Making the Most of Every Opportunity

I've been thinking a lot about God's gifts lately. We've been praying for a friend battling cancer. We've been asking God for healing, asking (at her request) that He help her to see this season as beautiful in it's time, and asking that in her living and preparing for death (whenever that may be) that He will be glorified. God spoke to me through this passage: "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! ”- Luke 11:11-13  We've been asking Him for gifts for our friend. And He reminded me that He is giving her (and us) THE gift. Himself. He doesn't just just give healing, but The Healer. Not just finances, but The Provider. Not just wisdom, but The Spirit, who is wisdom, to live in us and walk thro...

God responds to the needs of the poor with compassion. Wonder how God responds to those who neglect the needs of the poor? Challenged by David Platt... encouraging you to watch this short clip and be challenged as well.

I'm still processing through my encounter with a woman in the Walmart parking lot. Maybe you've had these encounters too... We've had people at rest stops who say they lost their credit card and can't get home, men at gas stations asking us to fill their tanks, teens in parking lots asking for donations (and offering a "gift" out of their trunk) to teach at risk kids about drug abuse, and, most often, women (sometimes with a child) crying and telling us how mean everyone has been as they ask for $4 to catch a bus home. It happens a lot. Definitely once a month, sometimes several times in one week. My thoughts are not about whether the stories are true or not. I don't know the motivation, but I'm usually guessing it's a "scam" (though I hate that word). It's where my heart goes that bothers me... and I believe God continues to allow these encounters to lovingly draw out my own pride and sense of entitlement. I usually give money, bu...

I blogged last month (read the posts  here and here ) about our choice this Christmas to give up receiving gifts and instead seek Christ together and give to the least of His people. Have you wondered if our Christmas day was odd without getting gifts? It was hands-down the most incredible Christmas I've ever experienced. We kept our traditions of writing things we love about Jesus on paper ornaments (but skipped stocking stuffers attached), eating birthday cake, and reading/acting out Luke 2 and Matthew 2. I just felt overwhelmed by the truth that Jesus IS THE treasure our hearts seek. And He so freely gave Himself to us. I'm so beyond thrilled to be His and the time we had to reflect and pour Him into our kids all morning served as a sweet reminder to me of Jesus as THE gift.  And then we went online to give through Gospel for Asia. That was so much fun and such an amazing feeling. We really are so very rich and it felt so right to spend our riches giving to meet...

I shared yesterday that we aren't giving each other any presents this Christmas. Not even stockings. And we are thrilled to do it. You can read more about how God lead us through our 6 year old's discomfort at receiving gifts on Jesus' birthday in my last post ... but here's where we left off: How can we give Jesus gifts on His birthday??? Though there's an obvious celebration we have as we eat cake, sing, read his birth story, remember Him, and seek hIm together, what about giving a gift? Here's the answer God gave Andy and I as we sought Him:  “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when...

This year, we aren't giving each other any gifts. Not even stockings... Not one wrapped present for us to open Christmas morning...  and we're SO excited!!! Want to know why???? ‎"The aim of God at Christmas is to make the goodies of the world lose all their attraction in comparison to the surpassing glory of the divine Name. The essence of Christmas purity is not what you stand against, but what you stand in awe of, the glorious name of God."- John Piper We have been floored by a simple question Jimmy asked and it’s literally reshaping Christmas for us. Here goes “Mom. I love getting presents, but I don’t feel right getting them on Jesus' birthday. Shouldn’t we be giving to Him?” The wisdom of that kid hit me like a brick. At first I started sharing how our gift giving is out of love for each other and reminds us of THE gift of salvation that came because Jesus came to earth as a lowly human baby…  But I couldn't shake his logic and then I started readi...

Repost: How can we teach"earning vs. receiving" theology? One way we like to bring it into our conversation with our children is during the times of gift giving (birthday, Christmas, and Easter morning especially) We don't want our kids to think they can earn or lose good gifts. Gifts are given out of love, not earned. (In the same way, we know that obedience only comes out of love. When our kids know Christ, they will want to obey, not the reverse.) We show (and explain) that "unearned free gift" teaching in all our gift-giving with the ultimate hope that our kids will see that though they don't deserve God's love,  God gives that undeserved love and forgiveness freely through Jesus to all who call upon Him to be saved.  "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" - Romans 3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God...

Some thoughts on Job 1:20-22 as I read it: Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head - Job just received the heartbreaking news that all his animals and even his children are dead. All of them. And he responds by mourning. I'm thankful his pretty words of faith are accompanied by pain and sorrow. What a reminder to me that grief is right and good and it is ok to mourn loss. ... and fell on the ground and worshiped. - Wow. In His grief, He immediately seeks God and worships. What  an example. This has not always been my first response, yet I pray God may give me the grace in seasons of great loss to remember His goodness and worship Him, the TRUE gift and Giver. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away ; blessed be the name of the LORD.” - I'm SO thankful for this chunk and learning from Job. He got it. He knew that everything not only came from God but was STILL His to take away as ...

How can we teach"earning vs. receiving" theology? One way we like to bring it into our conversation with our children is during the times of gift giving (birthday, Christmas, and Easter morning especially) We don't want our kids to think they can earn or lose good gifts. Gifts are given out of love, not earned. (In the same way, we know that obedience only comes out of love. When our kids know Christ, they will want to obey, not the reverse.) We show (and explain) that "unearned free gift" teaching in all our gift-giving with the ultimate hope that our kids will see that though they don't deserve God's love,  God gives that undeserved love and forgiveness freely through Jesus to all who call upon Him to be saved.  "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" - Romans 3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eter...