Thank You!!

I am overwhelmed with gratefulness you have joined me in this amazing adventure through Proverbs. Has your soul been enriched? The Word the Lord gave me before starting this study was “beyond”. Do you feel the Lord tugging at your heart, leading you beyond the words of His Word? This is the Message. It is personal encouragement which nourishes our spiritual life. We can’t live a fulfilled life without it! In the flesh we get discouraged and downcast. The Lord says, “Look up, my child. I have good things for you today.”

Love,

Lisa

When the Unimaginable Strikes… At Christmas

The other night my husband and I went to a memorial for a beautiful lady who lost her battle to breast cancer. She was my age. She leaves behind two young girls, ages 4 and 7. Her 39th birthday would have been on Christmas Day. Her mom has breast cancer too, but will continue to live without her.

“Surreal, like an out-of-body experience,” one family friend tried to express. When we spoke to the widower he suddenly stopped and said, “I don’t know anything. . .” and with a distant expression he slowly said, “I just don’t know…”

The grief in the room was indescribable. This was all wrong, beyond our human capacity to process. Truly inconceivable.

I listened and watched as the loving pastors tended to the soul of their flock. These were life-long friends, she was like their own daughter. They gently spoke as one who grieved with them, bearing their burden.

In those moments I realized there are things our humanity cannot handle. Loosing a child, or the untimely death of a spouse or mother, is one of those things. In the natural, we are left to grieve by our own means. We push the pain away, try to replace the gaping hole, or stay in those dark feelings. History has proven many go crazy, or divorce, or addiction soon follows. As the pastor gently encouraged us to grieve well, he pointed the way to grieve in Christ. He reminded us that good grief is to grieve with hope. Good grief is when we allow ourselves to feel the pain, hurt, anger, regret, etc., but hope pulls us through to the other side. Hope brings us to a place of whole healing. Hope leads us to a better place.

We were reminded the loss of a loved one can never be replaced, the hole in our heart remains. My mother-in-law, who lost her daughter, said the second year was even harder than the first. The second year everyone around her moved on, her own life had moved on. Yet the hole remained and she still mourned.

Many of us are grieving this holiday season. The holidays have a way of pushing our sorrow to the surface. And that’s ok, because in Christ we have a supernatural way of dealing. He allows us to grieve well, comforting and healing us, and leaving us better for it. May your grief be good grief. 

Christmas Confession

I stink at Christmas. I know it sounds so strange, but the struggle is real! I don’t mean to say I struggle with the Christmas spirit, the Lord has filled me with plenty of generosity, love, and goodwill to share. However, all that our culture says Christmas should be seems to be my weakness; I simply don’t measure up! For some reason, this year I have had to focus a little harder on what the Lord is saying to me about Christmas, so I thought I’d share my thoughts with you!

Like I mentioned, I believe the Lord is remaking my heart into a generous one, but generosity doesn’t always look the same in everyone. I look around at the people who are really good at giving gifts, the ones who would give the shirt off their back, and I think, “Lord, why didn’t you make me like that?” The truth is, receiving gifts is not my love language, so to focus a whole season on something that doesn’t matter to me is a true discipline. Often, I simply feel like a failure.

When I lift my eyes to Jesus for help, He tells me, “Look for those who compliment you.” My husband is a very thoughtful gift giver and does so well. Over the years, he has learned to support me in my deficiency and I’m so grateful for his help. My daughter is old enough to come along side me, and not only is she good at giving gifts, but she loves to shop! Perfect! It has become quality time for me, something that IS my love language!

Then there is the tradition part of Christmas. I see how comforting tradition is and I would like to provide that for my children. But mostly I find it annoying. Anything that becomes a duty is a turn-off for me. When you add the moods of 5 different people, it’s hard to get everyone on the same page! I never want to be that disgruntled mom who trudges through with her own plans, dragging her loved ones behind. Therefore, I don’t like to push for the sake of “tradition.”

Let’s talk about talent. Here are the talents I don’t possess: decorating, crafting, baking. That’s a real bummer this time of year. One year the Lord said, “Give what you’ve been given.” I can play the piano! So I taught myself a few Christmas carols and made a tradition of inviting neighbors and loved ones over for tea and caroling. This year I decided to take a break after 10 years. (See paragraph about tradition, lol)

There’s one more thing the Lord is whispering to my heart this year. He says, “Use your words.” I may not be very good at giving gifts, but words of encouragement and appreciation flow freely from my lips. I may not have it all together with a family picture, but Christmas cards have become an opportunity for me to love on people through the written word.

It’s not easy when you look around and see all the things you aren’t doing well, but when we quiet ourselves in the Lord and focus on His thoughts, every season becomes a time of great joy and satisfaction. In the end, it's good I realize I don't measure up because it kills the spirit behind self-righteousness. It reminds me to find my strength in Jesus. Merry Christmas!! And love to all!

To a Hurting Nation

To a hurting nation,

I hear your cries, oh nation, I know your pain. I am here, extending comfort. I am listening to your groans, oh children, I am loving you. Your pain is self-inflicted. Return, oh hardened nation, to my heart. Your suffering need not be.

You tear each other down in the name of your idols. This judgement is not of me. My heart weeps with the afflicted. You need not be filled with fear, trust in me. As you trust me, your doubts melt into my love.

You devour one another in your fear and pain. Oh! how I hate to see my people abuse one another. Return, oh nation, to my heart.

Quiet Pondering's

Our Father is a good, good Father, isn’t he? He loves us so much and gently leads us into the best path for our lives. To me, best means the most joyful, most fulfilling, and most efficient way of life for me personally in the kingdom of God. This permeates everything I think, feel, say, and do here on earth.

Recently, I wrote that I believe I have been called into ministry. Ministry is such a broad term and truly we are all called into the ministry of the gospel when we are adopted into God’s family.

Tweet: We are all called into the ministry of the gospel when we are adopted into God’s family. @SpiritInReality

My gifts and talents are leading me to believe there is an occupation that comes along with this calling. Because of where I am in my life, this almost seems like a second chance as I figure out what I want to do when “I grow up.”

In 2015, I had the wonderful opportunity to work in the church and got a glimpse of what a local ministry looks like. When the opening came for vocational ministry, the Lord said, “Not yet.” Next, I worked with the Lord early this year to write the manuscript for a book. I attended the conference, She Speaks, and was presented with an online ministry model.

As my mind filled with the ideas of what this ministry “should” look like, the Lord gently drew me into His presence and said, “I am training you, just rest in Me.” I thought I would be launched into the world of ministry, but as I have quietly pondered all that I experienced, I’m so grateful the Lord gives us time to rest. I tend to be a “go-getter” and have a pattern of running ahead of the Lord. Since I got married and had children, the Lord has lovingly restrained me and is teaching me to love discipline. The Lord is balancing this busy Martha with the stillness of Mary. (Luke 10:38-42)

I am continuing to improve the manuscript, something which brings me great joy. The Lord is surrounding me with talented women who are giving me great feedback. I am also free to enjoy substitute teaching which has been a perfect supplement during this time.

But most importantly the Lord is filling me with great expectation and hope. God loves to pour hope into all His servants and it is among the best gifts in life. God’s intention is that all His children live in a place of hope.

Blessings as you also quietly ponder the good things of God in your heart.

She Speaks

*This is the second in a two-part post. Click to start from The Beginnings.

The thought of writing a book sounds nice, but immediately my emotions betrayed me. I feared loneliness; I feared loss of efficiency; I feared the beast called publishing; I feared rejection. None the less, God downloaded an outline and three chapters. I committed my heart and way to writing.

To my surprise, writing the book was anything but what I feared. I felt loved and adored because God was with me in a tangible way, feeding me the words to write. My mother-in-law, Cindy, came along beside me and did the first edits on every chapter. Distraction and procrastination weren’t really issues as God drew me into our work together. It was such a sweet time.

Last year I learned about the conference, She Speaks, and laughed after realizing the cost. However, as I dipped my toes into the writer’s world, I began to understand conferences were seemingly essential to the journey. I set aside the budget God was calling me to set aside, and signed up for publisher appointments. At the time, I thought I was attending to “get” a publisher.

About two months before the conference, as I was wrapping up the book, God began to prepare my heart. When I started writing, I didn’t think self-publishing was an option. There wasn’t a breath of entrepreneurial spirit in me, and the thought of marketing my own book felt hopeless. Then one little bit of information caused me to reconsider: publishers rely on authors to market their book. Uh-Oh!

As the beautiful ladies of She Speaks prepared us for what to expect at the conference and our publishing appointments, I began to learn the details. What publishers are looking for doesn’t seem to be what God has placed on my heart at this time. I started to see God’s purpose for the conference not to find a publisher, but to teach and equip, and hopefully realize the next step for the book.

Monday before the conference, one of the pastors from our church expressed his excitement about the book. I had given him the manuscript and he agreed to read it. He is an author and has published both traditionally and self published. He suggested self-publishing, even expressing his desire to use the book in his ministry. The conversation gave me hope that God had a place for the book.

I was assigned two appointments, one with a self-publisher and one with a publishing house. I was surprised by the price of self-publishing and thankful the pastor had shared there were many different options. When I met with the publisher, she explained their house had a couple books on the same topic coming up, but recommended self-publishing! 

God doesn't speak much more clearly than that! I’m thankful for such clear directions, and will begin the journey to self-publishing!

The Beginnings

Last week I attended a conference called She Speaks in North Carolina. Similar to 800 other ladies, I’m left processing all that went on. The good news is, I received clear direction as to what to do with my book manuscript. But before we get into all that. . . like every good storyteller, I must start from the very beginning.

Writing a book wasn’t actually on my bucket list. Growing up, my best friend used to joke she would keep a notebook about me and someday write a book of “Lisa Stories.” I always seemed to find myself in the most interesting predicaments from flooding my parents’ kitchen floor with bubbles, to decorating the ceiling with orange juice, to flying over the handle bars of my banana bike.

In the eighth grade, Miss U kindled a quiet love affair with writing. Deep down, I loved to write! However, it only expressed itself in academic ways until I graduated from college. Soon after, I found myself with way too many words for my introverted husband, so I began to journal. Since I was a stay at home mom, I talked to the only other person there, God.

As I communed with God through reading and journaling, I began expressing my thoughts about God and His truths in article form. My hard drive became littered with such articles until one day God said, “This is for your blog.” Within a week I started the blog and the Samson Series was born.

For the last year and a half I have been sharing my God thoughts with you, and naturally my mind began to drift to dreams about writing a book. In fact, when we were looking for a house, I told our realtor, “This is where I will write my first book.” We bought that home.

At the time, my life was in transition because our youngest was entering school. Would I go back into teaching, as I had done before our first was born, or was it time to open my heart to something new? I took an internship at our church and learned to effectively run a ministry. A job became available, and it seemed to make perfect sense that I would apply. However, God was saying, “Not yet.”

Four months I waited. Other job opportunities came along, but still, God said, “Not yet.” Finally, I decided I could take up substitute teaching while God made up His mind. However, due to a glitch, I was forced to wait until the following school year to apply. “Oh,” I thought, “You meant, not yet!”

Around the first of the year, I stumbled across Joanna Weaver’s book, “Having a Mary Spirit.” As I read, it was as though God was saying, “This is the book I want you to write in your own words from your own experience.” Finally! I had my assignment.

Tune back in tomorrow for the rest of the story!!

What is Faith?

So what is faith? Is it something we believe with our mind? Is it something we do? Is it conviction or trust?

The answer is yes, but we must first consider the origin. Belief does not cause faith. Action does not cause faith. Trust does not cause faith.

The origin of our faith is God; it is of God. Belief, action, and trust is therefore a reaction to the faith God puts in our heart.

We cannot consider faith without checking out what the writer of Hebrews has to say, for the words in Chapter 11 are incredible! I’ve really been enjoying the Amplified Version as of late, so let’s take a look at Hebrews 11:1 (AMP):

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”

Human beings have an amazing capacity to believe. Our beliefs come from information and experience. Therefore, as we gather more information or have more experiences, our beliefs change. Faith doesn’t change.

Many believe a certain government system is better than others. Many believe vitamins, diet and exercise will make you healthier. Many believe a certain lifestyle is better than others. As humans, we put our trust in these things. But then something happens. A government fails. The person who exercises and takes vitamins gets cancer. The person with a better lifestyle dies young anyway.

This is what happens when we put our trust in something of this world. Our beliefs necessarily shift with the wind.

Faith is reality. It’s our substance. It is "perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.” It is the basis of our perspective and the way we see this world. It’s not just something we do on Sundays, something we study, or something we blindly follow. It is our entire existence, our being at our very core. It is our work, our play, our rest, our home life, and our public life.

Faith is to perceive things as they truly are. The human heart is proficient at denial but God opens our soul to light. The Gospel invites us to live in the real reality, even if our five senses cannot perceive it at first. God opens our eyes, opens our ears, and we taste His goodness. We attain His promises by faith. Faith is tangible.

Belief is of the mind, faith is of the spirit. While faith necessarily influences beliefs, it is not our mind that perceives faith. God puts faith in us, however, our mind often creates a barrier so we cannot see the proof of our faith! We know we have faith, but never experience confirmation in this earth. Our heart fails when we cannot sense that God is pleased or satisfied with us.

This is what God so lovingly wants to give us: proof of our salvation and new life. There is so, so much more to life than fleeting good times. There’s a depth, a richness, a layer of eternity that God wants to add. He desires to enhance our existence so that we actually receive a bit of our inheritance. We see and greet God’s promises by being sustained and controlled by faith. We trust naturally because we have a tangible confirmation of our faith. What we do, say, and trust become proof of our faith.

There is so much more! Do you crave more? Seek God with all your heart, strength, and mind! Happiness doesn’t rely on the happenings in life. Peace is not disturbed by violence. Love is not destroyed by offense. Soon, you’ll be perceiving the miraculous in everyday life. This is the life God offers. This is the life we can have right now. Let faith arise into reality!

Next Step

I am so excited to share with you that I am currently working on the manuscript for a book about the reality of extraordinary life in Christ! With biblical insights and illustrations from my personal life, I hope to inspire and encourage others to seek more in their relationship with God.

As a next step, I am attending a conference called She Speaks near the end of July. I’m looking forward to see where this journey will lead. I have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with God in writing, and I am wondering if you would be willing to partner with me!

I am surprised to learn publishers rely heavily on authors for marketing. Therefore, they want to see a strong presence on social media, with numbers that would support the launch of a new book. So. . . if we are not yet friends on FB, please find me here! Also, if you are on twitter, please help me get started by following me @SpiritInReality.

I will make a regular effort to post on the blog, so please check back often! Also, comments are a good thing, so please give me some feedback. I’d love to interact more. If you like what you read, please share the blog on social media!

It will be fun to journal my journey, so look for future posts about the conference. This is a very long process and I appreciate your prayers and support.

With Love,

Lisa

Welcome!

Many of us think we don’t have a noteworthy testimony to share.  Perhaps we never went off the deep end or committed any great “sin” from which Jesus saved us.  However, as we grow in intimacy with Christ, we realize the true depravity of our condition apart from Him.  Our complete inability to save ourselves becomes apparent, and we understand we all have an extraordinary story to tell!

And so it goes... I'm just an ordinary girl telling my extraordinary story.  I hope you'll join me as I share the gifts God has put in my heart through my experience in Him.  We'll laugh, we'll cry, and hopefully at the end of it all we will grow closer in relationship to our living God.

If you would like to read more about my story, please click here.

Journey to Joy

*This is the first post in a series called Journey to Joy.

Growing up I never knew I was culturing and practicing an unhealthy habit called worry. My thoughts always revolved around my brain since I was a little girl and that was normal for me. I would read Matthew 6:25 and think, I have food; I have clothes; I’m good! Plus, I have a bright and bubbly personality, so surely I was the least likely to struggle with my thoughts and emotions. However, any unrenewed mind is susceptible to the way of the world; a way filled with anxiety, stress, and overburden. By the time I had children, I felt as though a weight like a cat was laying on my chest. In my mid twenties I realized I was struggling with general anxiety.

In the Bible, God promises a life in Christ filled with spiritual riches like joy, peace, and satisfaction. Yet oftentimes, Christians find themselves in the space between the promise and fulfillment. This space between can be described as a wilderness experience. In the darkness of the wilderness, it seems as though God is distant and life can be very difficult. However, the moment we accept faith to believe God has saved us, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us. God is always present, protecting, guiding, and loving us.

Leading us through the wilderness is an act of divine love and grace. It is in the wilderness where God trains us into unbroken fellowship with Him. It is in the wilderness where God purifies our faith. It is where He deals with our sin so we can walk victoriously above the flesh. 

My natural way was that of fear and anxiety, but in the wilderness the Lord drew me out of the world and wooed me back into a loving relationship with Him. I knew anxiety wasn’t from Him, but the result of sin in my flesh. I believed a life filled with anxiousness wasn’t what God intended for me. I chose to believe that God is good, and wants good things for me. I chose to believe He was allowing me to struggle for my good, and that the struggle was there for a purpose.

Hebrews 12:4-11 says God is treating us as His children, and as His children He disciplines us. Let’s read this passage in The Message version:

"In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

'My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,

but don’t be crushed by it either.

It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;

the child he embraces, he also corrects.'

God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God."

*To continue reading, click here.

Spiritual Training

*This is the second post in a series called Journey to Joy. To start from the beginning click here.

For ten years I prayed the Lord would take away the anxiety and for ten years I chose to believe He was allowing my condition to continue in order to train me. Interestingly enough, like so many of the Biblical characters, God had led our family into a physical wilderness. We moved to a house on fourteen wooded acres. The house was located a half mile off the main road and we were completely separated from other houses by trees. God had set us apart and was sanctifying us for His use.

 

Anyone who struggles with difficulties such as anxiety, depression, or any other emotional disturbance, readily admits there is a physical component to the struggle. I asked my doctor and he suggested medication, but I was nursing my son and didn’t want to go down that road. I knew I could also address the issue through vigorous exercise. I had always wanted to run a marathon, so I took the opportunity to train.

Admittedly, I was a bit obsessed. Training for a marathon is intense, and I used my anxiety to focus and discipline me. The demand of running also caused me to become more aware of the food I ate, what I drank, how much I drank, and my sleep routine. It was an all-inclusive plan. God was teaching me how to take care of my body, His temple. The running was bringing me to a place where my mind was settled and He could influence my thoughts.

Before moving to the property, I had always lived in the suburbs. I was constantly immersed in people’s ideas about how I should and should not live my life. Some of these influences were of God and some were of the spirit of the world. As a young Christian, I had little discernment to know which voices were from God. Suddenly, all the influences stopped, and I was left alone in the woods with nothing but my thoughts and God. He began to train my brain.

At the time, I was reading “The Message” version of the Bible. I found I could identify with the language used. It flowed more like a story and I began to recognize my own story through the words written on the page. God taught me that if I could worry, I could meditate on His Word. He replaced my fleshly thoughts with things from above (Col. 3:12). He taught me to recognize when my thoughts were becoming toxic, when they were a burden to my soul, and to change my mind to what was right (Phil. 4:8). Through the Bible, He taught me what His thoughts are, and I began to see through a new lens. I would struggle through my own thoughts until I found the truth. In this way, I could throw out the lies polluting my mind. I was new to spiritual discernment, so it took considerable quiet time with the Lord. But the freedom from oppressive lies was such a relief, I was drawn to God’s presence.

As a result of accepting God’s thoughts and believing Him, thanksgiving rose from my inner parts. This type of response to God’s personal Word is seen all throughout the Bible. David would express deep worship and praise through the Psalms, writing clear expressions of thanksgiving during some of the most difficult trials of his life. Mary exploded in a magnificent song of worship in Luke 1:46-55. The Lord puts His joy in His servants, and puts a new song in their mouth. I began to feel how good God is. Joy bubbled up like a fountain within.

*To continue reading click here.

Obedient Lifestyle

*This is the third post in the series, Journey to Joy. To start from the beginning, click here.

Perhaps the most profound way God used the wilderness to train me was to teach me about His will. John 4:34 (ESV) says, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” Jesus is speaking on a spiritual level, and the food He speaks of nourishes abundant life. Jesus came to live in physical form to show us how to live life completely in sync with God through the Holy Spirit. We cannot experience His presence, His pleasure, and His life without obedience to the Holy Spirit. All throughout the Old Testament, the prophets wrote that God will put His law within our hearts (Psalm 40:8), and the Holy Spirit is revealing His law to each of us in a very personal way. God desires to have an intimate relationship with us in which He can speak to us about the details of our life.

Often we see God’s will as a destination, something to be found and hit like a target. However, I was beginning to see His will as a way, or a flow. He is a living and breathing God, constantly moving in our midst. I began to think about His Spirit as a steady moving train. I had the opportunity, even obligation, to move and flow with Him. I found that I could hop on and enjoy the ride, or hop off and act independently. It was when I tried to do it on my own that I experienced loneliness, guilt, fear, and other feelings of judgement. When I was doing life with Him, according to the prompting and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I experienced peace, joy, and satisfaction in life. I was becoming more and more sensitive to His presence.

God used my anxiety and sensitive nature to train me to move with the Holy Spirit in obedience as a lifestyle. He was teaching me to worship Him in every moment of my life. Learning to follow His promptings was a bit mechanical at first. I would get going in my day, doing my thing, and when the anxiety swelled, I would stop and submit to God. I would ask Him what He would have me do in that moment, and listen for His answer. During these early stages, it would simply be an inclination, or leaning, on my heart. Like most people, I wouldn’t know for sure if this was God or my own desires, but with a willing heart and teachable spirit I remained open to whichever direction He was leading. I trusted He would redirect me if I erred.

Once I began to recognize His promptings, He would give me small tasks. He’d prompt me to drop someone a note or invite a stranger to join us on a ride at Kings Island. It’s these little things the Lord uses to teach us to recognize His prompting and to live according to His will. As we mature, we simply flow in Him naturally, and the relationship becomes less mechanical.

One thing I had to let go of was the need to understand. I had to be willing to make a mistake, and I had to put down my natural tendency to argue. With a logical mind, I had developed a habit of reasoning away His promptings when it didn’t make sense. I had to resist the fear that caused me to tell God, “I can’t, and here’s why.” Fear and pride had become a stumbling block which caused me to disobey. I had a big fear of what people would think and a fear of looking foolish or dumb. I needed to get over myself in order to do God’s will. What I found with great joy was that understanding often came after obedience. Once I understood God’s perspective, the thoughts of other people began to loose their grip on me. God was more interested in my trust. Wisdom and insight flowed in abundance as a result of obedience to the Holy Spirit.

*To continue reading, click here.

Joyful Life

*This is the last post in the series, Journey to Joy. To start from the beginning, click here.

The anxiety was an indication I wasn’t walking with God in my new nature. Not only does He tell us what to do, but He shows us how to do it. In this way, it is His strength which fuels our action. Depending on our personality and individual tendencies, we may be inclined to run ahead of God. So often we receive direction only to run ahead in our own effort. We exhaust ourselves trying to do God’s will and experience burn-out as a result. In this way, we work for God and not with God. I was learning to lean my entire nature into Him, and allowing Him to empower me to live my life. My own nature was broken by sin; I only wanted to do life in Him. I was learning to walk at His pace, not the frenetic pace of the world. I found I had plenty of energy to do what I needed to do, simply by humbly submitting to His way continually.

As I enjoyed His presence, His comfort, and His peace, I craved to do His will more and more. The temptation to do my own thing melted away as I experienced a whole new way of living, a way filled with the things my soul truly longed for. I could taste and see for myself that the Lord is good, and my fleshly desires were increasingly less appealing. I was becoming more focused and attached to the Spirit of God.

Since I was prone to anxiety by nature, the only way to experience freedom every day was to live out of my new nature. God replaces our DNA with Christ’s and we walk into our new nature by being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. God exchanges our spirit with His Spirit, and we learn to live out of our renewed spirit. The Spirit trains us into unbroken fellowship with God and we experience new life, a joyful life, in Christ. Hallelujah!

Show Me Your Glory!

Several years ago I started asking God to show me His glory. I figured if Moses did it, so could I! I don’t think I understood what I was asking. I thought I was asking for a vision, a picture or dream of His Presence. I thought I was praying for an experience which would sharpen my sense of His spiritual presence; a sort of spiritual tuning if you will. But glory is so much more. God’s glory is heavenly reality breaking into the reality of our world. It is the manifestation of His power so that all men can see and know I AM.

Never would I have guessed what God had in mind for our family. We were living on 14 wooded acres at the time. There was nothing to be seen but trees upon trees, and perhaps an occasional black Angus cow at the farm next door. One summer afternoon I picked the children up from camp and brought them and a friend home. I sent the kids outside as I prepared dinner.  Suddenly, our oldest boy came to me in hysterics. He tended to be a bit dramatic, so I quickly tried to defuse the situation. I calmly asked him what was wrong and steadily went for my shoes.

“No! You must hurry!” he yelled. “A tree fell on Holly!”

Trying not to panic, I found my boots and started out to the back woods. As I began the trek down the path, I could see our son’s friend guiding Holly toward the house. I broke into a run. Her nose was clearly broken as a large, dark bubble was forming on the side. I braced her feeble body and she weakly said, “Mom, it hurts so bad.” You know it’s bad when a child doesn't have the energy to cry.

I got her back to the house and laid her on the floor. The boys raced to find her a pillow and did all they could to comfort her. I called my husband and informed him Holly was badly injured. I thought I would go to our county hospital to get her nose x-rayed. The boys and I gingerly laid Holly on the floor of our minivan, complete with blankets and pillows. I remember feeling concerned about the blood choking her and giving her some ibuprofen for pain.

I called my son’s friend’s mom and told her a small tree had fallen on Holly’s head, just nine years old at the time. The tree was partially broken so Holly was swinging on it like a bar. When she swung, the trunk broke loose and fell on her face. My son and his friend, both age eleven, rushed to either side and lifted the tree enough for her to scoot out from under. Thankfully she lost consciousness only for a moment. I let the friend’s mom know her son was waiting at our house with my boys. Later she said my voice was monotone, like a robot. There was no emotion, no inflection in my words. Just information.

Twenty-five minutes later we arrived at the emergency room. I went to the back of the van to get Holly and to my horror her whole face was swelling and her eyes were filling with blood. I braced her little body once more and we walked through the doors. The moment seemed to last forever as the receptionist looked at Holly and I looked at the receptionist. I was speechless. Finally I mumbled, “A tree fell on her head,” and realized we were at the wrong place. Our county hospital was not set up for severe trauma.

Life seemed to be moving in slow motion as the nurses grabbed a wheelchair and wheeled Holly back to a room. I rested a moment against the wall outside and just breathed. It was a whirlwind as nurses rushed around, not exactly sure how to handle the situation. Unexpectedly, one snapped a picture on her phone and whipped it around to show Holly.  Wait, why was that necessary?

All at once, the swirl of activity left the room. Alone together, Holly looked at me and asked, “How is this all going to heal?” Without skipping a beat I looked my little girl straight in the eyes and said, “Perfectly.”

The doctor came in and announced they would be taking Holly for a CT scan. More rushing and Holly was gone. “Oh my God!” I realized, “Her brain could be bleeding!” I heard God’s calming voice say, “Her brain is fine, but she will go to Cincinnati for surgery.”

I don’t remember much of what the doctor said except that his words were strangely a relief. I could hear that Holly was going to be alright. They prepped her for an IV filled with morphine and we were to be transported by ambulance to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Getting the IV inserted was difficult and the trip by ambulance simply dreadful during rush hour. But the moment we hit the doors in Cincinnati we were in excellent hands. One by one, the medical specialists all came to say Holly would be fine. There had to have been five or six of them. One by one, they all cleared Holly to leave the hospital. Again, this told me Holly was going to be okay.

By this time Holly didn’t even look human. Have you ever seen pictures of people after plastic surgery, their face so grossly swollen and bandaged that you can’t recognize them? This was our Holly. And this is what my husband walked in to see.

“Aww. . .” He said tenderly as he entered the room. Thankfully she was sleeping since not a soul could control their emotion when they walked in and saw her condition.

**If you would like to continue reading, please click here.**