April 10, 2018

The Sign That Freaked Me Out

It happened last winter. It freaked me out so much I hardly told anyone until months later.

I was going through a “dry-spell” in my faith–going through the motions. I needed a revival inside my soul.

Winter sometimes gets me that way. The long nights and short days at home affect me. Seasonal Affective Disorder “they” call it. SAD is a perfect acronym for it.

The Lord called me to Proverbs 31 Ministries  three and a half years ago. It is a high calling, and one I don’t take for granted. I love where I work and the people with whom I work.

With the rapid way the Lord is growing us,  it makes us desperately dependent on the Lord. I call it “growing pains.” The kind of growing pains that sometimes leave stretchmarks.

We have a God-sized vision to eradicate Biblical poverty–to inspire people to become passionate about Jesus and reading God’s Word. Our mission is to Know the Truth. Live the Truth, and we believe it changes everything.

When people engage with the Lord through the Bible, church, and our Proverbs 31 Ministries resources, we believe they can influence their hearts, homes, communities, cities, and states around them. It’s a huge assignment, sometimes intimidating to ponder and keeps us fully relying on Jesus.

That freaky incident, mentioned above, happened last year.  Our amazing Proverbs 31 Ministries President Lysa TerKeurst was the only female keynote speaker last February at the wonderful Kingdom Advisors Conference in Orlando. More than 1,200 Christian financial advisors attended this conference.

It was holy ground and such an encouragement to attend. Lysa delivered a powerful message on the spiritual continuum of only needing God, trusting God, and wanting God.

Afterward, I went to my hotel room that night totally convicted, crying out to God. I apologized to Him that He was not my sole heart’s desire.  I confessed to God that He is all that I need. All that I trust. All that I want. At that moment, peace came.

The last day of the conference was filled with worshipful sessions, praise and worship. I couldn’t take notes fast enough as I was hopeful about implementing some of these ideas professionally and personally.

When it was time to leave the conference hotel and head to the Orlando airport, a gentleman from Black Cab picked me up. I thought I’d have time to reflect quietly on the 45-minute drive to the airport. He seemed talkative.

“Oh Great,” I thought to myself. I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to marinate on all that I had learned and experienced. Then doubt set in again.

Questions flooded from within me. “God, why did You choose a women’s ministry like us at Proverbs 31 Ministries to eradicate Biblical poverty”?

“Why us?”

“Why me?”

“Please give me a sign that I am right in the middle of Your will. I need You. I trust You. I want You.”

And then it happened. At that moment, I looked up out of my window. Written in the sky just as clearly as could be, was the word “Trust.” Shocked, I asked the driver, “Why do you think that word is written in the sky”?

The driver replied, “Oh, he’s not finished. Each day the skywriter writes a message. It’s different every day.”

The skywriter started the next word. “J.”

We were getting close the airport.

“E” was formed. Then an “S.” My heart is skipping a beat by this time. No way.

Then the rest of the word. The Name. Absolute shock. Tears formed.  I was speechless.

The driver must have sensed my emotion.

He said, “Today’s message is just for you.”

Teary-eyed I said, “Yes, He knows what we need just when we need it.”

Okay, Okay, I get it.

Yes, Sir, Jesus. I Trust YOU with all that I am.

Friend, if you have doubts, like I sometimes do, please be encouraged that God is with you.  He will reveal Himself to You when you need it most. He is the ultimate Skywriter on our hearts.

“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek You.” –Psalm 9:10.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. ” –Psalm 20:7-8.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” –Proverbs 3:5

PS. These are the actual photos I took from my phone as the cabbie was driving.

October 6, 2015

It’s Electric–A Lesson Learned on Light and Darkness

Understanding electricity is not a top priority for me. Please don’t get me wrong–I love light. I like to see the results of inserting a light bulb… and voila, let there be light. I learned a humbling lesson this past weekend about photocells, yes, photocells, and how they relate to our faith.

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In my front yard is a cool “dusk-til-dawn” lantern. It’s peaceful to drive up to my home at night and see it shining brightly.

Recently it burned out. Bummer. Taking the step ladder, I gingerly removed the globe and old light bulb, replacing it with a new. Waiting for the light to radiate immediately, I waited and waited. Still darkness.

Remembering the GFI circuit thingy inside, I went inside the house and reset that little button. Craning my neck to look out in the yard, the lamppost was still dark. I even flipped the breaker switch doo-dad, still nothing. Obviously I had maxxed out any slight inkling electrical knowledge I had, which wasn’t much.

The next day when telling my dear friend about my yard light situation, her husband remarked matter-of-factly. “Some debris may be blocking your light’s photocell, keeping it from shining.” Do what? What in the world is a photocell?

He explained that a photocell is a sensor that detects light. The photocell is what makes my lamp know to shine in the darkness. Ahhh. Once the debris was cleaned from the photocell, my lamp miraculously began shining again.

So what does all this mean? How is our faith’s “photocell?” What “debris” in our lives may be keeping us from shining our Light of Jesus? Could our debris be busyness, unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, jealousy, envy, a critical spirit? Ouch. Any of one these and so many others could be the debris blocking the Holy Spirit’s “photocell” connection in our hearts. God desires a total heart connection with us.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good words and glorify your Father in heaven.” –Matthew 5:16 NKJV

Anne Graham Lotz, in her book Just Give Me Jesus, tells this story I’ll soon not forget.

“One night when author Robert Louis Stevenson was a small boy, his nanny called him to come to bed. Oblivious to her summons, he was staring at something outside his nursery window. The nanny walked over, stood at his shoulder, and inquired patiently, ‘Robert, what are you looking at?’

The little boy, without taking his eyes away from the window, exclaimed in wonder as he pointed to the lamplighter who was lighting the streetlamps. ‘Look, Nanny! That man is putting holes in the darkness!’

With the Holy Spirit as our faith’s “photocell,”and with Jesus as the Light of the world, may we each be totally empowered to go “put holes in the darkness!” You shine!

Reflect:

–How is your light of faith shining right now?

Renew:

–“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” –John 8:12 NIV.

–“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” –2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV

Recharge:

–What is one action item you will accomplish this week to get rid of any “faith photocell debris” you may have?

Resource:

What is a photocell?