Growing increasingly Free

"Walk with Me in the freedom of forgiveness.  The path we follow together is sometimes steep and 

slippery.  If you carry a burden of guilt on your back, you are more likely to stumble and fall.  At 

your request, I will remove the heavy load from you and bury it at the foot of the cross.  When I 

unburden you, you are undeniably free! Stand up straight and tall in My Presence, so that no one 

can place more burdens on your back.  Look into My Face and feel the warmth of My Love-Light 

shining upon you.  It is this unconditional Love that frees you from both fears and sins.  Spend time 

basking in the Light of My Presence.  As you come to know Me more and more intimately, you grow

 increasingly free." 

September 23 Jesus Calling

Psalm 68:19

1 John 1:7-9;

1 John 4:18

Same as it ever was.

Many things, they are a changin.  New websites, fonts, new graphics, new technology, changing.  But no matter how much everything around the world changes, only God's Word stays the same.  People change, human traditions change.  Relationships change.  God's never changing Truth, God's word never fails.  Thought I would just write it, Same as it ever was.

Gospel of Jesus Christ

1.    God created us in His image.

-         Genesis 1:27

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

2.    Everyone has sinned and rebelled against God.

-         Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

-    Isaiah 53:6a

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”

3.    The penalty for sin is death.

-        Romans 6:23a

“For the wages of sin is death”

-        Ephesians 2:1

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”

-        Isaiah 59:2

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

-        2 Thess. 1:8-9

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”

4.    There is no way we can earn God’s favor or earn heaven.

“I am not that bad…”

-        James 2:10

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

“I do work for God and the church, I was born in a good home…”

-        Matt 7:23

“Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’”

“I’m a basically a good person…”

-        Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

“I’m intelligent…”

-        1 Cor. 1:20

“Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar?  Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

5.     Christ took the penalty we deserve upon Himself, and died in our place. 

-        Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

-        Romans 6:23b (remember a?? what do we earn or deserve?)

“But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-        Isaiah 53:5

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and that by his wounds we are healed.”

6.    We can be saved from death, and assured of eternity in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  We must believe.

We are made righteous before God because of Jesus.

-        Romans 3:22

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

-        Romans 10:9

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

-        John 3:15-16

“Everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

-        Titus 3:5

“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

7.    Eternal life is based on fact, not feeling.  Blessed Assurance.

-        John 5:24

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

8.    Ask Him to wash you clean, believe in Jesus and He will change your heart.

-        Psalm 51:1-2

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

-        2 Cor. 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!!!”

Here is my personal life story: 

I grew up going to church, and hearing about Jesus.  I thought that as long as I went 

to church, did some service work for the poor, took Communion, and basically didn’t 

murder anyone, I could go to heaven when I died.  I thought I was a Christian, as

 much as I was a white female, that it was automatic.  While I was in college, I did 

what seemed right in my own eyes, and what friends and society said was acceptable. 

I woke up one morning knowing I was dead inside.  Walking around campus, I knew I 

was a walking dead person.  This freaked me out.  I didn’t know what to do, but to 

return home, as I was able in August 2008.

In August 2009, I went to my first Women’s Bible Study.  These women joyfully

 demonstrated  God’s holiness and purity in their lives and in their personal 

relationships.  Showing

 me a different way to live.  They took what the Bible said at face value, as true.  They 

obviously loved God.  They prayed and presented the Gospel to me. 

The Holy Spirit taught me through His Word that there was a reason why I was 

feeling dead.  That even though I was dead in my sins, I could be alive in Christ.  I 

learned that only through my faith in what Jesus had done on the cross, and trust in 

His resurrection, could I go to heaven.  It was like puzzle pieces all coming together in

 my life, and I could see clearly for the first time. I believed, confessed my sins, and 

prayed to have Jesus as Lord of my life in March 2010. Once I trusted in Christ alone-

 windows and doors of light began to open up in my heart breaking the darkness that 

was there.  Now I walk around knowing I am alive, only because of Christ.  I have 

peace and joy walking with my heavenly Father.  Any good works I do now, praise 

God, because just like Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, I am God’s workmanship, created 

in Christ Jesus to do good works which he prepared in advance for me to do!

In August 2010, I married my husband, a man after God’s own heart. 

Breaking Bad

So, I know that watching this show is not the most praiseworthy way to spend my time.  But Zach and I found it on netflix and I think it's a very well done, interesting show.  Zach says I am hooked.  Probably, since I have been watching it for the past 2 weeks.

This scene that I posted struck me, as it reminds me of why we need God's Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To give some context to this scene, Jesse is a meth dealer and an addict to both meth and to heroin.  **Spoiler alert.  He kills an innocent man (he says he killed a dog to the support group) because the man posed a threat in cooking and selling the meth.  He has killed other people as well in the past episodes.  While in rehab, the counselor speaks of 'accepting yourself' and 'loving yourself' not being judgmental of yourself and others.  Which are good things.  It reminds me of how God's love never fails, His forgiveness.  But Jesse presses into the truth of the matter at hand, what about the sin, the evil things I have done??  He says what I think needs to be said, the question that needs to be presented.

"So, no matter what I do, hooray for me because I'm a great guy?? It's all good??"

The counselor finally gives a quiet, "no." At the end.

Something I desperately need to hear, and that I think we don't talk about enough in our churches today.  No.  You're not "all good."  According to God's standards 'all have sinned and fallen short'  and that because of that sin we deserve death.  Reading Amos and parts of Isaiah, the Old Testament prophets, we see God's anger toward sinfulness and rebellion against His laws.  He disciplines His children.  No, what you do has consequences.  Here and now, but also eternal.

In my experience, I had a difficult time appreciating the whole 'Jesus died for your sins' thing, growing up.  I heard that God loves me, Jesus loves me and Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead.  But, I didn't really put it all together.  It wasn't until the full Gospel of Jesus was presented to me, and reading Ephesians in prayer for the Holy Spirit's guidance that I realized that I deserve death.  My sin deserves punishment, and without Jesus there would be nothing keeping me from that due punishment.

Eph 2:1 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins"

  A theme of this show is that for Jesse, things get worse and worse.  Killing one guy necessitates killing another, and then another to cover up the previous and so on.  For the other main character, Walt, he has to tell his family lies which lead to more and more lies.

Death begets death begets more death.  Unless God intervenes, nothing really gets healed. All life comes from Him.  Otherwise, we have to do what Jesse says.  "Just take inventory, and like, accept."

When I did that in my own life, I did not have the power within myself to change anything.

There is no healing in that.  The sin is left unpaid for, and so then, you will be the one to pay for it if not put on the cross.

Now, I have never been a drug dealer or murderer.  But.  If my life had been in different circumstances, I can't say that would never do that.  I also know what Jesus taught.
 Jesus said if you hate someone, it's the same as committing murder in the eyes of God.  If you lust after someone who is not your spouse it's the same as committing adultery.  

I am a sinner, but Praise be to my God, 'the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.'  Confessing to God that I needed Him, there was nothing in myself that I could do or offer. That I believed in Jesus as my Savior, that He as the Son of God died and rose from the dead.  That I desperately needed Him to live in me and work in me, then came the change that even others around me took notice.

I like this clip because you see that Jesse feels the weight of his sin.  What a perfect place to be to see the beauty and power of Christ's redemption.  The pain and blood that was spilled for us.

Thank you, God. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

He saved a wretch like me!  He made me beautiful!

One thing our pastor has been talking about on Sundays, is for us to look upon the holiness of God and ask for His help.  That He change us, that we do not just take 'inventory' of the evil sin we have done and just 'accept' and move on.  But, we take a hard look at what Christ has done for us and live as He wants us to live.  I like how the clip ends, when Jesse says "About time."  How much death and darkness inside me did I have to experience before finally someone said, "no."  Too much was wasted, and it is about time that I, as a follower of Jesus, deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him with a renewed joy with God's kingdom on my heart.

So Praise God, we don't have to hide scars

Today and this weekend was a convicting time for me.  Several posts ago, I talked about Legalism.  I ended with my struggles with not feeling 'good enough' for God.  The other ugly out come of legalism is self-righteousness.  My indignant looking's - on at the world around me, and thinking, "How could they?!"

I think that is something I need to be aware of, because thinking and acting like I am spiritually or morally superior can have damaging effects not only in my own walk with Christ, but also damaging to others.  The last thing the world needs is another hypocritical Christian to trip over to see Jesus.

Zach and I were talking about everything going on this past week in the media, politics, and Facebook. We talked through the issues, and Zach made an incredible statement.

"At the end of the day, no matter what the person's background, where they are or what they are doing.  That man (or woman) is no different than me, a sinner in need of a Savior."

My prayer focus this week: 1. Praise God, He alone is Holy!  God Show me Your holiness! 2. Praise God, we don't have to hide scars!  I linked the music and lyrics to this song that I have been thinking about recently.  Each of us has our scars.  The wounds of sin.  I once heard a counselor say how all pain and suffering in the world is because of the effects of sin. Think about it.  Whether it's sin we commit ourselves, sin of someone else inflicted directly on us even though we did nothing to deserve it we still suffer, or just the side effects of living in a broken world.  Whatever our scars look like and wherever they come from, Jesus invites us to bear our scars to Him.  Like the song says, by His scars, we are healed.

So, let's level the playing field, shall we? 3. I am praying this month, for an opportunity for me to bear my scars with someone and that Jesus shines through (despite me).  Because my scars remind me where I have been, but that's not who I am.  All that He has done for me, healed me, washed me clean, made my crimson stained self white as snow.  He can do that for anyone walking this earth.  So, praise God!

Future Hate Speech, just waiting...

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; 21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.
Romans 1:16-32

Living the love story

Ephesians 5:25-26


"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word." 

"I love you, so much," he says, as I look out the window of the boat cabin, blinking away tears.

   "How much?"

"I love you more than sea otters."

"I love you more than ketchup, and you know how much I love ketchup."

He continues to whisper in my ear, as my tears continue to blink down my face and down to the collar of my rain coat.    He waits out the storm with me even though I know he wants to be outside on the bow of the tour boat with the other brave, younger travelers and not in the stuffy cabin with the elderly folks.

After enjoying the week vacation in Alaska's cool weather camping, followed by spa treatments and fine dining, joking about corky bus drivers and mosquitoes, we end our trip looking with other spectators at ocean scenery from a large tour boat.

All week I had been harboring a quiet dream in the back of my mind- "This could be it!  This could be the month! Let's see .... July, August, September ... March! Yeah, ok, March!"

But now here we sit.

The captain over the loud speaker - "If you look to the right, port side, about 2:00 you'll see a harbor seal and her baby cub!"

I roll my eyes and shake my head, "really?"

Zach continues to rub my arm and kiss my cheek and hold me.  He's moved on to singing for me.

"And we're the two best friends that anyone could have!  And we're the two best friends that anyone could have!"

He makes me smile, and we sing together.

"Can I get you anything?" he asks.

"Maybe a glacier?" I respond.
"A solid mass of ice on the side of a mountain, pouring into the ocean?"

"Yeah," he says, "let's go outside."

We brave the cold and rain, and soak in the chilly air, knowing we'll be flying back to Dallas tonight.

Large, blue and white ice - the bright blue amazes me. Puffins and sea gulls fly around and dive down into the ice cold water off cliffs.

"I love you, so much." I say to Zach.

   "How much?"

"More than the ocean."
"More than the glacier."

Thank you, God. Thank you for Zach.  Thank you.  I love you, O Lord, my strength.  May the humming of the waterfalls and calls of the gulls and puffins sing your praises!  The wales and sea otters, and seals all Your creation displays Your wonder and Your majesty as King!  You are splendid, My King!

Psalm 18:28


"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." 

Love does not demand it's own way, for everyday.

Beginning this week, the Holy Spirit speaking to me in an annoying situation ( I won't say difficult, because it is too minor an issue).  It struck me how simple His words and message is sometimes in our light and momentary struggles.  While praying this morning hearing His voice, "Love does not demand its own way." over and over.  This 1 Cor. 13 passage, not even the entire set of verses we hear often at weddings, but rarely quoted on a Tuesday morning before work!  Just, "love does not demand its own way."  Reminds me never to stick my faith in a box, but that it should spill over.  My job is my mission field, and I am called to Love each person I come across with the same love Christ has for that person.

Shaking off the work day last night, going to the church.  Following Jesus is not a "me" thing, it is a "we" thing.  And just like centuries and centuries of Christ followers before me, Zach and I get together with fellow Christians for prayer and fellowship.  And we talk about real life together and pray and look into His word.  It is just daily life made purposeful by Him.  (Jeremiah 33:3) "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unreachable things you do not know."

God Answers Prayers.