crucified

Today's study was about being crucified. "I have been crucified with Christ..." I am to identify with Christ in His death in order to allow Him to live through me. Trouble is, too often I am not sure how to identify with the crucified life. We covered some points today that I wanted to take note of.

1. I will be misunderstood as I pursue God.
2. I must relinquish my will, my plans and receive that which He has prepared for me.
3. This road may be lonely.
4. Alone may be exactly where God wants me.
5. I must always be prepared to give an answer.
6. I must be willing to do something different for God; get out of my box!
7. The road may be undignified.
8. I must relinquish my rights.
9. I must allow pain into my life and not try to medicate it away.
10. I must remember that I am not forsaken although I may feel that way at times.

I must be willing to identify with His crucifixion in order to identify with Him in His life!

prepared

We are starting out with a bit of an overview of Galatians in this study. I remember studying Galatians from the perspective of false teaching, but I sense that this is going to give me yet another perspective. Even further out, we started with a visit by Paul & Barnabus to Pisidian Antioch on the day of the sabbath, visiting a synagogue. The rulers read from the Law & the Prophets and sent word to Paul & Barnabus to share a word of encouragement.

Immediately, I am reminded of so many instances where I would be visiting a church in the mountains or jungles of Peru and simply because I was there, I would be asked to share. Oh, to be able to lay out a sermon like this at a moment's notice. To be able to articulate God's intimate involvement in history. Paul & Barnabus were ready to share at any moment. There was no self-doubt; no false humility; no worry of offense. Simply and concisely, they share saying "Listen to me!" and continue with an incredible sermon citing the history of God's hand in the people of Israel up to the opportunity to receive forgiveness because of Christ's sacrifice.

living beyond ourselves

So, I am excited to begin a new study. With others. It will be good. Strange how all the connections have happened, but yet I am still eager to see what God is up to. He has something planned, something designed for all of this. I really am not so sure what that is right now. But, I am glad to journey these next few months with these women.

We are going to be studying the Beth Moore study of Living Beyond Yourself. It is the study of Galatians with a focus on the fruit of the spirit. I am glad to participate and very glad to know that I will be learning more about how God wants to fill me and grow fruit through me.

I was just pondering the name.

Living. Something someone said recently has stuck with me. That I must learn how to live instead of only survive. That I have perfected my survival skills, but that I now have the opportunity to learn to live. I suppose I wonder and marvel at how much this may teach me just that. How to live!

Beyond. Sometimes we are eager to know there is more. That what we see, touch, hear and smell is not all there is. We long to know that there is more. I recognize that all too often I have cried out how much I hate my life. Not really life in general, but my life. The daily activities of living. I am again eager to see something more. Something beyond. When you think of the word, there is almost this sense of hope for more; hope that there is truly something besides what you can see.

Yourself. Myself. Again, not always happy with who I am. Knowing there is more. I do long to have God heal, restore and make me whole. Maybe this will truly be a time for me to see God reach in and do a bit of that. It is not all about me; never has been. I need to see God at work in me. I need to comprehend that God has more for me. I need to allow Him to get in deep; deeper than I have before.

Living. Beyond. Yourself.

It is my prayer that I will learn to live, not just survive.
It is my prayer that I will have hope in the "beyond".
It is my prayer that I will see God and not just myself.

transformation

Transformation is more than just knowing the Word of God. I can know what the Bible says and I can know what God intends for me. But I can still be left wondering how transformation comes about.

What more must take place besides just learning and knowing? How does that transfer into change? Honestly, I know a lot, I believe a lot yet something inside of me knows there is a lot farther to journey before I arrive at "being transformed."

I long to see the changes I can now only dream about. Normally I am one who can see all the steps in the process to bring about change. Yet in this one, I cannot conceive of what would be necessary, or maybe I really do know and just don't want to actually admit it.

Transformation. How has it come about in your life? How have you become free from your past? How have you seen change come into your life?

gleaning

Another important idea mentioned in Ruth was that of gleaning. Her and Naomi had returned to Bethlehem and Ruth went out to the fields to glean. Why was this permissible and what does it signify?

Gleaning is thought of as an early form of a welfare system. Jewish communites were required to not reap their crops all the way to the edge so that there was some grain leftover for those that would glean (lev 19:9,10; lev 23:22; deut 14:28-29; deut 24:19-21). It was the practice of allowing the poor to follow the reapers in a field in order to glean the fallen spears of grain. The amount gleaned was really dependent on the field owner; at the same time the breaking of this law was punishable.

Gleaning can be seen in modern times with food redistribution programs; except that the effort of collection is done by others, not those in need which may lead to dependence instead of independence.

To take the aftermath. To collect everything, even down to the last morsel. Do we work this hard to receive from God? I think we are more likely to receive what is offered us without extending any effort ourselves. We are neither like the reaper, nor the gleaner. Those that reaped had a strenuous job and did so to receive their day's pay, but those that gleaned worked to receive their day's food. There was some difference in these two things. If we approached God with the heart of a gleaner, as if my very life depended on receiving a morsel from the field, would we be more satisfied?

For more information on gleaning:
Wikipedia
Bible Encyclopedia
Studylight

barley

It is noted that Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Although one might see that only as a marker of time, I sense there may be a deeper significance to this statement as well as the events that result from this time frame.

Barley was a grain that was cultivated both in Egypt (ex 9:31) and Palestine (lev 27:16; deut 8:8; 1 chron 11:13; jer 41:8). It is the hardiest of all the grains; its plants being strong enought to withstand both drought and extreme temperatures. The crop is sown in the autumn, after the early rains and is harvested in time for the passover; starting in April (sometimes in March) before the wheat; sometimes a week before, sometimes a few weeks before.

It's primary use was for "poor man's bread" (jud 7:13; 2 kin 4:42). The account of feeding the five thousand uses 5 barley loaves which were offered by a little boy (john 6:9,13), signifying the spiritual poverty of the crowd. Ground barley was measured and one-tenth of an ephah was given for the wife as an offering (num 5:15). Barley was also used in lieu of or in addition to monetary payments (2 chron 2:10; hos 3:2); to pay tribute taxes (2 chr 27:5); as a standard of measure (lev 27:16; 2 kin 7:1; rev 6:6) and was typically fed to the horses (1 kin 4:28).

The harvested barley is used in the Feast of the Firstfruits since the two fall at the same time. in this aspect, barley represents those who are considered "overcomers." It is important to note that the value of a bushel of barley seed was valued at 50 sheckels of silver (lev 27:16); as the number 50 is highly significant; 50 days for the pentecost, 50 years for jubilee. The value God places in the barley is meant to show a full outpouring of His Spirit on those who are the first to be raised in Christ. Those symbolized by barley will be ones who flourish even in seasons of drought or extreme temperatures between the outpourings of God.

For more information about barley:
Wikipedia
Net Bible
Passover and the Barley Harvest

names

Can I confess that I really hate the name Gretchen? Way back in junior high, I changed my name to Angie. I think it was part of the Sweet Valley High series. I thought about going by my middle name at one point, Noelle. Once I had been in Peru a few months, I realized that the name Noelia was a perfect compliment to Noelle. I still have the name Noelia on tons of stuff.

The name Gretchen means pearl. Pearls are formed when a foreign substance enters the shell of an oyster and in order to protect itself, the oyster covers the intruder with layer after layer of nacre. I wonder if I can relate this to myself in any way. Something enters my life which troubles me and instead of seeking to expel it, I just cover it up a million times over. I suppose I just hope and pray that something beautiful like a pearl will be the end result.

The reason this even came to mind this morning is because I was thinking about the names used in the book of Ruth. Wondering if there was some meaning to them. Naomi went to far as to tell everyone to call her "Mara" the word for bitter. She recognized that her life had been full and now empty and wanted everyone to address her in such a way. What are the other names in the book of Ruth and what to they mean?

Elimelech: My God is King! He was a man of the tribe of Judah, of the family of the Hezronites and we know that in an effort to provide for his family, he moved them from Bethlehem to Moab.

Naomi: The loveable, my delight!

Mahlon: Sickly

Kilion: The pining one

Orpah: Forelock or fawn. (I am not really even sure what that means.) She was the daughter-in-law of Naomi's who upon Naomi's suggestion chose to return to her family and her gods in Moab. Total sidenote...did you know Oprah Winfrey's name is actually Orpah, after the character in Ruth? So fawn being a young deer.

Ruth: A friend!

Mara: Bitter, sad. This was the name Naomi chose to represent herself once she returned to Bethlehem with nothing.

Boaz: Alacrity. (Again, no idea.) Possibly swiftness or strength.

moab

Even though there is a famine in the land...DON'T GO TO MOAB!

That was one of the exhortations that I clearly remember from the Thrive conference. This land where we are living is going to experience a spiritual famine and it would be very easy for us to travel to a cursed land in an attempt to provide for ourselves. We could look to others who seem to have it well and want exactly what we have.

This is what happened in the beginning of the book of Ruth. There was a famine in the land of Bethlehem; the very name meaning "house of bread". So Elimelech traveled with his wife and two sons to the land of Moab where he planned to live an easier life, for a while.

Why not Moab? The Moabites have tragic beginnings. The very people are a people born out of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his older daughter; the Ammonites born from the same kind of relations between Lot and his younger daughter. (genesis 19:30-38) Moabites worshipped many gods, the principle one being Chemosh, to whom they offered child sacrifices.

What is interesting is that by the end of the book of Ruth, we come to understand that Jesus Christ was born of the lineage of Moab, for Ruth was a Moabitess.

For additional information, see:
StudyLight: Moab
Wikipedia

ruth

I guess I felt the need to preface the flurry of posts that might appear here with the fact that after several weeks, maybe months of reading and re-reading the book of ruth, my tuesday night bible study has decided to focus on it for the next month. I am really excited but I can tell already that I would love to spend more time poring over each chapter, idea, word even more than we will there. So, I have a feeling that I may write some things here, to at least record some of my thoughts.

I will try to get some things posted tomorrow. For now, I need my beauty sleep!

hidden?

Colossians 3:3 speaks of my life being hidden with Christ. The idea of my life being hidden while I can clearly see myself here on earth is a tad confusing. In trying to wrap my mind around what Paul was trying to say, I have come to some sort of idea.

1. We recognize that we have been crucified with Christ (gal 2:20) and subsequently raised up with Christ (col 3:1).

2. Hidden with Christ in God? (col 3:3)

3. We know that Christ will come again, He will be revealed (col 3:4).

4. We have hope that we will be revealed with Him in glory (col 3:4).

But, it is that #2, the step between having been crucified and raised up with Christ and Him coming again that we are presently in. If we are presently in that state of being, shouldn't we try to understand it a bit better?

What does it mean to be hidden with Christ in God?

heavenly places

If we are in the heavenly places with Christ and we are to focus on the heavenly places, wouldn't it be helpful to remind ourselves of what the heavenly places are all about?

*Christ is seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places (eph 1:20)
*We are seated there also (eph 2:6)
*There are rulers and authorities (eph 3:10)
*Manifest wisdom of God to be made known thru the church to those authorities (eph 3:10)
*Our struggle is against rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces in heavenly realms (eph 6:12)
*Imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance is reserved in heaven for us (1 pet 1:4)
*Crown of righteousness laid up there for that day (2 tim 4:8)

What else can be added?

focus on where you are

In reading the first few verses of Colossians 3, it is interesting to note that we are called to do a few things as a result of our position in Him.

Our position is having already been raised up with Christ. This is best symbolized with the action of baptism. We are dead to sin and alive in Christ. We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live but Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20). Raised up with Him and seated in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6). Because of the position we have in Christ we are to respond. Because of who Christ is, because of what He has done, because He lives in us, our life should look a certain way. However, we are not to act out of guilt or conform to legalism.

First off, we are to keep seeking the things above. We are to strive to think on heavenly things. When something is lost in your home and you need it, you begin to look for it. But, how long do you look for it? I think the effort you put in to find that lost item is directly proportional to how valuable that item is to you. If you lost, let's say, a piece of paper with a recipe on it, you may look for a few minutes. Maybe you have the option of printing it out again or asking Aunt Sue to write is down one last time. In that case the lost piece of paper is not that valuable. But what if it is the day before you are to board a plane to a foreign country and your passport is nowhere to be found? How long and hard would you search? This would be one of those times that the search would go on until you found what you were looking for. When we are told to keep seeking, we are told to never give up the desperate pursuit of Him who saved us and set us free.

Secondly, we are to set our minds on the things above, not on things of this earth. My Bible has a note with another phrase, "be intent on." What are you intentional about? Do you intentional place your mind and center your thinking on heavenly things? This is talking about focusing. Sometimes it is difficult to focus on one thing for a long time. Do you remember those pictures that if you stared long enough and hard enough, there was a true picture behind what seemed like chicken scratch? I never saw the "bigger picture" with those; I could never focus long enough or hard enough. But, we are instructed that because of our position in Christ we are to think on heavenly things.

Wait a minute! We already know that we are seated in heavenly places...we read that in Ephesians 2:6 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love...made us alive together with Christ by grace...and raised us up with Him, and seated us in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." Suddenly this has new meaning.

I have always seen the instruction of "set your mind on things above" as an instruction for those of us on earth trudging through our daily lives having to remind ourselves over and over again to think about heavenly things. In my mind, this involved a great struggle to not think about what was around us day to day. But, if we are already seated in heavenly places, and Paul then tells us to think on heavenly things, that is a bit different perspective! Think about it, when someone sits down to have coffee with you and their mind is not altogether there, it can at times be a little insulting. What if Paul is trying to say, you who are seated in the heavenlies with God, with Christ, could you focus on where you are and stop thinking about where you've been? Stop daydreaming! Be present where you presently are! If I remind myself of where I am, would it be easier to think about where I am?

What a word for me in this stage of transition. I long to be back in Peru and often my thoughts drift back there instead of being here presently. But God has brought me here, to the US, to California, for at least a season. I am certain that as I process the grief of being here and not there, He is with me. Yet, on one hand He wants to say, please would you just remember you are neither here nor there, you are seated in heavenly places. You need not think on Peru or CA, you need to think on Me! On another hand, the more I remind myself that I am here, the easier it is to accept it, to think on it. Accepting my position becomes easier when I am constantly reminded of where I am.

That is enough for now. May it be easier to focus on where you are when you are reminded of where you are.

chosen

I am reading through Job. Is that telling? Fitting? Crazy? I am not sure, but I had tried to follow a reading through the Bible in a year type thing and although I let e few weeks go by without following it, I decided to get back on the bandwagon. So, I am in Job right now and thankfully, I am almost done.

A few things have stood out to me. But, I wanted to highlight that as I started in on Job 30 yesterday, I was struck by the fact that Job had become the "butt of the joke." Because of his losses and "misfortune" he was now mocked, spit on, taunted and so on. Why did this stand out to me? Because those around him were responding to his external state. They saw the losses, they saw the boils and suddenly he became the lowly, the rejected. Their mocking and taunting really had nothing to do with Job's character or his heart. They responded merely to what they could see externally.

It is too bad that people respond to externals rather than what is inside. Too often, we see someone and based on what we can visually assess, we judge them. Judgment is wrong. Basing things on externals is wrong. Oh, but it happens.

If we look back in the first few chapters of Job, we find that the things that happened to him were not as a result of sin. Satan was roaming the earth and when he reported himself in the presence of God, God offered Job as an idea. God OFFERED Job. That was a reality check for me! Satan didn't just choose Job and God gave permission. God offered Job to satan as a person who could lose everything and not sin, not dishonor God.

I guess what strikes me then is that by chapter 30, the people are mocking him based on what they see. However we know (Job didn't at the time) that God had chosen & offered Job to Satan to go through all of this as a testimony of Job's faithfulness to God. How many times do we see trials as a result of sin? In Peru, it was all too common for others to see something go wrong and immediately assume it was judgment from God on that person's sin.

Have we ever looked at someone's life, seen them walk through trials and thought, wow...how lucky...they were chosen by God to be a testimony to Him. How many times do we encourage those going through trials in that way? It sure is easy to make judgment on what we see. But next time, when you see someone going through a difficult season, trials and tribulations, remember that God may have chosen them to be a testimony of His greatness. Encourage your brother or your sister in that way.

This is not to say that in moments of grief in their life, you walk up and pat them on the back and say "Lucky you!" but gently remind them that they go through things only by God's permission and sometimes by God's suggestion. Those times are opportunities to trust Him in a greater way. Encourage your hurting friend to recount God's faithfulness even in difficult times. Don't mock, spit upon or taunt them.

do to be tree

The ideas brought up yesterday at church are still rolling around in my head. So this morning, I started my day by reading some of the notes and verses presented yesterday.

The conversation between Eve and Satan in Genesis was one of blatant lies as well as twisting of words.

God had given them freedom of what to eat with the exception of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The consequence of eating from that particular tree, "you shall surely die." (Gen 3:16-17) But when Satan began to question Eve, he focused on the restrictions instead of the freedom. "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?" He had already begun to twist things to bring the focus on the restrictions and rules. (Gen 3: 1)

Eve was evidently confused at the point in which she responded with the explanation that they could not only not eat the fruit from that particular tree, but also they could not touch it. Where did she get that from? Was that something Adam had told her to keep her away from it altogether?

Satan blatantly lies, saying "You shall surely not die!" He explains that "her eyes will be opened and she will be like God, knowing good and evil." The latter statement had some truth in it since even God stated that Adam and Eve had become "like us" in Genesis 3:22.

These last words of Satan have a deeper meaning. He speaks of eating the fruit, as a means of achieving a state of being. "When you eat from it (DO), you will BE like God." He suggests an action on Eve's part, that by her doing something, she will achieve a particular state of being. DO in order to BE.

This is completely opposite of the gospel. The Bible teaches us that Christ paid the price to make us clean and whole. The action, the doing, has been done and not by us but by Christ. We are to receive what has been done and walk in that. There is nothing we can "do" in order to be more righteous or more whole in God's eyes.

The DO to BE tree existed in the Garden of Eden so many years ago. But, in reality it exists even today. How many things do we choose to DO thinking that they will help us achieve a certain state of being? that by doing, we will obtain more favor? That by doing we will be something more than we are in God's eyes?

Is your doing a product of who you are or are doing to become something you're not?

Needs

We recently traveled to a small town on the side of the road. We went to deliver some Christmas goods like food and presents. I returned bewildered and still I wonder why we went.

The very first person to greet us began to explain how the mine waste sat on the other side of the road and when the wind kicked up, all of the pollution stirred around in the air. Could I do something about it she asked.

I went along meeting other people, the leaders from nearby towns. One of the first to introduce herself came armed with two letters, both asking for us to take on projects of building and repairing things.

They gave us a tour of the town and as we looked at the problems left by the mine, someone asked me what we were going to do about it. At that point I began to explain that I know nothing about mining, nothing about the leftover chemicals, that I could see the problem and had no plan to take care of it.

I was shown around the medical post. "We need a scale, we need oxygen tanks, we need bedsheets..." The list went on and on. They want a full running medical post when the nearest hospital is about 5 minutes away. Walking.

We went into the school's classrooms and they showed me the kids work and pointed out that the ceilings were deteriorating. I saw two spots where things had comes loose. As we were about to leave the school grounds, they decided that every town leader would send a list of the town's needs so they could compile it and submit it to us.

Truthfully, I wanted out. Out of these conversations, out of town! To wrap things up, they asked that I would say a few words. God had been speaking to me as I walked through the town. They really had many things, most apparent was the fact that the building were all made of cement. One town away was complete adobe. The cement buildings were from the mining days and remain to this day. So many towns we visit have no cement buildings but are homes with dirt floors, straw walls and roofs that are literally falling apart. I challenged them to see what they had instead of what they didn't have. Every single town could draft a list of the town needs. Even I have a list of things I need to do, repair or get for my home. But that does not mean that every visitor that walks through my door is shown the list and then asked, "Now what are you going to do about it?"

My heart hurt that day. Hurt for the fact that they are lost. Hurt for the fact that they look to people instead of to God. Hurt for the fact that a single mom wanted me to take her daughter to give her a better life. Hurt for the fact that they saw only their own needs and not those of people around them.

Lessons In Waiting

Although I was not actually in Lima to feel the earthquake that shook Peru last week, I did feel some of its effects as we traveled from the jungle back to Lima. Instead of a simple 12 hour bus ride, at about 4am, our bus was detained. I stuck my head out the window into the bitter cold and the dark of the madrugada. Once I saw a man who worked for the bus line I asked why we (along with all the rest) were stopped. "No hay pase!" He said the earthquake had caused some rocks to fall which were being cleaned up and implied we would be on our way soon. When the bus began to move within just a few minutes I was relieved...until we stopped again in just a few miles.

The next SEVENTEEN hours were more of the same: stopping, going for a few meters, stopping again. We got off the bus to look around and stretch our legs and ate granola bars to our hearts content. Through those hours, we passed by many small rock slides and after 17 hours got to the main landslide which was said to have been a mountain which had slipped from its heights. They had tried to clean it for a good portion of the day but reoccurring aftershocks were said to cause a continual flow of falling rocks. By the time we drove through it, they had partially cleaned one lane for the miles and miles and miles of traffic to flow through.

As someone who has lived in Peru a number of years now, I have learned not to become to ruffled by circumstances that are beyond my control. Me being upset would not make the workers clean faster, the bus driver drive more aggressively or food appear out of the sky. I watched the US team that was with us and they were troopers right along with us. By the end of this adventure, I realized that they now can comprehend the way of life here a bit better. I told them that they can pray for us in a new way now that they have experienced not only the joys of ministry but also the difficulties.

When you pray for the missionaries you support, don't just pray for their fruitful ministry and happy heart...pray for them as they face a way of life that is very different than yours. This very way of life can cause stress and discomfort if one does not adapt. Pray for missionaries to adapt to their country of ministry so that they might be even more effective.

We are not in control. God is.

The End is Only the Beginning!

One of the main reasons we headed east to the Andes was to participate in the graduation of two dear friends from the Instituto Biblico Teologico in Uripa, Chincheros, Apurimac. Every year students come from many places in order to participate in the classes at the Institute for 8 weeks. The classes in Uripa are held in January and February, but there are other locations which hold their classes at other times of the year.

We spent a few days preparing for the special night by finding the right clothes, buying the right cake and encouraging the graduates. As the special night approached, the underclassmen came dressed up and the graduates decked out in their finest. Elias mentioned that he had always worked very hard to earn money to purchase the things he needed and the fact that someone was buying a suit for him was more than he could believe. For him, donning the new suit meant that a great level of ministry was to begin.

As part of the closing charge, I shared a few words with them, encouraging them to guard carefully the vision God has given them and the call He has placed on their lives. Too many people receive a call of the Lord and fall short of completing it because they are discouraged from the things others say or they just don't see it coming to pass. "Don't let anyone rob your vision, steal your vision or tell you that it is not good. If God gave it to you, hold on to it tightly!"

Refreshment

This past weekend, I was praying for my friend and the conference that Refresh Life had on Saturday when the Lord reminded me of how important the word "refresh " has been in my life.

Several years ago, I was in the initial grieving period following a death in the family. I had never really faced the reality of someone dying and the tragic circumstances in this particular situation made things almost unbearable. I remember spending quite a bit of time trying to journal but really only remember writing to God "I know that you don't give me any more than I can handle, but I just want to let you know I don't think I can handle any more than this." I felt as though I was at the end of my ability to comprehend, understand and make sense of what I was facing.

Much of the time, I poured through the Psalms as it seems to be full of human emotions in difficult times as well as the acknowledgment of the greatness of God in the midst of trying moments. One evening as I sat in a large group Bible study, I had my Bible open to Psalm 84.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee;
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring,
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
Psalm 84:5-6

In my Bible, the definition listed for Baca is "weeping." So I read "passing through the valley of weeping..." and my heart leaped for joy. I was in the valley of weeping. I had already understood that although we seem to crave mountiantop experiences with our Savior, we will never know Him like we know Him in the valley. There, He draws close and tends to us individually.

Suddenly the promises jumped off the page and right into my heart. First, it did not say that I was going to remain in the valley forever. I was going to pass through the valley. What a relief! The valley is dark, it is painful and incredibly lonely. I was hoping to find the exit soon! I now had my hope on the fact that in His timing, I would pass through this very valley and make it to the other side. Second, I discovered a purpose for my journey in the valley. As I passed through the valley, I would turn it into a place of springs. To my heart, this meant that I would bring refreshment to others due to my journey through the valley of weeping.

To refresh means: to restore strength, to freshen up, to maintain by renewing one's supply, to update or renew, or to run water over. As a result of my time in the valley, I would be equipped with the ability to restore strength to others, to renew their supply and to "pour water over" them. I could not comprehend how I would do these very things, but then and there I noted in my Bible,

With God's strength, I can pass through valleys of weeping and turn them into springs. The valley will be covered with blessing.

This was of great encouragement to me and became my verses of hope during the darkness. Be someone who refreshes others.

Impression or Impact?

Not long ago, I visited the sand dunes of Ica. I found them intriguing and fascinating. A group of us climbed to the top of one of the dunes and I went crazy with the camera. The line of sand as one side meets the other was never erased. The wind blew; people could try and stamp it out. But, the fact was, the line of the dune was always maintained by nature. After a great deal of time, and many photos, we ventured back down. Some returned straight down the sand dune and some took the planned path around the side.

After we all arrived at the bottom, it was amazing to look back up to the top and consider that we had just been up there. However, you would never know it if you were looking for evidence. The marks our feet or shoes had made were quickly filled in with sand, rapidly blown away by the wind and simply leveled out by others.

How often does this describe our life? We cross the paths of others, we have possibilities to speak into the lives of those around us, and constantly God gives us opportunities to minister to people. But…what do we do with those opportunities and possibilities? Do we make an impression or an impact?

We left many impressions as we walked on the sand dunes that day. What is an impression? Merriam Webster describes it as “a characteristic, trait, or feature resulting from some influence,” as well as “an often indistinct or imprecise notion or remembrance.” We may be considered a good influence or someone that others remember. But is that enough? Is that what we are called to do?

I believe God desires to use our lives to make an impact in the world around us. This is defined by “a significant or major effect,” or “to have a direct effect on.” I find it interesting that some of the synonyms listed include: shock, collision, and concussion. Have you ever considered that your life should cause a shock to others? Do you think that God wants you to cause significant or major changes?

What do we do when we see wet cement? Almost always, the temptation comes over us to step in it, write in it or somehow “make our mark.” We want to leave something that will last and as the wet cement dries, our mark becomes permanent. When others pass by that spot, they will forever see what we have left there.

We can easily walk through life and leave a “footprint.” But, these sand dunes reminded me that if I am not careful, I will only leave an impression that could easily be erased by whatever comes along next. That is not my desire. I do not desire to climb the mountains of life only to look back and wonder where it is I have walked. I do not desire to cross the paths of many people only to look back and see that my interaction with them marked nothing but the surface.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to make an impact and not just an impression. We must see people and situations as wet cement and be led by that same overwhelming desire to create a permanent mark. As opportunities arise, we must make an IMPACT so that our encounter with another is not easily erased.

Make it a goal in 2007 to use every opportunity, every possibility and every encounter to make an IMPACT and not just a good impression.

Peace in the Storm

Storms can be very destructive. I have read lately about rain storms flooding the Aceh Province of Indonesia, displacing hundreds of thousands, killing more than a hundred and requiring aid for thousands. The blizzard in Denver, Colorado essentially shut down the city and they are bracing themselves for yet another snow storm this weekend. The Bay Area reported storms so fierce that electricity is out for tens of thousands and a woman became the victim to a toppled tree. Even here in Peru, some desert regions have been hit by storms causing ancient mud ruins to be saturated with water.

The disciples of Jesus were also affected by storms. After a great deal of teaching, Jesus led his disciples onto a boat with the intention of crossing the Sea of Galilee. As the fierce winds rose and water began to fill up the boat, these men likely drew on their knowledge of the stormy seas; many of them were fishermen by trade. Once they had depleted their own resources, they called upon Jesus, who was sleeping! How did Jesus respond to the disciples' news that they were perishing at the hands of the wind and rain? Jesus simply declared peace over the storm. He rebuked the winds and told the sea to be still.

We have storms in our lives. They may not be brought on by wind and rain, but their effects can be just as destructive. What is our response to life's storms? Often times, we react just as the disciples did that evening on the Sea of Galilee. We draw upon our knowledge, our experience and our very own resources to save ourselves. Once we realize that it is not within our power, we call out to Jesus. Could we respond differently?

Jesus was able to speak peace over the wind and sea because He had peace within Him. He did not allow the storm to enter Him. In contrast, the disciples were affected inwardly by the storm around them. They cried out to Jesus in desperation, "Save us, we are perishing!" The storm entered into the disciples and they were not filled with peace in order to calm the storm.

What storms are you facing? What storms am I facing? You and I must be committed to maintaining peace within our heart. We must not allow the storms to get inside of us, but we must cultivate the peace of God within our hearts which allows us to speak peace over the storms in our life. Although the storms will bring external destruction and chaos, our hearts must be full of reassuring peace.

"Peace be still."