Silky Suds

Busy cleaning the bathroom counter, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

Magic Eraser in hand (a miraculous cleaning tool!), Clorox wipes at attention and my yellow broom at ease against the door I was struck by the ridiculousness of it all.

Not just the ridiculous notion that I, a self-proclaimed princess separated from her real family at birth, was cleaning.

But that I was scrubbing the bathroom clean while wearing silk.

Beautiful, pink silk.

Suddenly I thought, “I shouldn’t be doing this.”

At all. And especially not in silk.

As I stared at myself in the mirror battling my newfound identity crisis the Lord whispered into the deepest part of me, “Why not? I do this for you.”

I stood still for a moment basking in the imagery of my Heavenly Father clothed in majesty washing me, one covered in mire, clean.

It took my breath away.

It humbled me.

It set my heart on fire anew with purpose and passion for His renown.

And so, in my pink silk, I scrubbed and scrubbed.

Aware of my Savior’s Majesty.

Awed at the thought of His Glorious Hands making me new.

The Lord reigns. He is clothed with majesty.

Psalm 93:1

Be sure to check out Taste Buds today. Cool stuff going on for this summer!

Over At The Cafe

My Kitchen Confession #4,287: (And, no, that number is not an exaggeration!) I am terrified of the garbage disposal. I am talking “redrum” petrified.

Every morning as I stir my cup o’ caffeine near the sink I am reminded of my fear. I have a constant inner dialogue with that Trash Churner and our talks never end well.

I imagine leaning over the sink to wash my hands or clean a dish or fill my glass with water when suddenly my beautiful wedding band slips off and falls in. Traumatized by the potential loss of my eternity band ...read the rest here.

You've Asked...I Answer

FAQ's

Um...what exactly do you do?
This is a great question. I still don't even know what I do! Oh, I tease. I write full-time. Both my own studies and studies for others - such as Pastors who would like to expand on a teaching series of their own and need some help.

I saw that you write Bible studies -- what kind do you write?
I write in-depth bible studies which involve individual homework and corporate gathering.

What is The Invitation? Where can I read it?
The Invitation is the first in-depth bible study I wrote. It looks at the exodus journey of biblical Israel and brings their heaven-taught lessons into modern light.
I post pieces of it every now and then edited into devotional format -- so you've read more of it than you know! Though it is complete it has wrap up sessions that need to be taught in front of a willing class before it can be used by others.

If you are interested in learning more please contact me at sherebiah@optonline.net.

What are you working on now?
I am currently in the midst of writing a new bible study and am working as a "writing consultant" (whatever that is!) for a private project.


Will you ever attempt fiction?
I hope to! I have ideas for fiction and in my spare time am attempting to write my first novel. Stay tuned for more...


What kind of chronic illness did you have when you were young?
At the age of 14, after three years of intense physical struggle, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. All throughout junior high and high school, Fibromyalgia was my life. Later, at the age of 19, after a back injury, I was diagnosed with Ligamentous Laxity - which in my case means my ligaments are too large for my body. And can cause over-extension, leading to pain.





Will you be my friend?
Of course.




Where do you live?
Without getting too specific, I am a New Yorker living in Southern California for a time. Pray for me!


Are you really that into Lattes?
You don't know the half of it. I'm so into lattes we recently bought a coffee maker that would allow us to make 'em in our home! Do you have any idea how expensive Starbuck's can become when you are me?


Could you pray about...?
If you so feel led to send me a prayer request, please do. While I am clearly unable to spend all day in prayer for those who are in need, I am in the process of assembling a prayer team. I welcome your requests and am deeply humbled you'd ask.

If you are interested in joining up a prayer team for Exemplify please contact me!


What's the difference between your blogs?
So glad you asked!

Exemplify is my professional blog. Here you can read regular devotionals and print out the weekly "Walk It Out" which incorporates the application of a specific verse each week. It is here you can also pitch your own projects to me.

Podcasts will also be a feature at Exemplify shortly!

I am toying with the idea of starting an in-depth study on Exemplify - with weekly homework and a wrap up session. Is that something you'd be interested in?

Taste Buds is my personal blog. If you want to read my thoughts on life, get to know me a little better or read some more devotionals (which more often than not deal with my own personal walk) than this is the site for you.

Whatever Girls is my blog for teens. We are still putting the finishing touches on this one - but if there is a precious teen girl in your life, this is the site for her! Each week a devotional is released with questions for application - they are great for Mother/Daughter devotional time. My own Mom and 13-year-old sister love it. I also post things just for fun - and welcome the girl's input!

I also contribute monthly to The Internet Cafe - a great place for women!



Keep the questions coming, ladies! And thank you for stopping by and reading my heart jotted down on these blog pages.

The Power of Prayer

Exodus 17:12-13

“When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”

Focus on these two verses for a moment.
“When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other- so that his hands remained steady until sunset. So, Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”

Look at the power of prayer! Look at the effect Moses’ belief in the Lord had. Moses raised his hands, lifting up the Lord; exalting him. We do not know what Moses was saying while he was on that hill. While studying this portion on my own, I was more than a little upset that Moses’ words on the mountain were not recorded.
But as I spoke my disappointment to the Lord, He clearly spoke to my heart saying, “It was not the words of Moses that are important, what is important is whom he sought for protection and victory.” And here, my friend, that is indeed recorded.

Look at the portion of the verses above in bold.

1. Moses’ hands grew tired. Moses had his hands raised in prayer for one whole day. From what I assume was sun up to what I know to be sunset. That is a long time! No wonder his arms grew tired. While I have not been asked to climb up a hill and hold a staff in my hands for a day, there have been circumstances in my life where long periods of prayer have been needed to overcome. During some of these times, I have grown tired. With a heart aching to have the ‘amalekite’ I was faced with defeated. But just as Moses, though we are tired, our belief in Christ and our prayer must not cease in times like these!

2. Aaron and Hur held his hands up- one on one side and one on the other. Wow. I love this part. Moses’ brother and his friend held his hands up so that the victory of the Lord would together be theirs. They held his arms up because he was too tired. We, as Christians, need to rally around our fellow believers lifting their arms up in prayer when they are too tired to do so! We need to stand in agreement with them; lifting high the name of the Lord on the hill. What victory we will see then. You’ve heard there is safety in numbers…in prayer there is ‘power in numbers”!

3. …Joshua overcame…with the sword… Joshua overcame the Amalekites because he was covered with the favor of the Lord. He was covered through prayer. Moses sought the Lord because he believed the Lord. The Lord had set him out on a journey and Moses knew that the Lord was going to be faithful and ‘stand there before him’(Exodus 17:6). Oh, how I pray that each one of us will realize this truth in our own lives. The truth that the Lord goes before us; preparing the way.

Do not miss ‘with the sword’ in this chapter. Paul commands us in Ephesians 6: 17 to "take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Let’s cut straight to the core of things for a moment: Victory in Christ comes from a relationship cultivated through prayer and through His word! You want to overcome the enemy; you need to get out your sword!

Even as Moses was upon the hill praying for Joshua and his army to prevail that certainly does not mean Joshua wasn’t fighting his hardest! Prayer is not a promise of roses and rainbow combats. Prayer is an instrument of war. Just as reading and speaking the Word is. We need to know Christ and to know Christ we need to know His word!


Verse 14 of Exodus 17 says that the Lord told Moses to write down what had happened on a scroll because it was ‘something to be remembered’. I love that!

He also wanted Joshua to hear that it would be remembered because the Lord was going to get rid of Amalek for good – blotting out the memory of them from under heaven.

I wonder what Joshua thought of that? He must have been silenced by the honor of being the Lord’s. I am sure that he was tired, hungry, dirty, blood drenched but I also think he was thankful, empowered, comforted and in awe. The Lord of all creation had just told Moses to relay a message to Joshua that his fighting had not been in vain. The Lord would take care of his battle with Amalek for good.

Exodus 17:15-16
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

How blessed we are to call this very God our own! What a comfort it is to know that we can bring Him our worries; ask Him to defeat the enemy we face daily. What a privilege it is to raise our hands in prayer to him and to join others in this fight. He sees, He hears and He answers! In the beautiful name of Jesus we have been given victory. The Lord is our Banner. Let's meet with Him...hands raised in prayer. Covered by Christ.

(Excerpt taken from The Invitation written by K.J. Schiffman)

A Favorite of Mine

A Franciscan Benediction


May God bless us with discomfort at
easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that we may live from deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger at
injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God's creations
So that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed
for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that we may reach out our hands to comfort them
and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishness
To believe that we can make a difference in the world,
So that we can do what others claim cannot be done.

Serafina Screamed

Freezing, a few years ago, at a family barbeque I made my way inside my house to don a sweatshirt.

I was rushing because, if memory serves me right, my Uncle Mike was in the middle of one of his hilarious stories. And I did not want to miss a moment of my favorite Uncle’s tale telling.

Eyeing a sweatshirt and some socks for my flip-flop rocking feet, I practically catapulted into my bedroom and slammed my door.

That was when Serafina, our cat, screamed.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an animal make a noise like that before. There is no other way to put it: She screamed.

At me.

Quite angrily.

And had she cut my tail off, I would’ve done the same.

Because that was what had happened – I slammed the door on her tail and now a portion of it was lying dormant on the floor as I opened the door to set her free.

I felt horrible as I looked at the tip of Sera’s tail meeting its demise in the hallway. And even more horrible as I looked at Sera dragging her body on the ground, screaming in pain.

But I knew what had to be done.

I had to hide the tip of her tail.

Because my Mom was going to kill me.

So, I did what any CSI wanna-be would do. I picked up the tip of Sera’s tail and walked it to the garbage can. (Actually, I skip-ran my way so as not to have a run in with my Momma Bird.)

Because she is NOT a CSI wanna-be and coming in contact with the tip of her pet’s tail is probably not on her list of “Must Dos”.

In all actuality, after grabbing the stub of former feline tail it proved to be more of a close haircut for Sera than a real tail reduction. It was a slight tail reduction. Just the very, very tip.

I’m sure it still really hurt; hence, the screaming.

Further proof, her wariness around me and all doors for the next few weeks.

The thing I felt even worse about during the whole fiasco was the fact poor little Sera never even saw it coming. There she was lounging on my bedroom floor, tail o’ twisting when I barged in and nearly sliced the entire thing off.

Ain’t that life?

Sometimes you never see it coming.

A death.

A diagnosis.

A betrayal.

A breakup.

A tail cut off.

 

We have not been promised trouble-free times in this world. Quite the contrary, Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble.”

We have the coming promise of trouble-free life, but we have not arrived there just yet.

And so we find ourselves with a choice.

Who are we in these moments? Are we a people who tuck tail and run for the hills? A people who forever vow to avoid doorways? A people shattered, broken without the promise of rescue?

Will we lose heart?

Or will we take heart?

 

John 16:33 

 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The Ever-Loving Truth

A while ago I watched a two week video session with author and Pastor Voddie Baucham encouraging Christians to have an answer ready on why they believe the Bible to be true. 

I think more often than not when asked a question on how we can rely on the accuracy of Scripture we tend to get a bit tongue-tied. 

Here are my notes from his teaching. (Please keep in mind I was scribbling faster than a woodchuck chucks wood and couldn't possibly have recorded ALL of his wonderful information!)

 Hope my notes leave you just as in awe as they did I.

I believe the Bible because it is...

A reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses that report supernatural events which took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim to be divine rather than human in origin.

(2 Peter 1:16-20, 1 John, Luke, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. 300 eyewitnesses were still alive at time Corinthians was written.)

 

It was written on 3 continents, in 3 languages, over 40 authors, 66 books: names, dates, places are included.

Over 23,000 archeological digs have been directly related to the Bible; AND not one historical event has had to be changed because they are always proven true!

 

Every new translation is based on an original transcript. None of this ‘phone game’ theory works!

There are over 6,000 original manuscripts or portions of manuscripts that are NT based. We can get our hands on these documents from AD 120 – last piece of NT was written in AD 95!

(To help bring that realization home: "Julius Caesar – Gallic Wars"- we can get our hands on only 10 manuscripts AND we cannot get our hands on one dated any earlier than 900 years after the original! 5 manuscripts for "Aristotle- Poetics" dated back to 1400-1500 years after the original. 10 manuscripts for Homer’s Iliad – 2100 years after the original.)

We have examples of prophetic accuracy – 

Psalm 22 was written 1,000 years before Christ’s death. It describes in intense detail the day of his death and crucifixion (a type of torture which was not even known in the time of David.)

 

In order to re-write our heavenly history, somehow old monks would’ve had to steal and change 6,000 Greek manuscripts…then change the 2^nd and 3^rd century translations which were written in three other languages…then change the early church father’s copies (which alone could be used to accurately represent 95% of the Bible!)

 

Not Scientific Enough? 

Duh! To be a scientific debate we’d need 

observable, measurable and repeatable circumstances.

History can’t be proven by science –

 only proven by the evidentiary method –

which means we need the following accurate evidence: 

internal consistency, co-aberration and reliability – 

which brings me back to my original statement…

 

{Thanks Voddie Baucham for all of this!}

I HIGHLY encourage you to get your hands on Voddie Baucham's book and take some of your own notes. I printed mine out on a little index card a while ago and worked on memorizing the facts. I want to be ready with an answer when asked. I want my 1 Peter 3:15 moment to be met with victory.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience..."

Tabernacled Among Us

John 1:10-14 (Amplified Bible)

"He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own--His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name--Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth."

 

   I thought up this delicious cupcake costume for a child a few weeks ago. Imagine this: a chocolate cupcake suit – very round, very dramatic- on a toddler, with a hat that looks like vanilla icing, colored sprinkles (of course) and a candle sticking out the top, preferably with some form of a fictitious flame. How adorable would a child look dressed as this scrumptious treat?

   I’ve got to tell you, Eric, my normally supportive man, when proposed this costume idea was not very receptive. I am not sure if he was thrown off by the idea of a living, breathing human being forced to parade around as a birthday indulgence or if the idea of having a child – a cupcake child as I now like to refer to all children- of his own was that horrifying.

   All I know is that my cupcake idea was not welcomed by him. Even though I have seen the beauty of the idea. Even though it makes complete toddler- cute- factor sense to me. He shot my idea down. To the ground. And that was without my mentioning how I would like to dress all kids up like that everyday…not just on Halloween. I am still acting like I am scarred by the depth of his disdain for my cupcake kid plan…but the truth is, I get it.

 Kids are not meant to live their lives dressed as cupcakes. Sure, for one day it would be oh-so cute. Maybe for a week if the child took a real liking to the costume – but could you imagine a child dressed up as a chocolate calorie trap for their entire lives? Oh my. We would certainly have a ‘Mommy Dearest’ on our hands if this were the case. Children were not created to be cupcakes. Let’s just admit it.

   I’ve got a better admission for us while we are at it: We were not created to be sinners.

I’ve just got to wonder if before Christ entered the picture all of heaven gathered around and watched our sorry selves carry on dressed ridiculously in this covering of sin? To the angels were we the equivalent of consistent cupcake costumes? Were our actions so out of character; so far from the plan that our Father could not fathom another day of this blatant disregard for His will and desire?

Let me tell you something that you can be sure of: the Son of God does not ‘tabernacle among us’ simply because He is bored. Or thinks it would be cool. Or wants to try out a new environment and report back to the mainland. He made his home among us because we were lacking something. And that something was redemptive righteousness.

  Christ has made forgiveness and newness a reality for us. He has come with the promise of freshness and a new day. He is telling us to shed our costumes of sin and get on with free living. Will we take up His promise of purity and shed the get-up of our worldly wardrobes? Or will we continue on looking like ridiculous Halloween rejects?

 

 

“And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”

 

 He fixed his tent of flesh and lived awhile among us. Perfection in human form. Christ born into the world – humbled to even death so that you and I would no longer be captive to our sinful get-ups. 

This week let us shed the shell of sin and step into the robe of righteousness He has made possible for us! (See Isaiah 61:10)

All My Fountains

Reprint from June of 2006!

Psalm 87:7

“As they make music they will sing, ‘All my fountains are in you.’”

Crazy as it may sound, I was pondering water fountains today. Somehow I got into my head I am going to take up jogging and this time actually stick with it. 

  This thought than birthed the thought of installing a water fountain at the driveway that way as I am leaving for each jog I can take a quick sip and upon returning can just gulp the water down.
   This small dream of a water fountain grew to the dream of a Gatorade fountain. “How could I manage to get blue Gatorade pumping through a fountain," I thought? "Is it possible to order a tank of Gatorade?"

   This, sadly enough, gave way to my fruit punch fountain and even more sadly, the thought of a milk shake fountain. But that would kind of defeat the whole jogging purpose…so back to the fruit punch/Gatorade one…

Under this whole fountain dream there is an underlining point, I promise.      How easy it is for us to take a perfectly good thing and BAM! Feel like we need an upgrade. I literally went from jogging with a water bottle like normal people to adding in a Water/Punch/Gatorade/Milkshake dispensing fountain in my front yard in a matter of seconds. 

Why isn’t water enough?

We do this with God. We take The Thirst Quencher and try to fit him into a better post-jogging-fountain. We dig wells that are not meant to be dug. We place our thirst into the hands of those who cannot hydrate. We take addiction, depression, devastation and somehow we begin to serve what they serve. Despair becomes our ‘it’ guy. Loss our only comfort.
   How can loss even be a comfort? I don’t understand the logic, but I have been the one to jog drinking in fountains full of loss. I have been the one who has dug the cisterns of loss juice and tried to hydrate on anger, rejection, sin. I have lived the fountains. None of them took care of the thirst.
   

 I absolutely love Psalm 87:7. Speak it aloud as you read it. “As they make music they will sing, ‘All my fountains are in you.’” 

How beautiful. Lord, all my fountains are in you! 

What I fear we miss is that the deeper our thirst for Christ and the more we allow Him to quench it, the more fountains we find springing up. And soon the Living Water that was rather bland in the beginning to our taste buds is sweeter than any milkshake could ever be. Soon, we serve The Only One. Soon - all of our fountains are in one place.

And oh how His streams affect our lives. Dry bones rise up and live. Broken hearts begin to mend. Lost dreams are found. Shattered hopes become restored. Our thirst is quenched…and we soon find ourselves jogging just to get to the fountain. We soon find ourselves exercising just to be rejuvenated. We find ourselves being emptied but not worrying about never being full. 

Yes, Lord Jesus. All of our fountains, every last one is in you.

No fruit punch add-on’s for us. We want the real deal and nothing less!

Desert Dwellers

This is a re-print from June of 2006! An oldie but a personal favorite goodie of mine...enjoy.

Growing up my Grandmother displayed an array of flowers and plants throughout her house and yard. I have always felt so pulled toward the little flower boxes, to gaze upon their beauty and ask just what type each respective colored bloom was. Her flowers reminded me so of love. Just these colorful sprees of life, beckoning all to come and rest for a while. They added such flair and design to an otherwise bare porch.

    Inside her house to this day sits an interestingly shaped cactus plant. Yep, you heard me. Beauty outside. Cactus inside. In her kitchen no less! How could one plant all of these gorgeous creations to enjoy the sunlight and star gazes only to destroy the whole thing with a hideous looking cactus plant right smack in the heart of the house?
    Now, this cactus plant is not your ordinary desert dweller. It honestly looks like a bunch of fingers, pointing straight at you as if identifying you as the culprit. Every time I catch a glimpse of it, I am worried police are coming to bring me in for a crime. The thing should be burned. My Grandma loves it. “Beautiful in its own way…”
    “Grandma,” I’ve said on many occasions, “it is a cactus and it has bitten me more than once. Not counting all the other grandchildren it has attacked in its years! You do remember the Summer House incident of ‘93, don‘t you?”
      She just laughs and comments on how the poor plant should be pruned. I’ve never understood it. 

  That is until this New York girl found herself in Texas. In the middle of a glassed-in cactus exhibit. These things get big and some of them well…I will admit it here…(it could have been the chocolate talking since I was actually participating at a chocolate festival that day but)…some of those cacti were actually…ahem…beautiful. 

  I took pictures and everything! Tall. Strong. Sure of themselves. Sure that what lives inside of them is enough to keep them going…these cacti knew who they were!
    Wouldn’t you know the Lord spoke to me through cactus plants? Cactus are built to survive and their lives are not all about light rainstorms and rainbows. They have hard lives: dirt, heat, cold nights, barrenness. 

Cacti somehow find favor in the desert.

  Not much unlike us, the faithful followers of Christ. I don’t know if you have just found yourself in the desert or if you have been desert walking for years. All I know is that I have been into a few deserts myself with the Lord and well, I am starting to look more and more like a cactus everyday! 

The Lord wants us to be able to survive and thrive - on Him alone- and so He takes us by our hands sometimes and leads us into the desert.

Moses knew what that was like, Deuteronomy 2:1 says,” Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir."

For a long time Israel trekked through barren lands and sand stormed living because they were directed to do so. Keep in mind Israel was not lost! They were being disciplined. Do you relate? When you look around your life right now are you in the heart of the wilderness? If so, Jesus has two great truths for you today.

  

One is found in Deuteronomy 2:2. “Then the Lord said to [Moses], ‘You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.’”

Dear one, eventually the Lord will call you out of your desert surroundings. If you are faithful to Him even in your mirage-inducing settings you will see the second joy offered to us desert dwellers. 

Jeremiah 31:2 speaks to us!

 “This is what the Lord says: 

‘The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness…”

Amidst desolate lands and parched mouths…you will find His favor if you remain faithful. 

Impossible? 

I think not…the cactus pulls it off.

 A rugged beauty.

 Sure, not the look we had always envisioned for ourselves but the look of a true strength. Listen closely to His word, “Those who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness…” 

Our hikes are battles we can be sure. The question is not if the trek is hard. We know it is. The question is will we give up and trade in our reward of favor to simply be a flower adorning a porch for the summer months? Or will we trade in our expectations and find favor in the wilderness, standing tall as cacti; taken care of and glorifying-ly alive?

I'm A Momma!

Saying I feel over-exhausted is an under statement since my husband and I have had the pleasure of feeding, washing, singing to sleep, feeding again, rocking and praying for our new three –week- old- little -one.

Oh, he is so precious. And every single time I look into his blue eyes I am reminded of the power of God’s majesty.

The other day, however, as my husband and I were driving to get some coffee (alone!) I was in freak-out mode because our baby was home. Without us. For the first time. I was convinced he was going to die or choke or sleep himself to death. I don’t even know what – I just had this horrible feeling of separation anxiety. I was simply convinced if I was not there, anything and everything had the potential to go wrong!

Oh yes, I forgot to mention

our new three-week-old- little -one is...

a kitten.

A beautiful baby kitten named Roloff.

So, you can imagine my husband’s thought process and facial expression as I spoke aloud my worries to him through our day date. I needed to get home to my little furry man!

I nearly screamed, “My goodness, he needs me, Eric!”

I think it is safe to say Eric is re-thinking his stance on having actual children with me, considering I am clearly insane.

Common sense tells me, Roloff will survive for two hours alone! Common sense tells me I am the one in need of some serious help.

However, I am enrolled in The School of Independence. I actually have my master’s degree in Without-Me-This-Place-Would-Fall-Apart.

Well, not seriously. Although if that degree were offered, I am well aware Jesus would give me an honorary one.

Don’t you ever feel like you are the glue keeping the life around you together? Of course, tired and worn out glue; but glue nonetheless.

I struggle with this daily and it doesn’t end at kitten bottle feedings. When the Lord asks me to do something I deem a little bit much – my first question is always, “Are you sure about this?”

That’s right. I’ve actually wondered if the King of Creation knows what He is doing in this life of mine.

Isaiah 30:15 jumps off the page and hits me square in the head (and heart) every time I read it, “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me – the very thing you’ve been unwilling to do.”

I wonder what would happen in our lives if we settled down in complete dependence on our Father God?

Scripture tells us we will be strong, it tells us our real strength is in our complete reliance on God.

Are we, like biblical Israel, unwilling to do that very thing?

Will this be the week we come to Him in “repentance and rest, quietness and trust”?

Will this be the week we Isaiah 30:15’ers see Isaiah 32:17 come to life in our homes?

“Right will build a home in the fertile field. And where there's Right, there'll be Peace and the progeny of Right: quiet lives and endless trust.”

Isaiah 32:17, The Message

I pray so. I pray this will be the week we hand God all of our “baby kittens” and begin to find ourselves transformed into a people not only in sole/soul dependence on God – but those who see the work of Righteousness and His Glorious effect in our lives.

Quiet lives. Endless trust.

I want that for us.




Check out a funny post at Taste Buds, The ABC's of L-O-V-E