Your Word is Life to Me

Update on Rob

2011-12-16T11:28:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a good day for Rob. He shaved and got cleaned up, changed clothes and his spirits were better.

Today he is having a bit of a setback. The doctors warned that the meds they have him on for his condition could worsen the severe sinus infection he has had since Thanksgiving. That appears to be happening. He didn't sleep at all last night because of congestion worsening in his head and the headache he had is back.

Also, his feet are swollen today. The nurse said this is a side effect of the treatment he is receiving. It is painful.

An associate of his doctor came in yesterday and was not optimistic.

We need prayer for the following:

1. That the sinus condition would be healed and that the treatment for UC would not prohibit that from happening.

2. That the medications for UC would start reducing the inflammation and that God would repair any damage done by the disease.

3. That side effects, including the swelling of the feet, would be non-existent.

4. That a peace would come knowing that all is being done that can be done. Right now we don't have that. Pray that an open door to move him to the IBD Clinic at Vanderbilt which specializes in ulcerative colitis would happen today if that is the right direction.

5. Pray that my brother will remain a "good patient" and if moving him is what God wants us to do that he will readily agree to it and not be irritable in the process.

6. Pray for visitors to be a joy and an encouragement to him. Pray that we will have the wisdom to know when he needs to be alone and not be offended by that request.

I had a friend write a blog post today and he summed up EXACTLY what I've been telling God for almost 48 hours now:

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11

So the shepherds got a midnight wake-up call from the angels AND they get the “sign.”

Oh were it be that I could get a chorus of angels and a “sign.”

But no…the shepherds out in the field got a thousand-mega-watt angel and a “hey…you might want to drop what you’re doing cause the world as you know it is about to change” sign.

No wonder the shepherds scurry into town.

Frankly, I think this whole “faith” think would be easier if I got an angel and a sign. Maybe just once. I’m pretty sure that if I got an angel and a sign I would only need it one time. Not every week or even once a year. Just a one-time BIG HONKING MIRACLE AND GIGANTIC SIGN FROM GOD.

Not that I don’t have a personal faith and belief in God and an understanding of who God is and what He has (and continues) to do. It’s just that I think that I would find it much easier to grasp it all if there were something big and splashy to see.

Is that too much to ask…?

Don't get me wrong. I know that God does signs and wonders all the time around me. Sometimes I'm just too blind to notice.

I've heard testimonies of God's redeeming love and His wondrous working power! I've seen people healed and watched families be restored. I've seen people set free from bondage and I've rejoiced each and every time.

But here I am again...asking for a miracle. I need Him to do it for me.

I heard this lyric yesterday. It's my heart today.

"I know that there are others more deserving than I.
I know that I'm not worthy but You listen when I cry.
So if this cross is mine to bear, I'll praise You anyway.
But Lord, I could sure use a miracle today."

Thank you for praying,
Dori

Prayers Needed

2011-12-15T12:08:00.004-06:00

I used to write here...all the time. Maybe one day I will do that again.

But today I write here to ask for prayer. Very specific prayer.

My brother, Rob, is in the hospital in very serious condition. He is not in ICU or anything, but his condition is bad.

He has ulcerative colitis that is severe in nature. They are treating him very aggressively for the next 7 days with steroids in hopes that it will shrink the inflammation and infection in the colon and minimize further damage to the colon.

If at the end of those 7 days he is no better, they will more than likely have to do surgery to remove his colon -- a debilitating surgery. He is only 42.

There are risk factors in waiting the 7 days and there are risk factors in doing the surgery.

So my very specific prayer requests are this:

1. That God does a miracle and heals him completely without any radical surgery or future complications.

2. That God will protect him from future issues that can arise from this disease -- colon cancer being one of the risk factors.

3. That the steroids are already doing the work that needs to be done. Pray for wisdom for family and the doctors to make decisions in Rob's best interest. If he needs to be in another facility, pray that we will know that right away.

4. That Rob's heart is calmed and that his mind won't be attacked with thoughts of fear and anxiety. Pray that the enemy won't use this as an opportunity for Rob to become depressed and feel like there is no hope.

5. Additionally, pray for his daughter Maddie who was diagnosed just last Saturday with Type I Juvenile Diabetes. She is 9 and is going through the process of adjusting to life with insulin. As you can imagine Rob is worried about her, too, and he doesn't need stress as stress aggravates his condition.

Pray for me as I'm dealing with the whole "I believe, help thou my unbelief" thing right now. I am in a very hard place.

Thank you for your prayers!!

Blessings,
Dori

His Grace Still Amazes Me

2011-03-30T22:53:00.001-05:00

If you have known me awhile you know the many challenges we have faced with Lindsey. For almost all of her almost 10 years, I have often told God that He must have something enormous for her to do for His Kingdom because of the constant struggle she has had with things of faith. She is so insightful at times with things of the Spirit, but she just always has struggled with fear and anxiety, insecurity and lies that I knew were coming from anywhere but God! I have prayed for years that God would take all of the passion, drama and fire that she has in her and channel it into an EXPLOSIVE love for Him and use her for His glory.

In VBS a couple of years ago, she filled out a card and said she had become a Christian. My Momma's heart knew that it would be wise to walk through that carefully. And in time, Lindsey confessed to me that she really didn't ask Jesus in her heart but that she was just "doing what everyone else was doing -- filling out a card." We never have pushed her, but we have tried to take teachable moments to be Jesus to her and teach her things of faith in our imperfect lives.

Well, on the way to church tonight the song Here I Am to Worship came on the radio and she sat in the back seat and sang it to me. I cried as I watched her mouth the words, "I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross." It was precious. But I had NO IDEA what the evening would hold in store.

I went to our Pastor's theology class (which was wonderful, by the way) and shared that I was praying for Lindsey to accept Jesus as her Savior at an early age because I know the benefits and the joy of that. I told him that we weren't rushing her, but that it was a prayer request that I had.

So, Lindsey asked me on the way home from church tonight if she was a Christian - out of the blue? Yeah right! :) I told her that I would love to talk to her about that when we went to bed. She started to cry in the car, so I knew the Holy Spirit was working on her heart preparing her for our talk.

So tonight, we read through a little children's booklet that was WONDERFUL and she asked tons of questions. She had lots of questions about sin and not being perfect and that even after we accept Jesus, we still sin from time to time -- but that Jesus always forgives. We had such a long talk. I was amazed at all that she asked me and her understanding. I was also amazed at how the enemy tried to fight what was happening in her room. Right in the middle of the book, out of no where, her stomach started hurting. She was so distracted. And then she said something so amazing, "Momma, I think my stomach has quit hurting...probably because we are talking about God."

When we got to the end I told her that when she felt in her heart that she was ready to ask Jesus to be her Savior that she could pray this prayer on her own or I would be happy to be with her when she did it, but that it had to be her decision and no one else's. She started to tear up and said, "I really think I should do it tonight, Momma. I feel it in my heart." So she prayed and she accepted Christ -- on her own. I prayed over her after it was all over, but the decision was most assuredly her own!

When we got done, she said...."Whew...I feel so much better." I turned out the light for her to go to sleep and she said, "Can I sing, Momma?" And she sang Here I am to Worship while I wept.

"Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You're my God.
You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me."

I told her I was sorry but that I was crying happy tears and she said, "That's okay Momma...this deserves happy tears!"

PRECIOUS!!!!

I am so overjoyed!!!

I had NO IDEA God would move so mightily tonight and answer my prayer in such a powerful way.

His grace STILL amazes me!

Blessings,
Dori

Memorizing Scripture

2011-03-30T08:48:00.006-05:00

We have a new church home. We are so excited about The Church at Station Hill. We never dreamed God would give us a place so authentic and welcoming, but where our children were being discipled well and loved it. We are led each week into the presence of God with humble and sincere worship in Spirit and in Truth. We are so blessed!

We knew from the first time we stepped into the doors that it was the place for us. Our Pastor, Jay Strother, is an excellent teacher of the Word. Every single Sunday God has faithfully spoken something directly into my circumstances or my calling by something Jay has shared with us from the Gospel.

Station Hill is a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church. Because of that affiliation, there are more and more opportunities to be taught, to serve, to hear God's Word by many different people, etc. The Senior Pastor, Mike Glenn, is a powerful communicator of the Word and I have learned so much from him by listening to his podcasts online. This week, he wrote a blog post about scripture memory that was so good. You can read it here.

Since I am currently memorizing scripture with Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Team, I was all over this one! God has been so faithful in the past 3 months as He has given me scriptures that weren't just pulled out of the Word and probably out of context, but He has given me passages that have ministered to my particular struggles, challenges and seasons of life! And since I could apply them so directly, boy have they been fairly easy to memorize! His Word is LIFE!

I posted a response to Pastor Mike and thought I would also share it with you! May it challenge you to put the Word ever before you -- meditate on it -- and let it become life to you, too!!

Blessings,
Dori

Dear Pastor Mike,

I remember memorizing scripture as part of our VBS when I was a little girl and it came quite easy. Somehow in my adulthood, I made excuses as to why I couldn’t memorize scripture. I have been in the Word my whole life, led Bible studies, etc. I could give a general location of scripture, but I would say things like, “I’m getting too old to memorize scripture” or “I can never remember scripture so I’ve just given up.”

Then my son did Bible Drill a few years ago. I helped him with his 20+ scriptures and key passages. I was amazed at how just simply working at it and putting in front of him almost daily was all it took. He came home with State Superior more than once.

Mom no longer could make excuses.

I committed to memorize two scriptures a month starting in January as a challenge by Beth Moore. I’ve done this in the past, but honestly? I just chose scriptures out of “my hat” to memorize. And I quickly gave up somewhere along May!

But this year, I asked God to give me the scriptures that He wanted me to memorize; ones that would jump right off of the page or the index card and have practical application in my life — whatever I was going through in that 2 week period of time! He has been so faithful and I have 6 scriptures under my belt right now. But more importantly, they have spoken life into every day that I’ve not only memorized them, but meditated on them, and pondered anew what God is speaking specifically to me through them.

As far as how I’ve done it, I put them on index cards. I bought little plastic frames and put them in those all around my house — the bathroom, the kitchen, etc. I have them on spiral bound index cards and keep them in my car. I have a small chalkboard in my kitchen and I write them there. I have a blank plaque that I got at Kirklands that I use to write on with a dry erase marker. Right now, my verse is written there. I have decided that in order to memorize it and meditate on it and apply it, it has to be everywhere I look.

One thing I have done is used different versions when I’m memorizing. I love the ESV and the NIV, of course, but I’ve memorized out of the NLT and the Amplified (harder because it is wordy, but I love the expanded understanding it offers).

So I have memorized this year Psalm 90:12, Psalm 83:11, Philippians 2:13, Psalm 19:13, Isaiah 26:3 and I’m working on Hebrews 10:35-36:

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to perservere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what He has promised.”

Sorry to be so long, but His Word has become my life and memorizing scripture has been a key to that!!

Blessings,
Dori

They That Wait...

2011-03-29T08:45:00.004-05:00

My family was on Spring Break last week. We took a much needed vacation away from the routine to just rest a little while. And that is what we did. We checked ourselves into a quaint inn at a state park. We overlooked a beautiful lake and we listened to the birds sing, watched the ducks swim and marveled at the sunrises and sunsets. We played a little tennis, went swimming, played ping pong and checkers. It was a wonderful time.

But before we got there, God gave us this:

We stopped by a Civil War battlefield that was on the way to our destination. We drove through, rounded a corner and looked up. There it was! A beautiful, mature bald eagle. I've never seen one in the wild -- only behind bars at a zoo -- and my children had never seen one. We stood on that spot of grass underneath that tree for what seemed like hours. We snapped picture after picture. Then I shamelessly begged God to make it fly for me! And He did!

And I began to say, "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 ESV

I love the "renewing the strength" part and even the "mount up with wings like eagles" part. I would LOVE to run and never be weary. I've never fainted, but I've certainly felt like it a time or two on this journey with God.

But it's that "waiting" part that I don't always like.

Wait on the Lord...when the diagnosis comes.

Wait on the Lord...when children choose unwisely and you know they know better.

Wait on the Lord...when loved ones hurt you.

Wait on the Lord...when doubts come.

Wait on the Lord...when you need peace and all around you is chaos.

Wait on the Lord...when the pantry is bare and so is the bank account.

Wait on the Lord...for the job you desperately want, even need.

Wait on the Lord...when you really want to hit "send" but you know you shouldn't.

Wait on the Lord...when you really want to open your mouth, but God tells you to be silent.

Wait on the Lord...when He says wait.

Waiting is the most important part. Because if God, in His time, comes up under this weary pilgrim with the kind of strength that I saw demonstrated when that eagle took flight...the wait is worth it.

Waiting on Him,
Dori

A Prayer for the New Year

2011-01-01T01:16:00.001-06:00

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Spirit that drew me from bed in the first few minutes of this near year, this new decade, to read and meditate on Your Word. I don't believe I've ever done that -- watched the ball drop on a new year and had You call me straight to my quiet time place in my living room. Perhaps You have called before and this is the first time I've answered. Whatever the case, thank You for speaking to me in that way.

As I read the first three chapters of Genesis, I came away with a fresh look at how busy You were as the first minutes ticked away on the clock and as the very first days were marked on the calendar. Stars and planets that were not in one moment, were in the next. The sky, land and seas were formed at the sound of Your voice. Creatures, great and small, came to be and then You got your hands into the dust of the ground and made man and then woman.

What an amazing God You are! How I want to know You more this year! How I want to serve You more this year! I don't want to miss one single thing that You have for me this year. Teach me, Lord. Make me more teachable with each passing day. Give me a resolve and a determination to be everything that You've called me to be!!

Do Your creative thing again in me this year, Lord! Create in my a clean heart. Create in me a desire to do Your will and fulfill Your plans and purposes for my life. Create in me an overwhelming thirst and hunger for Your Word.

I love You, Lord. Help me to love You more.

Amen.

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [ which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] (Philippians 3:10 Amplified)

Welcome to Our World

2010-12-25T06:59:00.001-06:00

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world!

Merry CHRISTmas!
Dori

O Come!

2010-12-15T00:01:00.001-06:00

So much of this season is about GOING.

We GO to family gatherings.
We GO shopping.
We GO to Christmas parties.
We GO to Church musicals.
We GO caroling.
We GO here.
We GO there.

In reality, this season is all about COMING.

When I opened up the Word this morning, the pages of my Bible fell open to Revelation – the very last chapter.

“The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)

As I thought about these words, I thought of a blog post I read one time about the true meaning of Christmas, which we all know to be the celebration of the birth of our Savior. This writer was offended that those who don’t know Him claim Christmas as “their” holiday and celebrate it for the wrong reasons.

Yes, I get a bit weary of all the commercialism that has been attached to my Lord’s birthday. I’ve even been shamefully guilty of not considering Him enough at this time of the year. But as I read the words of this well-meaning Believer, I was overcome with the feeling that Jesus did not come for an exclusive few. He came to include everyone. And at this time of the year, all eyes that dare to see can find Him if they look close enough whether they know Him or not. This season is an opportunity for all to COME.

As I drive down my street, I notice one nativity scene after another. As I shop the stores, I hear plenty of Christmas songs, but always included is a hymn celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I hear His name more at this time of year in unexpected ways and in unlikely places. Even as I drive by the local McDonald’s I see a celebration of Him painted on the windows. Every car that drives that stretch of road sees Him, too. And they will see Him whether they know Who He is yet or not.

I reread that passage again in Revelation with fresh eyes and with a heart that doesn’t want to be so exclusive this year. I want every eye to see Him and every ear to hear His message to “Come!” If they find Him celebrating Christmas for the wrong reason at first, so be it. In order to COME, they have to have the opportunity and the invitation.

Interestingly enough, the passage in Revelation is just that -- an invitation to COME! I looked at it in the Amplified Bible and loved how it interpreted the genuine need the world has for a Savior:

“The [Holy] Spirit and the bride (the church, the true Christians) say, Come! And let him who is listening say, Come! And let everyone come who is thirsty [who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened]; and whoever [earnestly] desires to do it, let him come, take, appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17)

As we GO about doing all that we do at this time of year, let us remember that there are millions of people out there who are wanting something more than they have. They have searched and searched and nothing has filled the void that is in their heart this Christmas. Let us pray that He will give us one opportunity after another to include all in the gift of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Let us use this verse in Revelation as a prayer that those who are “painfully conscious of his need” will look around and see Him – Jesus – and realize that He is the only One able to be their All in All.

Have a blessed day, friends!
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 23

2010-11-23T09:22:00.001-06:00

I must have listened to it 20 times throughout the day yesterday. I simply couldn't get it out of my mind. It was all-consuming.

"This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice. I will give thanks."

Little did I know that today -- this day -- those words would be tested on me.

I received a call that rocked my foundations tonight. My Mom is very sick. The diagnosis is not confirmed yet. But words like "large masses" and "pre-cancerous or cancerous" somehow don't give a sense that everything is going to be alright.

But if I am going to resolve that He is worthy of my praise on the good days, I have to be resolved to praise Him on the not so good days.

What a privilege to be in the hand of God when life's sands are shifting underneath my feet.

"This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice. I will give thanks."

Happy Thanksgiving,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 22

2010-11-22T07:27:00.001-06:00

Today I'm thankful for the privilege of praying for my loved ones. I'm thankful for a God who gives a specific thing to pray for our family just when we need it.

He did that for me yesterday.

In the quiet of our worship service yesterday, God gave me the exact scripture to pray over a precious loved one who is struggling.

So from this point on, my lips will speak over her life every chance I get:

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

So thankful for the power of God's Word to break strongholds and free captives!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 21

2010-11-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

It was a moment I will never forget. For we were surely coming up on Thanksgiving and I begged God to answer my question how having this family at the altar of our church, begging for mercy – pleading for a miracle – could possibly be anything for which we could offer up thanksgiving.

And then I heard Him speak. As the singing faded in my spirit, His voice spoke loud and clear.

All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. (2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT)

I hear you, LORD, but what does this mean for this moment in time. How does this help Jenny?

And He answered my question, right then and there in a way that only seeing with my eyes could comprehend.

More people came. Some to pray for her. Many to pray for themselves. Right there in the middle of our worship service, before the pastor ever opened up the Word of God to preach, there were people who came to know Him for the first time. Wayward hearts were mended. Families restored. Marriages healed. Children came. Parents came. Grandparents came. Tears flowed. Lives were changed.

And we sang:

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

I’ve never forgotten that moment in time. Every Thanksgiving I think of it. It has changed my whole perspective of what this season means for us – for the believer.

This Thursday as you go to the table with your family and friends, don’t put your troubles on a shelf and try to pretend that they don’t exist. Life is hard. Times are tough. But God is good and He has a plan and purpose for all of these things that we experience.

The Apostle Paul said it like this:

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak." We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you.

All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NLT)

Now will you join me and sing:

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 20

2010-11-20T07:19:00.001-06:00

I'm so thankful today for the ability to just have a good old belly laugh!

There are times when we aren't laughing. Life is hard and sometimes the cares and worries of this life just seem to press down and keep us from having joy.

But then sometimes, we just put our face to the sun and laugh out loud.

Yeah, for that I'm thankful today!!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 19

2010-11-19T12:18:00.001-06:00

I am so thankful for praise and worship music that brings me to the Throne of God. Sometimes I dance around my house with joy. Sometimes I fall facedown and weep before God. Sometimes my hands just go up and my heart is completely still.

I am so grateful for songwriters who write about the goodness and faithfulness of our God.

Someone asked recently for me to recall a time when God made His presence known through worship in a powerful way.

It was late July of 2009. We were on vacation and as it would happen I had severely twisted my ankle on a hiking trail the day before. My family was taking another hike. Since I was a bit impaired, I had to stay behind. I planted myself on a rock and put on my iPod earbuds. I hit my Quiet Time playlist and while I looked at this...

...a song shuffled on that is based completely on Psalm 145. It was a moment I will never forget, because God revealed His magnificence and His power and His glory in a way that I will never forget.

God also spoke to me powerful through song a few years ago that was profound and a spiritual marker for me. I wrote about it HERE.

Praise and Worship is one of the ways God draws nearer and nearer to His people. His Word says that He inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people.

I'm so thankful for the songs of the Redeemed today!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 18

2010-11-18T11:59:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for the pursuit of God in my life.

It is not always fun. In fact, there are days that I think I could fall down in a heap as a result of His continual pruning and wanting the best of me to come out from under the influence of this world.

It is not always easy. The directions He asks us to take don't always make sense until we get to the other side, look back, and see it all was for the best.

It is not always what I want. Some days it would be much easier just to go my own way with no regard to what He wants. But I trust His Word that says that everything that looks like it could destroy me can be turned around for good. I trust Him to calm my striving heart so that I can certainly know that He is good and what He does is good and that He alone is God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for chasing me down. Thank you for loving me so much that You will never tolerate anything in my life that is not what You want for me. You will pursue. You will prune. You will convict. You will discipline. You will chastise if necessary. But above it all YOU WILL LOVE. None of this happens that I don't hear You singing sweetly over me, "Be still and know that I am God." I surrender. I surrender it all to You. Do what You must to give me more of You. Amen.

Thankfully,
Dori

Word-Filled Wednesday

2010-11-17T09:48:00.001-06:00

This beautiful design is by my friend Rachel Anne over at Home Sanctuary. I love this scripture especially in the New King James Version:

"For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you,"
says the LORD,
"thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope."

It is almost too much for my mind to comprehend that the Creator of the universe -- the One who spoke the world into existence -- has ME on His mind! I heard this morning that if we are tempted to struggle with our self-worth or think that we are alone and unloved, we can know that God Himself treasures us so much that His mind is on us and He has a specific thought-life where we are concerned.

Be blessed with this Word-Filled Wednesday!!

Blessings,
Dori

Join me and others as we share on Word-Filled Wednesday over at Internet Cafe Devotions!

25 Days of Thanks - Day 17

2010-11-17T09:26:00.001-06:00

After I started blogging a few years ago, there were all these little blogging meme's going around -- little questions that you challenged your readers to answer. It was a bit crazy there for awhile and I was getting these things every day and just got to a point where I didn't play along!

But then one came down the pike called "I Dig Jesus Because..." How could I not play along with that? So I was remembering that yesterday and thought it would make today's wonderful 25 Days of Thanks post!

I dig that Jesus came to the earth for one purpose – to sacrifice His life so that I could live eternally with Him. No one has ever or will ever give up so much for me!

I dig that Jesus is my Friend. I once had a theological discussion with someone because he said that Jesus/God is not our friend. This completely misguided intellectual type read this...

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

...and said this:

When Jesus said what He said in John 15:15 he was talking specifically to the disciples and was not talking to future disciples or generations to come. Most of John is this way and we can't claim that for ourselves. It was specifically for the disciples that walked with Him in that day.

Oh my goodness -- was I mad! But my Friend, Jesus, showed up for me because immediately after this discussion we went into the Worship Center and sang "I am a Friend of God. He calls me friend!" at the top of our lungs! [ahhh -- can anyone say "poetic justice?"]

At any rate, I looked up the word "friend" in the dictionary and it said this...

A friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. A friend is a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter. A friend is a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile. A friend is a member of the same nation, party, etc.

Jesus is a constant source of strength, my Prince of Peace, my Wonderful Counselor, and He is altogether faithful and trustworthy. Sounds like a Friend to me!

I dig that Jesus' message was simple: Love God, Love People. Everything else hangs on those two commands. How much more simple can you get?

I dig that Jesus is a masterful baggage handler! Got a heavy load? Need a little rest? He comes ready to carry the bags and give you a place to rest. He has carried me and unburdened me on more than one occasion -- actually it is an everyday thing that we have together, Jesus and me. He lifts the load and then lifts my head!

I dig that Jesus' name is powerful! I can simply say it over any situation that I face and everything is alright. I don't mean that every situation changes exactly as I wanted it to, but when I breathe His Name I change and my situation no longer is paramount -- my Savior is!

I dig this and so much more about Jesus!

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

What about you?

Thankful for Jesus,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 16

2010-11-16T08:50:00.001-06:00

"The day that we gave our heart and life over to Jesus, everything became spiritual!"

This is what a dear friend said to me about a year ago about a particular difficult thing that I was going through and she had been through. I had made the comment, "Angela, I really think this is spiritual." And then she said the words above to me. I have thought of it at least a dozen times over the past two days and shared the thought with friends.

Angela is right. Everything that we go through is spiritual. Our difficult seasons may not always be demonic, but they are always spiritual. Either the enemy is on the prowl or full on attack or God is up to something to produce good in our life and bring glory to His great Name.

So in our hard times we can praise Him for these things:

This hard thing has been entrusted to you by God. He is faithful and will not bring something your way that He has not empowered you to go through. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us to boast in the areas where we are weak, because it is in that very place that God's strength is made absolutely perfect. The hard thing reveals the weakness of man, but magnifies the strength of God. Thank Him for walking with you through the hard thing. You are not alone.

If the enemy has been allowed access to you to press on you and try to make you despair, you may very well be on the brink of doing exactly what God has planned for you to do for His Kingdom. Hold on! Walk by faith instead of what you are seeing. Expose the lies of the enemy in this hard place with the truth of God's Word. Be ready with it on your tongue just as Jesus did when He was going through His 40 days of the hard place and the enemy came at Him. Your God has already fought this battle. Trust God to bring you through any attack of the enemy with an amazing testimony of His goodness, His faithfulness and His providence!

"Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." John 6:12b Everytime I read this scripture in the story of the feeding of the 5,000 I stop and catch my breath. I don't know exactly what Jesus was trying to accomplish by asking the disciples to do this and I don't what He was going to do with the pieces left over, but He had a purpose for the pieces. He wanted nothing to go to waste. So it is with our difficult seasons. We may be left feeling like we are looking down on the ground at the pieces of our lives. But He has a purpose, a plan and a redemption. He is for you, my friend. He is for me. If He is working on our hearts either through pruning, correcting, refining or building our character, you can know that your God will not leave it unredeemed. If we will submit to that work, nothing will be wasted and will be for our good and His glory.

Today, I'm thankful for a God who still pursues me and does the spiritual in my everyday life -- whether the hard times or the good. I'm so thankful that He always wants me to come through with all the pieces gathered and be able to testify to His goodness and His faithfulness -- leaving nothing wasted.

I pray you are feeling the pursuit of God and that if you are in the hard place today you will lean on the power of God and trust Him as He works in you. I'm praying that for myself today and thanking Him for what He is going to do!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 15

2010-11-15T06:56:00.001-06:00

I am thanking God for my friends today. He's blessed me beyond measure with some of the coolest, funniest, praying up a storm kind of gals in my life to sharpen me and encourage me. If I told you how I met most of them you would be stunned at the creativity of our great God!

So grateful for the chance to hang with them in 19 days at the Deeper Still event with Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer! I will be sore from all the hugs and will have no mascara left after the tears -- both the crying kind and the laughing kind! And I'm pretty sure there will be mass amounts of coffee consumed for there will be no sleep. And I'm definitely convinced that there will be chocolate...lots and lots of chocolate. But what a privilege to go and be there and experience friendship like that! And for God to also speak to us through these Bible teachers, too? Well, it just might be the closest thing to heaven on earth, in my opinion.

So thankful for my friends today!!

God, how creative You are! You have blessed me beyond measure with these girls I call friends. How I thank You that You have placed each one of them in my life for a specific reason. Things I'm going through, they have already walked. Struggles that I have, they have them, too. Where there is transparency and a love for You, there is a closeness among sisters in Christ that is astounding! I thank You that I recognize their voice in their written prayers to me. I thank You that I know when they say they are praying, they actually are! I thank You that You are working in their lives to bring good fruit in due season. I thank You that Your Kingdom is being impacted because they are out there doing life and ministry and love for the Body of Christ. Lord, we have been forgiven much and we love much. Help us to continue to sharpen one another, encourage one another and love one another well. Thank You, Jesus, for my friends! Bless their socks off today with Your great love!! Amen.

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 14

2010-11-14T11:25:00.001-06:00

"He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious, merciful, and full of loving compassion." Ps 111:4 Amp

Lord, last night before I went to bed You put this scripture in front of me. And then just this morning, our worship leader lead us in "We will remember. We will remember. We will remember the works of Your hands. We will stop and give You praise for great is Your faithfulness!" I love how You do that -- put thoughts and promises in front of me to see more than once so that I will stop and notice something You want to teach me!

I'm so thankful, Heavenly Father, that You are a wonder and miracle working God. You could totally do all that just to show off Your greatness. But Your wonderful works have a purpose and You want us to not only experience what You can do, but learn Who You are as we remember.

You are gracious. You are merciful. You are full of loving compassion. You are faithful. You are love. You are just. You are kind. You are powerful. You are mighty. You are holy. You are my strength. You are my portion forever. You are all I need. You are sufficient, supreme and sovereign. Lord, You are all that and more!

Thank you for reminding me, Dear Lord, of all that You have done so that when I'm tempted to feel hopeless or look at a situation and think that there is no way out I will look to You and remember -- the works of Your hands in my life in the past and trust You to be faithful in my present and my future. Oh, how I thank You, God! Amen.

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 13

2010-11-13T22:54:00.001-06:00

Thankful for the compassion of Jesus today in my life!

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd told them to keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" Jesus stopped, called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" "Lord," they said to Him, "open our eyes!" Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him. (Matthew 20:29-34 HCSB

He was moved with compassion!

Compassion is a word that means the feeling of love and empathy that comes from the very core of our being, our heart, where the strongest emotions are felt. It is the strongest love that can be felt, the most passionate and proactive. It is not love that is merely a feeling, but it is love that is acted on. To have compassion on someone is to do something in order to help ease what is causing them distress.

I began to wonder how many times does the Bible mention Jesus being moved with compassion and what is it that tugs hardest at the heart of God. So I used by Bible software and searched the word "compassion." It showed up eight times in the Gospels -- seven of those referring to Jesus being moved with compassion and the other referring to the prodigal son's father being moved compassion as his son returned home. Out of the seven times that it mentioned that Jesus was moved with compassion, five of those were unique situations. In other words, the remaining two were repeats of the same story in another gospel. In those five instances, our Lord was moved with compassion because of a unique problem the person He met faced.

On a day when I'm feeling especially weary, somewhat down, and very much in need of a "lifting of my head," it means so much to me that our God sent His Son, Jesus, to show compassion to us. He did not come to just feel sorry for us, but He came to do something about what is making us sorrowful! He doesn't come to just pat us on the heads and say, "There, there..." He comes to pick us up, dust us off, and empower us to try again, forge ahead, fulfill our calling.

His is moved with compassion over us, dear ones!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 12

2010-11-12T17:00:00.001-06:00

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

For this I am thankful.

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 11

2010-11-11T07:48:00.001-06:00

The new year is coming and I dearly love me a new beginning! I am so thankful for another year behind us trusting God through some tough stuf, but I am extra thankful for the new year ahead!

I love making a list of goals and thinking ahead of what I believe God is asking of me for the upcoming 12 months.

Do you have a goal for the new year of reading through the Bible? A lot of people do and I plan on doing that this year, as well. I love new beginnings and on January 1 I simply love opening up to Genesis 1:1 and seeing this:

"In the beginning God..."

You see, in the beginning of everything that we are, have been and ever will be God is there. When He spoke worlds into existance and breathed life into Adam, He also had a plan for you and me. He had a purpose for us -- something for us to accomplish in this life as we journey to the day that we see Him face to face.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

In the beginning of every struggle we have, every trial we face and every ailment for which we need healing, God is there. When we don't understand what we are facing, we can rest knowing the He is there and is working everything out towards the purpose and plan that He has for our life.

I thank God that "in the beginning God" has been with me. I am so blessed that even when I have failed Him, "in the beginning God" was and He always will be. I am so grateful that on the good days and the bad days "in the beginning God" is. I can't imagine facing the day without Him and so I'm going to start each day with Him -- reading His Word. It's how I will know His plans, purposes, and His heart. It's how I will find the strength to face whatever the day holds.

Oh God, thank You for thinking of me "in the beginning." I so want to walk this journey fulfilling everything that You had in mind for me before I was even born. Show me the way to take for Your best for my life. Thank You for new beginnings. I so want to know You more this year, Jesus. Help me to seek Your face more and more! Amen.

Blessings,
Dori

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Ephesians 1:17

25 Days of Thanks - Day 10

2010-11-10T18:13:00.001-06:00

"With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments." Psalm 119:10 Amplified

This morning I had this random thought: "Today is November 10. I wonder what the 10th verse of Psalm 119 says."

I don't always just randomly open God's Word like that, but today I did.

And the treasure I found is Psalm 119:10.

The thought occurred to me that, while I certainly loved the richness of this scripture I have fallen way short of what it requires -- seeking God with my whole heart, inquiring of Him, yearning for Him. And while I would like to think that I've never ignorantly or willfully stepped aside from or wandered from His commandments, I have -- time and time again. I was challenged once again to set aside anything that distracts me from getting to know the heart of God and sitting at His feet to learn from Him.

I love that in one of my most random Bible reading moments, God spoke a very good Word into my heart.

His Word is like that!

So today I'm thankful for the Word of God -- the Bible!

I love that He speaks to me every single time I open it.

I love that no matter how many times I read a passage, I always learn something new.

I love that it is full of men and women just like me - those that followed God, trusted Him, had a few missteps along the way, but who always came running back because He is everything.

I love that it is simple and complex all at the same time.

I love that sometimes I read it through tears and sometimes it makes me laugh out loud with joy.

I love that it penetrates my heart, "exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 Amplified)

I love that I'm drawn to it every day. It can't be ignored.

I love that He has chosen to speak to me in such a tangible, "hold it in my hand" kind of way.

I love that He has invited me to sit at His feet and study what He has to say about life and love.

I love that His Word is eternal.

I love that His Word is LIFE to me!

God, You spoke worlds into being and named stars one by one. You created man with Your very hands out of mere dust and breathed life into Him. You parted seas and made the sun to stand still to deliver Your people. You opened blind eyes, made sound rush through deaf ears and called dead men to live again. How marvelous and extraordinary You are! And, yet, in the midst of all the wonder and the miraculous, You desire to speak to Your children! You want us to know that You are for us and not against us. You want us to hear that no weapon forged against us will prosper. You want us to see that Your Son is the only Way, Truth and the Life. You want to show us that You are preparing a place for us right now so we can dwell with you forever and forever. You want us to know You -- the One True God WHO SPEAKS! Thank you for Your Word. I would be lost without hearing Your voice. Thank You for desiring to speak to me. Amen.

With a heart full of thanksgiving,
Dori

Just As I Am

2010-11-10T13:58:00.001-06:00

I posted the lyrics to this song many weeks ago and I've noticed that the search results for my blog almost ALWAYS include people looking for this song.

I love Travis' version of this song with the new chorus and I wanted you to hear it!

I come broken to be mended
I come wounded to be healed.
I come desperate to be rescued.
I come empty to be filled.
I come guilty to be pardoned
By the blood of Christ the Lamb
And I'm welcomed with open arms,
Praise God, just as I am!

*Just As I Am, additional words and music written by Travis Cottrell, David Moffitt and Sue C. Smith from Run to the Cross: A Praise & Worship Easter with Travis Cottrell, ©XXIX Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, 741 Cool Springs Blvd., Franklin, TN 37067.

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 9

2010-11-09T08:52:00.001-06:00

Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire

Today I'm thanking Him for the race.

Life is hard. The older I get the more challenges I seem to face. Whether it is in my parenting, my marriage, my relationship with my extended family or just battling the war that the enemy desires to wage with me on any given day -- there just seems to always be something to press through...a race to run, a prize on which to keep my eye.

I can choose to run the race on my own faulty and limited power, giving up before I really hit my stride.

Or I can choose to run with the power that comes from Jesus and finish the race He's called me to run.

Either way, the race has to be run.

So today I choose to thank Him for the race and for the power to run it. Today I want to run with Him and finish what He has called me to do. I don't want to look to the left or right for I might see obstacles or traps layed out for me and lose heart. I don't want to look behind because I might be convinced to stay behind and not run at all. I want to keep my eyes solely on Jesus and simply run.

And while I run, I will thank Him -- for His goodness, for His gentleness, for His merciful kindness.

And at the end of the race, I will fall at His feet and thank Him again.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
Acts 20:24

Heavenly Father, how in the world do people do the journey of life in this world without You? Thank you for always pursuing me, encouraging me, pushing me to run the race You marked out for me before I gasped for my first breath. Thank you that when I am tempted to get distracted or lose heart or maybe even give up altogether You are there to remind me that You are greater than anything this world has to offer and that pursuing You is worth the struggle. You are worth the race! Help me to run a straight race with my eyes fixed squarely on You on this red hot pavement called life. I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You...Oh, my soul rejoice! Amen.

With Thanksgiving,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 8

2010-11-08T11:17:00.001-06:00

I know that this is my second day in a row just to share music for my 25 Days of Thanks...

...But God speaks to me through music and for this I am thankful!

You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord I’m amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed by You
Lord I’m amazed by You
How You love me

How wide
How deep
How great
Is Your love for me.

Music and lyrics by Jared Anderson
© 2004 Vertical Worship Songs

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 7

2010-11-07T05:34:00.001-06:00

Because of the LORD's great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Nothing much to say today except I'm thankful for do-overs!

So thankful,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 6

2010-11-06T06:34:00.001-05:00

I'm thankful for the three people that I live with day in and day out!

For my husband - the love of my life. He loves his family deeply, choosing us over anything each and every time...over work, over sports, over anyone or anything else. Loving, kind and patient. Quiet until you get to know him. Hilariously funny when you do! Spontaneous. Disciplined and a good steward of all that God has blessed us with. The best Dad I could have ever have had for my children. Sensitive and introspective. Fun loving. A "deal finder" and therefore, a great gift giver! Forgiving and merciful. Honorable and praiseworthy. My best friend. My irreplacable love.

I'm so grateful for my precious first born -- my son. What a fine young man his Dad and I have had the privilege of watching grow. We are thankful that God, in spite of our lack of ability to parent worth a hill of beans, has his hands on Taylor. He has gifted him with an unbelievable and beautiful mind that can process and analyze beyond anything that we would have dreamed for him. And yet he is sensitive, thoughtful, loving and caring. He is funny and has the best smile! I can't believe he is a teenager. The years have gone so quickly! I can't wait to see what God has in store for him!! I'm so thankful for this special child!

I'm thankful for my little girl! If you look at my past posts you will see that I have referred to her as a challenge, a fireball, a drama queen, a "fit thrower"....and so on. Can I just say that I don't know how or why now, but God has matured this little thang over the past three weeks? She has been the greatest delight to us. She makes us laugh because she is quite witty. She has been patient, kind, respectful...controlled. I'm sure I will still have challenging days with her and I'm sure there are more dramas to be performed and more fits to be thrown, but for now I'm resting in the peace and joy that this season has brought to my life. Lindsey is my baby I thought I would never have. That, in and of itself, is something to be thankful for.

Lord, thank you for these sweet people that I live life with day in and day out. Help me never take them for granted. Help me be a blessing to them every day. Forgive me for the times that I have not. Show me how to serve them and encourage them.

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 5

2010-11-05T18:23:00.001-05:00

My heart is a bit heavy today. I got a call this week that a childhood friend had taken his life. This is the second time I've gotten a call like this in the past 6 months about a friend from my childhood. It has me wondering how does hope completely disappear to bring someone to take such drastic measures.

Leaving behind two beautiful little girls, the despair in this man's life apparently was more than he could take. His hope was gone.

So today I'm thankful for the hope I have in Jesus Christ. Life is not always fun and it is definitely not always easy. But He is steadfast. He is sure. He is sufficient. He is supreme. He is salvation.

Without Him, I would wander aimlessly through life. With Him, I have direction and promise and a calling. Without Him, life is impossible. With Him, I can face anything knowing that He can use anything for my good. Without Him, I would be lost. With Him, I sense His presence and all is well.

Without Him, I would despair. With Him, I am filled with hope.

‎"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14

Blessings,
Dori

It Might Be Hope by Sara Groves

25 Days of Thanks - Day 4

2010-11-04T06:02:00.001-05:00

Today I am simply thankful for the simple things.

God's Word.
Sleeping late on Saturday mornings.
Going for a hike at a nearby lake.
Holding hands with my husband in the car.
My daughter's smile.
My son's hug.
My iPod.
Praise and Worship music that lifts my soul when I'm a bit down.
Staying in my pajamas all day if I have a mind to.
Lunch with a friend.
Coffee.
Chocolate Mint Truffle coffee creamer!
My camera.
Looking at childhood pictures.
Sunrises.
Sunsets.
And everything in between.

God has, indeed, been very good to me. On the days that I'm tempted to be anxious or fearful, I'm so glad that He reminds me that He has it all under control and all I really have to do is live in the present -- this day that He's given me.

Heavenly Father, You are so very good! Your grace still amazes me each and every day. I'm prone to wander, Lord, and oftentimes tempted to worry. Thank you for reminding me that it is in quiet and trust where I find Your greatest strength welling up in me. Thank you for loving me that much. Thank you for the simple things in my life that remind me that You are faithful, that You are merciful, that You are loving and that You are my Everything!

Blessings,
Dori

Word-Filled Wednesday

2010-11-03T14:52:00.001-05:00

The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery,
and my invincible army;
He makes my feet like hinds' feet
and will make me to walk
[not to stand still in terror, but to walk]
and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places
[of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!
Habukkuk 3:19 Amplified

Be blessed that your God is for you! Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. He is your personal bravery and your invincible army...oh so mighty to save!

Blessings,
Dori

Join me and others as we share on Word-Filled Wednesday over at Internet Cafe Devotions!

25 Days of Thanks - Day 3

2010-11-03T08:53:00.001-05:00

"For I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord. I'm eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other." (Romans 1:11-12 NLT)

Today I am thankful for all of the women of faith that God has placed in my life over the years to encourage me in my walk with Him. We really can't do life by ourselves effectively. My life would be radically different if I didn't have friends who constantly pray for me, minister to me and build up my faith by living out their own.

In honor of all my spiritual mothers and sisters, I want to share with you about one specific woman who took the time to invest in my life. This is something I wrote over three years ago to honor her.

I REMEMBER HER NAME...
By Dori Cook

She was more than a Sunday School teacher...

She was a friend, an encourager and a prayer warrior. With all the obvious pressures of being a Pastor’s wife, she took the time to be a spiritual mother to a group of misfit teenage girls. We all had different backgrounds, personalities and problems and yet she met each of us at the point of our need. She encouraged us to rise above life’s circumstances and reach for all that God has for His beloved children. We were “Chosen Vessels,” she said. She made us each feel unique, special and loved, something deeply treasured by God.

I remember her Bible. It was blue and its pages lined in silver. It was worn from the time she spent reading the words of the Lord she loved so much. I remember the scriptures she taught us…

”But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5&6)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.” (John 15:16)

I remember her tears. She cried as she read God’s Word. She cried as she sang His songs. She cried when she shared the failures and victories of her own spiritual journey to the heart of God. She cried with us when we walked through tough circumstances.

I remember her commitment to praying for us. She went to bed early and awoke early, always meeting her Lord in the big winged back chair in her living room. Our names were there; not only on her prayer list but on her lips as she lifted up her petitions to God. When she told me that she had mentioned my name to the Lord, I was confident that she had.

I remember her mothering all of us as if we were her own. I recall learning that being a mother to someone reaches far beyond the biological to the spiritual. It’s a calling of God, a mission field, and she fulfilled her mission time and time again. The fruits of her labor are visible in the lives of the girls she mentored all those years ago. We are godly wives and mothers. Some of us are Bible teachers, Christian musicians and writers. All of us are part of the Kingdom of God because she took the time to help us on our way.

I wondered if my children would ever have someone like her in their life; someone who would share Christ with them, not out of obligation but out of a calling. I prayed that I could be a godly mother to my own children, but also take the time to plant spiritual seeds in the lives of the other children God places within my circle of influence. I asked Him to make me more like her; one who would look beyond the outward and see what God sees when He looks at His special creations.

I remember her name. I call her “Miss Nancy” and my life is forever changed because of her.

Miss Nancy, I love you!

Blessings,
Dori

25 Days of Thanks - Day 2

2010-11-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

There is a bridge in the song You Are God, Alone that, to me, is one of the most powerful parts of it. We simply declare that this God that we worship -- one not created by human hands and who needs nothing from us, his merely made of dust children -- is unchangable, unshakeable, unstoppable!

It's that word "unshakeable" that stops me each and every time!

There will be times when our world is unstable. There will be seasons of life when what you thought was safe and secure is uncertain.

But our God is unshakeable and what He has in store for us is a kingdom that is unshakeable.

When stock markets crash, God is unshakeable and has prepared spiritual riches beyond our wildest imaginations.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33)

When our health is unstable, God is unshakeable and He alone will be our strength.

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)

When anxieties and worries cause our earthly foundations to shake underneath our feet, our unshakeable God wraps His arms around us and brings us joy.

"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." (Psalm 94:19)

When everything around us drifts as far away from God as what once seemed possible, our unshakeable God shakes it up, lets everything fall away that looks nothing like Him, and promises us a better place. He burns up what doesn't belong and leaves what is good and eternal.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Let us walk the rest of our days full of thanksgiving for our unshakeable God!

Blessings,
Dori

If you would like to join me for "25 DAYS OF THANKS..." feel free to grab the button to the right and post your own "25 DAYS OF THANKS..." post. Participate every day, once a week or whenever you want! Just sign Mr. Linky below and don't forget to also leave a comment!

25 Days of Thanks - Day 1

2010-11-01T10:13:00.001-05:00

"Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection...an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus." ~~ Charles R. Swindoll

November 1. How can that be? My, my, my -- time is going by so fast! It seems like only yesterday we were gathered around a feast, with friends and family, laughing, loving -- being thankful!

As I started thinking about this upcoming holiday and what it means, I began to feel an urging in my heart to be intentional about being thankful this year.

It seems that if we aren’t careful we rush through the Thanksgiving season, visit a little, eat a lot, watch a little football and when our heads hit the pillow on the big day, we’ve taken no time to actually count our blessings much less share them with someone else.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe I’m just getting older. I pray that it is because I am getting wiser. But I don’t want to rush through November and head on into Christmas and not give thanks to the Lord...for He, indeed, has been good to me. I’m sure you don’t have to think too hard to see the ways He has also blessed you and your family.

I have so much to be thankful for! My amazing husband and precious kids. For health and blessings too many to name here. For provision of just daily necessities that we often take for granted. For ministry opportunities. But all of this only comes from a God who dearly loves me and cares for me.

The love of God! The depth of it astounds me. The height of it lifts me. Mercies new every morning. Lovingkindness that is better than life itself. Peace like a river. Life full of abundant joy. Forgiveness and redemption. Sacrifice.

My favorite hymn says it this way:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

And then how I love this verse:

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Oh, Heavenly Father, how in the world could I ever thank You enough and how dare we just set aside one day to be intentionally thankful! Give me a heart that is full of thanksgiving every day of every year -- not just on one Thursday in November. You have been so faithful to me. Thank you, LORD, that Your faithfulness to me is steady and unchanging -- when my faithfulness to You is always falling short. For all You have done, for all that You're going to do, for all that You are -- HOW I THANK YOU!

"O my soul, bless GOD. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless GOD, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins--every one. He heals your diseases--every one. He redeems you from hell--saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy--a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness--beauty eternal. He renews your youth--you're always young in his presence." (Psalm 103:1-5 THE MESSAGE)

Blessings,
Dori

If you would like to join me for "25 DAYS OF THANKS..." feel free to grab the button to the right and post your own "25 DAYS OF THANKS..." post. Participate every day, once a week or whenever you want! Just sign Mr. Linky below and don't forget to also leave a comment!

Wednesday Link Love

2010-10-26T23:00:00.001-05:00

There are things that I love about friendships and then things I LOVE about friendships. I have a new friend. Her name is Lisa Shaw. I could give you about 538 reasons why I love her, but she is one of the funniest people I've met recently and she is quite the storyteller! But you just have to go and watch THIS. There is nothing I love more than the story of a new friendship shared over a popping pan of Jiffy Pop!!

My friend, Leah, has published her first Bible study called From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy. I'm so proud of her! I can't wait to get my copy and I want you to have one, too. You can order it HERE or HERE or HERE. I'm seriously thinking that after the first of the year I may offer this study in my home to friends and neighbors. Leah is one of my most favorite people. I had the privilege of meeting her face to face just recently. She's been my only blog reader for quite a while now! :)

And speaking of Leah's Bible study, our friend Cindy is giving away four copies of From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest over at her blog. Pop on over HERE and leave a comment about the kind of legacy you want to leave. I told Cindy that my desire was best summed up in the words of the Nichole Nordeman song, Legacy:

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy.

I hope my children see at least a glimpse of this in my life.

Another awesome giveaway is by my friends over at Internet Cafe! You do not want to miss this one!! Pop on over HERE and see what they are giving away. And don't forget to register!!!

I'm catching up on my blog reading tonight and tomorrow so I may have some other jewels to share with you! But don't miss these great giveaways and blogs of my sweet friends!

Have a great day, friends!

Blessings,
Dori

Polka Dot Photo Contest

2010-10-26T20:15:00.001-05:00

Polka Dot is having a photography contest on her blog! First place winner receives a custom red polka dot camera strap cover from Studio MCA Designs. See rules here on how to win the camera strap pictured here.

In the meantime, here is the photo that I'm entering. It is of the beautiful profile of my sweet girl. We took this photo just a week or so ago in Destin, Florida. Lindsey was sitting on the rock jetty scanning the horizon for signs of dolphin fins. It's one of my favorite pictures we've ever taken.

Pop on over to Polka Dot and enter your own snapshot!

Blessings,
Dori

My Help (Psalm 121)

2010-10-03T15:48:00.001-05:00

I will lift up mine eyes to the hills
from whence cometh my help,
my help cometh from the Lord,
the Lord which made Heaven and Earth

He said He would not suffer thy foot,
thy foot to be moved;
the Lord which keepeth thee,
He will not slumber nor sleep

Oh the Lord is thy keeper,
the Lord is thy shade
upon thy right hand,
upon thy right hand.

No, the sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night,
He shall preserve thy soul
even forever more

My help, my help, my help,
all of my help cometh from the Lord.

Blessings,
Dori

90 Days with The One & Only - Day Two

2010-10-02T17:00:00.001-05:00

"Mary, did you know?"

The question is a bit of a cliche' because someone penned all the questions in a song -- a very well written song, I might add.

As I was finishing up Day Two of Jesus: 90 Days with the One and Only by Beth Moore, I wondered if she REALLY knew how her life was about to change.

I remember when I was pregnant with my first born that along about the week of Thanksgiving (he was born a few days after), I got this overwhelming feeling. I wouldn't call it exclusively panic, nor would I call it overwhelming excitement and exuberance. I think it was a jumbled ball of all of those and about a dozen more.

Expectancy
Excitement
Panic
Happiness
Joy
Wonder
Amazement
Apprehension
Trepidation
Gratefulness
Unprepared!

But Mary!

The whole experience for her had been anything but normal. She didn't visit a doctor or take a test to see if she would have a baby or not. She didn't even have reason to do such a thing! But one day in the quiet her house filled with light and a heavenly being declared her the one who would give birth to the world's Salvation, the Desired of all the Nations...Jesus, the One and Only.

In the face of shame, scorn and possibly even death, she stepped into obedience.

Would I be so brave? Would I be so quick to say "Be it unto me according to Your Word?"

Maybe He is challenging me with that same thing -- knowing that whatever the step He asks me to take He would not ask if He were not going with me. There is peace and joy found in that place of knowing that I've done what He has asked and that He has promised to do what He has said.

And perhaps in that place, there is no panic, apprehension or worry at all. Perhaps in that place there is only joy, peace, calm and grace...lots and lots of grace.

Maybe that is the only thing that Mary REALLY knew!

Blessings,
Dori

90 Days with the One & Only - Day One

2010-10-02T12:19:00.001-05:00

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Song of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” Luke 1:26-33

This was the scripture reading yesterday – Day One of Jesus: 90 Days with The One & Only by Beth Moore.

Try as I might, I have never been able to imagine what it might have felt like to have this happen to me when I was a mere teenager. I can’t fathom the fear and disbelief that might have filled Mary’s young heart.

But right in the middle of Gabriel’s announcement he utters the name “JESUS” for the first time.

And though I can’t identify with Mary’s heart at this time in her life, I can certainly tell you what the Name Jesus means to me.

When I speak the Name Jesus, my fearful heart gives way to gratitude. Praise God for sending His Son so we can have fellowship with Him and walk straight into His presence – our requests, our fears, our hurts laid bare before Him.

When I speak the Name Jesus, mountains are either moved or made climbable. Impossibilities are possible and peace takes over.

When I speak the Name Jesus, chains fall around my feet. The enemy has no power in the presence of Jesus, the One and Only.

When I speak the Name Jesus, tears are dried and sadness is replaced with joy and gladness.

When I speak the Name Jesus, I might remain uncertain of the outcome of my circumstances but I am quite certain that my God is more than able to bring me through whatever it is that concerns me.

The plain and simple truth is though I may stray and I may fail Him time and time again, Jesus is everything to me.

What is He to you?

Blessings,
Dori

Don't Talk To Strangers

2010-10-01T14:55:00.001-05:00

Photo Courtesy of Susan Hood

Don’t talk to strangers!

Those were the words of advice of my mother (and probably your mother, too) when I was younger. We teach our children Stranger Danger now. We have code words for our children so no one other than us can pick them up from school. We are very deliberate when teaching our children about strangers. And we should be.

But imagine the irony as I walked up to a porch in Black Mountain, North Carolina last weekend and hugged the necks of women that I’ve never met before. Most I had only “talked with” on the internet. And yet we felt like sisters.

I have read their blogs. Some of them have read mine. They have encouraged me for so long, but I could never imagine getting to sit and have a meal with them and hear their heart out loud in a real live voice! But our God is a creative God and he took strangers who had Him in common on the internet and brought us together – bonded us instantly as sisters! And this gathering called gIRL: Girlfriends in Real Life became something of a spiritual marker for me.

We prayed together, cried together, encouraged one another, studied God’s word together, held one another up, we laughed, we cried, our feet were washed by precious servants and we left changed. God took us from sitting inside our homes or at the local coffee shop typing out words on a keyboard to meeting each other face to face. Where once we encouraged each other with our words on something He designed and called a “blog,” we stepped boldly into real life and sharpened one other as iron does for another piece of iron.

I used to think my two favorite words were “But God…”

But now I think my two new favorite words are “Only God!”

Because ONLY GOD could take names from my screen and make them sisters in real life! ONLY GOD could make me shake my head in wonder and amazement at how much I needed the encouragement of these ladies. ONLY GOD could take complete strangers and make them friends.

If you know me, you know I seldom leave the house without my Nikon around my neck. But I didn’t take it this weekend and I barely got any pictures at all from my point and shoot. Here are just a couple. They aren’t the best quality, but the girls in these pictures mean the world to me. You can go to the gIRL blog and see other pictures or go to some other blogs of the girls who did take a ton of snapshots! It was a blast!

It was a beautiful day for a drive through the Smokies!

This is my sweet friend, Victoria. We've read each other's blogs for quite some time and even have a mutual friend. But we had never met. I'm glad we have now!

Wow! These are my friends Lisa and Karen. These women have spoken such life into me in such a short amount of time. So blessed to know them!!

This is Melinda, one of the coordinators of gIRL. She was also my small group leader for the weekend. Her transparency is precious and God used that to minister to us. She has one of those gentle and quiet spirits that I know is so precious to God!! Love her!

And this is my sweet friend, Leah. Leah and I just met this past weekend, but she is precious to me. I joke and say that she is my one and only blog reader. She never fails to comment and encourage me. She has a Bible study coming out this Fall and I cannot wait to get it!

One of the highlights for me was finally meeting my friend, Holly! Holly and I have done life together on the phone for nearly 3 years! We have prayed together and for one another. We finally met face to face. But that will just have to be saved for another day, another blog post!

If you ever get a chance to go to a gIRL gathering, go. It will stretch you in ways that you never dreamed. It will encourage you in your faith and in your ministry. It will empower you to go back and make an even greater difference as you seek to make His Name famous wherever He calls you to do it!

Blessings,
Dori

A New Month

2010-10-01T09:56:00.001-05:00

I love all things new. Thankfully, God loves all things new, too! But over the years, He has taught me some really practical things to do month over month to keep me in His Word. I thought I would share them with you here. Maybe you will be challenged to spend more time in prayer and Bible study. Who doesn't need more of Him? I certainly do!!

So here you go. My top 5 ways to spend more time getting to know the heart of God through prayer and Bible study every month!

1. Read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month. Both of these books lend themselves to be covered in a month's time. You can read through the book of Psalms in a month by reading about 5 chapters a day. This is very quick reading until you get to Psalm 119, but that chapter is so rich that you will not get weary even on that day! Proverbs is perfectly suited for a monthly reading plan because it is already divided in 31 chapters. And on those months covered by "30 days has September, April, June and November" you can easily read the 31st chapter on the 30th. And in February you get a good heavy dose of Proverbs on the last day of the month!

2. Take a 30-Day Spiritual Challenge. I have found some terrific resources at Revive Our Hearts, the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I have not read her books and don't always get to listen to her radio program, but her website is a treasure trove of resources for those wanting to spend more time focused on God and His heart. For example, you can take the Choosing Gratitude challenge. Each day you will receive an e-mail encouraging you in ways you can choose gratitude. I find that these are wonderful ways to dive into concentrated prayer, journaling, etc. You can find all of the 30-Day Challenges HERE.

3. Get a subscription to Journey magazine. I have loved Journey for as long as it has even been a publication. My former church provided it to us free of charge. Even if your church doesn't, it isn't that expensive -- maybe $20 a year. But I love how this devo is set up. It has daily readings, but then it has features from beloved Christian writers and then every now and again they will give someone like me a shot at being published! (September 2001, Everything I Know About God I Learned At Wal-Mart. No lie. That's what I wrote. Have mercy!) Journey gives very practical devotionals about everyday life as a Christian woman -- whether you are married, single, divorced, a mother, a grandmother, etc. You can see a sample and subscribe to Journey HERE.

4. Pray a different biblical virtue into the lives of you and your immediate family members each day of the month. Again, Revive Our Hearts has a wonderful resource for this called 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children. While this list is specifically designed for children, I have found myself praying for the designated virtue over me, my husband, my children, their teachers, etc. Even if you don't have children, you can pray this for yourself and any children God has placed under your spiritual authority. This is downloadable and I have it in a notebook under a page protector so I can have it ready and available each month. For example, today's virtue looks like this: Salvation—"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10) I love that it gives a specific prayer and scriptures that I can pray that back up that virtue. You can find this download HERE. Another terrific resource is Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Parent. 31 short chapters with invaluable spiritual guidance in being intentional about being on our faces praying to God on behalf of our children.

5. Pray a specific request for your spouse everyday. My mind is prone to wander. And when I pray for my children and spouse, I have to be very intentional. Lists work well for me. Fortunately, there is also a list of 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband. It is also at Revive Our Hearts and you can download it HERE. I do it much the same way as #4 above. I put it in a notebook and keep it before me each day, praying scripture on behalf of my man. No husband? Pray for your boyfriend in these ways. No boyfriend? Pray for your future husband! Pray for your Daddy! Pray for your brother! Again, The Power of a Praying Wife is an excellent monthly book to go through. I love Day One of this book because it has me in mind. It is called "His Wife." It's a long chapter, but wives are pretty complex people and require a lot of work to make us into all God intended for us to be to our husbands. But the last lines of the prayer gets to me everytime: "Make me a new person, Lord. Give me a fresh perspective, a positive outlook, and a renewed relationship with the man You've given me. Help me see him with new eyes, new appreciation, new love, new compassion, and new acceptance. Give my husband a new wife, and let it be me."

What about you? Has God given you very practical, easy to follow ways to keep His Word and His heart ever before you? Do share! Spur us on. We need it. We need Him. We need MORE of Him...every day, every month, every year!

Blessings,
Dori

90 Days

2010-09-30T23:16:00.001-05:00

There are 92 days left in 2010. 92 days! Where in the world did this year go?

I thought about what I want the end of this year to look like and how I want the next one to begin.

It's plain and simple.

I want to know Him more. I want Jesus to mean more to me on December 31 than He does on September 30 and on January 1, I want to keep on learning more and more about His nature, His ways and and His desires for me.

So I challenged a couple of friends to join me on a journey. For the next 90 days we are going to walk through Beth Moore's book, JESUS: 90 DAYS WITH THE ONE AND ONLY. Feel free to come along. I'm going to attempt to throw out some thoughts here as I study through my Savior's life. Join me. Comment. Participate.

My family and I recently finished reading through the book of John. It wasn't easy because John is quite verbose and oftentimes we had to stop and read some commentary to really grasp what he was trying to convey. But we got to the end and came to this verse that nearly slays me every single time:

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole wide world would not have room for the books that would be written." John 21:25

Friends, if we have walked with Christ for very long we have merely scratched the surface of Who He is, what He came to do, and how much He dearly loves us. But I know that I don't want to take another step into the last half of my life not having known everything that I could know about Him through His Word. I want to taste and see that He indeed is good.

I want to know that in the beginning was God and the Word -- Jesus, Himself -- was with God when worlds were spoken into being and stars were breathed into the sky.

And I want to feel the pounding of hoofbeats as the One Who is called Faithful and True rides up on His white horse.

And I want to experience everything in between.

"[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly]..." Philippians 3:10a Amplified

Blessings,
Dori

He is So Tender to Me

2010-08-25T12:29:00.001-05:00

I've been going through a trial -- actually, that is really putting it mildly. I have what seems like an insurmountable task ahead of me and I feel paralyzed to take the next step.

But Jesus is so tender to me.

In moments when I already have tears streaming down my face, He puts these things on the hearts of others to share and then sees fit to make my eyes fall on what they have written.

“I know that many of you reading this are desperate for your situation – whatever that may be – to change. Please know that when you cry out to the Lord, He hears you! He knows what you are going through. He is your Shepherd and He cares for you. Pray, pray, pray. First Peter 5:7-8 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (NIV) I am asking God to show you His love, power and care right now.” Amanda Jones, Living Proof Ministries

“We serve a God who most certainly can move mountains. But sometimes the greater revelations of God are discovered when He doesn’t move the mountain. Instead, He takes our hand and helps us climb up and over impossibilities one step at a time. And that’s the path God had for us. I learned, to be a true woman of faith we must live lives that actually require a little bit of faith. I didn’t have the luxury any longer of saying I had faith but finding comfort in my little back up plan. We women are so clever with that. Instead, every day I had no choice but to admit my absolute desperation for God.” Lisa TerKeurst, Proverbs 31 Ministries

So I thought I would share these with you. Because I don't know, you may have tears streaming down your face, too.

Let Jesus be tender to you.

Blessings,
Dori

No More Excuses

2010-08-24T06:43:00.001-05:00

I have made every excuse known to man when it comes to memorizing scripture!

"I don't have a good memory."
"I'm getting old."
"It was so much easier when I was younger."
"My children are better at this than me."
"I can usually summarize the passage, but can't memorize it word for word."
"Writing it down doesn't help me."

Blah, blah, blah. Excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse!

My friends challenge me to memorize scripture. Joanne does it over here. Leah does it over here. Beth is always doing it over here.

And still I make excuses.

But not today.

Today is the day!

My mind has got to be renewed. In any given day, I have doubts arise, burdens that weigh me down, fears that threaten to overtake me, and choices to follow God or follow man. I know of no other way to make it through a day like that than to put the Words of God into my life by reading them, meditating on them and memorizing them. I need to constantly be reminded of Who God is, who I am in Him, what He thinks of me, what His plans are for me, and what He has promised to do with one who will look for Him with all their heart.

So I've got my spiral ready today and I'm filling that thing up! I'm writing scriptures on my fridge. Every white board in my home is going to have scripture on it. I have little inexpensive plastic frames that are going to be holding 4 x 6 index cards with scripture. Post-it notes sitting in the desk drawers are going to be put to good use today! Screensavers - check!

I love the translation of Romans 12:1-2 by Phillips:

"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity."

"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God..." I want to see what He wants me to see. I want to feel what He wants me to feel. I want to walk where He wants me to walk. If I don't fill up my mind with His Word, then I'm going to be tempted to go my own way, see only what I want to see and will be ruled and reigned by a whole slate of improper motives and emotions. I want to break that mold and let Him remold me as only He can!

I need my mind reshaped by God from within doing exactly what Psalm 119 says -- hiding His Word in every corner and crevice of my heart so that when the temptations come, when doubts arise and when life's questions seem to have no answers I can recall what He says -- His final Word over every situation!

I'm starting with Psalm 145. There are a couple of reasons for this.

One is that this Psalm reminds me over and over of God's sovereignty, His supremacy, and His goodness.

Two is that it is 21 verses. I've heard it said that a habit is formed when you repeatedly do the same thing everyday for 21 days. So I'm taking this Psalm a verse at a time, a day at a time. At the end of the 21 days I will not only have hidden 21 verses of scripture in my heart, soul and mind, but I will also have formed a habit of memorizing God's Word.

Join me if you want! And if you are, let me hear from you. (I laugh when I say that because the only person I really ever hear from is Leah! Love her!)

Here is Psalm 145 in the NIV version. I have intentionally left the verse by verse scripture notations so we can see it broken down in 21 easy to swallow bites. Even if you are not going to memorize it with me, take a moment to slowly read this! You will be blessed.

Psalm 145
A Psalm of Praise. Of David.

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:1)

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:2)

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Psalm 145:3)

One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4)

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. (Psalm 145:5)

They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. (Psalm 145:6)

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:7)

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8)

The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. (Psalm 145:9)

All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. (Psalm 145:10)

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, (Psalm 145:11)

so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. (Psalm 145:12)

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (Psalm 145:13)

The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. (Psalm 145:14)

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. (Psalm 145:15)

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16)

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. (Psalm 145:17)

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:19)

The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Psalm 145:20)

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)

Blessings,
Dori

I Come

2010-08-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

"Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and 'pray to the Father who is in the secret place,' every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God." My Utmost for His Highest, August 23

I can think of nothing more uncomfortable than feeling like what others see in public is not exactly what God sees in private. I've struggled with this, mainly in my adult years, more than anything -- wanting to be the real deal in front of people.

But this morning as I sat at my desk listening for God to speak, I heard Him say, "More than anything I desire for you to be the real deal in front of Me."

I've often thought that we have no choice but to come to God with all of our junk and be open and honest. But I was reminded this morning, that the mask I am tempted to wear for others I can also be tempted to wear before God.

I can come to Him acting like I have it all together. I can worry and fret over things in my life and in the lives of my family and never utter a prayer of entrusting those things to the only One who can do anything about them. I can leave blatant sin unconfessed which leads to the false belief that my good behavior will somehow erase the bad. And even though He knows the real me and even though He knows the things I have done, I still come before Him as nothing more than an actress...and not a very good one at that!

Or I can choose to come in all honesty and humility, with hands full of faults and failures, laying it all at His feet. To be healed. To be rescued. To be filled.

That's when real authentic relationship happens with God. No more masks. No more prayers filled with pious and churchy words. No more running. Nor more hiding. No more pretending. But coming to Him with the real us; the one He made and knew intimately before we were born.

"I come broken to be mended.
I come wounded to be healed.
I come desperate to be rescued.
I come empty to be filled.
I come guilty to be pardoned
By the blood of Christ the Lamb;
And I'm welcomed with open arms, Praise God,
JUST AS I AM."*

Let's come boldly before the throne of God just as we are, so we do not stand in the way of the work He wants to do in us and then through us.

"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." Hebrews 4:16 Amplified

Blessings,
Dori

*Just As I Am, additional words and music written by Travis Cottrell, David Moffitt and Sue C. Smith from Run to the Cross: A Praise & Worship Easter with Travis Cottrell, ©XXIX Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, 741 Cool Springs Blvd., Franklin, TN 37067.

Intentional Looking on the Heart

2010-08-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

I was just now driving home from a neighboring town where I spent the morning at Panera working, studying and laughing with an old friend. Love those times and love me some Panera.

In the car I began to thank God that me, my husband and my two children are reading a chapter of John every night. To hear my children read familiar passages is precious and to hear God speak something new to my own heart through the familiar is even more precious.

But I began to ask God how we could step it up a notch. Don't get me wrong. I believe the Word simply read and never discussed is powerful enough that over time it will begin to change a heart, a life, and even a family. Generations to come can be changed by the Word of the Lord sown in the hearts that are just willing enough to crack open its pages and read. However, I wanted to do something intentional tonight to encourage my children to start serving one another -- because the book of John has so much to say about loving God, loving others -- doing something to minister to others.

Spoken blessings over the life of another person can be so powerful. Simply recognizing something in their life that is visible through God's power at work in their life is encouraging and empowering.

So the thought came to me that tonight I wanted my family to have homework after our Bible reading and prayer time. I want to give them a piece of paper and ask them to list each person of our immediate family. Beside each person's name list 2 or 3 things about that person that they love. But the catch is that it needs to be something that God highly esteems.

Let me see if I can demonstrate what I'm talking about.

For instance, I happen to think that my Lindsey is a beautiful girl. She has gorgeous blue eyes and natural blonde highlights that others might pay $100 for at the salon.

And while God made her beautiful, His Word tells us that He doesn't necessarily look at the outward. He is gazing into her heart. And what He sees there is what I see -- compassion towards those who might struggle, whether with their health or a disability or maybe like her new friend Abby who just moved her from out of state. He loves that about Lindsey and so do I.

My son Taylor is so intelligent! But Taylor is also humble about his giftedness. God has given Taylor a mind that can learn anything. But God is well-pleased when Taylor uses his intelligence to help others and not to flaunt his own ability, but he reaches out to help others along the way. I love that about Taylor -- that he is for others and not against them. His kindness is Christ-like. God honors that.

My husband can take $100 and turn it into $1000 -- legally, that is -- like no one I have ever seen. He has a gift for being financially savvy. But my husband is wise and generous, willing to give to anyone in need. God has much to say about being a wise steward and I believe He sees that in my husband. I certainly do.

So you see. It isn't things like our appearance or our intelligence that God necessarily adores about us. But when we take what He has given us and use it for His Kingdom, for His purposes; well, He is nuts about that. That's what He highly esteems.

So I will challenge them to have the eyes of Christ for a few minutes and look on the hearts of their family members and see what God might be looking for as usable for His Kingdom work.

"...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 6:7b

Blessings,
Dori

A Wake-Up Call

2010-08-18T09:14:00.001-05:00

“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.” Isaiah 50:4

Lord, how I love Your Word! Familiar passages read over and over again can nearly jump off the page fresh and new and straight into my heart as if I had never heard such a thing. I have been awake for a few hours now, but I want to thank you for this mid-morning reminder that every morning You provide a wake-up call like none other – the power of Your Word can cause this weary mind, body and spirit to jump up and face the day with strength, wisdom, confidence and security.

Thank you that when I wake up – not matter when I wake up – You are there ready with a Word that will get me through the day. And not only that, but Your Word is given to me to share with others who are also weary. Father, I don’t have to look very far to see people needing the sustaining power of Your Word. My husband, my children first and then I walk into a world that is chocked full of despairing, discouraged and weary people. Thank You that Your Word is sent forth to heal, to uplift, to encourage. Thank You for giving me that and then enabling me to minister to others through the comfort that You have provided to me.

Give me wide awake ears to hear what it is You have for me each new day. Instruct my tongue, God, to know what it is You would have me say to everyone You send my way. Don’t let me miss it, Father God! “While on others Thou art calling…do not pass me by!”

I love You, my Savior and my God. Thank You for infinitely loving me back.

Replacing Worry with Vision

2010-08-16T10:33:00.001-05:00

In her devotional today over at Proverbs 31 Ministries, Glynnis Whitwer made this statement that interrupted my day and made me stop and pray:

It didn't take a detailed self-assessment to realize I'd reduced my prayers to the common denominator of safety. While that is critically important, I realized I had replaced my vision for their futures with worry about their presents.

My children are at critical places in their lives.

I have a high school boy who will be faced with choices that could have lasting consequences for the rest of his life. He will see things in the world that I have protected him from his entire life. His heart, deceitful above all things, will try to lead him astray. The Holy Spirit will be more important now to him than ever before.

I have a daughter who is making day to day decisions not as one who is wise, but one full of folly. Proverbs has much to say about this direction of person -- especially that of a woman child. Will she choose contention or will she choose to be a builder? Will she wreak destruction and havoc or will she choose to have a servant's heart, live to build another up and not tear them down?

God can handle their safety, their security, in any given day. He can handle all of the rest, too. But my prayers for the vision that God placed in my heart for them on the day they were born can't fall by the wayside in order for me to fight fires that perhaps are created by my own lack of trust and worry.

So I'm asking God to renew in me a sense of His presence in the lives of my children. I'm asking Him to show me again the vision that He gave me for their lives and draw me to fall to my knees and ask Him for THAT.

I can certainly trust God to guard my children, protect them and to guide their footsteps perhaps even if I forget to ask on any given day. But let my prayerful ferver everyday be well spent on asking God for the things that have eternal meaning in their lives -- that He will develop godly character in them, replace folly with wisdom in their hearts, make them hardworking as unto the Lord, give them spiritual discernment so that they will know what the will of God is and do it, give them practical discernment so they will see the wrong path before them and choose another way, and that He will make them people who listen for the voice of God and obey it.

Replacing worry for today with vision for their entire journey.

Blessings,
Dori

He Whispered to Me

2010-08-12T09:06:00.001-05:00

First day of school! First day of school! First day of school!

I love that little scene from Finding Nemo when the little clown fish goes to wake up his sleepy dad because he is ready for his first day of school.

That's the way I felt when I woke up this morning at 4:50...yes, I said 4:50!

I started the coffee pot. I put a load of clothes in the washer. I made ham and biscuits for the family. I got my shower at 5:05.

And at 5:30 I started waking my high school boy.

MY HIGH SCHOOL BOY!!!

I cannot believe that my firstborn is off to high school today. It seems like only yesterday that I was rocking him in the wee hours of the morning whispering my hopes and dreams into his tiny little ears. I remember vividly one morning I looked at his little blue eyes and wondered what he would be like on his first day of Kindergarten. I never wondered beyond Kindergarten...my mind couldn't fathom letting go of my priceless gift into the mean old world.

And here we are in high school.

But this morning I remembered what God whispered into my ears that morning in late November of 1995.

"Dori, this child is more Mine than he is yours. I love Him infinitely more than you could ever imagine. I have his days planned out from beginning to end. Not one single hair on his head has not been numbered personally by Me. Wonder all you want about the days ahead, but take them one at a time and know that nothing will come this child's way that hasn't first passed through My very strong right hand. This child is yours but for a moment. He is Mine for eternity."

Praying for all of our children today as they run the race set out for them and do the work that God had planned for them when time began. And praying the same for the rest of us!

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." Ephesians 1:11-12 The Message

Blessings,
Dori

He is God

2010-07-30T13:13:00.001-05:00

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!

He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be ...
unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and
The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and Oprah can't explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.
His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and He rules my life!
I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers,
the leader of leaders, the overseer of the overcomers, and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size.
His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me and
never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody everywhere, every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!

--Author Unknown

A Really Fabulous Teacher

2010-07-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

Beth Moore has a wonderfully sweet post with precious comments going over at The Living Proof Ministries blog. You can read it for yourself HERE, but the prompt was that she ran into her old high school english teacher yesterday. She asked us to write about our favorite teachers and so I decided that I would post my response here.

Mrs. Constance (Connie) Hill was my very favorite teacher in the whole wide world!!! (That’s how I talked when I was in her class…in 3rd grade!)

I loved her because she loved me right back. I needed a lot of love that year. Just the year before I had moved from one school to another. My grandparents divorced and my grandmother and my aunt moved in with us. My mom gave birth to the most beautiful boy in the world and discovered only 6 short weeks later that he was severely impaired with Cerebral Palsy. My uncle had brain surgery and also moved in with us for a short time. I call it the year that I took the back seat to everyone else on the planet. I’m not bitter — my parents were BUSY…had their hands full. Life was hard. God was good. Period.

But Mrs. Hill made me feel like I was important and that I mattered. She listened to my silly stories and complimented me on a job well done. She told me I played the xylophone with the extra key (a B flat to be exact) better than any student she had ever taught! I made my cursive D wonderfully, but needed to work on my F and T. She taught us how to make globes out of balloons and newspapers and glue which I remember as if it were yesterday. She didn’t come down too hard on me when she caught me passing my “I like you. Do you like me? Yes or No” note to Jeff Grooms. Life in the 3rd grade portable with Mrs. Hill was an escape, of sorts, from a life at home that was sweet in so many ways but hard to deal with in many ways…especially when you are 9.

I went back until I was in the 6th grade every afternoon and graded papers for Mrs. Hill. She always had a Dr. Pepper (in a bottle) and a bag of Andy Capp Fries waiting on me. I loved that she trusted me to grade her papers. But I loved that she sat and talked with me while I did it.

She cared about me in a way she really didn’t have to.

I think about her often. In fact, I thought of her yesterday and wondered if she might be computer savvy enough to be on facebook. I think she is in her 80′s now and I have no idea where she is, but I search every now and again just to be sure.

I wonder if she knows?

I wonder if she remembers?

I hope she knows how wonderful it was to have someone who did not grow weary in doing good to a little freckled-faced, awkward, 4-eyed, hand-me-down wearin’, oftentimes lonely 9 year old.

I wish I could buy her a ice cold Dr. Pepper and bag of Andy Capp Fries. I just might do that if I could!

Blessings,
Dori

The Interrupted Life

2010-07-28T16:55:00.001-05:00

How will I respond when God takes my life down a path I had not planned or even imagined?

Those were the words I wrote at the top of my Bible study page this morning as I sat still to hear what God had to say to me today.

In her new Bible study Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted, Bible study teacher Priscilla Shirer explains that what we see as interruptions to our lives is really Divine Intervention by the One True God. She went on to explain that every major player in the Word of God had to deal with the tension caused by a life interrupted. Most were on a path or a journey and suddenly God came down, spoke, and intervened changing their direction altogether to fulfill His plans and purposes for their life.

I've often told people that every single time that I've gotten up, surrendered the day to God and asked Him to interrupt my day with someone that needed to know about the hope that He alone provides, He has always done just that. Jonah's life as a prophet was interrupted by God's instruction for Him to go to Nineveh - a place of hopelessness - and bring hope. Priscilla said that God often sends us into the hopeless place because it is in the hopeless place that we can see the hope of God. Not only do we see the hope of God, but others see the hope of God in us.

When you surrender to Him, you don't look at interruptions the same way anymore. You look at them as opportunities to do what He has called you to and to make His Name famous. The life you were living becomes The Interrupted Life -- a life that is fully surrendered, fully alive, fully effective and supernaturally empowered.

So my challenge to you today is to look back on the past 24 hours or maybe even the last seven days. When your day was interrupted how did you respond to the interruption or perhaps the person doing the interrupting?

When you look at interruptions as Divine Interventions by a Holy God, how then will you now respond? How will I respond?

‎"When your timetable has been altered, when God has shifted your ambitions, your goals, when life doesn't look like you thought it would, know that the God of the Universe is setting you up to have a story of privilege and significance that marks people for all of eternity." Priscilla Shirer, Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted - Video Session 1

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" Isaiah 30:21

Blessings,
Dori

The Lifter of My Head

2010-07-18T01:19:00.001-05:00

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
From this time forth, and even for evermore.

~~Psalm 121 KJV

Sometimes it just takes lifting up our eyes to find our help. When worries and problems come, our first reaction is to lose our focus and become downcast. Even our physical posture changes and we hang our head -- sometimes in shame, sometimes in disbelief, sometimes in defeat, sometimes in sorrow.

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3 Amplified)

When I want my children to focus on me and really listen intently to what I need to say to them, I take their face in my hand and make them look at me. I can imagine God comes to us, His children, gently cups His sweet hands underneath our chin and says, "Child, look at Me. I need you to listen to Me. Look to me for I am your very present Help in time of need."

Does your head need lifting today? Look to Him. He is your glory -- the only good thing in you. He is your Protector, your Shield, your Defender, your Waymaker and, yes, He is the lifter of your head.

Have a blessed day in Him,
Dori

Contentment

2010-07-14T01:05:00.001-05:00

Today I listened to a sermon based on Philippians 4:11-13:

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13 NASB)

I didn't take extensive notes, but here is what I came away with and it may give you something to think about, too.

Contentment trusts in the providence of God. What God is doing in your life He is doing on purpose. Trusting in the providence of God eliminates bitterness. Recognizing God’s providence in our life sustains us in difficult times in our life. Recognizing God’s providence eliminates regret. Recognizing God’s providence allows us to sit still and know that He is God.

Contentment allows us to rise above life’s circumstances rather than focusing on them.

Contentment finds strength in spiritual resources not temporal ones.

Contentment allows us to forget ourselves to serve others.

I was reminded that God has not promised a life that is filled with happy circumstances, but He has promised that He will give us joy in abundance. I heard a speaker once say that happiness is natural but joy is supernatural. The joy of the Lord is our strength and catapults us to rise above what is going on around us...our circumstances. We can do all the things that He has called us to do because of His strength and in spite of our circumstances.

Not a deep, deep theological post here! But I love God's Word and how a simple lesson in Contentment can change your day and your attitude. It was a "rhema" moment for me today. That's all we need -- some very specific moments when His Word becomes living and active, energizing and effective, in our here and now!

Blessings,
Dori

Rest a Little While

2010-07-13T01:02:00.001-05:00

"Get some rest!" That's what I keep hearing God say to me. "Find yourself a quiet place and get some rest!" I don't necessarily mean sleep -- I mean rest! Rest from the worries of the day; rest from your "to do" list; rest from going here and there; and rest from doing this and that. I don't mean ignore important responsibilities that must be handled. I just mean steal away even for a few minutes and just rest...IN HIM!

When the disciples and Jesus were going about doing good, there came a time when the crowds were many, the tasks at hand were pressing and the men were exhausted. Scripture tells us that they didn't have time to take care of the necessity of eating a meal. As always, Jesus immediately saw a need and began to make a way for that need to be filled.

And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) (Mark 6:31 NAS)

The NIV says that He implored them not only to go to a secluded place and rest, but to join Him there:

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (Mark 6:31 NIV Emphasis mine)

I love Jesus for so many reasons, but I cannot thank Him enough for being a "need-seeing and need-meeting" Savior! He gets our attention in whatever way He thinks best, shows us what we need, and then begins to make a way for that need to be met.

Jesus came to make right everything that seems to be in chaos in our lives. He came to bring us good news in place of the bad. He came so that we might have our broken hearts mended. He came to proclaim freedom for us, the captives, and bring light to our prisons. Because He came we no longer mourn -- He comforts us and makes us glad. He came so that He could lift our ashen faces and place a crown of beauty on our heads. He came because God saw despair and wanted to hear His children praise! And, yes, when we are tired, He brings rest to our souls!

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE)

Find rest and be blessed!
Dori

In Your Wildest Dreams

2010-07-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

I am a dreamer. No not the kind who sits around and writes songs about giving peace a chance and what the world needs now is love, sweet love. I am an actual dreamer. I have at least one dream, sometimes more, a night that I remember and remember in detail. My husband does not. He rarely remembers any of his dreams.

So, over the years there are been dreams that greatly stood out in my mind. The recurring ones are always my favorite. Not because they are necessarily good dreams, but because they are strange. I always wake up wondering what in the world caused me to dream such a thing!

There's the one that I have where I am at a busy airport, standing outside waiting on a plane (as if they just swoop down in front of the line that has queued up waiting on them) and watching plane after plane fly over when suddenly one crashes down the way right before my very eyes. What's up with that?

Then there is the tornado dream. The one where I see it coming in the distance and watch it come right at us, go right over us, and live to tell about it. I do usually wake up just shy of the moment when I tell the local news crew that it "sounded like a freight train."

I also have a recurring dream where I'm climbing up a huge mountain somewhere above a waterfall. Not like in the Amazons or anything -- more like something you would see in East Tennessee somewhere. There is a very high ski lift that I have to take to a portion of the mountain. There are lots of twists and turns. But I make it. (I'm sure Daniel would have an awesome time interpretting THAT one!)

I had weird dreams when I was pregnant with my first child. While I didn't know his sex, the bad dreams were about having girls that were malformed in some way like in some of those awful horror movies you used to see. The good dreams were of a healthy, bouncing baby boy -- which I totally had.

I was remembering a dream that I had sometime last year. I dreamed that I had driven to a mall in Middle Tennessee that is no longer the safest place to be. It was a mall I frequented as a child and it was totally the happening place. But now? Well, we just don't go anymore -- no one does except the gangs!

I drove my husband's car and it was stolen. For the next significant portion of the dream I walked the entire parking lot looking and looking in the highest, stiletto heels you have ever seen. These shoes were not practical, not really all that stylish (kind of trashy), and not me at all. The were the very shoes I was probably at the mall to buy. I was talking to my husband on the cell phone and finally he came in my car to help me look. To go in and talk to the security officers in the mall, we parked the car in the same spot I had parked my other car. It didn't get stolen, but it got spray painted with taunting messages from the criminals about how they had stolen my other car.

Now I'm a dreamer -- not a dream interpretter -- but this got me to thinking. When we aren't walking in the Spirit, we make ridiculous, careless decisions. We go places we shouldn't go. We do things we shouldn't do. We buy things we shouldn't buy. We walk around in shoes that we were never meant to walk around in, but somehow we think that if we have them we will look like everyone else.

And then there is the enemy. His main objective is to steal, kill and destroy. He strikes at us. Maybe not setting out to kill us outright, but just to take something that is vital to our getting through life. In my dream, the robbers stole my car. In reality, the enemy takes things far more valuable...our confidence in Christ, our innocence, our strength, our joy! These things would still be mine had I not set out to a place I should have never been. The toe-hold he was waiting on was hand-delivered by me. That's just how it works. I let down my guard. He pounces.

The glorious good news is that our God is much stronger than the enemy that comes to kill, steal and destroy. He makes a way for us to take back what the enemy has taken from us. But it isn't an easy process. And just like my other car was painted with reminders of the robbers presence, the enemy paints up our remaining treasures with feelings of inadequacy, despair, guilt and condemnation. He takes every chance he can to replay the event in our lives -- the time when we slipped and he was there to push us on over into the pit.

I remember in my dream, my faithful and always so practical husband looking at me and saying, "It was just a car. We can replace it. Don't worry about it a bit. I'll get you a new car. Just don't come here again. Stay in the safe places. You're too valuable to put yourself at risk like this."

And there is God...pulling us out of the pit, dusting us off, replacing the old with the new, giving us a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth) chance, but reminding us that the only place of safety is where He leads us, where His arms are around us. We're too valuable to Him to put ourselves at risk by going near the edge of the pit.

I'm not sure if this is what my dream was supposed to mean. In all likelihood, my dream was just a dream...a byproduct of the cold medicine I took or the handful of Fritos I just had to have right before I went to bed. But I did stop to pause and think and I'm sure it will go with me for some time.

I have some wild dreams, indeed! But to know that there is a God is more powerful than anything that the enemy can dish out -- more powerful than any mistake I can make that puts me at risk -- is something that is hard to imagine. Protection, strength, redemption, reconciliation, power and restoration -- walking in the Spirit every minute of every day. It's not a dream. It's reality...more than our eyes have seen and our ears have heard.

Something that is beyond our wildest dreams!

God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20 THE MESSAGE)

Blessings,
Dori

Speechless

2010-06-30T09:21:00.001-05:00

I've ignored this blog. I guess you could say I have been silent, without words, having not much to say.

But things like this just simply make me SPEECHLESS.

Posted over at at the Lifeway Women AllAccess blog by Sophie.

If you must know, what Teri whispered into Beth's ear at the end:

"He's the Potter. I'm just the clay."

SPEECHLESS.

His Word really is Life to us! If Teri can finish a Bible study on the morning after a radical double mastectnomy, you and I can go sit on our couches for a few minutes and feed on the very Words of a Holy God. If we can spend 2 hours watching movies about all manner of evil -- vampires, werewolves, hitmen, adultery, crude humor or maybe just some cute little toys escaping an evil stuffed bear in a daycare :), we can spend time listening for the voice of the Most High!

Listen to the testimony of one who leaned in to listen!

Sweet Moment - LPL St. Louis from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.

Blessings,
Dori

Let It Rain...

2010-06-25T10:05:00.001-05:00

I've got rain on my mind this morning...

The crunching sound my grass makes when I walk across it is a tell-tale sign that something is missing in our little portion of Southern Middle Tennessee. What once was a luxurious and lush green lawn is now just a mess of dry, brown grass. Interestingly enough, the weeds are thriving, depleting every ounce of moisture in the dry, cracked ground.

I've got rain on my mind this morning...

If I'm not careful and don't drink in the Living Water, the sound my heavy heart makes is a tell-tale sign that something is missing. What God intends to be a thriving, growing Promised Land can quickly become a dry, parched, hard soul. Interestingly enough, the weeds are what will thrive -- thorny, all-consuming weeds that choke out the Word of God and make me unfruitful.

I've got rain on my mind this morning...

God, rain down on us. Let us crave Your Spirit more than we crave the air that we breathe and the rain that falls on our lawns. We need You, God, You are the Living Water -- the only thing that matters.

I've got rain on my mind this morning...

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it. (Isaiah 45:5-8)

Blessings,
Dori

Suddenly It's Spring!

2010-04-01T17:06:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful day I have had! It has been one of those days that when you get to the end of it you thank God for it over and over and still feel like you can't thank Him enough.

My handsome husband took a day off and while the kids were at school we did what we love to do! We spent it walking around a gorgeous lake, talking, holding hands, laughing about the goofiest of things and enjoying each others company. Then we took a drive in the country.

We looked at each other at one point and talked about how this is what it was like 18 years ago when we first met and fell in love. We spent countless hours just driving the country sides of Middle and East Tennessee -- talking, singing, laughing and just enjoying each others company.

Then we talked about how this is how it will be in maybe only 10 shorts years -- when the kids are in college or possibly settling in with marriages of their own. We dreamed of how when our youngest graduates from college we would reward ourselves with a little red convertible of some kind and I requested a house with a view of the Smokies. We just dreamed some dreams. Sometimes with dreams, the dreaming is more fun than actually getting what you dreamed about it. Does that make sense?

We love our kids dearly, but there is something so precious about stolen moments with the one that you have loved for what seems like a lifetime!

One of my favorite moments today was when we stopped while walking around Radnor Lake and watched turtles sunning themselves on a log, fish feeding on underwater plants and ducks and geese splashing all around. I looked at Butch and said, "It is amazing how the winter seemed to last an eternity and then all the sudden it was as if Someone flipped a switch and it was spring!"

And then I came home this evening and read this:

"He spreads snow like a white fleece, He scatters frost like ashes, He broadcasts hail like birdseed-- who can survive His winter? Then He gives the command and it all melts; He breathes on winter--suddenly it's spring! (Psalm 147:16-18 THE MESSAGE)

You know the days that we live are exactly like that. There are difficult days. There are some seasons of life that seem to last a lifetime. The suffering season that produces perserverence and character and hope is never easy nor is it ever fun.

And then the season is over and we may not have liked it, but we can look back and see His hand and how He skillfully worked through the hard times with us and we remember His Word how it mercifully sustained us.

It is in the winter that we depend on His sufficiency. We trust in His sovereignty. And we persevere. We learn. We lean. We come through the winters of our lives and we are stronger and more hopeful.

It's as if He flips a switch and the cold, hard winter is over and suddenly it is spring.

Blessings,
Dori

Unredeemed

2010-03-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

UNREDEEMED
Written by Chad Cates, Tony Wood, Brian Petak
Recorded by Selah on the project, You Deliver Me

The cruelest word
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

For every choice that led to shame
And all the love that never came
For every vow that someone broke
And every lie that gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed.

Blessings,
Dori

One Thing

2010-03-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

I opened up my journal and came across a quote I had written down some time ago. I’m very sure it isn’t my original thought, but I didn’t make a note of who said it. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.

"Our greatest fear should not be of failure. Our greatest fear should be that we actually succeed at something that doesn’t really matter."

As I read over those words, I began to make a mental list of all of the things that I strive for and the things that I really put a lot of energy and time into. Don’t get me wrong. Most of these things are really good things, noble things, worthy things. But I began to look at my “list” and wondered, “God, all of these things mean a lot to me. But what on this list means a lot to You? Change my perspective today to Your Kingdom agenda. I don’t want to get to the end of my journey here and wonder if everything that I worked for meant a hill of beans. I want to know that what I was successful at were things that were on Your Kingdom calendar for me and that I did what You had planned and purposed for me in my generation before the beginning of time.”

And as He does so often, He brought to me a friend’s challenge as I sat in her home for a Bible study over a year ago. She challenged us to lay down the many, many things that we are working for, striving for, becoming exhausted for and ask God to give us our “one thing.”

David had one thing.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

He also heard from God on one thing and then two things.

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. (Psalm 62:11-12)

Mary desired one thing – the better thing.

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

The blind man that Jesus healed knew one thing.

He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25)

Paul had one thing.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

So there I sat -- wondering what my one thing was. I have so many desires and plans and dreams. Desires for my children. Plans for my husband and me. Dreams for my family in the years to come. But in that moment I was challenged to come up with the one thing that I desired most. What would it be?

In that moment the thought occurred to me. It sounded something like this. “Lord, I want what David wanted – to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon Your beauty, to see You for Who You really are and to see myself as You see me, and to spend the rest of my days seeking You in Your Word and through Your presence. I want this for my husband. I want this for my children.”

Let me tell you. If we ask Him to let us dwell in his presence all of the days of our life and to see Him for Who He really is, our perspective has no choice but to change. Our calendars and the things that we put our time and energy into will change. It changes our view. We begin to see every conversation, every chance meeting, every trip to Target, everything we write on our blogs or on other’s blogs in the form of comments – everything changes. It all becomes a chance to be successful at one thing – making His name famous and giving the hope and freedom that He came to bring.

Living life with His Kingdom on our mind and feeling His heartbeat in every moment of our day will radically change the things in which we want to be successful. It might mean giving up some good things that we work hard at but are not His assignment for us. It might mean a shift in our ministry opportunities. It means looking at every opportunity and asking Him, “God, is this what You want me to do for You today? Is this my own desire for my life or is this something that You desire for me?

So what about you? As you sit down this morning, planning out your day, what one thing is He calling you out to do for Him today? As you go about the practicality of today’s responsibilities, ask Him to show you one thing that is paramount – most important – and have Him weave that theme, that purpose, into everything that He has ordained for you today.

God, what is that one thing that you have for us today? We desire You above everything else in our lives and want to know that our journey through this life wasn't traveled for nothing. We ask that Your Holy Spirit rain down on us this morning and empower us to not just go through the routine today for routine's sake. But help us make this moment in time count for something that is eternal and important on your Kingdom calendar. We don't want to miss You today. Draw our attention to You all day long. We want to gaze upon Your beauty, Lord, and we want to sit in Your presence and know what it is that You desire for us today. We absolutely adore You, Father. Our hearts are Your's and Your's alone. Stop us in our tracks if we are every drawn to lesser loves! Amen.

Thanks for sticking with me on a long post today! I thank you for letting me serve you in this small way each week. I love to read your comments and to hear your radical love for Christ in each one. You bless me!

Blessings,
Dori

Who's Your Daddy?

2010-03-16T10:38:00.001-05:00

I was reminded of something I heard at a women's event almost three years ago.

Priscilla Shirer shared a funny story about how her husband had a habit of asking her "Who's Your Daddy?" and that she always loved that and felt secure in his love and just melted.

After the laughter subsided she said, "How would our lives be different if we looked into the mirror when faced with something that seems impossible and asked ourselves, 'Girl, Who's your Daddy?'" And then she reminded us of who our Daddy really is:

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe
And the Manager of all times.

He always was,
He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him,
and The leaders can't ignore Him.

Herod couldn't kill Him,
The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,
and The people couldn't hold Him!

Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him,
and "Oprah" can't explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging,
and His mind is on me.

He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and
He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and
He rules my life!

I serve Him because
His bond is love,
His burden is light,
and His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because
He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days,
the ruler of rulers,
the leader of leaders,
the overseer of the overcomers,
and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you,
try this for size.

His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me,
and never cancel my appointment in His
appointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I! fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody everywhere,
every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...

He said it and that settles it.
God is in control,
I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!

~Author Unknown

How would our lives be different if we lived every day with the power that is behind THIS God...our Daddy...the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords?

Blessings,
Dori

P.S. You can hear Priscilla's teaching on this lesson in the LifeWay product "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David."

How Great is Our God

2010-03-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

It was a Sunday morning in November. I was leading worship on the platform as part of the praise team that day. It was a particularly hard morning for all of us. The news had not been good. Our friend – a sweet, young mother of four – who had been told only a few weeks before that the miracle we had prayed for had come had just been told days before that the cancer was back and back with a vengeance. Her fight would not be a long one. But to the altar she came.

And they followed. First her mother-in-law and father-in-law. Her mother-in-law had spent the past year caring for her every physical need and homeschooling her children on the days she was too sick to do so. Her father-in-law was a mighty prayer warrior. I personally had seen him walking the sanctuary of the church in the middle of the day, praying outloud for deliverance for his son’s beloved wife.

Then her husband came with four precious children in tow – from the 8 year old daughter down to Gabriel, the 9 month old baby whose precious mother chose no treatment so he could live to take his first breath outside the womb. And they surrounded her. Her children were at her side and put their sweet little hands on her head.

And we sang:

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

It was a moment I will never forget. For we were surely coming up on Thanksgiving and I begged God to answer my question how having this family at the altar of our church, begging for mercy – pleading for a miracle – could possibly be anything for which we could offer up thanksgiving.

And then I heard Him speak. As the singing faded in my spirit, His voice spoke loud and clear.

All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. (2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT)

I hear you, LORD, but what does this mean for this moment in time. How does this help Jenny?

And He answered my question, right then and there in a way that only seeing with my eyes could comprehend.

More people came. Some to pray for her. Many to pray for themselves. Right there in the middle of our worship service, before the pastor ever opened up the Word of God to preach, there were people who came to know Him for the first time. Wayward hearts were mended. Families restored. Marriages healed. Children came. Parents came. Grandparents came. Tears flowed. Lives were changed.

And we sang:

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

I’ve never forgotten that moment in time. Every Thanksgiving I think of it. It has changed my whole perspective of what truly being thankful means for us – for the believer.

Don’t put your troubles on a shelf and try to pretend that they don’t exist. Life is hard. Times are tough. But God is good and He has a plan and purpose for all of these things that we experience.

The Apostle Paul said it like this:

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak." We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you.

All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NLT)

Now will you join me and sing:

How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God,
And all will see how great, how great is our God!

Let's live a life that celebrates Thanksgiving all year long because how great is our God!

Blessings,
Dori

O Praise Him!

2010-03-14T06:09:00.001-05:00

I haven't been able to get this song or video out of my head for the last few days!

Are you preparing your heart for worship this morning? In the middle of the noise and busyness, are you looking for Him?

"Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him" Psalm 64:10

Blessings,
Dori

It's His Kindness

2010-03-13T00:01:00.001-06:00

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35

This passage was at the top of a devotional that I get in my inbox every morning. I have read this scripture hundreds of times, even memorized a portion of it back when I was a child in Vacation Bible School. But today, I read the end of the verse!

...because he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked...

The Message Bible says it this way:

"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never--I promise--regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst.

We have all felt this way at one time or another. We've all said, "Well, I've done it this time! There is no way God will ever forgive me for THIS!" If we've never had those emotions ourselves, we certainly know those who don't know Him who think that they aren't good enough or have it all together enough for Him to love them and save them.

There was a song when I was a teenager that said, "It's Your kindness that leads us to repentence, O Lord. Knowing that You love us no matter what we do makes us want to love You, too." I believe those lyrics point back to this passage in Luke.

God is just. He hates sin. He despises rebellion. He is a jealous God who will not allow us to put Him in second place. But at the very core of who He is and all that He is, HE IS LOVE! And it is His lovingkindness, better than life itself, that has Him knocking at our door every chance that He gets to gently lead us back to a place of unashamed devotion to Him.

We're never too far away for Him to come for us. We've never outsinned His kind heart to forgive. We've never blown it so bad that He turns His back. We're never so ungrateful that He doesn't continue to give us every opportunity to be thankful. We're never so wicked that we can't be redeemed.

We are never beyond the reach of the lovingkindness of our great God and we're never more like Him than we show the same to everyone around us! Let's be His image-bearers today -- extending love, acceptance and kindness to a world that is needing just that, knowing that when we were ungrateful and at our worst He was very kind to us.

Blessings,
Dori

Strength to Strength

2010-03-12T00:01:00.001-06:00

This is a blog post I wrote almost two years ago. God reminded me of this lesson, blessed me again from His Word on the matter, and I thought maybe someone else might need to hear it, too. May you be blessed.

Do you ever just wake up and God zaps you with a Word that you know was given to you "for such a time as this?" It happened to me this morning and it happened just this way...

Today is Bible study day. We have had a couple of weeks off because of Spring Break. I believe having a couple of weeks off from meeting together is one of those "opportune times" that the enemy waits for. Somehow having the extra time makes me procrastinate more! But maybe it is just me! :) At any rate, I was a little behind last night and still had one more day of homework to do when I woke up this morning. But God knew that I needed to hear this lesson this morning. Once again, my procrastination was turned around by a God who does all things well!

The lesson was on the "dailyness" of God -- how seeking Him, depending on Him, focusing on Him cannot be a sporadic thing. It must be a daily thing. God does not just want to be our strength when we are faced with a crisis that needs powerful reinforcements -- even though He does that on our behalf whenever we call on Him. Rather, God wants to carry us, day in and day out, from strength to strength. He doesn't just want to be part of our life, He wants to be our life!

I have been finding victory in so many areas of late and feeling as though I'm closer to my God like never before, but there is still one area of disobedience and struggle that I can't seem to shake. Just yesterday, I ended the day feeling defeated and bound by the chains of this stronghold. The lesson that God brought by way of the Bible study this morning began to show me that I can't do this alone. I can't even depend on yesterday's strength or strength from two years ago. I have to wake up every day and ask for God to empower me -- give me strength for that moment.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. (Isaiah 33:2)

In times of my greatest defeat, I have found myself thinking this thought: "God, why is this happening? Doesn't Your Word say that 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength? (Philippians 4:13)'" The tone in which I ask this question makes it sound more like this, "God, if when I was saved You made me strong, why do I keep failing like this time and time again?" I believe we miss an important part of the meaning of the scripture when we discount the word "gives."

The indwelling of the mighty power and strength of our God is not a one-time event. It is a daily laying down of what our flesh wants to do and depending on His Spirit to give us the strength we need in any given moment for the task, challenge, or struggle that we are facing. We are given increasing strength, prevailing strength, wonder-working strength! What an arsenal of power we have! I always go back to a scripture that came alive for me during a Bible study a few years ago:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21)

Who doesn't need that kind of power and strength in their life? It's not only increasing strength in our life, but it is mighty power -- the kind of power that God used when He raised Christ from the dead! Need a little wonder-working, dead-raising power and strength in your life today for whatever you face? Ask for it! Let Him empower you!

And when you wake up in the morning, let Him do it again!!

Blessings,
Dori

Don't Leave the Tent

2010-03-11T00:01:00.001-06:00

"For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you." Exodus 29:42

"The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun DID NOT LEAVE THE TENT." Exodus 33:11

Oh, LORD, I could have missed You today! I could have missed what You wanted to speak to me today. Thank you, thank you, thank you for stopping my feet in my tracks, sitting me down at my table and opening up Your Word to me today.

Bible study had me looking at Joshua and how He learned about God from Moses. He was Moses' aid in the wilderness. He never left His side. The scripture above is smack dab in the middle of telling us that anyone who wanted to approach the Tent of Meeting -- God's temporary dwelling -- to inquire of the LORD could most certainly come. But the scriptures tell us that the people didn't approach, they didn't come near. They stayed away and waited for Moses to speak with the LORD as a friend and then come back and tell them all the things that God had said.

But Joshua? Oh, Joshua came near alright! He went with Moses into the Tent of Meeting. Watched the dialogue going on between Moses and God. But when Moses left to tell the others what God had said, Joshua hung out!! He stayed. What happened in those moments? Who knows! But I do know that God would never invite anyone to come near and then not speak to those who were bold enough to do so!! Oh, the things Joshua and His LORD must have talked about! Oh, the things Joshua must have learned sitting in that Tent and listening for the Word of God!

Wouldn't you just love to know what God said to Joshua? I'm sure it was a very specific Word for his very specific inquiry. Just as surely as God invited anyone to come and inquire, we are even more personally beckoned to come -- and come boldly!!

"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." (Hebrews 4:16 AMPLIFIED)

I surely don't want to be with the one's who were hanging outside the Tent of Meeting at a distance, on the fringes, to hear what God had said to someone else. I don't want to be just like the Israelites who were told that they could approach the Tent of Meeting and inquire of God just like Moses. But they didn't. They hung back and waited for someone else to experience His glory and then hopefully they would have the pleasure of having him share what God said. The study I was doing this morning had this commentary:

"We are people of the new covenant -- people to whom God has offered a surpassing glory (2 Cor 3:10). Yet, like the children of Israel, much of the body of Christ still stands back and watches those they consider truly anointed draw near God's glory...Never settle for a secondhand relationship. Joshua wasn't satisfied with a distant glory. He wasn't satisfied to live his relationship with God secondhand through that of Moses. Joshua learned his lessons well...Joshua's great faith was born in the presence of God."

My, my, my! Is that good OR WHAT? Whatever I do in this life, wherever I go...I don't want to miss the specific Word God has for ME and opt just to hear what He has said to someone else! I want to be exactly where He has called me in order to give me a specific Word for my specific season of life.

"LORD, I want to hang out in Your presence long after those who minister to me have gone on to minister to someone else. I want to be there hearing You speak...to me AS A FRIEND, One Who deeply loves! LORD, help me APPROACH boldly, DRAW near, REMAIN in You....because You are most definitely in me, LORD and You are most certainly the hope of any glory I may see in this day and the days to come." Amen.

Blessings,
Dori

Wednesday Wanderings

2010-03-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

I haven't done a Wednesday Wanderings post in awhile. It is a post where I just take some of my favorite things that I've heard, experienced, seen on the web, etc., and post them here. You may want to know it and you may not. But it is here for the taking! Warning: There is nothing remotely spiritual in this post.

The Pioneer Woman posted this recipe for funnel cakes this week. I love funnel cakes! It always reminds me of Opryland. Oh how I miss Opryland! Anyone else miss Opryland? I love a good mall, but don't we have enough of those already? Now a flume zoom? The world needs less malls, more flume zooms!

However, in my search for a good link to tell those of you who aren't from Tennessee about Opryland, I ran across this news story from January!

Lindsey had a couple of baby teeth pulled on Monday. We go the sedation route because she gets very anxious about having teeth pulled. I don't blame her. I had my wisdom teeth pulled last month -- without sedation -- and I wish I had chosen another way! At any rate, Lindsey under sedation is HILARIOUS! At one point, she looked up at me and said, "Thank you for giving birth to me." It was funny, sweet and sad all at the same time!

A friend of mine does this once a week over at her blog -- she shares some of life's Simple Pleasures. I had a couple this week.

One -- the sunrise! Yesterday, the sunrise was absolutely beautiful. Did you see it?

I am up very early most mornings and I love that the sun comes up right at my front door. So I usually take a peak. The winter sunrises aren't much to speak of most days, but when Spring is on its way...well, God really shows off! This picture makes me think of this lyric:

"See the sky alive with praise, melting darkness in its place
There is life forevermore, "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."

And then my other Simple Pleasure came on Saturday. Now it isn't The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls (I'm going to try those one day!), but one of my Simple Pleasures is Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. It reminds me of my childhood -- Mom used to fix them from time to time. And I'm old, so they've been around for a LONG time!

I think it is time to wrap this up. I hear my man and my sweet daughter talking basketball which reminds me -- are you ready to fill out your bracket on Sunday? March Madness starts -- my favorite time of the year, even though I usually don't watch much basketball until it starts! :)

Blessings,
Dori

My Story. My Song.

2010-03-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long...

I love when God speaks a fresh Word out of something so incredibly familiar. He does that all the time, but today I was reminded of a very specific instance when He made me stop and look at something with fresh eyes. It was at my home church and during our time of worship. Our Worship Pastor broke out into the old hymn, "Blessed Assurance."

As I looked around the room and then deep into the hidden places of my heart, I realized that as we sang chorus after chorus and the volume began to get louder and louder, we weren't merely singing the words of an old familiar hymn in praise to our God, we were doing warfare.

The enemy's main purpose is to undo whatever we have been assured of through our faith in Christ. If Christ tells us that our salvation is safe and secure and that nothing can pluck us out of His hands, the enemy will do everything in His power to convince us that we are at risk -- one mistake away from being condemned.

If our faith in Christ brings about a righteousness that has nothing to do with what we do, but that His righteousness is enough, then the enemy will make us feel as though everything we do and everything we say affects our being accepted by Jesus. It all becomes about performance rather than what Jesus did for us at the Cross.

So as I sang "This is my story, this is my song...," I wasn't just confessing that my testimony is that I will praise Him all the day long. No, I was actually telling the enemy, "THIS is my story, THIS is my song." The enemy may try to throw everything that he can to convince me that my story is one of defeat, bondage, guilt, shame and death. But my story -- the story that faith in Jesus Christ set into motion -- is one of victory, freedom, peace, forgiveness and life!

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

THIS is my story...THIS is my song...and I will sing it with conviction and confession and in praise to Him all day long! Jesus and the love He has for His children is something that the enemy cannot touch and we are wise to let him know about it every chance we get!

What is YOUR story? What is YOUR song?

Blessings,
Dori

Unfailing Love

2010-03-07T00:01:00.001-06:00

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

Most High God, who are we that You would come to us even if we seek You with all our hearts? Don't you remember that we are nothing but mere dust? And yet your Word not only promises that You will be found when we earnestly seek You, but Hebrews 11:6 says that You will reward us in the process. But I don't want to get caught up in Your rewards and Your blessings. I want to be captured by You, O God!

Your unfailing love is promised to us -- an everlasting and endurable lovingkindness that we cannot imagine nor can we emulate. There is no equal, no rival, to the love that You have lavished on us, Your children. Isaiah 54:10 says that even if the mountains and the hills should give way -- things that should never give way -- even if they do, Your love for me will endure. And Your covenant of peace will never end. A covenant that promises completeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, and friendship -- yes, friendship with You, O God!

Help me live everyday with a GOD AWARENESS! That Your unfailing and everlasting love comes with Your neverending presence in our lives.

And not only me, but would you grant my friends who are reading this today the same thing -- a day filled with You around ever corner? When they climb whatever mountain they are facing today may they find You there. If they are walking by quiet waters in a cool, clear and peaceful valley, may they still see Your precious face. Help us each resolve from this day forward, Holy God, that we won't take another step without You...that it will be Your presence that we crave, that it will be Your hand that leads us and that we will seek our next breath from none other. Hold us fast in Your mighty right hand.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)

On my face before You,
Dori

God.

2010-03-06T09:17:00.001-06:00

This week has been long and it has been hard.

A friend received a cancer diagnosis and my uncle had cancer surgery just yesterday with results that weren’t as favorable as we had hoped. I have another friend whose brother-in-law is in the same fight and got a report this week that a tumor that had begun to shrink has now grown. Even as I was writing this post, I got a call that a childhood friend had taken his own life this week.

I’ve thought a lot this week about suffering.

Suffering is just inevitable. As long as we live in an imperfect, fallen, evil world, there will be suffering. Oh how I wish that we could have some sort of plastic bubble to live in to avoid it, but then we really wouldn’t be living, now would we?

Last year I spent some time memorizing 1 Peter 5:10. I memorized it out of the New Living Translation.

"In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."

As I studied that scripture, I found that the coupling of two Greek words only appear in this passage. Working together they mean that after suffering, Jesus comes and makes us not only stronger in the midst of trials, but He empowers us to“become even more resolved to believe truth.” (From the Key Word Study Bible).

I'm still working this out, but at first pass, I'm thinking that our trials and struggles and suffering are not only circumstances that Jesus enables us to endure and walk through victoriously, but He strengthens us to believe Him more and more when we have to suffer and struggle in the future.

It is not just a scripture to move us to walk through our trials with God's help, but it is a promise that our going through trials WITH HIM is a BELIEVING GOD exercise to BELIEVE HIM MORE!

I wonder if anyone reading this would be able to testify to that today?

I looked back at my journal from last year when I was first memorizing this scripture and I noted that I had taken some time to listen to the Focus on the Family broadcasts from the National Day of Prayer in 2009.

I remember that Dr. Dobson took some time to play excerpts from two powerful messages that day. One was from Representative Michelle Bachmann (MN) who spoke at the celebration in Washington. Her testimony was powerful and reminded me that there really are people in Washington, D.C. who are following hard after God! And we need to be on our knees, even our faces, on their behalf -- that God will give them chances every day to make His Name famous in a town where others are trying to erase His Name entirely. I came away especially challenged to pray more and more for the remnant of God's people who are serving in public office.

The second broadcast featured just a small excerpt from Beth Moore’s message that day. The National Day of Prayer came about the time that many churches across the country were finishing up the study of Esther and I was not surprised that Beth took Esther with her to Washington that day!

I especially loved the reminder of Gabriel's story at the end of her message.

She shared that Gabriel was the child of a friend who had either autism or Down’s Syndrome. It’s been awhile since I have heard this story, so I can’t quite remember. But it was a huge accomplishment for Gabriel to write any letter much less his name and when he tried to do so, he would write the first three letters and put a period. But instead of looking like “Gab.” it looked like “God.” GOD. GOD PERIOD.

In light of 1 Peter 5:10, I believe that we can rest and fully know that our God is with us. Period.

Remember that no matter what is happening in our world corporately or your world personally...

GOD...period.

GOD.

GOD.

Blessings,
Dori

Ordinary Friday

2010-03-05T08:23:00.001-06:00

It's Friday. Just an ordinary Friday.

There are bills to be paid...
Clothes to be washed...
Errands to be run...
A kitchen to be cleaned...
School projects to be done...
Deadlines to be met...

But smack dab in the middle of the ordinary of our days is our God --
the Extraordinary Ancient of Days.

He provides us with every good thing we need.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

His Word sustains us.

"The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." Isaiah 50:4

If we are discouraged, He is the Lifter of our head.

"But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high." Psalm 3:3 NLT

He is at work in us and is transforming us to become mirrors of Himself.

"And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." 2 Corinthians 3:18b NLT

We can trust Him and lean on His faithfulness.

"Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed." Psalm 37:3 Amplified

What seems ordinary or even bothersome and complicated is being used by Him to produce something extraordinary in you.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3

So, friends, let's walk through what looks to us like just an ordinary day with Him.

He is the Ancient of Days...every day. And with Him nothing is ordinary because He is altogether extraordinary.

"Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time--pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something." 2 Thessalonians 1:11 The Message

Blessings,
Dori

Are You Ready to Thank God for Your Mountain?

2010-03-04T17:59:00.001-06:00

This is my pastor's wife, Leighann McCoy.

I want you to see her face and pray for her by name. She is facing a mountain, but I want you to hear her speak with boldness and conviction about everything that she has always believed about God and will continue to believe about Him.

It is a powerful message.

You can listen to it HERE.

In the transitions of life, are you willing to thank Him for your mountain and believe that He is all that He has said He will be to you in the journey?

Blessings,
Dori

Is it Wrong that I'm Jealous of Snoopy?

2010-03-04T14:02:00.001-06:00

This is what I found on my sofa this morning as we were headed out the door to school.

Yes, that is Snoopy and yes, he is wearing a sleep mask. I was instructed to let Snoopy nap all day and that he had better be there, exactly the way she left him, when she gets home this afternoon.

He is.

But I am more than a little jealous of Snoopy at this time. I need a nap.

The same child who put Snoopy into this peaceful slumber was up all night long last night, tossing and turning, out of fear because of a wild tale that a certain 3rd grade boy decided to weave for her at school yesterday. Sigh.

And when I finally got her to sleep...in my bed...I went to her bed, tossing and turning because of some stunning news we heard at church last night. Our pastor's wife got a cancer diagnosis this week. I laid there most of the night asking God questions about it, about her, about me, about faith, about believing Him for miracles and trusting His Sovereign hand when stunning news comes.

I turned on my daughter's iPod and heard Steven Curtis Chapman sing:

"Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still."

And then it shuffled to another SCC song:

"And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours."

And then I opened my One Year Bible to March 3 and read this:

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Psalm 46:1-3,10 NLT

And I drifted off into sweet sleep.

I still need a nap.
I'm still jealous of Snoopy.

But I serve a God who still heals and rescues and restores.

I will trust.
I will believe.
And I will be still and know...and then I will sleep.

Blessings,
Dori

The Encourager and the Encouraged

2010-03-03T17:08:00.001-06:00

Don’t you just love it when God gives you a Word and then confirms it almost immediately in your Spirit and then lets you see it living and active throughout your day? That happened to me this morning.

As I was getting ready to head over to the school to volunteer in my daughter’s classroom, I turned on Life Today with James & Betty Robison. It was Wednesdays with Beth – Beth Moore, that is. She has been teaching a wonderful series about not throwing away your confidence, based on Hebrews 10:35-36.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36

I knew when she began this series by dragging a ratty old commercial size trashcan on to the stage that it was going to be good! If you get a chance to download the mp3 or watch it online, do it. It is a powerful message!

In today’s lesson, she taught for a few minutes on Hebrews 10:23-25.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25

This is a passage that I memorized a long time ago. It was the scripture that God gave me when He called me into Women’s Ministry for that particular season of my life.

I had very often thought of this passage and knew that in the coming years it was going to be vitally important for us to be encouragers to those around us. I also knew that if we prayed for God to give us opportunities to lift someone’s spirits by our words or deeds that He would do it! I often prayed that very thing in the morning and by afternoon God had brought to me someone very specific to minister to. I knew it from the moment that I said one word to them or they approached me. I could sense His Spirit say, “This person, Dori, is your assignment from Me for today. Be my hands and feet to this person right now. Don’t worry about what to say or do. I will guide you.” And He did every time.

But today Beth challenged us to look at this passage not from the point of view of the encourager, but she asked us to look at this as if we are the one receiving God-sent encouragement today.

She said that we are often very quick to discount the encouragement that comes our way through the words of another. How quickly we turn down a compliment! We do everything we can to talk them out of the encouragement they are bringing our way. Maybe it is humility. Maybe it is a form of false humility, which is really pride. Maybe it is insecurity. Maybe we are just once again believing the lies of the enemy. We are minimizing what God has sent out way to be received with thanksgiving.

But the encouragement that comes our way is God sent and we should receive it. Beth said that we need to remember two little words – “THANK YOU…I needed to hear that today!” In our heart, which we know can be deceptive, we might not really believe what is being said to us. But our Spirit knows that God is faithful and sends encouragers to us as a way to lift us and help us make it through another day.

We need to start listening for it! We need to be thankful for that kind of spurring on toward love and good deeds.

Beth reminded me today that when God sends encouragement, we must learn to receive it!

Let us consider:

How we may encourage someone in any given day.

How we may receive the encouragement coming our way in any given day.

I’ve tested this today and He has been faithful to show me the truth in this Word. I was able to encourage someone I really like a whole lot and I was able to receive the encouragement that God sent my way through a number of people. And I received their encouragement with a thankful heart for a God who loves me that much and knew I needed to hear what they had to say!

Let’s don’t trash our confidence by discounting how God is wanting to be the Lifter of our head throughout these days. And let’s look for anyone that God sends to us to encourage!

Blessings,
Dori

The Pioneer Woman

2010-03-02T10:09:00.001-06:00

I'm not even sure how I found The Pioneer Woman, but this I know EVERYONE has found The Pioneer Woman by now!

I love her recipe site. You can find it HERE. I subscribed to her blog a long time ago because I love the recipes she posts almost daily.

Today she has a wonderful recipe for Coffee Toffee Bars. But the most exciting thing is that she is having a giveaway today. She is going to be giving away two of these:

And although Ree has a bazillion readers and there will be a gazillion entries to this contest, I still hope against hope that she will pick me!

And maybe she will pick you, too, if you enter the contest.

You can do it by posting the last dessert you made as a comment HERE.

Good luck! If you win, let me know!!

Blessings,
Dori

Lighting up the Dark Places

2010-03-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Good morning!

I just have a quick minute to share with you this morning. It's a full day. School pictures, Panera, a business meeting with my co-workers - I work from home, housework, new tires, laundry...you know, it's Monday!

But I wanted to share a quick word with you.

We installed a new kitchen light over the weekend. We've lived in our house for over 5 years now and the one thing that I disliked about my kitchen is that they didn't light it enough. I have one small light over my sink and one small light over the island. The stinkin' light in the hood of my microwave over my stove burns out every 3 weeks so it was dark over there, too. There were lots of shadows in my kitchen and every time I cooked I found myself struggling to see because of all the dark places where the light wouldn't reach.

Not so now. My kitchen is now flooded with light. In fact, the first few times we turned on the light in there after the new install, we found ourselves squinting because it was so much brighter.

Then the light began to do what light does...illuminating places that had long been in the dark.

I saw new things. I saw crumbs that had hidden on my counter for too long. I found imperfections on my counter tops that had not been seen in 5 years. I found cobwebs that needed to be swept away. And so I cleaned. Anywhere the light spilled and revealed something that needed to go, it went. Anywhere the light revealed something that needed correcting, I did it.

But when I cooked. Oh goodness...when I cooked I could finally see! I was finally able to effectively and joyfully use the room for its intended purpose. I never realized that darkness could be so constraining and how trying to cook in shadows and darkness could be less than joyful.

And so it goes...

Our lives need light. Without light things get hidden and purposes aren't fulfilled completely because of the constraints of shadows and pockets of darkness.

We can do it for awhile, maybe even years, but not productively, on task, with purpose and with joy.

Until the Light comes.

He floods our soul with His illuminating Word. Crumbs that need to be cleared away are exposed. Shadows are dispelled. What He intends to be perfect can be corrected to be that way. Where the Light spills, joy comes. It isn't constraining. It is freeing.

The Light might seem uncomfortably bright at first. We didn't realize how accustomed to the dark we had become. But when we get used to the Light, we can't live without out it. To go back to being in the dark would be unthinkable, unimaginable. The dark is darker than ever when you have walked in the Light.

I waited five years before I realized just how dark my kitchen had gotten. It took a trip to Home Depot and about an hour of work to bring in the light.

We don't have to wait that long or even do that much work. We can get up from where we are right now, open His Word and turn the switch.

I want to see everything that He wants to show me today. I don't want to miss a thing by trying to go through my day getting used to the dark.

I want to walk in the Light.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

"The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being." Proverbs 20:27

"The unfolding of Your Word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:130

"For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life." Proverbs 6:23

Blessings,
Dori

PSALM 121

2010-02-17T22:22:00.001-06:00

A song of ascents.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Lord, I am overwhelmed with the truth of this Psalm tonight. You are Creator God and yet You are willing and able to move Heaven and earth to come to my rescue! I cannot even fathom that before my eyes open in the morning, Your eyes have never closed and Your every thought has been towards me. Thank you for being my shade. When life is hot and dry and I'm thirsty and ready to faint, You are there lifting me up, giving me Living Water and shielding me from being utterly destroyed. I don't do anything, go anywhere, walk through any valley or climb any mountain that You don't know about it and even mark out the path for me to take to walk through it and come out on the other side victorious. As David said, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me." I cannot even imagine it and yet You do this and all other things so very well. Who am I, Lord, that You would do that for me? I'm amazed, God. And I'm speechless. I love You. I love that I am so loved by You.

Wednesday Wanderings

2010-02-17T12:02:00.001-06:00

I have nothing but randomness for you today!

We had a great weekend out of town. We meet up with my husband's family from West Virginia every year in Lexington. This year there were 27 of us! We took over the hotel and had a blast! We laughed until we cried. There were kids everywhere -- lots of little kids this year.

We came home Monday night to a snowy Williamson County. We couldn't believe that our entire drive home was fine until we hit our county line. The snow began to fall like crazy and the roads suddenly became quite slick. It was apparent that there would be no school and soon we got that call. We have used 7 of the 10 days built into our school year for snow. I can't remember a year since I was in highschool that we have had that happen! Keep in mind that Tennesseans let out school for even a hint of wintry weather and a couple of the days have been more like "rain days." At first we were excited to have them. But now that we are halfway through February and we have only had one full week of school since Christmas, this Mom is ready for her routine back!

So today is the first day back for school and Lindsey is home sick!! She started feeling bad yesterday afternoon and by bedtime was running almost a 101 fever. We are headed to the doc in a few, but I think it is strep. I'll be surprised if it isn't because of all the symptoms.

And a quick bullet list of randoms before I head off to finally get in the shower!

Our heat went out downstairs and it will be Friday before they fix it. We woke up with the thermostat showing 57 downstairs! But since it was 23 outside and we slept in sweats and snuggled...it wasn't so bad!

My friend, Jennifer, is blogging over at Home by Faith. I love her dearly and especially love her writing. She is a homeschooling mom of two boys and has quick reads full of wisdom! Check her out. She'll hate that I did this -- she is just that humble!

My friend, Holly, has a birthday today! So does my nephew. Happy Birthday Holly & Lucas!

I'm having ongoing conversations with advisors about my son's high school schedule next year! HIGH SCHOOL!!! Wasn't he just a toddler yesterday? Any prayers you pray for him will not be wasted as it looks like he will be in all honors classes. His world is about to be rocked! So is mine, I'm afraid!! You know that baby brand of products called "Just One Year?" I feel like I have a brand on his forehead that reads "Just 4 More Years." Lord, can you stop time like you did for Joshua??

I've had this passage on my heart for the past 24 hours nonstop. I have thought about it while I have gone to sleep and think it about the minute I wake up. Maybe you need to hear it, too:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35, 37-39 NIV

Thank you, God, that even when our wandering hearts make us feel separated from You at times, You never stop loving us. Thank You for so great a salvation and so great a love!

Blessings,
Dori

ABC Scripture Memory

2010-02-12T12:34:00.001-06:00

I was thinking about the Living Proof Live Simulcast that I helped to coordinate at our church this past August. Beth Moore taught on Psalm 37. She explained the literary composition of this passage and that it was written in a way that it would be easy to memorize based on the Hebrew Alphabet.

She challenged us with this: She used to warn people that were really battling the enemy coming at them that they needed to memorize scripture. But she said she had changed her mind. EVERYONE needs to be memorizing scripture. She suggested that we follow David's lead and memorize scripture by the alphabet.

Today, I spent some time putting together a MSWord file to be printed on 4x6 notecards for me to use personally and with my children.

You can do a couple of things with this.

For example, you can spend $1.29 at Walgreen's for an acrylic 4x6 photo frame that has a magnet to put on your fridge. You can tackle one scripture each week and put it on the fridge in your frame. You can do the same with a frame that sits on the bathroom counter.

Another example might be something I just did for a friend who was going to have a biopsy. I can tell you that it had to be an idea from God because I'm not that sensitive to think to do it AND it was the perfect gift for her. She thanked me for it again this week.

Go to the dollar store and buy an inexpensive photo album. Buy the kind that you just throw in your purse. I mean CHEAP! If you want to spend money on the fancy ones that is fine. But the one I used literally was less than $2. For Robin, I filled it with scriptures on God's peace, His healing and His joy.

For your family, you can use it a couple of different ways. Print out the cards and put them in the photo album and keep it with you or keep it where your family members can read it. Maybe leave it on the table and every night at dinner work on a scripture together.

You can pull together your own scriptures, but if you want my file I will be happy to send it to you. Just e-mail me at doricook (at) bellsouth (dot) net.

Beth also challenged us to get a partner. Go for it! Whatever it takes for us to get some scriptures in our mind...let's do this!!

"Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil." Psalm 119:133 NLT

Blessings,
Dori

Love Much, Love Well

2010-02-12T09:04:00.001-06:00

This week the scripture that God has bringing to me in all kinds of ways is Philippians 1:9-11. I first read it in the NIV, but I love it in The Message.

I want you to see it from both:

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11 NIV

And from The Message:

"So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11 THE MESSAGE

There are a ton of blog posts in this one passage, but what I've been challenged by this week is that when there is no greater prayer that we could pray for anyone than this one right here.

In fact, I am challenged to start with myself! I want to memorize this so that before my feet hit the floor I can say outloud,"

God, help me to love much and love well. Help that love to show itself to those around me in healthy and appropriate ways. Make me smarter than I am and help me to understand a feeling -- whether it be from Your Spirit or whether it is my deceitful heart and a very powerful enemy trying to trip me up. You have told us to love You and love people. Help me to do that in sincere ways so that they wonder more about You and crave the power that You give that is at work in my life. I want them to see You in my coming and going, in my rising up and my lying down. I want them to see a true picture of You. I want them to want You, too. Do it in me for Your glory!

I can't think of a single situation in which we would pray this with a sincere heart that God would not stamp it with a His big YES!

As we go into this "weekend of love," let us love much and love well for God's honor, for His glory and for His praise!

Blessings,
Dori

Sing Over Me

2010-02-11T09:19:00.001-06:00

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

It had been a very difficult season of life. Some days were hard. Others simply unbearable. The firm foundation I had stood on since childhood, for some reason, was beginning to feel like very shaky and unstable ground. I was feeling so defeated by certain strongholds in my life. I was also going through a time when I didn't feel particularly useful to God or even close to Him at all. When I have these times, I just have to eat, live and breathe Jesus until I feel His presence again and the closeness that He desires for us to have with Him comes flooding back. Sometimes that means reading His Word. Other times it means cranking up the praise music and just kneeling or laying before Him until I feel His arms around me.

This particular day I was home alone and desperately needed to feel God again. I chose to crank up the praise music. Song after song played and I felt nothing! I was really grieving in my spirit and felt as alone as I had ever felt. Just then the following words written by a friend of mine came pouring out of my stereo:

You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love You for all that You are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Jesus, my passion is You

My life, my love, my God
You are my life, my love, my God*

I tried singing that to God and simply couldn't get the words out. I just fell to the floor in my living room and sobbed. I just kept telling Him, "God, I wish I felt that way today, but I just don't! What is wrong with me??" Then suddenly, He began to practice Zephaniah 3:17 and began to sing over me:

Dori, You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Dori, my passion is you.

That was it! I wasn't supposed to sing this song to Him this particular afternoon! He was supposed to sing it over me. When I was confronted with the reality of how much God loves me, all walls broke down once again and I felt the passion that I had for Him come flooding back into my heart and soul.

I spent quite awhile on my face before Him that afternoon. I cried it out with Him and poured out my deepest need to Him, declared my love for Him and thanked Him for His faithfulness, his mercy and for His unfailing love. I told Him that no matter what life threw at me, no matter how He chose to answer my heart's cry, I would trust Him.

The next morning, a Sunday, I had not planned to sing in the worship choir, but something compelled me and I walked up and took my place in the middle of the first worship song. Then came the next song and the familiar introduction of the song God had so sweetly soothed me with the day before began to play. I literally could not sing. I sobbed through the entire thing. I was still overwhelmed by how God had so wonderfully showed Himself to me in my living room the previous afternoon. After the song ended, my pastor said these words that I will never forget:

"You may be feeling as though you can't sing these words today. Maybe He isn't your passion. Maybe you are in a difficult place and it doesn't seem as though He is very near to you at all. If that is where you find yourself today, listen to me. He is singing these words over you, today. Let Him quieten you with His love! Hear Him singing over you:

‘You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Child, my passion is you.’"

Thank you, God, for not only ministering to me in the aloneness of my home on that Saturday afternoon, but thank You for confirming Your very specific Word to me through my pastor the next morning. You are my Passion, Sweetest Song of my soul, Deepest Desire of my heart and my Treasure! I fail You daily, sometimes hourly. Thank You for not failing me and for sweetly singing over me when my soul is not quiet and needs comforting. You are my life, my love, my God and I will forever worship you. You have been faithful. You have been very good. You are the very essence of Mercy and Grace. I will trust You!

Blessings,
Dori

*The song, My Passion (written by David Moffitt, Sue Smith and Travis Cottrell) is available on CD on the projects "Alive Forever" and "Voices of the Faithful." You can find them on Travis' website - http://traviscottrell.com.

P.S. I shared this post on Heart to Heart with Holley.

THIS IS THE DAY

2010-02-11T06:56:00.001-06:00

THIS IS THE DAY

Father, I am weary, I am pleading for Your mercy.
And I’m waiting for Your answer
And I’m struggling with surrender.
But I’m trusting through the darkness that surrounds.

THIS IS THE DAY the Lord has made
I will rejoice. I will give thanks.
And live my life to bring you praise.
This is the day the Lord has made.

Father, through the shadows I am seeking and I will follow
For Your glory, for Your kingdom
For redemption and for freedom
In my weakness through the power of the cross.

THIS IS THE DAY the Lord has made
I will rejoice. I will give thanks.
And live my life to bring you praise.
This is the day the Lord has made.

And I will carry my cross, I’ll carry my cross
And You carry me
I will carry my cross, carry my cross
And You will carry me.

THIS IS THE DAY the Lord has made
I will rejoice. I will give thanks.
And live my life to bring you praise.
This is the day the Lord has made.
This is the day the Lord has made.

This is the day the Lord has made.

Words and Music by Travis Cottrell, David Moffitt and Sue C. Smith

Finishing the Work in Me

2010-02-09T13:04:00.001-06:00

I sat at the tire store this morning. What is usually a 20 minute "in and out" deal was almost an hour. And they don't have wireless internet and they don't have a television. So I read.

But there was someone else there. What appeared to be a Dad and his adult daughter. She was probably my age and he was in his pajamas and on oxygen, clearly dealing with some health issues. But looked surprisingly healthy. Go figure.

After about 20 minutes, I was deep into Chapter 6 of Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado (an EXCELLENT older title of his, but I highly recommend it), when I heard him making a call.

"Hi, Julie, this is Bill. Just wanted to check and see if you were able to schedule my surgery. (pause) Uh, huh. Okay. Tuesday, March 16, at Williamson. Alright. (pause) Be there at 6. Okay. (pause) Well, how long are they going to keep me?"

At this point he shut his eyes and I thought for sure that he was crying and that I was going to need to drop my book about being Just Like Jesus and actually do the thing and pray with him and his daughter.

But then I realized that he was laughing. And so was the daughter. It was as if she was laughing because she knew what was coming next.

"Julie, let me tell you something. The last three times I have had surgery I have been dismissed the same day. The first time my heart stopped on the way to the car and I died. I was dead, Julie. They had to use those paddles and jolt me back to life, Julie. The second time I was dismissed the same day and I had both lungs collapse in the car ride home. Are you listening, Julie? The third time, I had the same heart thing happen and I was dead again. Julie, can you kindly tell the doctor that I would rather be kept overnight to make sure that this is going to take and that I am going to respond? I would rather you all finish the work on me before you move on to something else. Thank you, Julie. I'll be in touch."

I was laughing at this point, but really trying to make it look like my book was funny and not that phone conversation.

But it was hilarious...and serious all at the same time.

Just the other day, I was reading Matthew 8. The first few verses tell the story of the leper that Jesus cleansed. I have always been baffled that Jesus warned him not to go and tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest.

But I think I get it now. The work wasn't complete. The process had to be followed. The priest had to declare him clean for him to be accepted in society again. A formality? Yes, but Jesus wanted the full work to be done, the process to be completed - physical body healed, a broken and wounded spirit restored and uplifted, a life raised up to glorify God.

You see, my temptation as one who feels the need to write and share spiritual truths that I learn is that I jump up sometimes too quickly from my quiet time or from a worship service and run to the keyboard. I want to share what I learned almost immediately after learning it.

But sometimes those truths from God need some time to sink in. Sometimes He doesn't want me to share them at all. But I do anyway. Sometimes I need my heart to be strengthened and I need my spiritual lungs to breathe in what the Holy Spirit has breathed out to me before I try and go help someone else.

Rather than looking for the next big Bible lesson, blog post, tweet or facebook status, I need to let God finish the work in me first.

I need to sit and let it soak and take the time to ask, "God, what do you want ME to learn here? Help me to sit and let You finish the work in my own heart before I feel compelled to rush through the process to tell someone else. When it is time for me to share what You have spoken, nudge me and send me on my way to tell. But all in Your time...not in my own."

I'm praying for Bill on March 16. I'm praying that the surgery will take and what the doctors want to accomplish will be.

I'm praying for myself. I'm praying that God will continue to speak to me and that what He wants to do in me will be completed and that His glory will be magnified when He releases me to tell!

Just a lesson that God taught me at the tire store today and, yes, He did tell me that I could tell you!

Blessings,
Dori

Memory Monday & More

2010-02-08T09:26:00.001-06:00

Good morning, friends! How is your Monday? Did the Big Game turn out the way you thought? Something about having a team named the Saints sparked so many spiritual undertones for me that I'm sure will be blogged about in the future. For instance, near the end of the game the commentator said, "We've got an injured Saint." And I heard in my spirit, "There's a blog post there!" But I'll have to push the hold button on that one this morning.

In the meantime, it is Memory Monday with my friend Joanne.

And for you all who participated in the Siesta Scripture Memory Team Challenge last year with Beth, my friend Leah at The Point Ministries is challenging us to continue on with her Challenge 2010.

I am going to be taking the next week to read, learn and meditate upon Proverbs 16:32. I am choosing the English Standard Version this week. Beth Moore had some thoughts about this scripture this morning over at the LPM Blog.

"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32 ESV

I only wish that I had read this scripture and Beth's comments about 90 minutes earlier than I did! My anger showed itself over my darling 8 year old's choice to whine over something insignificant. Ironically enough, my reaction to her was also blowing something insignificant out of proportion and my anger was completely wasted on her.

"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty..."

I looked up the word better in the Hebrew dictionary and it means that when we choose patience over anger we can be any one or all of these things:

good
pleasant
agreeable
excellent
appropriate
becoming
glad
happy
prosperous
wise
kind
benign (really think about that word)
right
ethical

In other words, I can be completely different and totally beneficial to all around me if I will practice a little self-control and choose patience over anger. I wasn't any of those things in dealing with my daughter this morning and I certainly didn't give her anything to learn from.

But God delights in giving us do-overs.

I'll be thinking on this scripture in the coming days. What is He saying to you about your anger? Do you want to a "better" woman? I do. God has it for us if we will only take the chance He is giving us.

Lord, help me stop and ask myself if what I'm getting all worked up about in life is really worth the cost and will it really achieve the greater purpose You have in mind for the moment.

Blessings,
Dori

The Cry of His Child

2010-02-07T06:42:00.001-06:00

I was thinking about this lesson that Lindsey taught me almost two years ago. Her faith spurred me on that night and I hope it spurs you on this morning.

I have never been one to tell my kids what to pray. Not that there is anything wrong with that because Jesus, Himself, taught His disciples and us how to pray -- gave us an example. But I've just always wanted to hear what God puts on the heart of my kids without any influence from me. Sometimes it is all I can do not to laugh outloud and sometimes it is just downright humbling.

Last night after finishing up a bedtime story, I told Lindsey it was time to say her prayers and turn out the light. She bowed her head. There was a long pause. Then she uttered the most profound statement on prayer that I've heard in a long time.

"Sometimes, Mommy, when I don't know what to say I just say, 'Help me, God! Amen!'"

How many thousands and thousands of books do we have on prayer? Each book has its own methodology and prerequisite for proper praying. We have all kinds of acronyms for the right order in which to pray. Some say there is a proper posture for praying. Some say your eyes must be closed. Others pray with their eyes open. All of these ideas and suggestions are very good prompts to just sit down and do it -- talk to God, acknowledge Him as King, ask for forgiveness, and lay out your requests before Him.

And, yet, my six year old little girl taught me the fundamental truth -- all that is really required for prayer is lifting up our eyes to God and saying, "Help me!" No matter where we are or what our posture or preparation has been...in that moment He hears and responds. He always hears the cry of His child!

In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears. (Psalm 18:6 Amplified)

Tiaras and Princesses

2010-02-06T06:53:00.001-06:00

My friend, Holly, asked me to repost this from October of 2008. Enjoy!

Friends, I totally wore a tiara out to Chili's tonight! And I didn't think twice about what people thought. You know why? Because my sweet girl was wearing one, too, and we were being twin Princesses -- Daughters of the King!

We had a wonderfully blessed day! Lindsey and I had the privilege of attending a Confidence in Christ conference at our church -- for girls, grades 1 through 8, and their moms. We participated in awesome worship led by my friend, Julie Goss, who is usually praising Him from the Living Proof Live stage. The keynote speaker this morning was Holly Thompson, morning anchor at our local NBC affiliate. She was great and the girls loved her. I participated in some great mini-sessions for the moms. Lindsey attended sessions on worship, prayer, health and manners. We both received a t-shirt and a tiara -- that's how we became the twin Princesses totally stepping out in royalty at Chili's!

What a unique gathering this was at our church today. CNC Ministries was birthed by one of our home girls, a former Mrs. America. And another of our friends at our church is Tara Dawn Christiansen, Miss America 1997! One of the most interesting moments of the day for me was when Tara stepped to the microphone with a simple wooden box that contained her Miss America crown.

She began to tell how her life changed from the moment she put on "the crown." She explained that she had written presidents prior to wearing the crown, but she never heard back. After she was given the crown, she was invited to their office. Prior to becoming Miss America, she lived in a regular old house. After becoming Miss America she stayed in the Presidential Suites and penthouses of the finest hotels. Before the crown, she drove an old beat up Ford Taurus. After the crown, she arrived everywhere in a stretch limo!

But an interesting thing happened in 1998. It was someone else's turn to be Miss America. She arrived at the competition sporting her beautiful adornment -- in a stretch limo, of course. She participated in the program and the time came for her to crown the new Miss America. Immediately after the ceremony, she was asked to sign a release saying she would never wear the crown in public again. She then drove away in her old beat-up Ford Taurus.

The point is that this beautiful crown was given to her and offered her tremendous privileges and invitations. With it she was invited into the presence of dignitaries and famous people. But the day someone else took over the title, it just became a crown in a box and the invitations and privileges were no longer there. But she began to explain that she realized that this crown in this simple wooden box was just that. However, she has a crown that she wears on the "inside" that has eternal value. It was given to her by the King of Kings and it offers her unlimited privileges and the most important invitation -- to sit at his feet and learn from him and to join him one day!

And while the amazing crown we saw today nearly took our breath away with its sparkling beauty, it has no lasting value. The only crown that matters in this life is the one placed on our head the day we asked Jesus to come in and make our heart His home. Once we realize the cost of that crown and the price that was paid by the One who gave it to us, we will realize that nothing else matters than walking in the privilege and rights of being a Daughter of the King...a beautiful Princess, an oak of righteousness, planted for the display of His glory.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

So, walk with your shoulders back and your head held high. He is your Father. He is the King and that makes you, my dear, His fearfully and wonderfully made princess!

Blessings,
Dori

Company Girl Coffee

2010-02-05T13:40:00.001-06:00

My friend, Rachel Anne, has THE BEST website! It truly is my favorite among the many that I read on a regular basis. On Fridays she hosts Company Girl Coffee - just a chance to meet some new friends out there who are just doing life and trying to do it with some semblance of joy and a little bit of fun!

Rachel Ann is on a list of people that I've met on the world wide web that I want to meet in real life. We had a near miss at Deeper Still in Nashville in 2007. I just know that one day she and I will get to sit and have a real cup of coffee one day!

In the meantime, if you are clicking over here from Home Sanctuary, welcome. I love to blog, but I'm coming out of a blog funk. (Sorry, I have no other name for it but that!) I've wanted to write a thousand times, but have been blog blocked for awhile. But I can see the funk lifting a bit and next week I have some really good things I want to share with you. In the meantime, I just have some randoms from this week!

If you haven't read my So Long, Insecurity Confessions post, please do because I shared about something utterly ridiculous and sadly telling that I did in the school car line the other day. I'm a crazy woman and no where near perfect. Trying to be perfect here would be silly! I just think other women need to see a redeemed life instead of a perfect one. Hopefully that is what you see here!

I'm going to make salsa this afternoon. I'm making The Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa. Boomama recommended it and when I read Ree's post about the recipe, this was what she said that caught my attention and sold me on trying it:

"No big chunks, man! Big chunks are good when it comes to the fresh tomatoes in pico de gallo. But when it comes to regular salsa, which is generally made from canned tomatoes, I prefer more of a pureed, thin consistency. No vinegar, dude! At all. Vinegar does not belong in salsa, which is why I’m not a big fan of salsa from a jar. Most of it contains vinegar as a preservative. Must have cilantro, holmes! Lots and lots of cilantro."

Just the fact that she called me man, dude and holmes made me want to try the salsa!

Finally, I got a tweet last night that mentioned that Jan Hooks was on 30 Rock. I don't watch 30 Rock, but dearly love Jan Hooks. This is one of my favorite Jan Hooks moments.

I told you! This would be random. And that I'm not perfect! But I love to laugh and I love the God who gave laughter to us!! He disciplines us. He rescues us. He redeems us. He holds our tears in the palm of His hands -- not one is missed. But over a lifetime there is much laughter!

"He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter." Psalm 30:5 The Message

Blessings,
Dori

SO LONG, INSECURITY CONFESSIONALS

2010-02-05T09:54:00.001-06:00

I just read this over HERE:

"This afternoon Alex and I ran by the bookstore so I could pick up a copy of Beth Moore’s new book. The book is called So Long, Insecurity, and I’d be glad to tell you all about how I sometimes struggle with insecurity if I weren’t so worried that you wouldn’t like me afterwards."

Oh, I can relate and I present my series entitled:

SO LONG, INSECURITY CONFESSIONALS!

It stems from a comment to a post I wrote over at the LPM Blog.

SO LONG, INSECURITY CONFESSIONAL #1:

I just had to tell you what I did, ya'll! It is classic female -- idiot female at that, but I tell you sort of jokingly but sort of not. I think you'll know what I mean.

I ran out Tuesday morning and grabbed my book at the Franklin, TN Lifeway Store -- which incidentally is like DisneyWorld to me, but that is another post for another time.

Finally had a chance to open it up Wednesday and here is what happened. I kid you not!

I was sitting in the car line at school. I was in the right hand lane and there was a car just to the left of me with a man and woman in it. She was in the passenger's seat and our eyes met several times because, well, you are in the car line A LONG time in elementary school and we were sitting there next to each other - eye to eye.

I opened up my book and was reading when I noticed she was looking at me.

I suddenly felt overwhelmed with the feeling that I didn't want this woman to think that I, OF ALL STINKIN' PEOPLE, had a problem with insecurity so I took the book cover off and continued with my reading.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!?!? I was INSECURE about reading a book about INSECURITY!!!!

I laughed out loud when I caught myself and returned the cover to its rightful place and continued reading.

But in all seriousness, this is how rampant this problem is. We are all insecure about something and some of us are insecure about everything...and some of us, well, we are insecure about our insecurity!

Let's run to the Word and get us some healing. It's time for us to get over our insecurity, once and for all!

"He sent forth his word and healed them..." Psalm 107:20

Blessings,
Dori

He is Exalted

2010-01-21T08:39:00.001-06:00

I remember reading awhile back a blog of funny stories our kids say and do. One comment told of her young child who thought the song "He is Exalted" was "He is a Sausage, the King is a Sausage...." I laughed until I cried, but it reminded me of Taylor's interpretation of the song when he was four.

He sang, "He is exhausted, the King is exhausted, on high...." I laughed then, too, but then immediately responded, "Praise You, Lord of Heaven and Earth -- You are definitely not EXHAUSTED. I may be bone-weary, but you, O LORD, are definitely EXALTED and Your strength, power and rest are super-infused on us, Your children!"

Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? GOD doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind. (Isaiah 40:28-31 THE MESSAGE)

Blessings,
Dori

Be Quiet!

2010-01-11T07:02:00.001-06:00

I have a quote written in my Bible that I never get totally out of my mind. I think of it often. I'm not even sure where I heard it first, but I would imagine it was in an indepth Bible study that I was participating in at the time.

"You cannot win a war if you don't understand you are in a war. You cannot conquer your enemy if you don't recognize your enemy."

The devotional book that I used this morning had us reading in Luke 4 and seeing how Jesus responded when He found Himself being confronted by a demon possessed man. In the reading, we were asked to list characteristics that we know to be true about satan. In light of the quote above and the activity in which we were asked to participate, I know what the goal was -- the thing God wanted me to do today. He wants me to be wise and know my enemy, to know what I am up against. Not only that, but I need to know the enemy's schemes and be prepared to stand up against them when I am faced with them.

I jotted down the things you might expect. Satan is a liar, the Father of lies. He is cunning. He is evil. He is seeking out people to destroy. He is corrupt. He is jealous, for the sole reason he fell in the first place was because he wanted to be like God. He is malicious. But the last thing I wrote down was that satan, our enemy, is noisy.

In Luke 4, the first rebuke that Jesus gave the demons that attacked Him was, "Be quiet!" (Luke 4: 35) And every translation that I have turned to has made it a point to suggest that Jesus was none too happy and didn't politely ask the demon to cease from being noisy. The NIV says that Jesus spoke "sternly" to the demon.

How has the enemy been noisy in your life? A Bible teacher I listened to the other day said that the enemy cannot destroy us, but he will do everything in his power to distract us.

In very difficult seasons of my life, I have experienced the noise of the enemy -- his attempt to make himself greater or louder in my mind than anything that God would want me to hear.

In matters of insecurities, he screams, "You are nothing! You will never be anything! God can't use someone like you! You aren't talented enough. You aren't pretty enough. You certainly aren't spiritual enough!"

In matters of past failures and sin, he yells, "You've done it this time! God can't forgive THAT!"

In matters of lack of trust he bellows, "You're right -- don't trust him and don't trust her! They don't love you and will only hurt you. You do not need friends because friends will never do anything but turn their backs on you!"

In matters of service he says, "Goodness gracious! Whoever made you think you were equipped to do that? There are many others who way more talented and special. Just sit down. Let the professionals handle it!!"

I'm sure you can think of other countless examples of how the enemy has been a distraction from the truth of God in your life.

Learning from Christ's example, we no longer have to listen to the enemy. We can tell him, if you will permit me to use a phrase that is "not nice" around our house, "SHUT UP!!" We have a heritage because of our life as believers in Jesus Christ. It is this,

"'...no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

We have the offensive weapon of the Sword of the Spirit that we not only wave in the enemy's face, but we speak it from our mouth and refute everything that he uses to convince us that we are ill-equipped to do and unworthy to receive in Jesus' Name!

It is time for the noise of the enemy to be silenced and the Voice of God to be heard in our lives. It's time that we, in Beth Moore's words, make the enemy sorry that he ever messed with us. It is high time for the Children of the Most High God to put our finger in his ugly face and tell him to BE QUIET!

Blessings,
Dori

Urgent Request

2010-01-05T13:05:00.001-06:00

As you have read on my blog before, my friend Tina is involved in women's prison ministry. Her stories of ministering to these precious women inspire me every time I hear of them. As I wrote before, my friend has a specific call on her life...she has listened to the Word of God over her and is walking in obedience head on toward that calling.

But I want to let you hear from her heart of an urgent prayer and possible political action need. I am sure that our opinions on the death penalty fall all over the wide spectrum. However, I believe this isn't a death penalty debate. This is about a restored and productive inmate receiving fair justice, mercy and grace.

I want you to hear Tina's heart on this. I take this directly from her blog which you can check from time to time with updates. Please read it and pray. More importantly, if God calls you to act...then by all means...ACT!

Blessings,
Dori

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
from Hope Springs Eternal by Tina Hutchison

Hello my friends,

With every cell in my body, I am going to emplore, urge, even beg you to read this post. PLEASE. I will unashamedly use my influence for what is truth. Below is a picture of my friend Gail Owens.

She is currently on death row at the Tennessee Prison for Women. The state is asking for her execution. I love Gaile. She is a very dear person to so many people. But that is not the only reason I put my fingertips to the keyboard. Some people support the death penalty. Some do not. This is not what I am focused on. This is about justice. What is right. The Tennessean Newspaper ran a very convincing article. The link is below. I again urge you to read it. You will then understand the urgency in my post.

What you read will allow you to see for yourself how mangled the court system can be. BUT there is still time. Gaile has until Feb. 5 to rally support. I am asking you to read the article and if you are as moved as I am ... then contact our Tennessee Governor Bredesen. Tell him through an e-mail, fax or phone call how you DISAGREE with this execution.

It is a matter of life and death.

I had the honor of singing over Gaile a few days before Christmas. As she sat quietly in a chair, I sang "It is Well With My Soul". Truth is, it is not well with mine. Not if our state makes the mistake of taking the life of a productive inmate. We want her sentance to be commuted to LIFE without possibility of parole. So does Gail. Will you stand in the gap with me? If you are moved, raise your voice... no matter what state you live in! AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT GAILE!

READ THE TENNESSEAN ARTICLE HERE!

CONTACT: e-mail: Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov

Phone: 615-741-2001
Fax: 615-532-9711

Actually Doing the Thing...

2009-12-27T10:34:00.001-06:00

"Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22 KJV

When I think of my friend, Tina, I think of this scripture. This is one servant of God who is putting feet to the red hot pavement of life and doin' the thing...living out what Jesus commands of us all.

Read her latest posts linked below and add her to your blog reader. You will not want to miss a single word she writes!

Lock Down - Part 1

Lock Down - Part 2

Blessings,

Dori

Merry Christmas from The Cooks

2009-12-25T07:02:00.001-06:00

Dwelling Among Us

2009-12-23T20:00:00.001-06:00

I passed her going in and I walked alongside her coming out. We had just gotten to the Middle School. I was dropping off canned goods for the food drive and she was dropping off her child.

She didn't speak. She didn't even make eye contact. She never said one word to me or her child. She just walked. And she scrolled through something on her iPhone. She mumbled something. Not to either of the other two people with her. She apparently saw something on her phone she didn't like.

It never stopped. Inside the school office. In the hallway. Back out to the car. She just walked with her eyes focused intently on her phone.

It occurred to me that we are a generation that is living together on Planet Earth, but we are not dwelling among one another very well these days. We aren't doing a lot of walking together and talking together. We're living focused on a completely different kind of world. One that apparently gives us some sort of significance or satisfaction -- a virtual utopia where everything that we say and do is significant to the masses. But is it at the expense of seeing and noticing what is happening around us and those who walk alongside us?

Not so with the One Whom we celebrate this time of year.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

He came not just to give us significance and show us ultimate satisfaction, but he dwelled among us. And He continues to dwell.

He walks with us. He talks with us. He sees us. He hears us. He is concerned about what we are concerned about.

And if we will take a minute to look up from whatever has our attention and our focus...we will see Him, too. In all His glory.

When we do, those around us will also see Him...the One who is altogether lovely and Who is full of grace and truth.

Let's dwell among those we come in contact with this Christmas. Let's notice them and give them something eternal to see in us.

Blessings,
Dori

Mary, Did You REALLY Know?

2009-12-21T11:34:00.001-06:00

The question is a bit of a cliche' because someone penned all the questions in a song -- a very well written song, I might add.

But it is always about this time every year that I wonder if she REALLY knew how her life was about to change.

I remember when I was pregnant with my first born that along about the week of Thanksgiving (he was born a few days after), I got this overwhelming feeling. I wouldn't call it exclusively panic, nor would I call it exclusively excitement and exuberance. I think it was a jumbled ball of all of those and about a dozen more.

Expectancy
Excitement
Panic
Happiness
Joy
Wonder
Amazement
Apprehension
Trepidation
Gratefulness
Unprepared!

But Mary!

The whole experience for her had been anything but normal. She didn't visit a doctor or take a test to see if she would have a baby or not. She didn't even have reason to do such a thing! But one day in the quiet her house filled with light and a heavenly being declared her the one who would give birth to the world's Salvation, the Desired of all the Nations...Jesus, the One and Only.

In the face of shame, scorn and possibly even death, she stepped into obedience.

Would I be so brave? Would I be so quick to say "Be it unto me according to Your Word?"

Maybe that is what God is challenging me to in 2010. A year filled with knowing that whatever the step He asks me to take He would not ask if He were not going with me. It could be a year filled with the peace and joy found in that place of knowing that I've done what He has asked and that He has promised to do what He has said.

And perhaps in that place, there is no panic, apprehension or worry at all. Perhaps in that place there is only joy, peace, calm and grace...lots and lots of grace.

Maybe that is the only thing that Mary REALLY knew!

Blessings,
Dori

Expecting to See Jesus

2009-12-15T17:44:00.001-06:00

I was listening to a Bible study the other day and the speaker was talking about the cast of characters in the Bible that surround the birth of Jesus. Our thoughts immediately go to Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth, the Shepherds and the Wise Men. The teacher was asking that we draw our attention to some of the seemingly minor characters in the story, namely Simeon.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32)

Not much is known about Simeon. Personally, I tried to find where he was mentioned in the Bible and couldn't find him in a single passage other than these 10 verses in Luke 2. But from these 10 verses we learn that Simeon walked in the Spirit of the Living God. How interesting that even before Jesus had been born, called the 12 and announced the coming of the Holy Spirit, Simeon had already discovered the priceless treasure of walking in righteousness and being led by a power that was not his own. It came from God.

The scriptures tell us that Simeon was devout and righteous and that he not only walked in the Holy Spirit but listened to what he was being told. The Holy Spirit had revealed big news to Simeon -- he would not die before he saw God's provision of salvation to the World -- the Savior, the Messiah. And so he went about his daily business, but not without expectation. He knew that anywhere and at any time, God was going to burst onto the scene and his life would never be the same! His Deliverer was coming and coming soon!

Do you think that changed the way he lived his daily life -- the ins and outs, the drudgery, the mundane? You bet it did. He woke up wondering, "Could this be the day?" And I doubt he ever closed his eyes in sleep without wondering the same about the next day. And God did exactly as He promised! Under the leadership of the Spirit, Simeon walked into the temple courts with a thankful and expectant heart...and he saw Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Redeemer, King, his salvation...right before his eyes.

Do we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit with the same expectancy, the same excitement, the same wonder? Do we go about our daily grind knowing that anywhere and at any moment we are going to see Jesus? Are we expecting that at every turn and in every task, He will meet us there and reveal Himself to us if we will only walk in the Spirit and be ready to see Him -- really see Him? Simeon went to the temple that day -- to church, if you will -- in the power of the Holy Spirit having made himself ready to experience Jesus. How would our Sunday mornings be different if we made ourselves ready and walked in step with the Holy Spirit? Would our worship be different knowing that at any moment, God's glory was going to be revealed to us?

How differently would our Christmas To Do list look? How would our holiday attitudes change? Would it affect our gift giving and receiving? When we met with friends and families, would it change the way we behaved, talked and loved knowing that God's glory is being revealed right before our eyes?

Would we see Him at all? Would we even know Him if we saw Him? Simeon knew -- he recognized Him immediately -- an small boy brought in by Mary and Joseph on that day.

Let us walk in the Spirit so that every step we take, every move we make and every face we see we are looking for Him -- Jesus, our Redeemer, our Salvation! Glory to God in the Highest!

Blessings,
Dori

The Tree

2009-12-14T14:17:00.001-06:00

When did Christmas trees become something of a contest among friends? When did it stop being full of memories and become a work of art. Don't get me wrong! I love going and looking at all of the elegant trees at the mall and especially at the Opryland Hotel, but I have to say that when all is said and done and when I finally put the last ornament on my tree -- I have really experienced one of the joys of this season. Celebrating the great gift of family and memories that God has graced me with!

My tree is not elegant nor is it nominated for some decorating award, but my tree represents so many of the treasured moments of my life.

There is the "Our First Christmas Together" ornament that I couldn't wait to put on the tree back in 1992! To have someone to have a "First Christmas Together" with was a miracle in my life -- a true miracle!

There are the "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments that I take out and hold in my hand before placing it on the tree. Memories flood my mind of holding those tiny little hands in mine for the first time!

There are countless "handmade" ornaments -- some from school, some from church, some we made around the house! Priceless, I tell you -- and beautiful works of art to me if to no one else.

There is the plush cow ornament that "moos" to the tune of "Deck the Halls." It is a tradition that when I take that ornament out I call each and every person in our family and play it over the phone -- no words, just moos...and then chuckles. What a joy!

Countless collected Hallmark ornaments that I have bought for my kids most years. Some represent their "favorites" -- Veggie Tales, Blue's Clues, Curious George and Barbie. There's Tonka trucks that remind me of Taylor's first Christmas and he was so tiny that we put him in the back of a Tonka dumptruck and took his picture. How can 14 years have passed so quickly? And I can't forget the Star Trek ornament that my mother-in-law got us one year. None of us are Trekkies -- never seen the show, personally. But we enjoy pushing the button 20 times a day and hearing it say, "Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, Shuttlecraft to Enterprise...Spock here. Happy Holidays. Live long and prosper."

So, there will be no decorating magazines coming to my home to take photographs of my tree. Most people may not even stop and take a moment to look at the ornaments. But I treasure the time that I have with it every year -- just me, the tree and the ornaments...and a box of tissues!

Cherished memories that flow from the blessings of a Great God!

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

I have never thought of this scripture as a Christmas scripture before, but when I relive special moments of my life by putting up my Christmas tree, I certainly am thankful for every good and perfect gift He has given me. And since He is the Father of Lights, I know He would love the 900 twinkling beauties that are on my tree this year! :)

Just another reason to Consider Him this year!

Blessings,
Dori

Coming Out of the Dark...

2009-12-09T14:59:00.001-06:00

Nothing like a good old giveaway by Boomama to bring someone out of blog hiding. I'm shocked that I could remember the password to even post this.

But goodness gracious look at this!

This is the HP TouchSmart 600 computer. You can read all about it HERE and register to win one for yourself!

Merry Christmas!

I promise something of significance or at least substance from here on out!

Blessings,
Dori

Lord, I'm Amazed

2009-09-15T09:26:00.001-05:00

A repost from last Fall

As I sit on my patio this sweet Saturday evening, the cool air refreshing and the crimson sunset blazing across the horizon, I am reminded that it matters not if I made enough time for Him this week. It's true that my personal spiritual walk is not as dynamic as it would be had I made time for moments of sitting at His feet, choosing the better thing. But the truth of the matter is that whether or not I acknowledge Him as LORD in any given day doesn't make His supremacy more or less real. He is LORD over all the earth, whether we choose to give Him that rightful place in our life. His love for us is never dependent on our participation. He is love and therefore He loves deeply, dearly and for eternity.

He sings over the whole earth. He is in constant activity all around us. Our choice is not whether or not we will give Him permission to do this. He will do it anyway. Our choice is whether or not we are going to join Him in His song or follow His lead as He dances all around us.

So in the stillness of this moment I am, once again, amazed by Him all over again.

Lord, I am amazed by You...how You love me.

Blessings,
Dori