Send in the Clowns: An Act of Recovery

Photo by Dayna Bickham

My Pity Party

Just over a week ago I sat on a fountain, sharing my story with a new friend in the heart of Antigua, Guatemala.

This mission trip was a long time coming, and God had sent me on the most circuitous route to get there, but there I was.

Doubting.

I doubted myself, I doubted God, I doubted my call, I doubted my abilities, and I doubted my heart.

Doubt sucks the life out of you. It steals your joy. Sitting on that fountain, I was completely self-absorbed and focused on myself.

Totally not where God wanted my focus - at all.

I was supposed to be listening for His voice and looking through His eyes. To see the heart of the Father, we have to look for His children. Since I was not looking, God decided to send in the clowns.

Ladies and Gentlemen....

The sound of this cry "señoras y señores, hoy en día para su entretenimiento, artistas de rendimiento impecable", which means "ladies and gentlemen, today for your entertainment, artists of impeccable achievement" caught my attention and brought my self-absorbed story telling to a halt.

Soon, I saw the bright shining and very made-up faces of three beautiful children. They began to act out a slap stick play full of comedic timing and over 400 lines of dialog. The oldest "clown" was about nine. The little fellow pictured here was about five, and the other was about seven.

They were amazing artists, full of passion and purpose. They were creative and focused. They came to entertain and entertain they did.

I gave them a few dollars. I took a few pictures. I thought that was all. But then, as they faded into the crowd, and my mind began to focus again on myself, I heard God whisper.

You are.... 

I had wondered why I was there. I had wondered if I was qualified. God reminded me that 13 months ago my heart cried out to Him because I wanted to help other missionaries. His answer was to give me the idea for this blog. I did not understand it then. I thought that a small blog in a remote corner of the world wide web would reach a few people, but did not fathom the fullness of God's plan.

In the last year, He had groomed me and moved me and yes, even set me up, to be in Antigua at that moment, and had I not spent the last year learning to write and seeking out people like Jeff Goins, I would have never learned of the opportunity to go to Guatemala. I would have been on my couch in Texas watching the 49ers lose the Super Bowl.

Instead He whispered "You are a missionary." 

My heart began to recover a dream in that moment. One I thought I had lost with time and bad choices years ago. I am a missionary.

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8

 When We Don't "Get It"

God is in the business of redemption. He redeems us, our dreams, even the time. I did not understand 13 months ago how a blog was an answer to a prayer "Lord, help me to give more to missions." I did not know that the pain and the struggles of sharing my thoughts and prayers and devotions with you would lead me back to a dream that I had as a young girl. To be honest, I had forgotten I had the dream...until that moment in Antigua.  

God excavates what life buries and He reclaims us for His purpose...even when we doubt. 

So if you find yourself in the middle of a journey, and you can't quite see the destination, don't worry. Trust God. He is working all things together for your good and His glory. 

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What thing has God redeemed for you?

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The Purpose of Your Dream

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Who am I?

I have struggled all my life with this question. I knew who I was in the sense that I was born into a certain family, or that I was the smart kid with the loud laugh, but inside, I struggled with the question of who I was meant to be.

As kids we all get asked at one time or another, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For me there were always three things that I said, depending on my age or on my mood. I wanted to be a teacher, a singer, or (my favorite) Annie.

Little Orphan Annie ™ was made into the movie Annie when I was five or six. That bright smiling girl had spunk, daring, and moxie! At any moment she could break into a fight or break into song. I identified with her so strongly that I drove my family crazy with my rendition of “Tomorrow”.  

Rocky Balboa and Luke Skywalker were close seconds but Annie was always the forerunner for me. What do these fictitious characters have to do with discovering who I am? Nothing and everything! 

Those things that create a spark are things that give us a glimpse of who we are as individuals. What I like, (Annie for example) someone else may see as trite, or drivel. There are some who become excited by the idea of survivalist training or climbing active volcanoes. These things do not spark a passion with me because I was not wired that way. 

For me, being like Annie is more than singing "The sun'll come out tomorrow...." It is about standing up for what I believe in, fighting along side my friends, being a leader, enjoying the most out of life and never letting the really crummy circumstances drag me down. Her character reminds me to be a person of character and to press into life with all the guts and gusto I can. 

What sparks you? 

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. His passion was first the gospel and second the equality of his fellow man. Not just because of color, but in spite of it. He saw oppression and he could not stand by and say nothing. He believed the prophet Isaiah and took God's word to heart. 

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17

In his famous "Dream" speech he said this: 

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

 This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

 With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day....when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

The Purpose of a Dream

I am not talking about the "I ate too many tacos right before I went to bed" kind of dreams. I am talking about the dreams that are bigger than ourselves. The ones that take our breath with the sheer depth and breadth of them.

Dreams move us. They ignite us. They drive us, and too often, they leave us. Or I should say, we give up on them.

If you feel like you have lost your dream, you need to remember this. Joseph stood among his brothers as a kid. Snot-nosed, arrogant, and naive, he thought his dreams meant he had it all figured out.

Instead it took expulsion from his family, false accusations of rape, jail, working for the Pharaoh and then, when he least expected it, God brought Joseph's dreams to pass. Not for Joseph's sake, but for the sake of his family and two nations: Egypt and Israel.

Dreams are markers of God's faithfulness. They give us hope, they point us in the right direction, and they take root in our hearts. If we feed our dreams we can watch them grow, but only if we do not give up. Only if we keep pressing. If Joseph had given up when he was thrown down a well, or when he was thrown in jail unjustly...what would that have meant to the world years later? Who would have gone hungry or never received forgiveness?

No matter the circumstance, we must keep moving forward. Carving hope out of despair and transforming random notes of our life's music into a symphony of praise to God's faithfulness to bring all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Dreams prompt us to act. To do. To stand up. To take notice. To put the world on notice. Dreams are creative and they are often closely tied to our purpose. They are the fuel that drives us, and they are a gift of God, who knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb and who's plans for you are good and hope-filled.

Live your life with a dream in your heart, your hand to the plow and your trust in the Lord and He will direct your path.

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What is your dream?

"The Lord answered me, “Write down what I show you. Write it clearly on a sign so that the message will be easy to read." Habakkuk 2:2

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The Things That Make You Go "Whoa!"

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Amazing Things Come With Surrender

When we pursue our dreams, grab a hold of God’s plan for our lives and fully surrender, then wonderful things start happening. 

The Bible says, God lays our paths straight. 

Psalms 37:23 says “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

Look around you. Are there people in your life that are impacting you on more than just a natural level? Are there people challenging you emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, to be better? Are there people suddenly popping into your life teaching you new skills, or make connections for you that you could have never made on your own? 

This is God ordering your footsteps. 

Dreams Take a Team 

I once heard Walter Hallam say “God either gives you a vision, or adds you to a vision.” 

Dreams are bigger than one person. Behind every NBA star there was a mom or dad taking the kid to practice, or a coach that saw something great in the player. We cannot accomplish everything on our own. 

For Joseph (Genesis 37-45) it took family, slave traders, a businessman, a cook , a butler, and a Pharaoh before his dream, the one he had at 17, could even begin to take place. As unlikely as the team was, as unusual as the circumstances were, Joseph determined to serve God above any other. God added those that were necessary to accomplish what He had showed Joseph. 

Keep Working 

When Joseph was wrongly thrown into a well and sold by his brothers into slavery, he could have given up. He could have done only what was required by his new owner, but he did more than was asked of him and he was promoted. He did the work. 

When he was thrown in prison after he was falsely accused of rape, he could have given up, but he kept working, and ran the prison for the warden. 

His work ethic and his faithfulness to God opened doors that were unforeseen. 

The Things That Make Me Go “Whoa!” 

Recently, after being chosen for the Platform Launch Team, I have had amazing opportunities to meet some amazing writers, publishers, videographers, and spiritually adept men and women. After taking Jeff Goins’ advice I invited one of those people to coffee. 

Dana Pittman is an author, a lawyer, a mom, a homeschooler, a wife, a videographer, a runner, a crafter, a blogger, and a pretty awesome woman of God! Our first meeting was actually more like a reunion and a brainstorming session all wrapped up into one. Soon we will be doing a series together and sharing it with you here and on her website. 

Why am I telling you this? Because I believe my footsteps have been ordered. God has brought Dana into my life (and by extension into yours) for a reason. 

If you look around in your life, I bet you can find your “Dana” too. 

Keep Seeking 

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

Do not get distracted by the cool things that are going on around you. God has a plan, but your relationship is not about the plan. Relationship is about getting closer to Him. Don’t get the two things mixed up. Martha did and Jesus rebuked her in front of a houseful of guests. 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God (the work) and His righteousness (the relationship) and (then) all these things will be added to you! 

Question: Has God ever done something for you that made you stop and say “Whoa!”?

Your Dream: Small Beginnings Big God

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“Who despises the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10

I wonder? 

I have been guilty of this. I think there are so many times when we look back (hind sight being 20/20) and say ‘who would have thought all of this would have started like that?’ 

Recently, at my mom-in-love’s 75th birthday party, someone asked her that very question as they looked around at all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her reply? 

“God did.” 

God is a God of small beginnings. 

The Bible is full of examples of small beginnings. 

· The manger
· A shepherd boy becoming a king
· A widow picking left over grain on the edge of a field 

Everyone starts somewhere. 

Joseph started his journey to greatness in the bottom of a well, cast aside by his family, alone, hungry, in the dark and damp. He had a dream. God gave it to him. His small beginnings were not just a way to keep Joseph humble; they were a way to bring God all the glory. 

There are moments when you will feel the momentum of the Spirit pushing you. You will know that there is something brewing. Change in the air and sparks of creativity and clarity are lighting up your world. 

Then there will be those moments when your but is bigger than your faith. I get it. I have been there. These moments are the important ones. These are the make it or break it moments of your dream. 

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

More so than the great triumph of getting started, the real victory is in follow through. 

For me I have had plenty of starts. I have started books numerous times, I have started hobbies that never really go anywhere, but at the start I had all the hope and excitement I could muster. I threw myself into whatever project I had going. I became compulsive to the point that I was consumed with the work rather than the process. 

Aesop had something right. “Slow and steady wins the race.” Be the turtle, not the hare. 

Do not get worn down because you get bogged by details. Do not sweat the small stuff. God sees where He has you and where you are going. 

God is not confused. 

His plans for you are the same in your moment of doubt as they were in your moment of clarity. He has not changed his mind about you. 

So do not look around at your small beginnings and mistake them for “smallness”. Your dreams are bigger than you. The only way they will come to pass is by relying on God to add to your humble offering and multiply it into something that brings Him glory. 

Do not despise your small beginning. Get excited. The widow in the field married well and lived happily ever after. The shepherd who became king made mistakes, but God called him a man after His own heart. That manger housed the most amazing gift of all: a Savior for mankind. 

Small beginnings means there is plenty of room for God to do BIG things. 

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What is your dream? (Leave a comment below)

Have You Lost Hope?

My daughter had given up hope. 

She had learned in the last few years just how financially strapped we had become and thought to herself "there is no way I will get a Kindle for my birthday".  We had said no when she asked. We knew we couldn't afford one. I had one that was a few years old, but next to my kids, my phone and my Kindle were my most prized possessions.

Then, I decided, that giving my daughter hope again was more important than a thing. I cleaned the Kindle up, a friend bought a skin, we put it back in the original packaging (my husband obsesses about keeping the boxes of everything!) and wrapped it up.

The look on her face was amazing.

"Are you for real?" was the first thing she asked.

We were and in that instant, her hope was restored.

What the Bible Says 

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.   Proverbs 13:12 (KJV)

If you have lost hope, you are in a dangerous place. Lack of hope is disheartening. It will cause you to doubt, and make you vulnerable to despair. 

Lamentations, (the book of mourning) tells us this: no matter how bad the circumstance, there is always reason to hold onto hope. 

Lamentations 3:20-22  (MSG) 

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,

the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom.But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

Now my daughter's circumstances were not all that dire. She has a roof over her head, two parents that love her, friends, and so much more. Maybe she even has things you don't have. Your circumstances may be mounting up and crowding in on you. You may feel overwhelmed and without recourse or hope. 

Do not give up!  

God's mercy is new today! Just for you. 

Job lost everything. Every piece of livestock, every acre of land, his house, and every child. All of them were gone. He had reason to despair. He had reason to give up. Then he became ill. So ill his friends and wife were baffled by it all. Job was a righteous man. He had done good things all his life, including loving and serving God. Why did these horrible things happen? 

Because he was afraid they would, and the enemy hit Job in his most vulnerable area- his family. His friends questioned him. His wife begged him to curse God and die. To her, nothing could have been worse. She had lost hope. But not Job. 

Job had hope that the God who he had served so faithfully all his life, (the one who had kept and blessed him all those years) would again save him. 

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" 

Hope brings us alive. When we dream of the future, hope bubbles up like a fountain of life. When I think of the things God has done for me in the past, I know my future is  brighter than anything I could actually dream up. I have hope. 

What gives you hope? 

Finding Yourself In Christ

The Lie You May Believe and The Truth of the Matter

The other day I heard someone say “you may never be called by God” and my heart broke. I wanted to cry "Foul"! 

This is someone who does not understand that God calls each and every one of us because He has a plan and purpose for every one of us. You may not be called to preach to a mega church, or called to a foreign mission field, but you have a calling on your life, you ARE called by God. 

Romans says this: (Message) 

“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.” 

Your call may be as a homemaker and teaching others to be great homemakers. You may be called to parent special needs children, or be an evangelist. All are callings. 

DO NOT LET ANYONE, NOT EVEN YOU, DISQUALIFY YOU FROM THE CALL OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE! 

Do not believe the lie you are not good enough. Do not give up on the dreams God has placed in your heart because “those He calls He equips!” 

There is none good, not one, save God alone! That is completely okay, because the Bible says that in our weakness He is strong. He uses our weakness to confound (confuse, bewilder, befuddle) the strong. When we are weak, His grace is sufficient and when we allow that grace to carry us through He is glorified. 

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians, (Message) 

“We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.” 

So do not doubt that you are chosen. You are hand-picked. You have a purpose. God wants to use you right where you are so that He can prepare you for where He wants you to go. 

Everyone Starts Somewhere

Paul, before he was Paul was Saul: a man who was educated and well respected and a murderer. He was not the man who wrote two thirds of the bible on the Damascus road. He was a sinner, lost, having an encounter with Jesus, so that God could begin to equip him for where he would go later. 

You are no different from Paul. You were once lost on a road, heading in the wrong direction. Now let God take ahold of you. Be faithful where you are, and trust that God will direct the way you should go from here. 

Question: What is your dream?

Something Weird Happened

I recently lead Praise and Worship at a friend’s church. It was a strange experience for me. Not because I had to sing with CDs, but because I have not lead in years. 

One of my childhood dreams was to be the next Amy Grant. I wanted to sing Christian music to massive amounts of people. I have been a praise and worship leader before, I have sung on a Hosanna Integrity album (Holy Fire) as a choir member, and I sung lots of Karaoke when I was not serving God, yet there has been a gap of so many years of not singing that I had not only let the dream go, I had forgotten I ever had it. 

To be honest, I never thought I would ever lead praise and worship again. 

I was talking with a friend I have not seen in nearly a year and she said something that I found extremely profound. 

“I have learned to trust God and to completely surrender, because when I say things like, “I never” or “that can’t happen” then God has a way of throwing me into a situation that challenges those statements. Weird stuff happens.”

Recently I wrote a small note to God about surrender. I write these little notes to hold myself accountable. I know God heard me when I said it, but I say so many things I wanted to make sure I heard it where it counts: in my heart. This is what it said: 

Lord,

I surrender

My fears

The lies I believed

The lies I have told

My emotions

My hang-ups

My broken parts

I surrender

My expectations

My pride

My hopes

I surrender

What I do “understand”

And what I don’t

I surrender

My arguments

My rationalizations

I surrender ME!

I have to surrender to God, to trust Him fully. I need to walk out my faith and act like I believe what I say I believe. 

I know God restores things to us. Maybe even my singing. It is a talent I buried years ago. I never thought I would ever use it for God again. Then something weird happened.

Question: Can you share a time something similar happened to you? 

Dreams and Plans- Just one way God shows His love!

I am continually amazed by God. 

First that He loves us. He cares on the deepest levels for you and I: so much so that He sacrificed His son to make a way for you and I to gain relationship with Him when we had no chance of one before. This Love of His even includes the small things too; like what job you take, or where you attend church, or even what you are meant to do with your life. - (No, this is NOT an ad for E-Harmony.) 

Jeremiah 29:11-14 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW) 

11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, 14 I will let you find me, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I’ve scattered you, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive. 

Now most of the time when someone uses this reference as a scripture to study, you hear a lot about the first three verses. And I must admit, I was tempted to just put only those three in this study, but God stopped me. There is something here you and I need to hear. I will break it down by verse. 

11- God is not a man that He can lie, so if He says He has plans He has Plans. Capital P. He has things for you to do, places for you to be, divine appointments to make and all of this is good: filled with HOPE and PEACE. If you are living life without hope and without peace right now, there is a way to get those things. 

12- We get peace and hope when we cry out to God, because He hears us and answers us. He is faithful to perform His word, and to complete the works He has started in us! 

13- When we search for Him He is there. Ask, seek, and knock. The right door will open: the one that Jesus designed for you in the first place. We must seek Him first though. That is one of the ways I have messed up before. I have put the cart before the horse and sought the dream before the Dream Giver, and God is the Dream Giver. Seek Him First. 

14- He will let you find Him. He is not hiding His face from you. He longs to receive you and I into His presence. When we are out of His will for our lives, and we are not seeking Him and the things He has for us, then it is as if we are captive in lives that go nowhere. We circle the same old mountains, and we feel like nothing will ever bring us back to where we wanted to be. Feeling derailed and off the tracks, we feel like there is no way to go back to what God designed us for, because we have waited too long, or missed the boat. WE HAVE BEEN TAKEN CAPTIVE BY A LIE and He wants to bring us out of that captivity! 

Romans 8 28-30 says Amplified Bible (AMP) 

28 We are assured and know that [[a] God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was [b]aware and [c]loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. 30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. 

You are so important to God, that when you truly love Him and are called by Him, (and YOU are) He takes everything, and works it! He works the good for our good; He works the bad for our good: God works for you! 

There is a real life example in the word of Jesus working for the disciples. He washed their feet. He served them. He showed us His heart that day, scrubbing the dirt and dust of life from their feet. He showed us He longs for us to accept His love in all its forms, even something as simple as a pedicure. 

When we walk around with the dust of life caked on our feet, it weighs us down. How can we walk out this beautiful salvation with dust caked on? Let Jesus wash you clean: let Him show you His love for you. Then as you begin to really seek Him, and walk after Him, then you will begin to see that His plans for you are good. 

Now I want to share something with you- I had dreams as a child, and as I grew I thought there was no way that any of them would come true. I listened to outside voices and the voice of the enemy. Some dreams were just childhood fantasy and some were what I call “Design Dreams”. God designed me to dream that way, He put those dreams in my heart. So when He says He has Plans for me, I think back to those "Design Dreams". 

When we are honest with ourselves, we can see those with more clarity because they are the things that have always been there. For me, the desire to be heard and the desire to teach have always been there. No matter what stage of life I have been in, I always seem to come back to those things. So now, when I really seek God, get serious about figuring out my walk with Him, He starts showing me what He intended with my life in the first place. So I ask you this: 

Do you have something that you keep returning to in your mind and saying ‘if only I had done ____’? 

Do you feel like you have too much in your past to ever reasonably reach for those dreams? 

Do you want that to change? 

If the answer is yes to those three things then you must seek God FIRST. Then as you seek Him, He will direct your paths, work on your behalf and accomplish what He designed just for you. 

HOW? That is for Him to know and you to find out. He says His ways are higher, His thoughts are higher. This does not mean we cannot know, it means we must CLIMB! 

I am amazed by God, first that He loves us, and second that He works for us. He is so good! 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember seek is a verb!

Lessons for a Gypsy

List out all you have done in your life and you may sound like me: a gypsy. I have been a waitress, a secretary, worked in retail, sold manufactured homes, drove a cab, was a professional Christmas tree decorator, an editorial assistant, a staff writer, a grant writer, a volunteer coordinator, a medical office manager, a mother, a wife, a friend, a parishioner and do you know what that qualifies me for? Me neither, but God does. What makes me qualified to do this blog? The world has one answer but God has another. Those He calls He qualifies. Let’s look at a perfect example: Joseph.

(Genesis 37-46 is the story of Joseph.)

The next to the last child, Joseph was loved dearly by his parents. His father looked on him with special favor, because he was the first child born of Rachel, who Jacob loved dearly. 

Now, this kid Joseph had a problem: he did not know when to shut up.

I so know what THAT is like, since I have the same problem on a regular basis.

Let’s face it, little brothers get picked on, and Joseph had eleven older brothers. Little brothers also like to prove themselves to their older siblings, and that is where Joseph’s real trouble all began.

Now some of you may say, no, wait, didn’t his trouble begin with a fancy coat? Well, an extravagant gift from his pops did bring him a lot of negative attention from the jealous brothers, but it was not the problem. The problem was Joseph’s pride, and pride is a heart issue.

If I can, please allow me this observation: when other people have a wrong opinion, or attitude and it is directed to us, we have to be mature enough to realize one thing- it is their problem. Our only responsibility is how we react to them, not how they feel about us, or what they think. We should not jump through hoops to please them or impress them. We should serve God, and be who He meant us to be, and let the rest be. (Matthew 6:33)

Joseph felt he needed to impress his brothers, to earn their respect by boasting about what God had showed him in a dream, instead of allowing God to work things out in His time. Let it go, and let God promote you.

Now- Joseph did have a dream: a God-given dream. One he did not, and could not, at the age he was (just a teen) understand fully. And that dream was eventually accomplished, but what a road Joseph had to travel to get prepared for the fullness of it.

He was sold into slavery, (Genesis 37:36) and Genesis 39:2 says “The Lord was with him”. He put his head down and worked, and he got promoted. Then the unthinkable happens.  He gets sexually harassed, and then falsely accused of rape. Joseph’s life quickly took a wild turn, but he held his own.

Remember: he had talked too much before, as a kid, but now he was silent. Joseph learned part of the lesson God had for him. He did not cry “victim” He did not seek “justice”: he was still, and to anyone looking on - it looked like he was not only guilty, but now not worth anything. Now he was just another convict, a nobody: not worthy of esteem, respect, or trust, but Genesis 39:21 says the Lord was with him.

Have you felt like this? Like the world sees you as less than? Or worse yet, have you felt like they didn’t see you at all? Have you felt like things just are not working in your favor, because they are not going according to your plan or timetable? Do not give up. Press on. Keep going. Keep serving. (Genesis 40:4)

Joseph did and eventually he not only got free of the holding pattern his life seemed to be in, but he was promoted to the second highest office in the land. He interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and he gave God the glory. (Genesis 41:16)

 “Pursue the desire of your heart in the name of Jesus, giving glory to God in both the big and the small things, and you will be in the will and call of God for your life”- Pastor Jimmy Kirby.” (What do you Mean…?)

This is the promotion that leads to the eventual fulfillment of Joseph’s very first dream. Do you think Joseph thought his life would take so many turns before his dream was achieved? He was thrown into a well, sold into slavery- twice, falsely accused of a crime, imprisoned, forgotten and discounted as unworthy. BUT GOD! God was with him, and God is with us!   Do not doubt that! Do you think that while all this stuff was going on, Joseph saw the big picture? No, but God did.

So when you are locked in that cubicle, or imprisoned in circumstances you feel like are insurmountable, remember Joseph and the lessons we can take from him.

Lesson one for a gypsy: Don’t let our pride get in the way.  (Proverbs 16:18)

Lesson two for a gypsy: God is for us –so who can be against us?  (Romans 8:31)

Lesson Three for a gypsy: Serve no matter where you are. (Genesis 40:4)

Lesson Four for a gypsy: Give God the glory in all things, big and small. (Genesis 41:16)

As you travel through life my fellow gypsies, you are being prepared, so what lessons are you paying attention to? 

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

Forward ho!

I have recently trying to lose weight and got really disappointed when the scale did not reflect my new changes in my diet. I have to say I even got a little angry and thought “Then what am I doing this for?”

Well scripture started popping into my head and I quickly jotted them down into my phone so I could share them with you and what I felt like I was hearing from God.

First, I do not quit, but I ‘press forward to the goal’ (Philippians 3:13) Ever try winning a race going backwards?  My motion physically has to be the same spiritually. We must be striving to obtain the prize: a better relationship with God. Since God is the perfect partner to enter into a relationship with, that means that all of the work is on my end. I have to be the one who changes.

It has taken me thirty-seven years to end up where I am, so I know that changes are not going to come overnight, but little by little. This is how changes come with the Father too. We learn little by little and line by line. (Isaiah 28:9-11)

One thing I have been learning little by little lately is from a teaching my pastor has given on position versus condition.  My position is I am the daughter of God. I follow Him and because He is the way the truth and the life and NO MAN (or woman) comes to the Father but by HIM! (John 14:6) I am changed eternally INTERNALLY! The other stuff, the way I think, my bad habits, even the way I look won’t change because I get saved. I am still the same in those areas and that is my condition, not my position. We need to first learn the difference between position and condition before we make changes that will matter. (Matthew 23:26)  

Since we are not promised tomorrow that means the time is now!  Put your hand to the plow and do not look back! (Luke 9:62) this means I can’t give up on my new diet, and we can’t give up when the plow hits a big rock that hides right beneath the surface of the dirt.

That brings me to my last point. Obstacles. There will be obstacles in our lives hindering our way to our goals. This is true in the physical world, aka gaining ½ a pound instead of losing is an obstacle for me, and it is true in the spiritual as well. We cannot lose focus. Remember the first scripture, I press forward.  (Philippians 3:13)  I press against the enemy who tries to destroy me (1 Peter 5:8) I press against society (Romans 12:2) I press against that nagging voice of doubt in my head, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD, not the words of doubt in my head! (Romans 10:17)  So I will press against obstacles and I will tell them to be removed and I will MOVE FORWARD! (Matthew 21:21)  

In conclusion I want to tie this in to the Waiting on God series we have been doing. (What do you mean you want me to wait?  Waiting is Work and Grass for the Donkey, Gas for the Dodge) Dreams and visions are future things. So while we wait on God to bring those to life, we must press, we must move forward. Dreams and visions don’t dwell behind you, but they do dwell in front of you, so FORWARD HO! Onward Christian soldier. GO! GO! GO!  With Christ ALL things are possible. (Mark 10:27)

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember go is a verb! 

Grass for the Donkey: Gas for the Dodge

He's Still Working On Me

God is not finished with us yet. 

That childhood song “He’s Still Working on Me” goes through my head. 

Thank God He is, because I know I need it. 

 God’s word says in Isaiah 55 that His word will not return void, but will accomplish what He intends it to and his word will prosper what he sent it to. 

God is faithful. 

Waiting

Waiting is work and it means we should be like Jesus, about His Father’s business. (Luke 2:49) At twelve, Jesus was not ready for the fulfillment of God’s purpose for Him, but He was BUSY doing and practicing what He had been called to do. 

“Pursue the desire of your heart in the name of Jesus, giving glory to God in both the big and the small things, and you will be in the will and call of God for your life” (Jimmy Kirby) 

When we walk in grace, the Holy Spirit is there to guide us through life. With a faithful teacher that shows us the way, our way is clear. Now I want to look at what it means when we walk the path God chooses for us.

 Isaiah 30:18-25. (The Message)

 But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right-everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones. 19 Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you'll find its grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he'll answer. 20 just as the Master kept you alive during the hard times, he'll keep your teacher alive and present among you. Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, 21 urging you on whenever you wander left or right: "This is the right road. Walk down this road."22 You'll scrap your expensive and fashionable god-images. You'll throw them in the trash as so much garbage, saying, "Good riddance!" 23 God will provide rain for the seeds you sow. The grain that grows will be abundant. Your cattle will range far and wide. 24 oblivious to war and earthquake, the oxen and donkeys you use for hauling and plowing will be fed well 25 near running brooks that flow freely from mountains and hills.

Verse 22 says we will scrap our god-images. The King James says graven images, and it means that we will turn away from the idols we have put above our relationship with God, and sometimes, above God himself. When we truly pursue God, we prioritize our life in a different way. Philippians 3 13-16 (The Message) says

 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back.So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Running the Race

 Running the race means adjusting our stride sometimes. A friend of mine just ran a race called The Tough Mudder. While the name is unfortunate, the race is one tough cookie: a half marathon that has a massive obstacle course full of mud, ice, monkey bars, electricity, and much more. He ran it with a group and he and one of his teammates had a tough time with the actual running because they caught the giggles. Giggles and running do not mix well, so they had to adjust, and refocus. But a race well run and enjoyed is worth a stitch in our side, right? 

Paul thought so.

Now as we look at verses 23-25 we notice that God is faithful to provide for and even prosper His children as they faithfully follow Him. The imagery here is both poetically beautiful and spiritually practical. God meets our needs. He gives us seed to sow. ( Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; 2 Corinthians 9:10) And HE provides the increase. 

A farmer plants, but he cannot make the seed grow, God does that! When we try to do things on our own, we get inferior product, if we have any success at all. This is where waiting is such a blessing. When we wait we allow God to do his part, and increase the provision and blessings in our lives. Our “grain will be abundant’.

Hee-Haw! 

I get a real kick out of the last two verses. Our oxen and donkeys, those things we use to haul our stuff back and forth, our forms of conveyance, (I think we use cars these days) will be well fed, near brooks that flow freely. As we do the work of waiting, we need supplies, and getting those things back and forth has a cost. God promises that the cost of those supplies will be met. So, if God asks us to travel around preaching the word, He will provide the way to get there. At least, this is my interpretation of these verses. 

Grass for the donkey equals gas for the Dodge. TWEET THAT

 I love my Father’s sense of humor and His faithfulness to His children!

No wonder this passage says he who waits is the lucky one. When we wait on God to show His faithfulness, we are the recipients of His blessings. God is for us. He will never forsake us. He has plans for us. Rejoice in that, and learn to wait. Pursue Him in your waiting time, and allow Him to prosper you until your purpose and dreams come true.

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember wait is an ACTION verb!

Do you have a hard time "waiting"?