Broken

Several years ago I did this Bible study with my friend Joanna called No Other gods by Kelly Minter. Whoa. This is not a lightweight, no ma’am. It is a heavy-hitter! That is, if you WANT it to be. I have found, as I'm sure many of you have, that something is only as "deep" as you want it to be...but I am going deep, because there are issues in my life that need gutting.

That said, listen to this quote from page 64 of No Other gods regarding
God's "brand of beauty:"

"A healed relationship or person can reflect more glory than one who never knew brokenness."
(emphasis mine)

Okay, I thought. Broken doesn't necessarily mean pulverized...then I looked it up in the dictionary. (Yes, I'm a "word nerd," and I love doing this.) Broken: 1. NO LONGER WHOLE, in two or more pieces e.g. after having been dropped or hit with something hard.

Um, yah. Have you ever dropped a glass bowl? It shatters in a million pieces! (Especially on a tile floor... not like I would know anything about that personally...) Ahem.

My favorite book (next to the Bible) is my Synonym Finder. Why they don't just call it a thesaurus I don't know. Anyway...I checked out broken, and here are some synonyms:

Shattered. Smashed. Crushed. Mangled. Pulverized. Ruptured. Torn. Damaged. Destroyed.
I will tell you a few things my friends, first of all, I'm pretty darn sure that all of us have felt like one of these words in our lives...maybe recently. Maybe as recently as last week...maybe, right now.

Second, always remember that with God: "We are hard pressed on every side, but NOT crushed; perplexed, but NOT in despair, persecuted, but NOT abandoned, struck down but NOT DESTROYED." II Corinthains 4:9

Once again, the WORLD'S definition of something and GOD'S definition are completely different. The world says if you are broken, you are destroyed. GOD says, if you are broken, HIS glory will be revealed. HIS STRENGTH will be made perfect in YOUR WEAKNESS. He is making you a new creation...He loves you too much to let you grow complacent.

I am preaching to the choir here, folks. I will be the first to admit that I stumble under adversity.. But God knows that sometimes when I am on the mountain top, I get lost looking at the view, and not reflecting upon that which put me on the top. So He keeps giving me the "valley view" until I get it. I'm not sure that I will ever COMPLETELY get it...I mean, come on, what fun would that be?

Lest I digress, let's get back to the quote. Did you ever wonder what our purpose was on this earth? Very simple. To glorify God. Some people I know can do that in an amazing way without have to go down the wrong road, or without suffering. Most do not. "A healed person or relationship"....that doesn't necessarily mean physical healing, but it certainly could. How magnificent when a believer goes to the doctor, only to find that the cancer that was there IS NO MORE? That is GLORY, my friends. Much more than if that person never got cancer in the first place!

However, God can reveal His glory in the same way when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and do it with HIS Strength! If you knew of someone that God healed of cancer, it would be a huge WOW factor. And God would get HUGE glory. But for how long? Would we forget, like the Israelites, who seemed to forget so quickly that God parted the Red Sea for them? But what about the person who quietly walks through their disease with God, day after day, moment after moment, constantly reflecting Him? (And I'm soooo not saying that's me, because there's not much quiet about me! I go along, but many times kicking and screaming!!)

Now on to a really sticky subject, but one very close to my heart: Does God SEND disease? I believe, sometimes, He does. This is one thing I know more than anything else in my being: GOD WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO HIM.

And I mean whatever. Some things He allows to befall us, but I truly and completely believe that other things He Himself sends to us, so that we can grow closer to Him, and so that His glory will be revealed. Some of us (and I mean ME) are so stubborn we don't get the more subtle hints and need the "big guns." And when this happens, my friends, you will never be the same again. 

Letter To God For My Friends

Dear Lord,

I have a favor to ask.  See, I have a lot of friends who are hurting right now.  I've got some friends who have emotional hurt and some with physical illness.  See, the thing is God, Your Word tells us that the thief (the devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I'm not Pentecostal, I'm not Baptist or Methodist or Church of God or Church of Christ or Wesleyan or Catholic.  I'm just a God-follower, and I read Your Word God.  And that's what it says. So I am rebuking that enemy.  That thief.  That killer.  That destroyer.  I rebuke him in the name of Jesus.  Don't let him hurt my friends any more God.

Peter wrote a letter to Christians in Rome and said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."  Well, that's what I'm asking for these people I love, Father.  I'm asking that you perfect and establish them.  That You strengthen them and settle them.  

There is so much suffering Jesus.  So much.  Babies are dying and people are killing each other and sickness is rampant.  We live in a broken, dying world, and bad things happen to good people every. single. day.  

But you tell us, God, that YOU came to give us life.  And to give us life to the fullest.  Not just any ol' life.  Life to the full.  Filled with abundance.

And so, Father God, in the name of Your Son Jesus, I ask that you would come to the aid of my friends that are emotionally or physically hurting right now.  I ask for Your healing touch on their bodies and minds, Lord.  Touch their hearts.  Let them know in an tangible way that You love them.

Thanks.  Thanks for this, and for all the other amazing things you are about to do in their lives.
In Jesus Name...
Amen.

Broken

I'm reposting this from June of 2009 because there have been some circumstances in my life, and in people very, very close to me that aren't so lovely...so since I needed to be reminded of this, I thought maybe you would too. 

So I'm doing this Bible study with Joanna called No Other gods. Whoa. This is not a lightweight, no sir. It is a heavy-hitter! That is, if you WANT it to be. I have found, as I'm sure many of you have, that something is only as "deep" as you want it to be...but I am going deep, because there are issues in my life that need gutting.

That said, listen to this quote from page 64 of No Other gods regarding
God's "brand of beauty:"

"A healed relationship or person can reflect more glory than one who never knew brokenness."
(emphasis mine)

Okay, I thought. Broken doesn't necessarily mean pulverized...then I looked it up in the dictionary. (Yes, I'm a "word nerd," I love doing this.) Broken: 1. NO LONGER WHOLE in two or more pieces e.g. after having been dropped or hit with something hard.

Um, yah. Have you ever dropped a glass bowl? It shatters in a million pieces! (Especially on a tile floor... not like I would know anything about that personally...) Ahem.

My favorite book (next to the Bible) is my Synonym Finder. Why they don't just call it a thesaurus I don't know. Anywho...I checked out broken, and here are some synonyms:

Shattered. Smashed. Crushed. Mangled. Pulverized. Ruptured. Torn. Damaged. Destroyed.
I will tell you a few things my friends, first of all, I'm pretty darn sure that all of us have felt one of these words in our lives...maybe recently. Maybe as recently as last week...maybe, right now.

Second, always remember that with God: "We are hard pressed on every side, but NOT crushed; perplexed, but NOT in despair, persecuted, but NOT abandoned, struck down but NOT DESTROYED." II Corinthains 4:9

Once again, the WORLD'S definition of something and GOD'S definition are completely different. The world says if you are broken, you are destroyed. GOD says, if you are broken, HIS glory will be revealed. HIS STRENGTH will be made perfect in YOUR WEAKNESS. He is making you a new creation...He loves you too much to let you grow complacent.

I am preaching to the choir here, folks. I will be the first to admit that I stumble under adversity. This last year has just been a doozy. But God knows that sometimes when I am on the mountain top, I get lost looking at the view, and not reflecting upon that which put me on the top. So He keeps giving me the "valley view" until I get it. I'm not sure that I will ever COMPLETELY get it...I mean, come on, what fun would that be? : }

Lest I digress, let's get back to the quote. Did you ever wonder what our purpose was on this earth? Very simple. To glorify God. Some people I know can do that in an amazing way without have to go down the wrong road, or without suffering. Most do not. "A healed person or relationship"....that doesn't necessarily mean physical healing, but it certainly could. How magnificent when a believer goes to the doctor, only to find that the cancer that was there IS NO MORE? That is GLORY, my friends. Much more than if that person never got cancer in the first place!

However, God can reveal His glory in the same way when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and do it with HIS Strength! If you knew of someone that God healed of cancer, it would be a huge WOW factor. And God would get HUGE glory. But for how long? Would we forget like the Israelites seemed to forget so quickly that God parted the Red Sea for them? But what about the person who quietly walks through their disease with God, day after day, moment after moment, constantly reflecting Him? (And I'm soooo not saying that's me, because there's not much quiet about me! I go along, but many times kicking and screaming!!) : )

Now on to a reallllly sticky subject, but one very close to my heart. Does God SEND disease? I believe, sometimes,  He does. This is one thing I know more than anything else in my being: GOD WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO HIM.
And I mean whatever. Some things He allows to befall us, but I truly and completely believe that other things He Himself sends to us, so that we can grow closer to Him, and so that His glory will be revealed. Some of us (and I mean ME) are so stubborn we don't get the more subtle hints and need the "big guns." And when this happens, my friends, you will never be the same again.

At A Loss

Today in Connecticut 20 children were murdered by an obviously mentally disturbed young man.  I heard the news today at my husband's work Christmas lunch.  I felt physically ill.  The first words that came out of my mouth: "Who shoots a CHILD?"

I want to be heard very clearly:  This world is broken.  It started with the breakdown of the family structure.  No more do we have the majority of children being born and raised by 2 parents.

In women UNDER 30, over 50% of children are born out of marriage.

In ALL ages of women, 41% of children are born out of marriage.

"It used to be called illegitimacy. Now it is the new normal." (New York Times)

“Marriage has become a luxury...,” said Frank Furstenberg, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania. (New York Times)

Children born in one parent homes have a higher likelihood of living in poverty, of having social and emotional problems, behavior problems, and failing in school.

Fifty years ago this didn't happen.

Fifty years ago children didn't get murdered at school by some deranged 20 year old.

Fifty years ago we still stood and said the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and we still read the Bible in school, and we still prayed.

But then we took God out.  And since then, all hell has broken loose.  Literally.

Columbine.
Virginia Tech.
A movie theater in Colorado.
A shopping mall in Oregon.
20+ children between the ages of 5 and 10, gunned down like animals.
A professional football player killing his wife/girlfriend and then himself.

Precious, innocent lives.  And do you want to know what I think?  I think it's because we, as a nation, basically gave God the finger, and instead of just smiting us right then and there, He left us to our own devices.  We kicked Him out, and He left.  He's not forcing His way back in...that's not how He works.

He's waiting to be asked.  So.  I'm asking.  Lord Jesus, Father God... forgive us.  Come back to us.  God tells us in His Word:
      "If my people, who are called by my name [Christian], will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

And I'm asking the same of you.  This doesn't get any more REAL.  Evil is REAL.  God is REAL.  Today is the repercussions of our own stubborn, proud, arrogance.  Please join me, and ask God back into our Country.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Has anyone ever said that to you? I've certainly heard it a lot. But it can be true: our words are powerful, and our petitions can have implications we have not prepared for.



For example, have you ever wanted to re-do an entire room? I wanted a beautiful walk in pantry. So we converted the old entryway to the house into a pantry. Hardwood floors, new drywall, paint, new light fixtures, new shelves, even crown moulding! And an adorable white screen door that you have to open to walk into the pantry. It's more beautiful than I could have imagined.



But do you know what we had to do to get it that way?? It was hideous. My husband has this amazing ability to see things in his head as they will be finished. I, however, do not. I just saw a huge mess that could never amount to anything.



He had to strip everything...the floor (I think we even saw the original dirt floor!!), the ceiling, walls, right down to the studs. It went from a pathetic, dingy room with bowed shelves nailed on the walls (with PANELING on the walls AND ceiling!) to absoluely bare nothingness. But it was not until it was broken down to nothing that it could be remade beautifully.



See where I'm going here???



"The Process of Holiness

We ask that God would make us holy. It is a good request indeed. But are we prepared to be sanctified by any process that God in His wisdom may call on us to pass through? Are we ready to be purified by affliction, weaned from the world by bereavements, drawn nearer to God by losses, sicknesses and sorrow? Alas! these are hard questions. But if we are not, our Lord might well say to us, “You don’t know what you are asking.”"


~ J.C. Ryle



I remember shortly before I got really, really sick, I submitted my life 100% to God, to do with what He saw fit to bring me in to closer relationship with Him. Friends, I got GUTTED! I went from a pathetic, dingy vessel to be stripped down....Lost my job, my church family, many of me "friends", my independence, my health, my ability to breathe normally, my singing voice, and a lot of baggage that needed to be let go.



I am still still very much in the process of being restored, but I tell you, even in my semi-finished state, I am a better person than I EVER was before. And it's only going to get better.

If you've been around me for any length of time, you will probably hear me talk about The Blessings of Brokenness by Charles Stanley. If you struggle with any kind of suffering or loss, you MUST read this book. It changed my life. God loves all of us too much to leave us where we are...too far away from Him. He will do whatever is necessary to bring you to Himself.

That may mean giving up a relationship He knows isn't good for you. It may mean finally kicking that habit you know isn't good for you. It may mean suffering. But don't EVER think God is punishing you. God doesn't PUNISH His children. He discliplines them, but that's not ever what I'm talking about here.



I'm talking about pruning, I suppose. If a tree had feelings, it probably wouldn't feel so good getting a bunch of your arms chopped off every year. Yet if it didn't, it would get overgrown and it's fruit or flowers wouldn't be as full and wonderful as they could be!

I'm not sure if God will heal me on this side of heaven or not. I know, however, in my heart, 100%, that I WILL be healed one way or another. I am on my way; I just may not get all the way there before I reach heaven. If God can use this broken vessel to reach out to someone before He fixes it, so be it. It is NOTHING compared to the glory that will be eventually, but certainly, be demonstrated in me. God Bless you all today, no matter where you are!