psalm 40

psalm 40

Thou shall have no Gods before Me

I read, I heard, I know

so I bow to only one God

(with a capital G) and yet…

how many little gods

have I worshipped

giving away time, focus, and my heart

chasing money, comfort, health

power, position and praise

forgive me again, forgive

this foolish child’s wandering

straining against the very chains

that set me free

draw me closer, Lord I come

psalm 23

psalm 23

this world down here, Lord?

is filled with clutter and chatter

people struggling to be heard

sound building upon sound

until I hear everything and

nothing but the endless noise

I want to know the sweet song

of my shepherd, the voice that is true

that leads me to the silence

to safety, abundance and peace

where I will feast on Your presence

forevermore

psalm 19

psalm 19

only You, one hand raised

can calm this storm

only You, silent, still

can speak all things

only You, Lord and King

can Master me

only You

out of the cave

Morning quiet time with My Lord 
as I ponder stepping into something new and bold...

Ask of Me and I will show you 

things which you have not yet seen.

It is again and always about My plans

not the schemes of man

If I send you will I not equip you?

If the battle is not yours, 

the work is not yours either, but Mine

and I intend My work to prosper

Your part, as always, little one, is surrender

Surrender to My hand, My shaping, My pruning

even to My choice to promote you

Elijah could not remain in the cave

when that season was over

I called him out

So too with you, My child

so too with you

Call to Me and I will answer you 

and show you great and mighty things, 

fenced in and hidden, which you do not know

(do not distinguish and recognize, 

have knowledge of and understand)

Jeremiah 33:3 Amplified

 

work to do

Yes, I have work to do here

I wake early, refusing sleep until late

still, away from what is normal

I have found my return

to communion with my Lord

His words this morning:

we are not finished

the plans I have 

stretch farther than you can see

on a road only made smooth

by faith

and trust in Me

its when you let go of My hand

and when you look around

that fear falls

like Peter on the water

he did the impossible

when his eyes

focused on Me

you, little one

can do likewise

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said. 
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.
 “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. 
“You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Matthew 14:28-31 RSV

 

Brilliant creativity

the rains have not yet come

yet around every corner

His grand design astounds me

a dear friend called this

a watermeon flower

creativity on display

glory, brilliance

undeniably His work

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    bring an offering and come before him.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Tremble before him, all the earth!

    The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

1 Chronicles 16:28-30

 

Battle orders

Early morning prayer time

preparing for battle

I received His orders:

Arise and move into position

arise and arm yourselves

there is a battle that you do not see

but ask of Me

and I will increase your spiritual vision

ask of Me

and I will give you ears to hear

Arise and man your stations

I have a designated place

for each of you

Together you stand

together you fight

and I Am in your midst

yes, I Am at the core

your Defender

your Protector

your Provider

I Am the Lord strong and mighty

Arise and take courage

your God Is ever with you

like Gideon, declare My victory

Mine is a Kingdom of love

and the war has already been won

When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet (ram’s horn), 

then all around the camp you also blow the trumpets and shout,

 ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’

Judges 7:18 Amplified

 

sleep in the mist

mist is heavy

thick in sun's first light

mothers bend low

tending to fields

keeping babies close

secure enough to rest deep

can we find such peace

in His presence

even as we labor?

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace 

whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, 

because he commits himself to You, leans on You, 

and hopes confidently in You.

Isaiah 26:3 Amplified

 

to the lake

Mid-August we left the comfort and routine 

of our secluded and peaceful Manitoba acreage.

We spent ten days of training and orientation 

in The Netherlands with two hundred others

from all corners of the world.

Then we moved on to Kabwe, Zambia 

for nine weeks of intensive discipleship training

living in community with many others on the mission’s base.

The beginning of November 

we finally arrived in Ntaja, Malawi

the spot we believe God has called us to serve.  

Our field leaders have had much time away 

which has made for a more difficult than usual 

period of settling in and adaptation.

From December 20 through January 5 

the Malawi base is shut down

so we have come to Lake Malawi 

to relax, rejoice, pray and prepare 

for the year ahead of us.  

We will have private time 

to connect with each other 

and seek closer communion with our Lord 

as we celebrate this Christmas season.

Day one has left us sun kissed, tired and thankful.

His glory surrounds us 

as He stirs the waters and paints the skies.

fill the earth

For the earth will be filled 

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 

 as the waters cover the sea

Habakkuk 2:14 NIV

east to west

Malawi in the morning

and at day's end

there is glory

here

 Blessed be the name of the Lord 

from this time forth and forever

 From the rising of the sun 

to the going down of it 

and from east to west, 

the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,

and His glory above the heavens!

Psalm 113:2-4 Amplified

 

mambo sawa

These are the last weeks of discipleship training in Zambia.

Flight is being booked to Malawi for the first week of November.

Our hearts are longing to be where we feel God can best use us

We sing a song here - Mambo Sawa

"when the Lord is on the throne, things are getting better"

that is my prayer for you, for me, for all of us

 

lower still

Come, oh come! let us away--

Lower, lower every day, 

Oh, what joy it is to race

Down to find the lowest place. 

This the dearest law we know--

"It is happy to go low."

Sweetest urge and sweetest will,

"Let us go down lower still."

Hear the summons night and day

Calling us to come away.

Hannah Hurnard - The Water Song

Hinds Feet on High Places

lower still

strip pride away

till I can in stillness sit 

beside my Lord

simple, humble

no thought of self

but all of Him

seeking that still spot with Sandy

 

prairie coyote

prairie coyote

ever the survivor, the solitary

beauty shakes snow from sleek fur

golden, as proud eyes speak

focused, flashing

I will not be afraid

of cold, brave in the waiting

hunger strong, driving

her desire not secret, but silent

relentless, she will

be filled

allowing the Lord to lead in creative pursuit while Making Manifest

walking with Emily and the imperfect
 

glory in knowing Him

Thus says the Lord: 

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, 

let not the mighty man glory in his might, 

let not the rich man glory in his riches; 

but let him who glories glory in this, 

that he understands and knows me, 

that I am the Lord 

who practice steadfast love,

justice, and righteousness in the earth; 

for in these things I delight, 

says the Lord.”

  Jeremiah 9:23-24 RSV

singing with Deidra and the Sunday choir

 

missing the mark

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV

Karin is far from patient

Karin is often but not always kind

at times she finds it difficult to avoid envy

Karin tries not to boast, except in her Lord

Karin struggles with pride 

Karin does not intentionally dishonor others

she is self-seeking more often than she'd like

is too easily angered

sadly keeps record of wrongs she would rather erase

Karin does not delight in evil 

she rejoices with and hungers for truth

she protects what she loves

is learning to trust

always hopes

sometimes gives up, sometimes perseveres

Karin regularly fails

He is love. He created me in His image.

His Word describes in detail what love is.

I fall far short of the mark

and depend on His abundant grace

a gift beyond price

my prayer is that His glory is revealed

even in my imperfection

walking with Emily and the forgiven imperfect

 

we are glad

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

    and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us;

    we are glad.

Psalm 126:2-3 RSV

singing His praises in community with Deidra

 

Spiritual Misfit by Michelle DeRusha

Writing about her book Spiritual Misfit A Memoir of Uneasy Faith, Michelle DeRusha says:

My story is ordinary – it’s not a dramatic conversion story; nothing “big” happened to me along the way. I didn't experience a near-death situation. I didn’t survive a tragedy. But in a lot of ways, that’s what makes my story so accessible. It’s about an ordinary person with ordinary questions, fears and doubts who was transformed in an extraordinary way.

I believe this is exactly why this is a must read book for us all.  We who feel just "ordinary" always need to be reminded of just how extraordinary our God is. How many of us find ourselves naked before our Lord, trembling just a bit, scratching our heads, mumbling "I believe Lord, help my unbelief?"

In this close to the bone memoir Michelle shares with brave openness her doubts, fears and growing reliance on a Lord Who asks us to believe what we can not always see.

Some pages left me giggling, like the story of tossed Cheez-It crumbs; others are stained by tears of recognition, when God shows Himself in quiet glory.  Then there are the pages striped by coloured highlighters, that will beckon me to return to the words again and again, like these:

While faith through grace alone is probably liberating for most people, freeing them from the inescapable burden of sin, it scared the crap out of me because it required that I relinquish control.  It carried me full circle back to the aspects of God I couldn't define, hem in, deconstruct, or rationalize.  It carried me back to the heart, which was a much more difficult realm to navigate than the head.  Honestly, I would much rather have earned my entrance to heaven than take a flying leap onto the slippery slope of faith.  Earning seemed much more predictable, orderly, and measurable, so much less fraught with fear, than leaping.  Leaping into faith required me to trust and surrender to someone I couldn't see.

Those could have been my own words, so closely they struck my spirit.  I believe you will be struck in similar fashion.  You need to read this book.  You need to share this book.  It will speak loudly to everyone, no matter where they find themselves on this wild journey of faith.

I was given an advance reading copy of this book.  The opinions I have shared, as always, are my own.

 

matter of trust

With so much uncertainty ahead of us

it is easy for my mind, heart and spirit 

to grow unsettled

as I sat journal open before the Lord

He gently urged me 

to not allow anxiety to rattle me

Have I not told you

worry not about tomorrow?

Does not today

have enough trouble?

What will come

will come

and I will Be there

and I will not Be surprised

I have already made provisions

for all circumstances

As always

it is a matter of trust

will you leave everything

in My hands?

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day 

Matthew 6:34 RSV

 

open wide

I was trying to join corporate worship in song Sunday morning

but my scratchy throat silenced me

I needed to save my voice to speak

soundless I lifted my heart

in those moments of parchedness

I longed for water, or something cool

and all at once these words came

His gift to me

open wide your mouth

and taste of the goodness of the Lord

open wide your mouth

and speak of the goodness of the Lord

open wide your mouth

and sing of the goodness of the Lord

taste and see

taste and tell

taste and sing

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! 

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) 

is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. 

Psalm 34:8 Amplified

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; 

for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

1 Chronicles 16:34