Will He Speak To Me?

I love the ways the Lord grows our understanding of Him over time! :) When I was little, I often wondered what it would be like to have the Lord speak to you, and could it ever happen?!? I believe I labored slightly under the delusion that the only manner in which He could speak was a sort of Samuel experience! :D You know, an actually audible voice! So I sort of figured that it would be once in a blue moon. But over time, as I have come to know Jesus better, I have discovered so many more ways He can speak to me. Most often, it comes as I am in a conversation, or reading my Bible. And generally, it has a good dose of humor in it. For example, me reading about the nation of Israel- "Good Heavens! They were so incredibly stubborn! Why couldn't they see the right way to go and just stick to it for pity's sake?!?" and then the Lord flips my question and says to me: "And you always stick to your promises, and are always as compliant as I desire for you to be?"
"Well...not exactly...but they were so stubborn!"
(At this point, I get a feeling that the Lord is looking at me in a way as if to say, "And...?" with a fond and yet earnest expression in His eyes.) By the end of this little conversation, Jesus has showed me something new, and my pride has been once again taken down a notch.
Other times, His voice just comes through a blessing, like an uncommonly cool day, or a beautiful flower. It is not an instructive voice at these times, but a brief reminder He gives as He says, "I made this for your pleasure- enjoy it, and remember Me!"
I think of the verse in John 10: "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." (emphasis added)
Learn to recognize our Shepherd's voice- you will be surprised how often He will speak if we will be still enough to listen! I am still learning these things, and I tend to be a busy person, always doing something. So too often I tune out the quieter voice in my heart; the only Voice that really counts. Now that is a challenge for myself as well as anyone who reads this post! :) -Rachel

Don't Put on the Poker Face

Hello guys! This morning I was reading in Ecclesiastes, and this is a verse that jumped out at me:
"Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp this, and also not remove your hand from the other; for he who fears God will escape them all."
I love this verse, because it puts into great words something I often think about. Sometimes I have tried (in vain) to do "just right". I put on some strange mood that is what I describe as "a fit of morality" or as Oswald Chambers termed it: "Spiritual gymnastics". Now, there is a big difference between trying to act in a Christ-like manner, and trying to pose so that you are being "a good Christian". Sometimes I hardly notice when I am posing, and I am going around doing things that are perfectly godly. But the effort seems to tire me out. I am "destroying myself". Why? Because I am doing these things without the strength of the Lord. Jesus promised that He is living water. So when I pose and find myself terribly thirsty, it is because I am leaving Christ out of the picture. Daniel always reminds me that I must abide. Effort without true Christ-like love, (His heart) is just sounding brass and clanging symbols. The end of the verse I quoted above is so true: "For he who fears God will escape them all." It says right there what I have seen proved out in my own life. Isn't that amazing? It is possible to be toasty-oats dry and overly "righteous", and it is possible to be terribly foolish, but if we abide with Jesus, we will almost unconciously begin imitating Him, and there is where we must stay. It is a funny thing. I have seen it happen in myself that I try to....let's say for example, I try very hard to be patient with a younger sister. I strive to keep a sweet temper, and while I may not show outward signs of frustration or anger, my heart is definitely agitated. That is in my own strength, but when I am in constant communication with my King, I find that out of my heart, I really do wish to bear patiently the attitude of a sibling. I begin to see the reason perhaps, of their foul mood, and I suddenly find it easier to truly, from my heart, deal with the issue in a godly way. How great is our God who gives to all liberally if they will ask! His wisdom is so gloriously abundant, and I revel in discovering new treasures of it each day! :) -Rachel

Death Defying!

Hallelujah!
Praise His Name forever!!!!!!
Shout from the mountain tops!!!
The Lord Jesus is Raised from the dead!!!
Amen! The best "Happily Ever After" anyone could ever imagine!

Forever Victorious

Hello to all our readers! I trust you all have a wonderful April Fool's Day? I did, and except for believing a post on Abigail's blog, I was not duped. Today is the 3rd or 4th of a glorious string of days. The sky is a perfect blue, the breeze beckons for me to come outdoors and trod barefoot upon the emerald grass. Myriads of flowers speckle the grass, lifting up their lovely faces to be admired and plucked to grace a windowsill or table. The fresh baby green greets me from every corner, and I think, "Who am I that the Lord grants me so many blessings?"
I think back 2,000 or so years to this same day, "Good Friday" and marvel. I wish I could think of something clever or insightful to say about this very special day. But the thought that persists in my mind, is how great the love of Christ is. He took my sin, and the sin of each one of us upon His shoulders, and bore it unto death. And as He hung upon the cross, (As Aunt Christy pointed out) He was thinking of each of us by name. He was not just dying "for all mankind" but for every person by name. For Sarah, for me, for Daniel, Matthew, Abigail, Hannah, Merriette, Shaina, Elliott, Oliver....everyone each by name.
And His love did not stop at the cross, but continues on through each day. Why does God care to see that my yard is full of flowers that I so delight in? Because He loves me. Why did He give us the gift of laughter? Because He loves me and delights in hearing my joy aloud. I don't know about you all, but His love is the one that I want to encompass me. I want to be wrapped in His love as much as I can. It is like drinking from a fountain after you have been running a marathon and knowing that it will never run dry. I am a stupid sheep sometimes. I jump over fences, knock down all my fellow sheep, and get my wool stuck in the briars. Then I stand there bleating. And still my Shephard, with such marvelous tenderness in His eyes, and a knowing smile playing about His mouth, lifts me in His powerful arms, and restores me. I am so undeserving of Jesus's love. And He knows it. That is why He paid the price. He loves me even after all I do to offend His principles. That thought, though over-used sometimes, cannot really be fully fathomed by our sheltered minds. But I know that the one way I can try to show Him that I am abundantly grateful for what He has done, is to walk in the way He shows me. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril, or sword?...For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 37-39
I don't know about you all, but I am jubliant and awestuck at the blessing of being on the side that always has, and always will win! -Rachel

I Can't Even Imagine

I rediscovered how much I love journals today! I was writing in my journal and then flipped back through some of the pages from last year. I was struck over and over by how God has worked in my life, and changed me! (Not just last year, but continually!) Sometimes we can get bogged down in our trials and can't see the forest for the trees. I know that at times, I think: "I am no farther along in His kingdom than I was as a 12 year old!" and yet, in my journal is proof of His mighty hand in my personal life. He was wrought great changes in my life, He has tried the mettle of my heart, and helped me stay faithful to Him, He has blessed me again and again by working things out when I thought that surely it was the end of the world! ;) He is so great!
I was impressed once again to remember that I am merely a player in the best drama in history! And that being said, all will be worked out impressively and perfectly if I could remember to just act the part written for me to play! When I try to improvise....it doesn't work! I have a whole guide-book; a letter written to me to tell me how to walk through this life, and it reminds me constantly that I must trust to the Master to craft my story!



(Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.")

(Psalm 37:5-6 "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.")

Those are just a couple of the verses that show me over and over, time and again that the One in whom I place my trust is the only One worth having! I will commit my way to Him, and He shall continue to put into place His plan. I'll keep on journaling, and who knows what my God may have done in my life by this time next year? Or the next? Certainly, in my wildest imaginations, I shan't be able to guess how marvelous it really will be! -Rachel

My Lover

I have a lover. He is the most amazing man in the universe! My lover is ten times more of a gentleman than Mr. Knightley. He sends me gifts every day. He has written me dozens of loveletters. My lover's voice could cause mountains to shake with it's awesomeness. He is famous- most everyone has heard His name in some way or another, though some speak it lightly and try to degrade it. My lover is an artist, a farmer, a fisherman, a Prince. My lover is wiser than any man has ever been. And He is crazy about me- He has had His eye on my heart since before I was even born. He constantly seeks to win my heart, and He has. He writes me songs, and stories, and wishes to be with me whenever and wherever. He is never too busy to talk with me. In fact, He is delighted when I converse with Him about the simplest thing. He is rich, owning everything He lays eyes on. He is building me a mansion on a street paved of gold. His eyes gaze on me with perfect joy. He is the ultimate hero, gentleman, knight... you name it, He's better than anyone! He is more talented than any Olympian, He is more humble than any person on the face of the earth. He loves to hear me speak of Him to others. He has claim to more glory than any person on the earth. He loves me to death. Literally. I have ignored Him unintentionally sometimes, and yet, when I come back around to looking for my lover, I find He has been at my elbow the entire time. He would love me if I never spoke to Him. He sends me flowers, He paints me pictures, He sings me songs. There is no man greater than my lover. He could comman respect from President Obama, and any man throughout history if He had wanted. But no. My lover is tender-hearted, merciful. He will not force anyone to seek Him. He calls them, always, but never commands them to acknowledge His greatness. At least, not yet.
He is interested in every single detail of my life. He carries the lightest burdens for me, so that I need not be pained, or heavy-laden. He is my Prince! More lion-hearted than King Richard, wiser than Solomon, richer than Bill Gates, and He has chosen me! Can you imagine that? And to make sure that I could always live with him, forever, He gave His glorious life, for me.
I don't think I need to explain who my lover is, but I'll tell you anyway: JESUS CHRIST!!!
And even when my earthly husband appears, I don't think I could have a better lover than the One who has chosen me for all time! -Rachel

When I Consider The Heavens

I am often overwhelmed when I think of the blessing we have, in being made in the image of God. The Lord created so many amazing things, and yet only we are made in His image. Isn't that wonderful? The reason that thought came into my head, is because I was thinking of what a joy it is to be able to sing. I thought about the birds. They can sing alright! They can sing better than I, and yet, they can't enjoy it in the same way I can! A bird could not experience the same feeling that I do when I sing the last verse of "In Christ Alone":

"No guilt in life,

No fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me!

From life's first cry,

To final death

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell,

No scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand,

Till He returns, or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand."

Birds sing, because that is nearly the only noise they can make. I sing, because it gives me pleasure, and it is a way I can praise my Creator. And you know what? I think Jesus smiles when he sees me enjoying those sorts of things. I mean, singing is not necessary. He could just have easily left out whatever part of me it is that can sing. Smelling and tasting is not necessary. But He wanted me to be able to eat and enjoy His wonderful fruits and vegetables. Even seeing colors is not strictly necessary. I mean, couldn't God have just made the sky gray. And the trees black. And me a faded shade of brown. And the grass charcoal? But our Lord and Master is so awesome and tender and considerate, that He decided to paint the sky a glorious blue, and the grass an emerald green, and me several different colors! :) And God didn't stop there! He invented iridescent feathers on birds, so that everything would coordinate nicely! :) Bluebirds aren't really blue you know, but who can resist smiling when you see one swoop down like a shred of sky onto the lawn? I can't.

I guess this is sort of a strange post, with me digressing on rather small things, but....I do feel that it is dreadfully important to not take these small things for granted. I know, that one of my biggest fears would be to go blind. So I make up for that by absorbing and praising God for each and every shred of color I see! ;) But really, even though it sounds terribly trivial and trite, I see the wisdom in that old saying "take time to smell the roses". Or at least, to recognize the beauty of the dew on the grass, or the way the buttercup petals look like fans mined out of gold! -Rach

The Name

Hey guys! I just started a really great book by Franklin Graham called "The Name". It attempts to explain the great and awesome power behind the name of Jesus Christ. One part I especially liked in the opening chapter reminded us that (roughly) "when someone uses His name to curse, no one thinks twice about it, but when it is used in a respectful, reverent way, you suddenly offend many." One true story he told brought tears to my eyes, as it illustrated what the Lord has done for us all.
Here it is roughly: "In a county in the middle east, there were two boys. One day, they got into a heated arugument while on a rocky hillside, and Abdul pushed Mohammed down the mountain, accidently killing him. Of course, he was horrified that he had killed his best friend, and scared, for in his culture, the rule still was "A life for a life". Abdul ran to the first tent he saw and threw himself down beside it, grabbing the tent peg. In that culture, if you held onto the peg of a tent, the person inside would offer you protection. In response to Abdul's cries, an old, respected man came to the door of the tent, and told the boy to go inside. He swore he would protect him. A few moments later some men who had witnessed the murder ran up, demanding that Abdul be brought outside and punished by being put to death. The old man stood firmly in the doorway and told them, "I have promised to protect this boy."
"But he's a murderer!" one man cried.
"Nevertheless, I have sworn that I will protect him. If you want the boy, you must come past me first!"
The men looked at eachother. "Do you know who he killed?"
The man shook his head.
One of the witnesses said in a very somber voice, "The boy you now protect killed your one and only son. You are harboring and protecting the murderer that killed your only child!"
The old man's face went pale. He set his mouth determinedly and said, looking steadily at the men, "It would do me no good to give him up to you to be killed. I will adopt this boy. He shall live with me in my tent, and be my son. When I die, he shall inherit all I have."

Isn't that amazing? It really made me look at God's love for us in a different light: My despicable sin cause Christ to have to die on the cross in order for me to be with Him in Heaven. My flesh and the flesh of each of us, killed the most noble, courageous, perfect hero of all time. He could have looked at my miserable sin and condemned me. Instead, he layed down his life for me, for He loved me so much. And then, God, having such mercy, looked at the sacrifice His son had made, and chose to adopt me, that I may have a place in His home beside Jesus, who was so powerful that no evil could hold him in the grave. Isn't that amazing? I'm afraid I sometimes take the whole ingenious plan for granted, and never stop to think of what an ironic thing it really was! Anyway, hope that made someone think, and, though I am only part-way through the book, I suggest you read it! -Rachel

Thanksgiving in January

I am sitting in the office, after just having been on the porch drinking in a lovely sunset in the lovely temperatures out-o'-doors. We are so blessed! I think of the small trials we had today: dead batteries, low tires, etc. Then I think of the people in Haiti, of the sick in the hospitals, even Miss Zara over on the Christian Maidens blog who is having considerable health troubles of her own. I am so very glad that we can intercede with prayer for each-other. I just finished a wonderful book called "Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome" by T. Nathaniel Darnell. It put me in mind of yet another blessing: the ability to be a part of our nation's government. I think of the blessing of having sunshine to dry the clothes, and the blessing of a new dryer that sits in the laundry room having a day-off because of the sunshine and breeze. I think of the greatness of God Almighty in noticing me and calling my attention to the masterpiece He had painted over the Western horizon. I think of the love in my family, of chubby 3 year olds to kiss, of silly 15 year old sisters to make fun with, of a piano to plink out parts for choir with, of the gift of sight and hearing, of ankles that remain unsprained although I have twisted them 4 times since Saturday, of three fine, noble, godly men coming home this moment from a day of hard work, of chickens that give us eggs, and a La Mancha goat that gives us something to laugh at, of the promise of Spring, and flower-seed catalogs to inspire us with more plans for this year, of the mail-lady who must be the disappointment of me when she brings only bills, but who I would gladly hug when she brings me a letter, of friends who have been hospitable to us, addicted us to their pizza, and who gave me the recipe so I could make it for dinner tonight, of herbs to make into healing things, and so many, many more blessings. I have just been struck with these sorts of things today, and standing on the porch enveloped in the peace of a perfectly beautiful evening, the most fitting words flooded my mind. I dared not sing them, since my voice is still croaky, but I said them mentally, and thanked God for his abundant blessings.

"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art."

-Rachel