an encourager and an intecessor and she was one of God's love gifts yesterday. Leaving a store, I heard my name being called several times. As I found the source of the call, she gestered for me to come over to see her first grandchild. Being a friend and a grandmother, I was quick to comply because I love grandbabies! That baby was used as a connection yesterday for his nana and me. As we stood chatting and catching up on each other's lives, I shared with her some things God is doing in me and she, intercessor that she is, started praying for me right there on the sidewalk in front of the store. Everything she prayed was a confirmation of what my husband and I had prayed together that morning! She had no idea until the "amen" of how she had been used. As I shared with her what God had spoken to us and the requests we had made, we were both rejoicing and praising the Only One who is able to do that! What an extraordinary and loving Daddy we have who loves to pour out His love on us all the time -not just when we're dying! How can we not love Him Who loves us so completely and so personally! Fall in love with Him all over again if your love has grown cold and start enjoying the fresh rain of His love in your life!

Blessed and Highly Favored

I picked up a book at Ross about a month ago because it looked interesting and was a great price. GOD'S TROPHY WOMEN by Jacqueline Jakes, T.D. Jakes' older sister, is certainly interesting and a great value! She relates the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was proclaimed to be blessed and highly favored by God and then had to endure pregnancy at a young age, marry an older man who doubted her word amid a society that was intolerant of sexual impurity! She then heard the accusations against that son and endured His crucifixion, all the while being considered "blessed and highly favored" by God! This book is forcing me to think long and hard about my willingness to be fashioned into a "trophy woman" for God through the circumstances, trials and relationships that He has used and is using to achieve His plan for me. I trust Him to continue to do what needs to be done in me as I follow His leading through the windows and doors of my future. He has used everything in my past to help lead me to this season of my life. He has protected me, healed me, chastised me, enabled me, encouraged me, forgiven me and loved me while maturing me into a woman whose foremost passion is to glorify Him in my life! That is the measure of a "trophy woman" of God and I am stepping forward, on His red carpet, to receive my place in His Kingdom script! It is truly a wild ride and a calm walk - it's my life and it's good!

Significant to Our Father

"Dear God, I want to be prophesied over!" "I've never had a prophetic word spoken over me and I want one." "I'm over here, Prophet! Please don't overlook me again, God, because I need to hear from you!"

Sound familiar? Perhaps you've had some similar thoughts at services where prophetic words are spoken. I know I have, more than once. We are all looking for validation and recognition. We don't want to be seen as insignificant in our world. All of us have had times when other people have made us feel insignificant, when even our credentials, if we have any, don't seem to help. Other times we may feel insignificant because we don't think we've done anything important. We think just a little recognition from God through one of His prophets, especially in front of others so they'll hear how special we are, will solve our problems. WRONG!

Problems occur when we allow our significance to be determined by what we've done or by what others think of us. No matter what we've done there will always be people who don't value us. But the God who made us, knows us, and loves us deeply and completely! We fare much better when we derive our sense of worth from Him because that is how we were originally designed to function. Father God is always ready to accept us, regardless of our emotional state of failure. We have to pour our hearts out to Him. He is always ready to listen, dry our tears and encourage us with His love. He won't ever make us feel insignificant or without value for it is He that formed us in our mother's womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image! That is a great starting point to experience the unconditional, fulfilling and significant love of our extraordinary God!

Love Covers Like Vaseline

The Greek word for cover in Scripture, "kalupto" means to veil and to conceal. When something is veiled, it obscures a clear view but doesn't hide. It obscures imperfections instead of flaunting and magnifying them. The film industry used to apply Vaseline to the camera's lens in order to obscure the lines and imperfections that age and use had left on the actors' faces. It gave a much softer and more youthful look to their features. Today they have special lenses that do the same thing without the grease. Instead of magnifying and exposing the real or imagined sin of others, we need to be exposing the love of God that covers and leads to repentance and salvation. I Peter 4:8 states: "Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]." This is a message for the Church. We're not to forget what Christ has done for us in covering our sin and setting us free from its bondage. When we remember what He has done, we are more willing to be a veil and covering for our family, friends and the Church - not blind, but compassionate, not hidden, but forgiven! "Clothe yourselves therefore, as God's own chosen ones (His own picked representatives) who are purified and holy and well-beloved by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways and patience which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper. Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a grievance or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you forgive. And above all these put on love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony." (Colossians 3:12-14, Amp.) Let's start clothing ourselves in this manner for our extraordinary God while making sure we have a big jar of vaseline!

The Almond Tree

The first chapter of Jeremiah is one of my favorites in the Old Testament. I was reading the chapter recently and in verse 11, Jeremiah is asked what he sees. He answers that he sees the branch of an almond tree. The Lord replies that Jeremiah has seen well, for He is ready to perform His word. My curiosity piqued, I looked up some information about the almond tree. What I found excited me! The almond tree blossoms & gets ready to set its fruit in late winter, not when expected! It gave me great encouragement to realize that, like the almond tree, God is ready to perform His word in our lives no matter what season of life we've entered into. He's ready and this ordinary woman is ready, too!