Saturday, February 28, 2009

Look Here

~
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jer. 29:13
~
Looking for something was never so easy, yet so difficult. ~mpi

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I Know That I Know


Well, today was an interesting day. Just when I am getting used to this constant state of "wherever-the-wind-may-blow-I-go" does the Lord say for me to, "Hold on, things are going to get bumpy..."

Now, I, in that moment did a little, "What?!" when the phone rang. The conversation that ensued left me in a state of pleasant shock, but shock none-the-less. And then I get an email informing me of travel registration due dates just around the corner, and let's not forget the Reading Course that emerged within a matter of minutes. This all happened within about an hour. Bumpy? ...Just a little turbulence... Yet, my world seems to be moving now on a recognizable course of direction...finally!

Okay, so most of that may not make sense to you necessarily, but my point is:
Just as I was becoming content to be in a state of discontent does the Lord stir my world and move me in a more focused direction. I have been wandering here, there, and everywhere for so long, I figured I was in training to become a professional nomad;) This wandering has not been a physical wandering so much as it has centered around life purpose - utilizing my strengths, abilities, and giftings. I was discouraged to think that I would be a sort of jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none and live a futile life, chasing a dream of finding my niche and never fitting in. And though I have not found my niche yet - that place that I know, that I know, that I know - I am encouraged by these latest happenings.

It is kinda exciting, you know? When you think God has forgotten all about you or that He is ignoring you, and you have conceded to that notion, He reveals Himself in a way that speaks straight to your heart, re-affirming that He is still at work, that He still does love you, He hasn't forgotten you and is working all things together for good.

...My hope is in the Lord...

"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." Jer. 29:11
Thank you, Lord!

I plugged in the wrong verse when searching the above scripture and zeroed in on this scripture instead...You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer. 29:13 I was going to delete it, but I feel prompted to leave it. It is a good reminder for me, if no one else ;) Smiles and Blessings...

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

This Day...

This day:
.
Pray more
Smile more
Say thank-you more
Laugh more
Work hard
and love with the love of Christ Jesus.
.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
Colossians 3:22-24 (in Context) Colossians 3 (Whole Chapter)

Monday, February 23, 2009

Judges 9:42-55

Just one of the many stories from the Old Testament.

Ruthless...

The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. Abimelech and the companies with him rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down. All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!" So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.

Justice?...

Next Abimelch went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women - all the people of the city - fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.' " So his servant ran him through, and he died. When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.

Power, corruption, war...a heartless man destroyed, left humiliated in the chronicles of history.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:17-19 (in Context) Proverbs 16 (Whole Chapter)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Your Love is You

In the gentle quiet, your love comes to me.
In the tempest, your love comes to me.
Your love is safe.
Your love is kind.
Your love is exciting.
Your love is you.
~
The warm beams of the sun kiss my face.
The cool breeze from the north dances with my hair.
I breathe deep.
~
As the shadows play and the birds weave among branches, the sounds of the world around me morph into a mesmerizing song. It is in this moment do I realize the joyful dance surrounding me...a carefree abandon to Life.
~
You draw me in.
The dance continues.
Exhilarating and wonderful.
Your love is you.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Wandering and Pondering

So, last night I had some significant time to wander and ponder....a dangerous combination...

I spent some time surfing the net, checking out links of people who are somehow important to other people and I read some interesting stuff and some not-so-interesting stuff - not to me anyhow. What was interesting was how quickly the connections from one person to the next led to...let's say...undesirable content. Not necessarily just porn or "anger pages", but also into a focus of existence that is dark and simply Godless.

It was somewhat surprising, but totally reasonable when you think about it.

It got me to thinking about how success/leadership advice often suggests that you should surround yourself with successful people or people you want to be like because the people that you do interact with regularly will have a definite and powerful impact on your existence.

This is one of the reasons we steer our kids into hanging out with the "right crowd." We know the impact of peer pressure on kids and we try to protect them by encouraging them to associate with certain individuals of positive qualities versus others that we see as less desirable.

Hmmm...We determine another's worth - their value to us - every time we do this. I am not saying that this is a bad thing necessarily. We are wise to steer clear of persons and personalities that could be toxic to our well-being; however, we really do not escape judging others and we assign them a measure of worth relative to us.

The lesson here? Well, let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart on this one.

He spoke to me as I wandered and pondered...like I mentioned, it is a dangerous combination, because if I let God be a part of my wandering and pondering, there can be conviction - which leads me to humbling myself and making change in the way I think or do....which is a good thing, just not necessarily an easy thing.

And that is my thought for today.

Smiles and Blessings to you ~mistipearl:)

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-3 (in Context) Matthew 7 (Whole Chapter)

A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:25-27 (in Context) Proverbs 12 (Whole Chapter)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Belt of Truth...


Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Ephesians 6:13-15 (in Context) Ephesians 6 (Whole Chapter)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Words

I use words to encourage others, that their hearts' might be blessed.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Smiles and Blessings to your day!

I believe in you.
~
Your work is wonderful.
~
You can do it!
~
May God Bless you!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Change...The Buzz Word

This morning as I am sitting watching the sun rise and communing with Jesus, does the topic of nomadic life penetrate my thinking. (The rising was a beautiful hot pink and neon orange set against a pale blue, then robin's egg blue sky laced with violet hues by-the-way. God never fails to paint a perfect picture.)

Nomad - as defined by Merriam-Webster:
1 : a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory
2 : an individual who roams about

Jesus was a nomad, His church was nomadic. In the Old Testament, God moved about leading His people here and there...which got me thinking about how backwards we are in our "ministry" today. We expect people to come to us - to our big, bright and shiny, high tech facility - unlike the example of Jesus and His followers.

You know, we talk about the emergent church, about missional community, about relationship, about the need to change how we, as the body of Christ, engage in being in this world but not of this world, yet we still expect people to come to us or to meet in a our model environment. Are we nothing but talk? Would we really consider getting out of our chair and going someplace unconventional to engage in relationship with others? That someplace I am talking about could mean their house, their street, their country, their place du jour...move around?

Perhaps pondering this topic is the effect of spring on my heart, but it seems to me that in so many ways, we have defined what we think the life of Christ actually was to satisfy ourselves - to accommodate our desires - to our glory...

Change.

We need to change how we think and do just about everything from ministry to the environment these days. Change requires action, movement. I guess, in a way, we should expect to be more nomadic in our behaviour. It is not easy in our "cater-to-me-so-I'm-not-inconvenienced" society and I am just as guilty as the next person in this area, but it doesn't mean I need to remain as part of the status quo.

Change - the buzz word of the season...

What will that look like for you this year? Will it look like anything at all or is it too much of a bother to even consider?

Monday, February 16, 2009

i need you

My heart is silent before you
I wait for Wisdom
Fill me 'til I am overflowing
I need you
...I need you.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world. ~ Miguel de Cervantes

How well do you know yourself?
Do you know your genuine you? Would you be willing to acknowledge that creature?

Hidden deep within the soul of man is the truth of his being.
She keeps it well hidden because she, herself, does not even know.
He walks around with one persona (perhaps 2 or 3), but the one he desires is kept a recluse.
Her truth denied.

This genuine you, the one God has specifically and uniquely bestowed upon the imprint of your soul - for His Good Purpose - Do you know?

As the journey of your life progresses and as the Lord guides you through the refining fire, you - yourself - will begin to emerge. Will you recognize yourself?

Would you run toward the fire with excitement, knowing that truth will be revealed and you will be set free from the constraints of the 'old man'? Or is the skin of the 'old man' too comfortable for you to consider leaving behind?

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13

Are you willing to go deeper into the heart of your being, with God as your guide, so that He may reveal the essence of your being...Him in you?

Who are we to deny the truth of our being that we would try to smother the source of Light and Life that gives us breath?

How well do you know yourself?
Do you know your genuine you? Would you be willing to acknowledge that creature?

Friday, February 13, 2009

Seeds...




Go HERE for more information and a good read...

God On the Move

God is on the move...was there ever any doubt of that? (Some days - yes.) I have been browsing through many of my virtual connections reading the thoughts and hearts of my brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful thing to behold the thinking of others. The thing that I have been noticing for a while is the "God is moving, but where?" kind of thinking. It is exciting and somewhat scary to be in this season. I mean, we all would like to dive right into that purpose God has for us (well....most of us....hmmm....some of us?) Yet, not knowing exactly what that purpose looks like, how it will manifest itself, is a little unnerving.

We are expectant though. We expect God. And so we should. Waiting expectantly....

Actively waiting....

....still waiting.....

It is all good though, God will come though for us....I mean, He will, won't He?

Of course He will! Never doubt. A doubting mind is like...how does that go?

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-7

God is on the move.

Are you in step with Him? Are you trusting Him?

Personally, I am clinging to the visions and dreams, the glimpses of what His purpose holds for me. Though I do not understand completely (some days, not at all), I choose to Trust my God. I know He is moving, working all things together, and I am actively waiting. For Him.

Listen with your heart to the call of the Wild -----
Listen...
Respond with your heart to the call of our King
Take courage, fear not, meet the challenge laid before you
You have been called and He has equipped you
To the Glory of our King!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Jason Mraz -I'm Yours (live)

Just because it is a great version....especially the end....;)

God's Blessing to You This Day


I hear the cardinals waking the morning with their whistles and songs,
I quietly thank God for the music I hear
I think about the nursing night past and wonder how my day will follow
I think of Africa only briefly before my thoughts soar -----
Faces of the ones I care for run through my mind and I pray a blessing upon each one
Faces...
The mist of a somewhat balmy winter day speaks a kinship to my being
I breathe deep the air that hangs around me, it is becoming new, spring is around the corner
I think of my heart's desire and I rest.

God's Blessing to you this day ~ The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
~mp:)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Jesus is Lord Over All!

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
~1 Peter 5:7-9 (in Context) 1 Peter 5 (Whole Chapter)

In the wee hours of this morning, my dreams were many and vivid. I was boldly declaring Jesus as Lord, yet fear gripped my being. The enemy of my soul roared voraciously and avoided looking at me as I declared Jesus as Lord...

The battle intensifies.

I remind myself to commit to being humble before our God. Pride wants a foot in and I can have no part of it. Pride, fear, doubt...I recognize them as tactics to bring me down. And, I know myself enough to know that I am not immune to these and others.


Standing on guard, keeping my focus on Jesus...sometimes, this is easier said than done, but the stakes are great - My best option, my calling, my true desire - Jesus. I know He will never leave me or forsake me, yet I also know how easy it is for me to forsake Him and how hellish it is when I do so.

I am reminded of the lyrics written by Helen Lemmel, "Turn you 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."


He truly is a wonderful God and though my dreams may disturb me, I will seek out my King and let the shadow of His wing cool the scorching abrasion that was intended to sear my soul with poison.

And again, I declare: Jesus is Lord over all!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Choices...Thinking Aloud

We all have choices to make in our lives,
Free will given to us by God above,
Like an adventure book with alternate story lines,
Our lives can be safe or dangerous,
Scary or predictable...
Each choice we make though comes at a cost,
A sacrifice,
Giving up one desire for another,
And we must ask ourselves:
Is it worth it?
In the end, what am I willing to sacrifice as I choose one possibility over another?
With each choice, God can do amazing things,
His plans for my life will not be thwarted by these decisions,
He will still guide me to where he purposes me to be,
To His Glory.
So, am I willing to sacrifice, step out in faith, and let my God open the doors of opportunity in places and circumstances that I never suspected?

LOL

Bring it Abba...with You, I cannot go wrong!
Without You, I will not go.
Here I am Lord!
Your Will be done.

My choices right now include here:




....OR here:
Neither one is right or wrong, just different.
Neither one has any less opportunity for God to reveal His Glory,
For God to work through me,
For God to work through others...
This is where faith comes to play -
God knows my heart,
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:3-5
I do not even know my heart in truth as He does,
So, I trust Him.
I trust God with my heart,
To lead me,
To allow me to choose along the way,
To take the choices I make and guide me still,
Until His work in me is done.
~mp:)

Friday, February 6, 2009

Leap of Faith

LOL...I have to laugh out loud! As I was browsing different art, I came across this picture.

For quite a while now, I have felt the Spirit telling me that I need to let go so that He can catch me. This is a huge leap of faith for me. There are many reasons to not leap, not let go, just remain. And I could take every one of those reasons and create very plausible excuses that would placate even the most adamant or ambitious soul.

This image of the "Hand of God" ready and waiting for the person to leap is a visual confirmation of my heart's desire. I want to leap. I want to let go...oh-so-desparately...I am inflamed by something indescribable, to leave this desert place and find ....whatever it is I am looking for... His Higher Purpose... Him... in me.

Now, one might question why I need to leap or leave to find Him (particularly 'in me'). Understand this: I am inflamed by something indescribable. I am willing to follow my King. I am willing to let Him shape me into the woman of God He intends me to be. Pretty bold declarations, I know...but how could I settle for anything less than the best God has for me? And who else is worth following, but the King of Kings? I have come to the understanding that I want to leave this world knowing that I did not shirk the opportunities to grow, love, live, help, lead, follow, explore, revel...in all that God has purposed for my life. This requires breaking habits, looking at my life with a new lens, and taking a leap of faith. If I think about it for too long, I can become overwhelmed and, quite honestly, intimidated to return to complacency...

Not good...

...However, with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as my focus, I breathe deep, let go of the things that hold me back, and I run, leaping into the fullness of my faith, knowing He will catch me and set me down exactly where He purposes me to be.


We are all called by God and at some point (usually, several points along our walk with Him) does He call us out - to take a leap of faith. If this posting "speaks" to your heart, I would like to encourage you today to heed the call. Let Him lead you and leap, knowing He will be there to catch you and place you exactly where He purposes you to be. Jeremiah 29:11 Isaiah 26:3 Mark 12:30

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thinking...Into Action

Abba, you know my heart, you know my dreams
I have choices to make
Help me to take that leap of faith...
Sitting here is not the answer.
I have always said that when I go, I want to be on the front lines...time to step out, in faith.
~MistiPearl:)

Is God Enough?

Sitting here this morning quietly waiting for the sun to rise I am asking myself, "Do I really believe God is enough?"

This has been rolling around in my bean for a few days...rather weeks, I guess, but it is just over these past few days that I am being challenged to really embrace that question and let it sink deep. Of course, the deeper it sinks, the more disturbed I become.

"Do I really believe God is enough?"

I would like to think that I believe this. 'Yep, God is more than enough....la di da di da....' And I carry on my merry way...But wait.

When I question where I am at in my career, my relationships, my finances, my health...am I not doubting that God is enough? If any or each of these were non-existent or less than optimum, would I like Job, trust that God is enough?

Honestly, no. Maybe, but most likely not. I would be disturbed that things were less than ideal and seek to rectify the situation. Isn't that what we all do...what we should do? We want the "ideal" in every area of our lives and living with less than that is very inconvenient, so we try to change it.

Is that what God wants though? I mean, in this place of "less-than-ideal," is it really what we perceive it to be?

Living in poverty is less than ideal - Is God enough to satisfy us when we have little or no money? Do we trust Him in this state of being to be there for us, to provide, to protect, to guide us? Or what about relationships? When we have no significant other? Is God enough to bring us the comfort we long for, the love and acceptance we desire? Are we satisfied with just Him and no other?

Is God enough for us? Do we truly desire Him and only Him? Honestly? Are we satisfied - content - with God alone? In every situation? I think that if we were, you would see an entirely different world. The passage that says, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"Philippians 4:6-8 takes on new life.

Is God enough for us? In all things big and small? In every situation? Do we look to God and trust Him, truly trust Him? Would others look at you and see that you trust Him?

Is God enough?

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

~
A breath away is not far to where you are...
~To Where You Are - Josh Groban
~

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A Birthday Wish...


Above Albakerkie
Originally uploaded by MikeJonesPhoto
I have always wanted to go up in a balloon...To see creation from yet another perspective. Perhaps, this will be the year :)

“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and know the place for the first time.”
~ T.S. Eliot
Yep, its my B-day:) 28...29...29...29...keep going...;P

Monday, February 2, 2009

Show Me How

"If you find yourself in great distress, know that God will bring your deep shadows into the light. The key to your deliverance is becoming satisfied in God. He becomes your all. He is your life. You will know your deliverance is near when your circumstances simply don't matter to you anymore." ~Os Hillman

Last night was an extremely moving night for me. I was at the hospital completing a night shift. I went into the night feeling restless deep within, even as I walked to the hospital, I would gaze at the stars with a restlessness in my soul. This night, their presence was more like an audience than the main event.
Abba, help me to be a blessing to the staff and patients this night....
Did I invite Him to join me on this shift? I forget. I am forgetting a lot lately.
I am not particularly fond of night shifts. I feel less "on my game" than during the day. I like my sleep, I need it. However, night shifts are a reality of nursing.
The night started as usual despite my "detachment" of heart. It wasn't until we were discussing the fate of a patient, who this night would most likely pass on, did the restlessness deep within begin to intensify.
Are you serious? That patient is my cousin! Father, how many shifts have I been here and I did not know it was my cousin?!
I reminisced about how a couple of weeks ago, after listening about the plight of the patient, I commented to my preceptor that I wished I could go in to that patient's room and discuss spiritual matters, but I couldn't because (at that time) I did not know the patient as anyone other than the person that "nurse so-and-so" has.
Abba, why didn't I have the open door to talk to my cousin...did I miss the door? Should I have just gone despite hospital policy? Do I just rush into any room that I sense a spiritual need and put aside all protocol, all the "rules" of being a nurse, let alone a student nurse and engage in what I know in my heart at what I am best at...What I am best at???

Oh Abba, all last night I have been wrestling with my purpose. What is the point of all this nursing knowledge without a true heart for nursing? Where can I truly live out my heart's desires? What does living from the heart look like? How do I live from my heart? When? Where? How? Why am I here? Why?!

I am a listener. I am best at listening. People open up to me about their deepest darkest secrets within a matter of minutes of meeting for the first time. Very little surprises me. I have heard everything from fear of failure, attempted murder, male prostitution, occult practices to desires for reconciliation with age-old falling outs and dreams lost. I haven't heard it all, just enough to know that people hurt even when they look like they don't and everybody wants to be heard.

Abba, I can listen, but what then? And then who listens to me? ...You. I know You do...but...
This is where my heart speaks shamefully clear. I do not truly believe that God is enough.

Forgive me Father. I want to live my all for You - You, being the only one who matters in the end...in the present...Dear God, please help me to live for You! Show me how to give You my all...I do not know how...I would like to think I do, but I don't. Please show me...please. I know nothing else - no one else, will ever satisfy me. I need You and I long to give my all to You...show me how. I want You to be enough. Enough for me, in everything, every situation, in everything. I want to desire nothing and no one else...just You.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Arise, Shine...


Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:1-3 (in Context) Isaiah 60 (Whole Chapter)

Featured Post

They Did Not Realize

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. ~John 21:4