A Faithful God of Second Chances…He Sees Who We’ll Be! November 17, 2011

I had the most beautiful day today.

The last 2 – 3 months have been EXTREMELY busy. We’ve added 40 more beds to our transitional housing at my job, plus added two new staff and brought on an AmeriCorps member.  So between training people and all the additional homeless clients coming in to our housing, I’ve been SWAMPED. But it’s all good! GROWING PAINS are GOOD! I am in awe at what God is doing in our midst.

But truth be told, something happened to me in the last month or two in the midst of this busyness. I’ve been SO busy that I’d forgotten to pay attention to God in my midst. Let me explain.

My typical day on the job can normally be summed up as “journeying with God.” Usually as I go about my days, meeting new clients, managing existing clients, etc. I am usually very aware of God in my midst. I can sense His presence and I am able to work fast enough to get everything done, but slow enough to be listening for Him to speak along the way. Frequently I hear God whisper in my ear and give me a word or direction for a particular client or particular situation. My days are charged with LIFE, as His Spirit leads and guides me.

But this past weekend I found myself crying out to the Lord… “WHERE ARE YOU?” I suddenly realized that my days had become dry and stagnant. They were very mechanical and task driven. There was so much to do, I shifted into “Mary mode” and began to operate in my own strength. No longer was I even conscious of the fact that God was with me (of course He was there,) but I wasn’t intentionally listening for His voice or being comforted by His sweet presence around me throughout the day. I was busy, busy, busy and driven to get it all done.

Upon my realization of this I instantly repented for my feeble attempts to go it alone, and for not seeking first the Kingdom of God in the midst of my days (Matt 6:33). Don’t get me wrong, I was still spending time with the Lord in the mornings, but suddenly it was like I’d “leave Him at home” and go about my day on my own. (Again, I know He was with me, but I was ignoring His presence.) I managed to get very exhausted and even sick on more than one occasion. My defenses were down… physically and spiritually. But now I saw the problem and let the grace and Blood of Jesus Christ refresh and renew me.

Yet this week, I managed to start it off in the old mode of “going it alone.” Not even realizing it, I fell right back into the same pattern because I was not INTENTIONAL to seek first the Kingdom. But then today…. Ahhhh. Today!

We did 5am outreach in the streets of downtown Atlanta this morning and brought in 7 new clients. Often, clients are somewhat resistant to coming into housing. (Think about it… someone is waking you up at 5am with a flashlight saying “Come with me.”… yeah right!) But today the very first man we woke up IMMEDIATELY said yes! As he sprung to his feet and began to pack his belongings, I noticed his Bible in his bedding. I said “John, is that your Sword?” “Yes ma’am!” he replied. John then got on the bus.

As we were doing intakes, John decided he didn’t want to stay. He wanted to go to a different agency. So I called the other agency to see if they still had room and they did. I offered to give him a ride and on the way there, he pulled out His Bible and began to read. We began to talk about the goodness of God and how gracious He is to rescue and redeem us when we don’t deserve it.

As we arrived and walked in the lobby, the staff behind the desk immediately recognized the client. He had been in their housing a few months earlier and didn’t leave on good terms. You could feel the tension building as the staff member recapped the events of the past and pretty much told John “You’re not welcome here.” (He did end up saying “If you have absolutely no where else to go but the street, we’ll take you. But in all honesty, I don’t really want you to stay.) I could see John’s anger rising. In fact the staff member commented that he wasn’t comfortable with the way John was looking at him. And for a brief moment, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get in my car with his guy and his bottled up anger. So I said, “John, let’s go outside and talk about what to do.”

As we got outside, John said “I guess I just need to humble myself and go back in and apologize.” So as we headed for the door, he stopped and said, “No, I need to walk by faith and not be afraid of something new and uncertain. It’s a new day and a new way of doing things. I want to go back to your place. Can I?” Truth be told, in the natural I wasn’t sure if I wanted him in our housing after what I heard about his past adventure at this other agency. And I’m sure John could sense it. But I heard God tell me to take him in.

As we got in my car John said, “So how am I doing?” Confused I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “With passing my test. This is a test of adversity that I’ve been reading about. I hope I’m passing it today. This is new for me.” I assured him he most definitely was as I had just witnessed his anger be diffused by putting his trust in Jesus and acting out that trust. John then picked up his Bible and began to read for the rest of the ride.

God then told me that John needs to be in a location with other clients who are actively studying their Bibles and going to church. The particular location I immediately thought of was on the other side of town and did not have a vacancy. So I began to make some phone calls and long story short, God made room for John. I arrived at the original location and another case manager took John to his new home.

It could have ended here for me. You see, for the first time in a long time I saw and heard God in the midst of my busyness. This alone was so refreshing to me and renewed my passion for the work that I do. I have found that if I do anything for any reason other than God’s eternal purposes, it leaves me empty and very dissatisfied. At this moment I was feeling very satisfied and was very aware of God’s presence around me.

A few hours later I was at our office when the case manager who took John arrived. We began a conversation in which I shared the above testimony of how I had been ignoring God in my day to day busyness but had seen him mightily today. That’s when the case manager told me the most amazing thing…

When they arrived at the new location, Jack, a Peer Support Assistant for our agency was there to greet John. When they saw each other, they immediately embraced each other in a GIANT BEAR HUG! They had known each other over 10 years ago when both were homeless and addicted. In fact, the last time they saw each other, John was sleeping in a dumpster and almost got picked up by the big sanitation trucks that empty the dumpsters. Thank God he woke up when the truck began to dump the dumpster! Upon seeing Jack’s restored condition and sobriety, John was encouraged with a renewed sense of hope for himself. Jack loves the Lord and often leads other clients in Bible study and John will now sit under his wing as God begins to restore his life. We saw the POTENTIAL in John, and now John began to see it for himself! At this point I could do nothing but come to tears. Had I been alone I probably would have started sobbing but I managed to hold myself together. BUT GOD….!!!!!

Then on the way home, a song came on that I’ve been listening to frequently (HEAVENLY PLACES) and I realized how much this song sums up the heart of the work we do at Atlanta Outreach Project (www.atlantaoutreach.org). As these lyrics suggest, our number one goal at Atlanta Outreach is to SPEAK TRUE IDENTITY to our new friends. We are not there to judge them and tell them all they’ve done wrong. But with God’s eyes and God’s heart… we see MERCY, JUSTICE, TRUTH and LOVE. If we are INTENTIONAL to ask God to show us His thoughts for a person, He will faithfully show us His heart.  We know that self-focus is so overrated and that we can tend to be quick to point out someone’s flaws (and our own), but when we look at Him and then look at someone else… we see someone who is WORTHY, someone who has PURPOSE and VALUE… we see WHO THEY’LL BE. Thank you Lord for loving us just the way we are, and being patient with us as you transform us into all you intend for us to be.

May you too be blessed by this song (lyrics below).

(HEAVENLY PLACES LYRICS)

You above, seated in the Heavenlies.
Who am I? Who am I to You?
Speak to me, my true identity.
Speak to me, speak to me

You’re not waiting to come down and judge me, or tell me of all I’ve done wrong
But when I look at You… Oh when you look my way…

I see mercy, I see justice, I see truth and love
I see passion, I see wonder, I see holiness

You above, seated in the Heavenlies
Who are You? Who do I say You are?
Reveal to me, even in Your majesty
Your true thoughts, let me see Your heart

You’re not waiting to come down and judge me, or tell me of all I’ve done wrong
But when I look at You… Oh when I see You…

I am seated with You in the Heavenly places

Heavenly places with You

I am seated with You in the Heavenly places

Heavenly places with You

Self-focus is way overrated. I’m so quick to point out my flaws
But when You look at me… Oh when You look my way…

You call me worthy, You see beauty, You see purity
You see purpose, You see value, You see who I’ll be

I am seated with You in the Heavenly places

Heavenly places with You

I am seated with You in the Heavenly places

Heavenly places with You
You call me worthy, You see beauty, You see who I’ll be.

Terry K. – A Testimony of God’s Love July 17, 2011

I’m still weeping over watching God move in the life of a client on Friday… 52yr old Terry, who looks 72, has been homeless for 20+yrs. He has major health issues including diabetes. In the four weeks he’d been with us, the ambulance was called three times, the last of which he ended up hospitalized and could have been fatal. He’s been rejected from numerous housing opportunities over the yrs & we too had to put him back in the care of hospital social workers to find him appropriate care. On Thursday I prayed with Terry and told him he would be leaving us on Friday and that God said to tell him He had something big for him.

On Friday I packed him and all his belongings [everything he owns, packed in numerous garbage bags] into my car to take him back to the social worker but it turned out they dropped the ball and had no place for poor Terry. We unloaded his stuff at one place only to be rejected and told he could not stay. So we reloaded my car and I was supposed to drop him at the social workers office where they said “We have no idea what we’ll do with him. We have no options for him. Just drop him off and we’ll have to figure something out.” I couldn’t just drop Terry on Friday afternoon, unsure if they would let him fall though the cracks again. [they were supposed to have found him a personal care home while he was hospitalized and technically he wasn't supposed to have come back to our housing in the first place.] I couldn’t bear the thought of him facing the street yet again. INFURIATED, I refused to participate in treating him this way. I called my boss in tears and though Terry is a medical risk and our housing is not appropriate for him b/c we have no staff to monitor him, my boss agreed to let him stay the weekend. I would take him personally to this social worker on Monday morning while they found a place for Terry.

Once I stopped crying, I called the social worker to let her know I wasn’t bringing him, when she said she found a personal care home that would take him immediately! (THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERY DAY! Usually there are applications and red tape… a real process to get in one of these places) Turns out it is a Christian personal care home for disabled men. He was supposed to have income to stay there, but the woman took him in! I said to Terry “TERRY! Look what God has done!” and he said “Yeah, and we prayed yesterday too, remember?” I HAD FORGOTTEN! LOL! I told Terry… GOD has moved mountains on YOUR behalf because of his great love for you. No matter how many people have ever rejected you or left you … GOD NEVER WILL! The look on Terry’s face in my rear view mirror was priceless. He had the look of “WOW, God really did do this… for ME.” TERRY SAW GOD THAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I explained to Terry that we were never trying to “get rid” of him from our housing, that all along the reason he had to leave was to go somewhere that could serve him better, it’s just that they failed to find him a place. Now this new place will have medical staff, cook his meals and not put him on MARTA to take care of all his own business, but actually take him to his appointments. Terry said “WOW! Someone will really care for me. This is good because I tend to get confused a lot and seem to always end up in a bad way.” TERRY FELT VALUED for the first time in a long time… if ever in his life. Wow. You could see it on his face.

After getting Terry settled he said “You’re going to come visit me, right?” I said “ABSOLUTELY!” Then we joined hands to pray before I left. As we stood face to face praying with our heads bowed, Terry leaned forward and pushed the top of his head/forehead against mine and began to shake. After we prayed he said “I felt something going up both of my arms when you prayed!” I told him “That was the presence of God, Terry! HE LOVES YOU AND IS RIGHT HERE WITH YOU! HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU! I inquired if he had ever asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior, and he said OH YES. But TODAY, Terry experienced God’s love for him like never before.

Within 30 minutes of dropping Terry, I got a call that Terry had been approved for his SSI back on MARCH 1 but they could not locate him! SO NOW TERRY HAS INCOME AND WILL BE ABLE TO STAY AT THIS HOME INDEFINITELY!

GOD YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

“I Will Wait…for You” — Janette Ikz April 12, 2011

This is dedicated to my future husband… wherever you are. ♥

“I Will Wait…for You” — Janette Ikz

So it seemed, that it was cool, for everyone to be in a relationship but me…

So I took matters into my own hands… and ended up with him.

Him who displayed the characteristics of a CHEATER, a LIAR, an ABUSER, & a THEIF

So.. why was I surprised when he broke into my heart?

I called 911, but I was cardiac arrested for aiding and abetting,

Cause it was ME who let him in…

Claiming we were “just friends”…

It was already decided for me by the first date, that even if he wasn’t,

I was gonna make him ‘The One’…

You know… I was tired of being alone,

And I simply made up in my mind, that it was about that time…

so I decided to drag him along for the ride…

Cause I was always the bridesmaid & never the bride…

A virgin in the physical, but mentally just a grown woman on the corner in heat…

Who was tired of the wait.

So I was gonna make him ‘The One’.

He had a form of Godliness but… not much.

But, but, but, hey, hey I can change him! So I’ll TAKE him, I mean he’s close… enough

Ready to sell my aorta for a quarter, not knowing the value of its use to me…

Arerties so clogged with MY will, it blocked HIS Will from flowing through me.

So, I thank Christ that His blood pressure gave this heart an attack,

That flatlined my obscured vision, put me flat on my back

Through my ignorance He saw,

So through my sternum He sawed & cracked open my chest

To transplant Psalm 51:10

A new heart & a renewed right spirit within!

So now I fully understand,

Better yet I thoroughly comprehend,

How much I NEED to wait… for You.

See, the bad thing is that I knew he wasn’t you from the beginning..

Cause in the beginning was the Word

And he didn’t even sound or shine like Your Son

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,

And all he could whisper was sweet, empty nothings –

Which meant NOTHING.

He couldn’t even pray when I NEEDED him to

Asking him to fast would be absurd!

So forget about being cleansed & washed with water through the Word…

But I know You.. ♥

You were already praying for me

Even never having met me

Let me assure you, I will wait for you.

I will no longer date, socialize or communicate with carbon copies of you

To appease my boredom or to quench my thirsty desire for attention

And short-lived compliments from ‘sorta kindas’.

You know…. He ‘sort kinda’ right, but ‘sorta kinda’ wrong?

His first name LUKE,

His last name WARM.

I, I won’t settle for false companionship

I won’t lay in the embrace of his arms,

Attempting to find some closeness,

But never feeling so far apart cause, I just wanna be held

Cause ♫”all I gotta do is Say…” No!

NO more ‘almost sessions’ of ‘almost coming close’

Passing winks & buying drinks,

I’ma, I’ma, I’ma flirt!♫

Who flirts with the ideology of,

‘Can you just tell me how much I can get away with & still be saved?’

NO more.

I’ll stay in my bed… alone, and write poems, about how I will wait for you

He won’t even come close,

Our fingers won’t even interlock

We won’t even exchange breath

Cause I have thoughts that I’ve ‘saved as’ in a file that God has only equipped you to open.

I will no longer get weighted down,

From so-called friends & family talks,

About the concern for my biological clock

When I serve the Author of Time.

Who is NOT subject to time,

But I’M subject to Him,

He has the ability to STOP, FAST FORWARD, PAUSE, or REWIND at any given time…

So if we could role play,

You would be Abraham & I would be Sarah

Or you can be Isaac & I can be Rebekah – a servant’s answered prayer

I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh,

Made up of your rib Adam!

And once we meet, like electrons

I will be bound to your nucleus, completely indivisible…atom.

We even speak the same math: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, which really equals 1 if you…”add Him.”

We were all created in His image,

But you have the ability to reflect, project & even detect the Son.

If I were to explain what you looked like,

You would have to look like a star,

A son of the Son…

I would gain energy simply from the light that you shine on me.

I would need you, in order to complete my photosynthesis

I await your revelation, but once again from the genesis, I will wait for you ♥

And I will know you… because when you speak I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,

Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses,

Your faith will remind me of Abraham,

Your confidence in God’s Word will remind me of Daniel,

Your inspiration will remind me of Paul,

Your heart for God will remind me of David,

Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah,

Your integrity will remind me of Joseph,

And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples,

But Your ability to love selflessly & unconditionally will remind me of Christ.

But I won’t need to identify you by any special Matthews or any special Marks,

Cause His word will be tatted all over your heart.

And you will know me, and you will find me,

Where… the boldness of Esther meets the warm closeness of Ruth.

Where the hospitality of Lydia is aligned with the submission of Mary,

Which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hannah.

I will be the one, drenched in Proverbs 31… waiting for you.

But to my Father, my Father who has known me before I was birthed into this earth

Only if you should see fit…

I desire Your will above mine,

So even if you call me to a life of single-ness,

My heart is content with YOU – the One who was sent.

YOU are the greatest love story ever told,

The greatest love ever known

You are forever my judge & I’m forever Your witness

And I pray that I’m always found on a mission about my Father’s business.

Oh, I will always be Yours!

And I will always wait for You Lord, more than the watchmen wait for the morning…

More than the watchmen wait for the morning… I WILL WAIT ♥

By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them… March 28, 2011

I’ve been struggling with something for a while now but have just remained prayerful about my frustrations. While I still continue in an attitude of prayer, I’ve decided to publicly express my disgust.

 

It has to do with the behavior of some Christians in the midst of adversity. I AM SHOCKED to say the least. How some Christians can behave the way they do and not feel convicted is beyond me. Am I perfect? Not hardly. But I know the conviction of the Holy Spirit and am thankful for conviction that brings repentance when my emotions get the best of me and I respond in the flesh. But in day to day life, in churches, in the marketplace, in social clubs and in social media Christians are displaying fruit. Sadly not all of it is good. And rather than seeing repentance for this “not good fruit,” it continues and continues. This I do not understand.

 

What Others Say About It

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

 James Lane Allen said “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.”

 

What I Say About It

If you really want to see someone’s true heart, just let adversity strike and watch how they handle it. Do they display godliness? Even if we don’t agree with someone, we still should respond in a godly way. It doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect in all we do, but we must seek God daily to help us have a godly response.

Even if someone hurts us, we should still respond in a Christ-like manner. Even if all HELL breaks loose in our lives, we should never seek to tear others down, lure others into messy behavior, try to divide the Body of Christ or seek revenge. And we certainly shouldn’t do it under the guise of suddenly befriending people we never seemed to have time for in the past, solely so we can manipulate them to “our side.”

There is only ONE SIDE we should be concerned with… GOD’S SIDE.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about displaying Christ through your life. Our life is meant to be a witness… on our GOOD DAYS and on our BAD DAYS… when everything goes RIGHT (our way) and when it doesn’t… SO THAT OTHERS MAY KNOW HIM AND FIND ETERNAL LIFE.

We should display good fruit… not ROTTEN fruit. Rotten fruit smells and its appalling. Why would anyone want to be a Christian if the only ones they know stink?

The only “stinking” Christians should be doing is from BURNING FLESH (submission to God/dying to self.)  This is fragrant to the Lord. 

But ROTTEN fruit is another story.

If you’re going to insist on doing it your way and displaying rotten fruit, STOP DOING IT “IN THE NAME OF JESUS.”

 

What the Word of God Says About It

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:9-10

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matt 7:15-16

Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene…They are upsetting the faith of some. 2 Tim 2:16-18

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. Rom 16:17-18

 

 A Final Exhortation:

Therefore, dear friends…make every effort to have him find you at peace, without spiritual stains or blemishes. Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity for people to be saved. This is what our dear brother Paul wrote to you about, using the wisdom God gave him. He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures…so be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception …then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:14-18

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 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 the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

 

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Just after I published this blog post, a friend (Christine Juarez) replied with this:

When adversity strikes, it is either a TRAINING OR A TEST. If its a training, LEARN. If its a test PASS!

 

Advice if you’ve experienced ROTTEN FRUIT: http://maryloveslife.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/a-word-from-the-lord-about-noise-pollution/

Do You Hate Christmas? December 24, 2010

In the last few days I have stumbled across numerous facebook statuses from people who don’t seem too excited about the fact that it’s Christmas. They’d just as soon be at work, like any other normal day, and avoid the whole season. As I saw these statuses, I was reminded of my own past experiences with Christmas and I began to ponder the source of my own past sadness during this time. Here are a few reasons I think people get sad at Christmastime:

1) Unmet Expectations:  In a world of commercialism, a standard has been set and whether we admit it or not, we are continually comparing ourselves to this standard. We look at what other people get for Christmas gifts, we look at how their family gets together to celebrate, we look at what others are buying for their kids/friends/family, we look at what others are wearing to the Christmas parties, single people look at those who are married and feel alone, married folks w/families look at single people and wish they could be so carefree & spontaneous… the list goes on.  We get caught up in the WRONG THINGS!

2) A Deep Emptiness:  While we can make everything look great on the outside, we all know what it’s like to feel a “void” inside, like something is missing. And we all know what it’s like to try and fill it, only to find temporary relief which soon fades.  While this correlates well with the unmet expectations above, we have to take a minute to see what it is we are really expecting. After all… for an expectation to be UNMET, we must recognize that something is missing and then figure out just what WILL meet it. Have you ever tried to decide where to go out to eat, and you can’t decide what you want but you know what you don’t want? Well this is sort of the same. When we have that deep yearning for a need within us to be met, we must stop and ask “What am I expecting? What really would bring the satisfaction I am looking for?” 

3) Emotions: One thing is for sure, God gave us emotions. They are indicators of things going on deeper within. The problem with the world and with many Christians is that they allow their emotions to lead them.  Remember, they were only meant to be INDICATORS of what was going on inside, but they were never intended to be in charge. So as I think about emotions and Christmastime, I immediately think about anxiety regarding finances, buying things on a whim because it “feels good,” comparing ourselves to others as stated above and feeling “less than” or simply being frustrated by the process. If we allow these emotions to be in charge, they will surely bring us down. We will feel a constant tugging deep within even when we put on a good front. This is the indicator that something is wrong. When we say “I hate Christmas” we are really saying “I hate the way I feel at Christmastime.” Another thing that always stirred my emotions was Christmas Carols. I recall year after year I could barely stand to sing or hear them because it would stir my emotions and make me cry. I never understood that, but now I do and I’ll explain it at the end of this post.

4) Unmet Needs: The truth of the matter is, we all are longing for SATISFACTION, SIGNIFICANCE and SECURITY. These are the three most basic needs of all human beings as identified by Kenneth Boa in “Conformed to His Image.” (great book by the way)  Imagine feeling satisfied and at peace deep inside, regardless of your outward circumstances. Imagine knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are valuable, important and that you matter regardless of how anyone treats you. Imagine feeling a sense of safety and security so deep within that nothing moves you. Wow. With these three basic needs met, you can find the fulfillment in life you have always dreamed of.

5) The Big Picture: The ultimate reason people tend to be sad at Christmas time is because they do not see the big picture. They forget (or were never really taught) what this season is all about, and that is Jesus:

• Your unmet expectations are the result of a standard created by man, not God. You must renew your mind to God’s standard so you do not have false expectations that are impossible to fulfill.
• Your deep emptiness is from a God-sized hole that only He can fill. And He longs to fill it! Invite Him in!
• Your emotional instability is from a lack of understanding that God sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you so you don’t have to be led by emotions. This season, remember that your emotions are INDICATORS and when you feel them stirring,  turn toward Christ to help identify the root (possibly unmet expectations, anger, unforgiveness, etc.) Ask God: “Why do I feel this way at Christmastime? Why do I hate Christmas?” Only Jesus can bring you true peace. God wants to heal your emotions so you can enjoy and celebrate the day He was born into the earth.
• And those Christmas Carols? Well… when you sing them, you are singing about the Lover of Your Soul, the One who loves you so much that He came to the earth as a man, laid down His life to die on a cross, and was resurrected back to life, therefore paying the penalty for your sins so you could be free. There is a supernatural anointing on those songs when they are sung and it stirs up that God-sized hole inside of you that is crying out to be filled. This season, let the stirring of your emotions cause you turn toward Jesus. After all, He is drawing you to Himself! Think about the song JOY TO THE WORLD which says “Let every heart, prepare Him room”… I never understood those words. Now I understand that the emotion I would feel when I sang them was God Himself beckoning me to prepare room for Jesus in my heart! Wow!
• And even if you’ve already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, many times we still look to the world to give us the SATISFACTION, SIGNIFICANCE and SECURITY we all need. But GOD Himself is the only one that can meet those deep needs within you. When we learn to find our contentment IN HIM, our value IN HIM and our security IN HIM, then nothing in this world can move us. We have spent years looking for fulfillment from OUTWARD SOURCES, when all along it’s been JESUS we need. And when you invite Him into your life, He comes to dwell inside of you and you no longer have to look OUTWARD for your needs to be met. While He was born into the earth as a baby, He is no longer a baby. We must see Jesus for who He is: KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS, PRINCE OF PEACE, ALMIGHTY GOD! He is seated at the right hand of the Father and is ruling and reigning over all the earth. Let Him rule and reign over your life and your emotions today!

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so today. Follow this link for more details: http://www.maryloveslife.org/A-Gift-for-You.html

This Christmas season, take your eyes off the OUTWARD things and focus your heart on the INWARD peace that comes only from Christ. Don’t let gifts, shopping, family issues, etc. bring you down! Stay focused on the fact that you are celebrating your Savior being born in the earth to set you free… the greatest display of Love ever! ALL FOR YOU! Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross because you are that valuable to Him. YOU MATTER! You are not a mistake. He loves you and wants to bring you the SATISFACTION, SIGNIFICANCE and SECURITY you so desperately desire.

So don’t let the holidays bring you down; purpose in your heart to have a Merry CHRISTmas and keep your eyes on the BIG PICTURE. When you REALLY see the big picture, Christmas will make you JOYOUS, not sad! If you’re still having trouble seeing it, ask God to help you. I promise He will.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Highway Byway Revival September 4, 2010

I thought this might bless you. I first heard this in 2004 (on a CD without any video) and it moved me so deeply it is what began my ministry in the streets. I sobbed like a baby when I heard it and it shook me for days. It comes up in my media player rotation occasionally and it did this morning… and I sobbed all over again. I’m relfecting on how, after a 2 1/2 year hiatus from street ministry, God has brought me full circle, and it is He who created this deep passion in me to reach the last, the lost and the least.

In my new role at Atlanta Outreach Project (http://www.atloutreach.org) it’s amazing when I look at our efforts in the natural to take people from the streets and put them in earthly housing, and the frustrations we have with a lack of people to volunteer, fund it or even many homeless not desiring to come in for help. On our small scale we can imagine how Jesus feels as He longs for laborers to go into the highways and byways and fill His heavenly house. It’s an amazing parallel.  

Our Savior truly understands our frustrations and our plight, for He experiences it Himself. Wow. He truly is our ever-present help in time of need.