Sunday Reflection March 25, 2012

What a wild and woolly week!  I feel a little overwhelmed with the amazing response this week to both this blog and to the Facebook page. This week we had over 1000 visitors to the blog and I cannot tell you how excited this makes me. Day after day the numbers began climbing and even with a late posting midweek, you came to read what was here. I am so thankful for that. And humbled. And more than a little in awe. 


I want to take time and thank Rashad McConico  for sharing his story with us. What a brave and precious thing to be so completely transparent and share such a personal story with the world. I shared this with Rashad all ready, but one of the stats I can see on this blog is what search words or phrases are being used to direct people to this site on search engines. People are looking for answers. They are searching for hope. "Stories about guys overcoming homosexuality" was searched at least twice and brought people to Rashad's testimony. God cares about the individual and if sharing his story helps one person, I know Rashad is happy to have done so. 


I also wanted to point you guys to a guest blog I wrote for Alan Knox's blog, The Assembling of the Church. I know that I have had to deal with offense before and as a Christian it was hard, but what about the people who are still without Christ, who are hurt by a something a Christian did or didn't do and now they lump that offense with the Church, and run from the congregation? What is our response to them? That guest blog was a blessing to write, but even more of a lesson for me. Thank you Alan Knox for the opportunity. 


What was the lesson I learned from the first guest blog post? Well, it is this, do what God told me, write, and let Him grow it to be what He intends. The bad habit I had fallen into was to over-think and obsess over how many people were or were not commenting on things and what did that say about me as a writer. Alan Knox, Jeff Goins, and other wonderful mentors of mine gave me wonderful advise and it was this: just write. So from that came How does your Garden Grow and Just Keep Swimming.  


Last week I shared that I had fasted my words. I shared the three things I had learned from that and I have to say I probably could have written more. If you did not get a chance to read that, click here for that. 


Then my week got turned upside down as we traveled an hour to Texas Children's Hospital with our youngest daughter, Connie-Lyn. She is battling health issues and we will be continuing to pursue answers this upcoming week for her. Please be in prayer about it. So because we were stuck in an ER with no service, I almost did not get to post for Thursday. This is what did make it: The Post that almost Wasn't. 


To round off this week's entries, I killed my "self" and wrote an obituary for her. I had hoped that you would join me and there is still plenty of opportunity to do so by taking the OBIT CHALLENGE.  Weird, I know, but I think it is so helpful in addressing the issue of obedience in our lives that I encourage everyone to do it at least once. 


So many other wonderful things happened this week, some I am holding close to my heart for now, but I do want to say something to my family who may be reading this right now: May God's grace comfort and uplift you in all you do as you mourn the loss of our dear Sister/Aunt/Friend Barbara Lou Green Frankum. Her funeral was one of the most amazing I have ever attended with laughter and joy permeating the room and even the sadness was tempered by hope. She was a no-none-sense woman with a heart bigger than Texas and she will be missed until we see her again in heaven. 


May the joy of the Lord fill you as you go into this week, may you be blessed by what you read here and I pray that you grow in grace and wisdom as you go from glory to glory. 


Dayna 

How Does Your Garden Grow? - Bearing Fruit in Season.

All of my favorite bloggers, Jeff Goins, who encourages me to write, Jon Acuff who encourages me to dream, Alan Knox, who encourages me to study, are all men who keep me grounded and sane. 

I am sure there are more blogs out there that would rock my world, but right now, much like I fixate on a praise and worship CD I like, I have zeroed in on them. These are my gurus, my mentors, and I have never met them. 

O don't get me wrong, we have had pithy banter via Twitter, I occasionally “like” what they say on Facebook, and I blow up the comment sections of their blogs, I have even written a guest blog for one of them before, but the fact is, they don’t know me from Adam. 

How then, can they mean so much to me? 

Because they are producing fruit in season, and I am starved! 

Jesus said in Matthew 21:18-20 (NLT) 

“In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up. The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” 

Jesus was not just having some random temper tantrum here. The Bible says that even when he got angry, he never sinned. He did however have a need at the moment he saw a tree: Jesus wanted to “get his grub on” as we say in the South United States; he was hungry! So what are the lessons to be learned here? 

First, let’s look at this from the tree’s perspective: 

I am a tree. I normally bear fruit for people to eat. These fruits hold seed that make more trees. Right now, out of laziness and/or lack of focus on my purpose, I have no fruit right now. I am still pretty. I still give shade. People still think everything is fine when they don’t look too carefully. It is only on closer inspection that someone may see my lack of fruit. It isn’t a problem…like I said; at least I am still pretty… 

This tree has the wrong attitude, and like many of us, this tree thinks that foliage, the outward appearance, is all that matters. It has a purpose. It even knows its purpose, because it is called a tree and not a sapling, so at some point it must have reached maturity and bore fruit before. 

Yet still, this tree is lacking. The only thing it has to show for the rain and sun God has poured into it is greenery. It didn’t allow the sun and rain to soak in and do the work God intended: bring forth fruit from the inside out. 

So now, a barren tree with pretty green leaves has nothing to provide anyone else when people come by to eat. Bad place to be in. 

All of the sudden, I don’t want to be the tree. I don’t want to be the vapid Christian that thinks ‘as long as my outside looks good, the inside doesn’t really matter that much’. I don’t want to be fruitless. 

Now let’s look at it from Jesus’ perspective: 

I am so tired, and there is so much to do still. The time is getting closer, so I have to go, go, go! I will grab breakfast on the road, no time to lay about! Gotta be about my Father’s business! The morning commute is long, and I need to grab a bite. There is a fig tree. I love figs. Mom used to pick these for me when I was a kid! What? No figs? But I am hungry and I need to eat. I don’t really want to go to temple and take on yet another batch of Pharisees on an empty stomach! It is fig season. There should be figs! “No more fruit for you!” 

Jesus has a purpose too. He came to testify to the truth, that He is the son of God, and that God’s love was fulfilled through him. That is a big message. He had three years of hard work behind him and he was nearing the culmination of everything he had worked for. Stopping to get a bite to eat should not be a monumental task; it should be simple and straight forward. Now, he sees there is no fruit, now he sees closely. Foliage was not enough to sustain him on his way. 

Have you been like Jesus? Busy with the tasks before us, we don’t like to sweat the small stuff, because it alters our course if we do. 

Ever been in a place where you were hungry for a fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, patience, goodness, and kindness only to get a blank stare, or worse yet, judgmental attitudes, and “church speak” from someone you came to for spiritual food? Don’t you hate that? When you see a “tree” that is all greenery and no fruit, have you spoke up and said- this is not right! Jesus did. 

By their fruit (or lack thereof) you will know them. 

Now let’s look at this from the disciples’ perspective: 

DUDE! Man this gig with Jesus is so stinking cool! Just the other day, he raised my homeboy Lazarus from the dead! After four days! Man, he must be God! Who would have thought I would get to be with the movers and the shakers for such a time as this! He is so cool. I have to watch him like a hawk though! The other day, he just stopped in the middle of a crowd and let a bunch of kids crawl all over him. Judas was just getting ready to take an offering too. We needed that! There are a lot of mouths to feed. How many fish and loaves can he make? Wait, he is stopping. Cool, figs. Need some fiber in my diet. What? NO figs? Okay let’s move on…whoa! Did that just happen? Man, the power of Jesus is amazing, he just speaks and trees obey! 

Robert Dinero "Meet the Faukers" Still

People are watching: all the time. Will they see fruit and provision for others in our lives, or will they see nothing but greenery? Will they see someone who speaks up for God’s way, which is bearing fruit in season, and feeding the people around us, as we go about our Father’s business or will they see a lazy, unfocused tree trying to “fit in” by looking like a Christian, but denying the transforming growing power of Christ? 

I don’t know about you, but I am hungry. I am hungry for God, and the things of God, and the Ways of God. I am regularly eating from other people. These “trees” bear different fruit in season. I am able to gain life, knowledge, and sustenance from them, while I do the work I was called to do. 

Questions: Are there people (everyday people or ministers you may love to listen to) in your life that you love to “pick” from? Have you ever gone to someone hoping for some advice or teaching to help get you through a hard time, and there was nothing but greenery? How did you handle that? Share your answers and comments below. I want to know what you think about this scripture. How does it apply to you? Do you see more in it than talked about here? Please share with us. 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that grow is a verb.

Sunday Reflection for March 18, 2012

What a wonderful and kind of weird week for me.

First, it was spring break for my girls, and I got to enjoy having them around quite a bit more than usual. We got some spring cleaning done around the house, and the girls had lots of down time.

This week started off with a real shift in me. God has been dealing with my attitudes about money and Living a "Weed" Free Life was the result. Pulling up the weeds that have choked off real growth in our lives can sometime be difficult, and may even come in ways we never expected.

Well, I already mentioned the cleaning this week. Sadly there is still more to do, since I spent some time with the girls, and with friends this week, it is an ongoing project that I feel may never get finished. Everytime I began to get discouraged about cleaning, I remembered what God had spoke to me about my "Launch" pad! I have to master these small areas of discipline before God will launch me into the next big thing.

My Prayer in the night was about more than just solidifying God as my provider, it was about sharing with you those weak moments where He is my focus and the only One who can pull me out of a murky headspace. I want you to be able to see me as I am, all of my warts, so you can know that if God can work with me, He can work with you.

Real Confidence versus Self Confidence came from a text message conversation with my husband this week. After nearly eight years with the same company he is now looking for something new, and that journey for him has been scary. As Christians we cannot operate in fear, but must rest in who God is, what He has already done for us, and what He will continue to do as long as we are faithful to trust Him.

Then I shared with you my most odd moment, the one where God told me to shhhhh! The past two days have been both a challenge and rewarding and I will be sharing more about fasting my words, my mini vow of silence for two days later this week. I hope you enjoy some of the funny things, and the serious things that I learned through this fast.

Finally, A Charge to Pray was this weeks last post and to me one of the most special. Mostly because it was prompted by someone I did not know who shared his personal struggle with an issue over divorce and dealing with his now damaged relationship with his adult daughter on a forum I belong to on LinkedIn. I had commented and linked this blog to my comment and was flooded with questions by many people. John's really stood out to me:

Please pray for me. I am a father who divorced several years ago and was separated physically from my children for many years. While I supported them and their mother well financially I was not there to be a father. I have apologized to both of them for the divorce and have tried to let them know that I love them however, my daughter (now 32) is especially scarred by the divorce. I want so much for her to love me again but I know only the love of Jesus Christ will ever repair the damage I caused. Pray for Beth and pray for me as God works all things for the good of those who love Him.

Blessings,
John 

When I took the time to pray for him right then, leaving my prayer as a comment to his remarks, a spark lit up the forum page. We began praying for one another, and I was reminded what prayer really is: OUR FAITH IN ACTION!

What a privileged it is to serve a God that cares so much for us that He gave us the power of prayer. The ability to call on the Maker of the Universe for anything is awesome, but knowing He hears us and wants to answer is phenomenal!

Monday I will be a guest blogger on http://www.alanknox.net/ and hope you will visit there and check it out. On this page you will find our first ever guest blog and one of the most moving testimonies I have heard recently. While I would love to share with you more, the reading is worth the wait.

So as I wrap up this week's reflections and you catch up on what you may have missed this week, I want to remind you, my dear reader, of one thing, I am here for you. I write so my words are read, I study so I can share God's love and grace with you, and I open my heart and my life in a very real and often embarrassing way so that you can see that God is not an enigma, but the answer to the enigma. 

You are the reason I am here. I may never meet you, but I will pray for you. I may never talk to you, but my fingers fly across this keyboard just for you.


I would love it if, and actually want to encourage you to, leave a comment on a post this week. Drop a line and say hi. This blog has been read in over 55 nations, and in less than three months, I have gone from an average of 15 hits a day to between 50 to 100 hits a day. That is not a lot by most web standards, but by mine it is humbling. God is doing something here and I am so glad you are a part of it.

Reflect on this week, and tell me, did you learn something new about God, and if so, how are you applying that to your life?

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that reflect is a verb!