God Thoughts No. Twenty-Five

The Lord told me to look up this passage this morning...WOW!

Precise and to the point.

"If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters."

1 John 4:20-21

The realization that there is hatred among and within the Body of Christ causes my heart to weep.

It's not just a difference of opinion, but hatred.

Will you purpose with me to Love one another as Jesus commanded us to?

God Thoughts No. Twenty-Four

" I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these,  because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified  in the Son. If you ask Me  anything in My name,  I will do it."

John 14:12-14

This is a promise which I desire to be fulfilled in my own life.

The promises of God are true.

Hallelujah!!!

Milestones

It dawned on me this morning that this is a year of many milestones for the Humildad Family.

No, really, I haven't been in denial.

 Just a little slow perhaps.

Whatever the case, I'd say that I'm relatively excited about the new things going on around here!

Our oldest child, Jenna Lianne, turned 18 in March and is set to "officially" graduate High School on June 12.

This is a bittersweet moment for Mr. and Mrs. H. - sad, yet exciting.

Naturally, we're sad to realize that our little "Jellyanne" is on her way out of our door, yet equally excited to watch her embark upon the next part of her own journey.

She can't wait!

Our middle child, Geoff Griffin, will turn 16 in December and is excitedly looking forward to getting his Driving Permit in just a couple of short weeks.

Mr. H. is a bit less apprehensive than Mrs. H. about this great news.

It is Mrs. H. whom, after all, will spend most of the time in a moving vehicle with the boy. (!)

Overall, we're pretty excited for him though.

And our baby, Sarah Amanda, will turn 13 in July.

My, my, where did the time go?

Mr. and Mrs. H. are having a bit of difficulty with the realization that the baby is about to officially become a teenager. Nevermind that she's already 12 going on 20!

Sarah is excited though because this is the first year she is old enough to go on a trip (to another state!) for a Youth Conference which she has been looking forward to for quite some time.

We are very excited for her. She's going to have a blast!

As for Mr. and Mrs. H...

We are humbly blessed by these children whom God entrusted into our care.

And quite frankly, we look forward to the next set of milestones!

Poverty Status

Some who read my last post may think I was being a little bit melodramatic.

After all, we still have a roof over our heads and vehicles we drive around in.

This is true, but only by the grace of God and the obedience of His people.

When we moved to Yerington, we were considered Upper-Middle Class by U.S. Economic Standards.

We had money in both savings and IRA accounts, sizable life insurance policies and a decent health insurance plan.

 Having been stripped of all of those things, we are now considered,

Middle-Lower Class by those same standards.

We now qualify for (and have used) Food Stamps, Utility Assistance and State Funded health insurance (for the children).

Look around and you'll find there are people like us in your very own neighborhood.
And I daresay that those who "abuse the system" are the exception rather than the rule.

Anyway, God, in His perfect wisdom, knew that, for us, it would become so, and in-as-such, He strategically placed people in our lives whom He would use to dramatically impact us.

People whom, unbeknownst to them, would play a significant role in our

physical, spiritual and financial well-being.

People who have said, "Yes", to God.

For the past several years now we have truly depended upon God for our financial well-being;
that is, paying the bills (at least most of them).
And because we have remained in faith and because He is good, He has provided.
For a short season it was through the above mentioned (State Assistance) method, but for the past two years it has been through the obedience of the above mentioned (Yes to God) people.

Every month, from this very small group of people,
we receive either food, household items or money - usually, ALL three.
It is by their obedience and generosity that we remain clothed, fed, housed and transported.
What makes this situation even more amazing is that none of these people are rich by any means.
Most of them give to us out of their own need.
Their example of love and obedience is inspiring for sure.
(I will also interject here that on occasion or two, we have received money from friends of these friends-people whom we don't even know- because they too have purposed to obey God's leading).

 God's demonstration of His great love for us through the love and provision of these people is
water for a thirsty soul.
This is extravagant Love.

You might be wondering why Bob and I don't go to work.

We do! Bob works full time and I work part-time.

We aren't "dead beats", "scavengers" or "abusers of the system".

We are simply a family following God and learning an abundance of lessons along the way.

God, in His sovereignty, moved us to a place where wages are lower than "average" and benefits, scarce.

Not because He is sadistic, but because He knows what is best. His ways are perfect.

Most Sojourners and Missionaries live by Faith in God's Provision through the support of other people.

This season has been training. God knew that we wouldn't survive had He thrust this upon us all at once. So, little-by-little, He has been preparing us; stretching, increasing and strengthening our faith. And when the time is right, we will begin the next chapter of our journey; a new season.

I could fill Blog pages with the things that we have learned -

all of us; our family and those who have helped us along the way,

but that would take days!

One thing I will say is that we have all learned what a Blessing it is to give to others out of our own need.

We have all been blessed with having been in positions of giving out of our abundance, but to learn to give out of one's own need is...

...euphoric!

And honestly, each time we do, God Blesses us all even More!!!

As I began writing this (yesterday), I was wondering and asking God why He wanted me to share all of this - to lay bare some of the details of our lives.

His answer was that, for me, it is yet (another) lesson in humility, vulnerability, realness and courage.

I wonder what reading/hearing it is for you?

Blessings upon blessings to you my friend!

Seasons of the Soul

Every season of life has a purpose.

Seasons of adversity are allowed by God so as to teach, correct and bless those who call Him Lord.

It isn't a cliche, it's a promise.

When we moved to Yerington, we entered into a season of  (literal) poverty.

Like Job, we have been stipped of financial assets and have suffered  physical affliction.

Our children, thankfully, remain alive and well - Hallelujah!

But our family has been through (and continues in) some amazing trials.

We quickly learned that satan intends for poverty to be not only a physical affliction,

but a spiritual affliction as well.

We have been brought low so as to see ourselves as we are truly are

while learning to see God as He truly is.

He is amazing and beautiful to behold.

Though His ways are not our ways, He knows what is best.

His ways are perfect.

We have learned to live the declaration which we so often made in Sunday morning worship;

 that is "to praise Him every season of our souls".

Amen



God Thoughts No. Twenty-Three

I was awakened at 2 a.m. by the sound of pouring rain

- glorious rain -

and the urgent need to get up before by bladder burst!

Anyway, as I lay back down, to sleep - haha

Many thoughts began swirling around in my mind.

After a time of praise to the Maker of the rain

and  receiving some encouraging words for a friend,

my thoughts turned to all of the things I've read the past week or two.

From Facebook statuses to Blog posts;

News headlines to articles;

Memoirs to the Bible;

All the questions, concerns, thoughts and ideas of man were busy swirling around in my mind

when I heard, ever so softly yet quite clearly,

"Lysa, it all comes down to Faith like a child."

Wow!

Yeah!

He desires for all to come to Him as a child;

a small child whose thinking has not been damaged by the world.

He made Salvation simple.

"Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:1-5

"He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”  Mark 10:14b-15

"But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” Matthew 19:14

And in our child-like faith, He will reveal to us the things which are hidden from the world so that we may become full of the knowledge of Him so that we can share it with the world.

But we must remember to do so with child-like simplicity.

"At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!" Matthew 11:25-26

"At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way." Luke 10:21

We do well to remember that

knowledge and wisdom without love and simplicity of heart is just a bunch of pomp and noise!

Praying, love, blessings & simplicity of heart over you my friend!

God Thoughts No. Twenty-Two

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."

Psalm 34:18

This verse has been swirling around my thoughts for a couple of days now.

As Holy Spirit brings it to the forefront of my mind, I praise Him for His grace and comfort.

I also ask Him of whom He is speaking. Various people come to mind, thus I pray comfort over them.

Yesterday, as I was reflecting on this verse, I thought about how, through an inspection of my own life and through the observation of people, I can conclude that the condition of a persons heart can often be measured by the amount of drama one creates in ones life.

I have found that, usually, the amount of drama one creates is equal to the amount of damage their heart has suffered.

This observation drives me to a deeper sense of God's love.

He is, indeed, close to the broken-hearted.

A person who suffers does not go unnoticed by God.

Verse 17 of Psalm 34 says, however,

"The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles."

and verse 19 promises

"The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time."

Yes, He is near to the broken-hearted, but He asks that we acknowledge our brokenness.

It isn't a requirement for Him to be near because He is always near, but He does desire for us to look up.

His desire is that we acknowledge His nearness, embrace it and allow Him to heal us.

In doing so,

"Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong."

Ephesians 3:17

There is a way to overcome broken-heartedness and the Way is through the Love of Jesus.

If you're feeling broken today, I pray that a new revelation of the Lord's great and abiding Love will go deep into the very core of your being so as to heal you and break the bonds of drama in your life.

I speak from experience when I say, a life without drama is much more peaceful than a life full of it!

Peace and grace to you and yours.

Housework & the Devil

I was blessed today with accomplishing enough housework to feel smugly self-satisfied.

As I was revelling in my accomplishment, my mind wandered back to a conversation I had with my three teenage children several months ago.

I remember looking around my house in disgust and asking them, "Do you remember when I used to keep the house so clean we could have eaten off the floors if we wanted to?"

The three looked at me, a bit puzzled and replied, "We don't remember how clean the house was, but we remember how crazy, scary you got while doing it!"

Yes, that was me.
It was as if Satan himself would possess me and turn me into a rotten, cranky, screaming, madwoman.

It was not a pretty sight.

The fact that that's what my children remembered both saddened and humbled me.

As I pondered their words, the Lord revealed to me my error.

Several years ago, as I did a study of the Proverbs 31 Woman, I fell into a trap.

A trap that said  I had to be Suzie Homemaker, Betty Crocker, Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa all in one.

It was a train of thought that said I had to perform a certain way in order to truly be the model of that Proverbs 31 Woman.

It was exhausting. And unfortunately, I remained in that trap for several years.

 You see, my children didn't care how clean or dirty my house was. They cared more about how it affected me. They noticed more whether I spent time with them or on housework. They shared how, to them, they felt as if I cared more about how clean the house was than I did about them! The very thought of it brings tears to my eyes!

Through life and circumstances, I (thankfully) was freed of that way of thinking and began to relax a little bit more. I have learned to choose my battles more wisely and how to make the best use of my time...

time with them.

They're teenagers now and don't necessarily want to always spend time with me, but when they do, I jump on the chance!

The years go by too quickly and I now see that I wasted some of the best years on things that don't matter as much as I used to think they did.

The children don't hold it against me though.

Most of the time they laugh about it and make jokes about how "crazy" I was.

Thank God that I'm better now - well, mostly.

As for my husband, he has never said anything about the cleanliness or dirtiness of the house - ever.

He's always thought of me as Suzie Homemaker, Betty Crocker, Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa all rolled into one.

And I suspect that it shall remain so for the rest of our days.

So, when all is said and done, what matters the most is that

"(My) children stand and bless (me). (My) husband praises me: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" 

And the Lord declares, "(She) was a woman who fear(ed) the Lord and will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise."

( From Proverbs 31: 28-29, 30b-31)

This is how I will know that I have, indeed, been a model of the

Proverbs 31 Woman whom I so greatly admire.

Lifestyle

My mind is always going. Even when I sleep, it rarely shuts down.

If I doze for ten minutes, nine of them are filled with dreams - movement.

A full nights sleep can yield a dozen or more dreams.

It's been this way since I can remember.

When I was a small child, my dreams were of things yet to come; my waking moments spent walking and talking with Jesus.

He spent the days "being" with me and spent the nights sharing things with me.

As an adult, each twenty-four hour period is a combination of both.

My adult life hasn't always been this way.

There was a time when I closed my eyes and ears to Him.

It was only a few short years, but they impacted my life greatly.

During those years of closing Him off, I had to learn things "the hard way".

It was a long, arduous process.

Since purposing to remain open to Him I have grown by leaps and bounds.

Life hasn't been "easier", but my sanity has been kept in tact; the thirst of my soul has been quenched.

The day I purposely removed the barrier which I had placed between Him and me was a day of great rejoicing because by then, my husband was on board with me. In fact, it is he whom Holy Spirit used to get my attention! Oh what a gracious Father we have!

That was the day we purposed to follow Him.

 "One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.  A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.  He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men." From Matthew 4 & Mark 1

I wish I could say that we immediately left everything behind as these disciples did, but for us, it was a bit slower process.

"When John’s (the Baptist's) two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”  “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.  Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ"). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”  Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.  As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”  “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”  Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” John 1:37-49

Perhaps we were a bit more like Nathanael. Only our reasoning was something like,

"How could forsaking all the world has taught us and following Jesus possibly be the best thing to do? What about all the responsibilities we have. What about..." blah, blah, blah

Having gone through "the desert", endured a Job-like experience, and shared in the sufferings of Christ, we can honestly say that this is the only way to live.

Christ has the Victory and He has promised those who follow Him Victory as well.

It may or may not look like your idea or perception of Victory, but the Victory is yours none-the-less.

There is no fear for those who are in Christ Jesus because He has already won.

So have we.

Life, Styles & Pressure

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."

Proverbs 16:9

The above Scripture has been rolling around in my head for a couple of years now.

It comes and goes as Holy Spirit pleases it to.

Things are moving and shifting. Winds of change are blowing.

Perhaps it's just the natural flow of things - life.

Perhaps not.

The Voice is whispering ever so softly but I can't quite make out His words.

 The month of May marked the one year anniversary of Lessons from the Desert.

I suppose I should have thrown a party.

My very first post conveyed the message of how we arrived in Yerington without specific details.

I have been pondering this much lately.

 "The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation.

 I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”"

Genesis 12:1-3

These are the verses which God gave to Bob when He told us we would be moving to Yerington.

With that in mind, we sold the house, packed up our children, dog, various possessions and moved.

Bob didn't have a job lined up at the time so most of our friends thought we had lost our minds.

They didn't realize that we had given ourselves fully to God and His plans and purposes for our lives. According to Western Culture, we were being irresponsible; reading more into what we were reading in Scripture and hearing from the Voice than we ought.

We were going off the deep end.

No, they didn't understand that we had purposed to allow God to choose our steps.

The past seven years have been quite a journey.

In our minds, we had arrived in Yerington and were here to stay.

Then about three months into our new adventure, the Voice said, "Don't get too comfortable."

My answer was something like, "What? You're kidding me!"

It didn't take long for me to realize that no, He wasn't kidding.

For over seven years now He has been working on us; pruning, clipping, shaping and molding - making us more and more into the image of Christ. He has revealed to us that He has called us to a Sojourner lifestyle.

A sojourner stays in a place for a certain amount of time;

makes a temporary stop; never gets too comfortable in one place.

This is quite contrary to both Bob's and my nature. We like routine. We like to get comfortable.

Or at least, we did.

People think we're crazy. People assume we've backslidden. People don't understand that to obey God is the only way we can live. To give into the pressure that man attempts to place upon us would stunt our growth. They simply don't understand.

God has called us out.

He has trained us and equipped us;

emboldened us to stand apart and to be, do and say all that He directs us to.

No, they don't understand.

Sometimes, neither do we.

But this we know, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of Power.

 He who began a work in us IS faithful to complete it.

Because God is for us, we fear no man, nor the words, snickers or sneers of man.

Obedience is our only option. Anything less is error.

Are we going to be moving?

 We don't yet know. But we're open to it.

Are we content to remain in Yerington for the rest of our lives?

Yes. Absolutely. If that's what God wants.

Our times are in His hands.

With all of that being said, we realize that we are also experiencing a new season of life;

a season where upon our oldest daughter is entering into her own season of adulthood.

It's a bittersweet season. It's an exciting season.

With her graduation date set for June 12, she's beginning to feel the pressure.

Every adult she encounters asks, "So, what are you going to do after you graduate?"

(Why do we adults do that to children who are just transitioning into adulthood?)

Every time she's asked this question, I suck in my breath, hold it, pray and exhale very slowly while she, sucks in her breath, glances in my direction, smiles and quietly answers.

For years Jenna wanted to become a Fashion Designer.

Visions of New York, Paris and Madrid danced in her head.

Then about two years ago, things began to shift and change. She began to seriously seek God and ask Him what He would have her do. She determined to allow Him to guide her steps.

In-as-such, He began moving her in the direction of missions; to become a missionary.

So, when she tells people that she would like to go to a missions college and become a missionary, they say something like, "Oh a missions trip will be a great experience for you."

You see, they don't understand.

She wants to become a missionary.

She has been called to live a missionary lifestyle.

What does that look like exactly?

We don't know. God is still revealing the details to her.

He has planted within her a desire to help exploited children.

Whether this will be in a far away country or in her own backyard, we're not sure yet.

It doesn't matter.

She knows what she has been called to do and we're going to do all we can to help her get there.

Every person has a calling - a destiny.

It is not my job to determine, speculate, suppose or assume what your destiny is.

If God has placed you in my life, it is my job to uplift you, encourage you, pray for you and love you.

And -

If He has placed me in your life, I hope you would do the same for me.

We have been created for Loving relationship -

Both with Him and with one another.

Will you purpose with me to Love the Way Jesus commanded us to?