Discovering True Intimacy with Our Savior

Music Monday: My Beloved

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It’s been a while since we had a music Monday, but Thursday night this song caught my attention and I’ve been captivated by it since.

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “…He will take great delight in you.  He will quiet you with his love.  He will rejoice over you with singing.”

God singing at all – especially over me – was not something of which I was familiar.  So,  I asked God to show me a song that he sings.  I’m not sure if this is it, exactly, but knowing him, it probably sounds a lot like this:

My Beloved

You’re My Beloved
You’re My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You’re Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You’re Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I’ll breathe My life inside of you
I’ll bear you up on eagle’s wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I’ll take you to My quiet waters
I’ll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You’re My beloved
You’re My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

Misplaced Grace

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I misplaced my grace yesterday.  I do my best to keep up with it most days, but every once in a while, I’ll set it down and forget it.  Of course, once I realized my grace was missing, I looked for it:  under cushions of comfort, wads of weariness, and files of frustration.  And don’t you know, it was in the last place I looked?  Under my piles of pride.  

After losing something so valuable, I took a survey of my spiritual surroundings and tidied up a bit.  I threw away the trash so that I could keep track of the treasure.

As I put away my cushions of comfort, I discovered compassion.  I found forgiveness under the files of frustration; and rest under the wads of weariness.  Isn’t it just like God to give us more than we deserve when we’re looking for something we shouldn’t have lost in the first place?  Which, by the way, is the very definition of grace.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

On Loan

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I am often amazed at how God prepares our hearts for what lies ahead.

I bowed out of a trail run Saturday morning with some hilarious women because I was in the “Jesus Zone.”  I was having some sweet communion with My Savior and just couldn’t bring myself to part from his presence.  During my time with him, he led me to a book entitled, “Peace, Perfect Peace” by F.B. Meyer.

It is a short book.  One that I finished in about an hour.  Little did I know, that in less than twelve hours of closing the cover, I would need it.

I received shocking news later that day that my dear, sweet friend, Rob Murray, died suddenly.  As I began to talk to God through the fog of my feelings, he reminded me of the words I read earlier, “The moment of absence is the moment of presence. As the spirit withdraws itself from the body, closing blinds and shutters as it retires, it immediately presents itself in the presence of the King, to go no more out for ever.”

Slowly, God began to raise the curtain of shock and sadness to let the light of his truth shine into my heart: seven hundred and twenty minutes before, he had prepared me for that moment!

My thoughts that evening would alternate between thoughts of how awesome God is and memories of Rob.  I pondered the immensity of God’s love and care for his children.  His well-timed provision, and His generosity in loaning the world Rob Murray if only for a while.

My friend, Rob, now knows the face of Jesus.
He has seen the throne room of God.
He has kneeled at the feet of the King.

And my heart, like Rob’s soul, takes wings under the realization that he is now home and he is happy.  His love for those he left behind is “only altered in its brilliance and intensity.”  He can now love perfectly because he is perfectly loved.

My hope in the days to come is that I can use the lessons that I learned in that small, yet profound book, to comfort those Rob left behind.

“In sore sorrow, He comforts best who says least, and who simply draws near, and takes the sufferer’s hand, and is silent in his sympathizing love.”

 

Superficial Lessons from Peru

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The first thing that I did when I got back into the States from my mission trip to Peru was to flush some toilet paper just because I could.  Of course, that was after I practically jumped over the counter and hugged the immigration officer at the airport because he spoke English.

Even though I have been back for a couple of days now, I still have not been able to process deeply the memories made, the challenges overcome or the profound lessons God taught me over those ten days.  So, I thought I’d share some of the humorous, albeit superficial, lessons learned in Peru.

  1. Accidentally getting water in your mouth while showering will likely cause you to have a panic attack.  In fact, it’s best if you just hold your breath the entire time you shower.
  2. It is not normal for a hair straightener to produce smoke in a foreign country.
  3. It’s harder than you think to get all the toothpaste off of a toothbrush using bottled water.
  4. “Sin” is a good thing when it is followed by the word “gas.”  (non-carbonated water).
  5. Stopping up the toilet is embarrassing in any country.
  6. Eating raw fruits and vegetables is underrated in the United States.
  7. Toilet paper is a luxury and flushing it is decadent.
  8. Moms in Peru whip their babies around like ninjas do swords.
  9. Taxi and bus drivers in Peru make NASCAR racers look like sissies.
  10. “Pare” signs (stop signs) are decorations on the streets and at a minimum are simply suggestions.
  11. Peruvians laugh in the face of safety regulations: they will literally shove 20 people on a 7 passenger van even if that means standing in the open doorway.
  12. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.  EVER.
  13. You will get so accustomed to being greeted with a kiss and a hug that you think everyone who doesn’t is just rude.
  14. Peruvians will still try to talk to you even if they know you don’t speak Spanish.
  15. Street vendors will remember your name.
  16. Alpaca is tast-y!
  17. If a Guinea Pig tastes like chicken, then why not just eat chicken and save the family pet?
  18. Dirt floors do not prohibit the possession of a TV, DVD player, computer and an internet connection.
  19. No one looks good after being stuck in an airport for 12 hours.
  20. Everything is better in Cuzco (thanks for the tip, Jason!)
  21. Facebook is universal.

So, there you have it:  twenty-one deep thoughts from ten days in Peru.

Gracias!

 

Music Monday: Follow You

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I am writing this post from my hotel in Arequipa, Peru. We just wrapped up five days of ministering to the Peruvian people, and my mind and soul are still trying to sort through all that I have seen and all that God has taught me on this trip.

Considering my present location, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate song for Music Monday than Follow You by Leeland. As you listen to the song and read the lyrics, let me challenge you with a question: where will you follow Him?

Follow You
You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away
All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
‘Cause Faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was she’d
So how could I not give it away so freely?

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

I give all myself.
I give all myself
I give all myself… to you.

And I give all myself.
Yes, I give all myself.
And I give all myself… to you.

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

Assignments

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You know how God gives folks new names in the Bible? Abram became Abraham; Sarai became Sarah; Saul became Paul.  I think God is about to start calling me Jonah.

A couple of months ago, we ranked in order of preference, the teams we would like to serve on during our mission trip to Peru. The number of teams we had to choose from could rival the NFL. We could pick between the medical team, dental team, door-to-door evangelism team, eye clinic team, children’s ministry team, spiritual counseling team, etc.

With my pencil in hand, I stared at the list and heard quite clearly a familiar voice in my soul, “I want you to put down door-to-door.” My response was immediate and determined, “That’s crazy! No way!”

Of all the teams on that list, door-to-door was my last choice. I’d rather stick my hand in someone’s mouth in the dental clinic than traipse about Peru going from house to house selling Jesus. In my mind there are two words for that: night – mare.

Again, I heard the voice: “I want you to do door-to-door!” My palms started to sweat and my resolve became more pronounced as I said silently, “I’m not going to put it down as number one but I will put it in the number two slot.”

As I type that sentence I want to punch myself in the face for being such an idiot. Why do I resist!? I just blatantly cruised down to Joppa and bought a ticket to Tarshish instead of Ninevah. Just call me Jonah.

I turned the form in with the following rankings:  

1) medical clinic
2) door-to-door evangelism
3) eye clinic.
(Sadly, the dental clinic took last place since door-to-door moved up the chart.)

In our next meeting, I couldn’t flip through the pages of the handout fast enough to find out my team assignment. I glanced through the medical team first. Kellie’s name was there, but mine was strangely missing. Next, my eyes frantically scanned the list of eye clinic volunteers. I got excited as I located Robyn and Lil’s names, but there must have been a mistake because my name was not on that list either. Then, as I saw my name under the door-to-door evangelism team, I’m pretty sure I threw up a little (spiritually at least) and I think I saw God cross His arms, lean back on his throne, and with a smirk on His face say, “Ummm. Hmmmm. I said door-to-door!”
Yep. Just call me Jonah.

And just like Jonah, I pouted a while.  Until one day, I heard myself say to someone, “My friends are working in the eye clinic and on the medical team, but I have to do door-to-door.”  I cringed as those words came out of my mouth.  How could I be so selfish and ungrateful? 

My response should’ve been “I get to go door-to-door;”  or “I get to tell people about the God who I love and serve;” or “I get to see people make the most important decision of their lives.”  

My perspective shifted even more when Dr. Bill commented something to the gist of:  “The door-to-door evangelism team is really the elite team; That’s where it’s at.”   I sank in my chair. 

Embarrassed by my unworthiness.
Humbled by God’s grace.
And honored to be chosen. 

Do you know what the best part is?
I don’t have to. 
I get to!