If He is the sun then we are all moons reflecting His glory. — Author unknown

Though we underestimate the far-reaching power and magnitude of His love, and it’s ability to bring about radical change in a life, God falls over Himself to show that love to us. For me that love comes through the men and women He has given me as friends. Through loving them, and permitting them to love me, I have opportunities to see glimpses of what He is really like. I was talking with the Lord recently and He said this to me about some ladies who have walked over glass for me. I believe the message would be true of my husband if I had one. To the men reading this, I pray that you have men who have run the gauntlet for you and, slightly altered, you would find the Lord saying something similar to you …. in hurly-burly man-words like power, and guts, and war, and sharp, pointy objects. Oo-rah! Whatever. This is what He said to me ….

“Be ever in awe of what I am doing in her. She is carrying Me and manifesting Me in the natural realm. Because you know Me and see Me in her you can help her become more than she is today. You can help stretch her belief and her faith for what I am doing in her and through her. The more she believes, the more expansively I can be expressed through her life. My beauty is expressed in her beauty. My creativity is expressed through the creative works she encompasses. Walk with her and help her pull down her dreams and destiny into the Now of Time.”

And so seeing God accurately is more about seeing God in those around us. Find a friend who is chasing God. Walk beside them and carry their dreams in your heart. You might find they’ll do the same for you. Christ in you, the hope of Glory . That is the mystery.

Ciao!

Did you ever notice how Mary came to bear the Christ Child? She encountered an angel who spoke to her with the authority of God and in the blink of an eye she was pregnant. And then there’s Joseph who wanted to send Mary away secretly, but instead encountered God in a dream. After he awakened he changed his plans and took Mary as his wife.

Did you ever notice that as we read these Scriptures aloud to one another, our voices rise and fall in all the right places as we describe how Mary was nearly divorced because God interrupted her quiet life. Really. She was just minding her own business. And then wham! She’s thinking about maternity clothes. There’s no telling the amount of fracas that Joseph caused by taking Mary as his wife. It just wasn’t done. But! Each of them had an experience that radically shaped their destiny. They yielded to the Godhead and trusted Him for the outcome. Were they close enough to share with one another the nature of their encounters?

“So, um, Joseph … I’ve been meaning to tell you that I ran into an angel sent from God the other day. Joseph, are you listening to me?”

“Mary. Uh, I’ve got to talk to you. I had this dream, you see…We’ve got to leave Bethlehem tonight and cross the border. I know the little guy is only ten days old. And I haven’t forgotten that we came here with you so close to giving birth … on a donkey. Really, I’m sorry about all this. It’s God again. We’ve got to go.”

Time and space won’t permit me to review all of the supernatural encounters which are associated with Jesus’ birth. Zacharias, Elizabeth, the shepherds, and the magi. Oddly enough, the wicked ruler Herod got his information through the enquiring magi, not through a dream.

I marvel that, in current times, we seem to have outgrown our ability to be led by dreams or supernatural moments with God. Why is that, I wonder? Are dreams just for wee children? I wonder what Zacharias would say? He was an old Jewish priest who encountered an angel in the temple, and became mute when he questioned the birth of his son so late in life.

Just on the cusp of a new year I would challenge you to a year full of faith-filled dreams and moments with God. Ask Him to speak with you, to lead you by dreams … with His thoughts, His words. A year of life led by God Himself. It’s risky, but so filled with wonder and awe. He has great ideas!

Ciao!

Relationships with people are not meant in any way to be categorized. Categoros is that ugly word that is similar to ‘division’ and we don’t need any more of that!  And yet, in our nature, we have this deep desire to know that we are special to someone else. We long to be best friends and our ears strain to hear, “You are my best friend.”

Sometimes when I struggle I’ll look at how Jesus handled things when He was here among us. Even though He was surrounded by people during His ministry He never articulated anything about who it was He felt closest to. We draw conclusions by what we see in Scripture but He never reveals it directly. At the same time you never got the sense that Jesus withheld parts of who He was, in a manner of self-protection or categorization. When people were with Him, He was incredibly transparent. He told them how he was going to die … I wonder, have you shared that with your nearest and dearest?

When I was in my teens I made a commitment with the Lord to be transparent with people so long as He would use it for His purposes. In other words I didn’t mind people seeing my decision processes or my struggles. In the midst of my sharing my life with you, I’m trusting the Lord will encounter you and show You something special about Himself. He’s like that. He loves opportunities to show off His love and to uncoil mysteries about His ways. Over the years that commitment has become something I’d not planned for in that the Lord has given me lots of rich and deep friendships. I cherish every single one. Some of those people have passed on, and some are with me today.

People handle intimacy differently, believe it or not. Some people appreciate information about events, “What happened?” Other people are wired for, “How did you feel about what happened?” And a few others are safe enough to ask, “Who are you and who do you want to be?”

I’ve got to jet. Work awaits. But, “Who are you and who do you want to be?”

“That’s just how it’s done.”

Oh.

I wonder if you hear the same authority and even arrogance that I did when I listened to myself speak. I cut my teeth on phrases like that. Words and ways of doing things. In this season where I find myself stuck with dreams that fail to gain traction, it occurs to me that I’m guided like the rails of a train track by phrases just like this, “It’s just not done.” “You need to make wise decisions so that God will bless your life.” “You need to wait on God.” Yada, yada. Christian rhetoric and societal rules for playing it safe and getting it right.

What if? What if those phrases actually represented a deep root of pride? What if they implied that I want to be found as someone who made all the right choices? What if they implied that I cared very deeply about what others think instead of caring most about what God thinks? What if God were waiting for me to just take a step instead of trying to always go about things the right way? I’ve never thought of myself as a perfectionist because precious little in my life implies perfect achievement and thus it’s silliness to even go down that path. Yet those who are close to me will attest that I am wired to do it the.right.way. And yet. Isn’t it the same thing? I’m the last to figure this out, by the way.

It strikes me that we hold this pose of doing things right and then we hold God hostage because He should bless us now. “I’ve done it the right way. I’ve waited (or not). I’ve spent frugally (or not). I’ve given generously (or not). And now You should get in line, God, with my plan for my life.” We pin stuff on God like He’s the donkey needing a tail.

The Uncertain Path

I’ve known that the Kingdom of God is upside down, that faith doesn’t make sense, and that logic totally interferes with faith. Noted. But if I’m so committed to playing it safe and doing things just so, when do I break away from self-righteous judgment and begin walking by faith? Does it mean that I should cut bait and run? Does it mean that I should plow into a relationship with the wrong man because now I’m walking by faith and God will catch me? Does it mean that I should walk away from my obligations and commitments?

What I said earlier is profoundly true: The rules that we unconsciously live by are like train tracks. Those rails keep us so tightly wound that we won’t even watch for God to intervene supernaturally because we are so hard-wired to have things go the way we think they should go. And God? He’s keen on doing things in such a way that we’ll know it could only be Him. He wants to blow our circuits with His goodness and His creativity.

My heart is quiet as I realize the deep pride that is rooted in my words, and the authority with which I’ve spoken them. No wonder He’s waiting for me.

A heart-change would be good right about now. After that? I think I’m going to live a little.

I learned more about the intentions of my Dad’s heart there in the pages of that Pulitzer Prize winning novel published in 1960 than before or ever again. One day I read on the flyleaf of the paperback book, “To Scout … ” and then I knew that my musings were accurate. He saw me there on those pages, asking the tough questions about life, just as I saw him as Atticus.

How I wish I had that book in my possession once more! I would stare at Dad’s words in the flyleaf, written in his quirky penmanship. I would scour the memories in my heart just to be able to know my Dad a little more than I did. You see, we all hope that we are Atticus whose heart was expansive and whose motives easily read in the condensed storyline. And we all hope that we are eight year old Scout, whose inquisitive questions and struggles were from the vantage point of innocent curiousity.

The thing is, we walk together through life and we think we really know one another. It’s not until stuff happens … an assault, a racially-charged lawsuit, or even a much more mundane failure … and then we begin to know what is in a person’s heart.

Back in their day God tested the Israelites in order to know what was in their hearts, to know whether or not they would obey His commands. I know what it is to want to know what is in a man’s heart. As I said, if I had my father’s copy of the book I would have those words he spoke to me as Scout. I am convinced that Dad would have longed for me to sift from the ashes of his life ~ the worthless minutae that seemed to dominate the years ~ and glean the rich, gold nuggets.  He would have wanted me to embrace his moments of an expansive heart.

Perhaps you’ll do the same for me.

Creation alive and vibrant, and yet at-rest.
Ceasing from her labors of the day, she rises to her reign at eventide.

The owl in the old tree next door directs the symphony of the night.
His strategic and penetrating wha-wha-who-who-who is heard above the Mockingbird’s insistent chatter.
The crickets join in at the chorus, my eyes twinkle and my ear strains to hear who has the melody in this cacophony of sound.

The owl sings to his mate in another tree as the breeze flutters the ears of the fawn who munches mindlessly in my garden below.
She lifts her head and swishes her tail and, assessing she’s among friends,
dips her head once again to focus on her feast.

My Clematis bush shudders as its blossoms disappear with a munch.

In reality he’s a Tabby with a long swishy tail, whose tummy sort of flaps in the breeze when he trots through the garden.

This inner belief that he’s really a Manx causes him to strut with a stealthy gate. Pretending to be quite fierce, he paces the edge of the yard watching for intruders and challenging anyone who would defy him. Late at night he pounces on the lightening bugs and moths who cross his path. Bounding across the yard he stalks a butterfly meandering through the Clematis. All flying folk fear him and only ever so carefully whiz in his way.

Clancy stalked and he stared until one day a passing feral hopped onto the edge of the fence. Clancy howled. Surely Mama would rescue him soon.

The stray cat only grimaced atop the chain fence and was soon on his way. Clancy’s Mama scooped him up as he shuttered to think of his near-death escapade.

Hmm, maybe he was just a Tabby after all.

Tagged: Cats, loyalty, Tabby ]]> http://herpaintedbunting.com/2011/06/19/my-inner-man/feed/ 0 herpaintedbunting ClancySleeping http://herpaintedbunting.com/2011/06/07/moments-of-lioness/ http://herpaintedbunting.com/2011/06/07/moments-of-lioness/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:44:17 +0000 Samantha Penhale http://herpaintedbunting.com/?p=940 ]]> How do you react when you encounter unfettered arrogance?

I won’t elaborate with the street terms for this grisliest of misdemeanors but, in all seriousness, what do you do when you encounter someone with a real class act? They have rules for who they’ll socialize with and how; rules for how much of themselves they’ll expose to the world and to whom; many, many rules for engagement.

I think my DNA must have some kind of marker that makes me drawn to these kind of people. I’m rolling my eyes as I write this because they are not, not a good match for me, whether husband, date, friend, or project leader. Why? Mostly because I believe them. I take on their rules like some kind of loyal minion in a boat shot full of holes. That thing takes on water and soon I am bailing and flailing, looking for truth. Truth about myself. Truth about them. The painful part is that grappling with their labels and walls forces me to evaluate them with hard words, like rigid. legalistic. judgmental. pompous and pretentious.

The sad truth is this. I manage to expel all those words only to realize that I’ve committed the same crime as they have. That defensive, ugly-spirited victim is operating in the same spirit….merely in the opposite direction. Pride works both ways. So, it’s not a matter of me getting my DNA re-worked or avoiding Mr. Arrogant Poopypants who takes himself too seriously. It’s about me understanding my own value as a person, and quietly standing tall while he chews the theoretical fat over whether to Twitter a personal twit or to actually be a friend.

It’s actually a matter of being a life-giving person. It’s about coming in the opposite spirit. When I feel judgment and prejudice in the airwaves, I am committing here and now to walking in love and humility. I am not saying I will execute perfectly. Dear friends know well how I have failed miserably, and even retaliated in ways probably worse than the crime itself. And yet. Love covers a multitude of sins. And that’s true for both of us.

Ciao!

Not long ago I was talking with a friend about new experiences. We pondered that awkward business where you are on altogether foreign turf and you just have to smile like mean it; then press on until you catch your breath. A swimmer in deep water, with the waves crashing overhead, learns to bob between the waves, catch his breath and wait for the next wave to crash overhead. There are moments when the timing is off and the water is unbounded, leaving the swimmer spluttering and flailing. Maintaining hope is not unlike the swimmer’s rhythm … bob and weave. Bob and weave.

Hope extracts more from us than despair. To carry hope within oneself demands that we run with blistered feet, our heart in our shoe. It requires that we laugh at the future instead of mourning.

Despair doesn’t know any better than to cause a person to curl up and whimper quietly. Hope has little room for self-pity and says, “Get dressed. Get moving. Go make something of yourself today.” Hope requires strength from within, the likes of which often goes missing at eventide. We receive grace just for one day at a time, and I forget that. Perhaps hope is the fruit of a thankful heart. Those who focus on the blessings of the day always seem to be chock full of hope for tomorrow. I think I’ll give that a whirl….to cultivate a thankful heart. Perhaps Ms. Dickinson’s feathered, perching thing will find me there.

A quick story… when I was a little girl, my friend and I got it in our heads that we needed to save the whales. We attended a rather smallish church and not one that had a particular vision for whale-saving. We decided to make a poster and put out a jelly jar to collect the funds. After about a month we’d collected about $2.75. I confess that those funds may have been abused, and were probably used at Dairy Queen. My bad.

You’ve heard the phrase ‘the favor of God’? It’s jargon, really, but it probably refers back to Scripture. Some might call it ‘good karma’ but as Christians we believe that God is behind the good things that happen to us and we give the credit to His heart toward us instead of chance or electromagnetic airwaves. That’s mainly because we’re in this personal relationship with Him and, as His children, we watch for Him to provide for us… to open doors of opportunity, to grease the skids relationally, and generally make things go successfully. That’s our reality. We have God’s favor as His beloved kids.

There’s another climate in which we interact with God which I’m going to call permission. You’ve been there I’ll bet. You get this great idea in your head, ala saving the whales, or you decide ‘I’m going to become a yodeler.’ Beautiful. Nothing wrong with yodeling, or saving the whales incidentally. It’s just that when the idea is our own, we sometimes find ourselves in a situation where Father God nods and seems to say, ‘Go ahead. S’ok. I’ll catch you on the other side of this thing.’ Nice. It has $2.75 in a jelly jar written all over it but out of our determination we make our poster ‘Save the Whalez’ when in fact its really our own program and He’s just waiting for us to get a grip.

Last, it seems there is a place in our journey with God which is that of commission. Commission is easy to spot because a person starts the explanation of their plan with words like, “You know, I never thought in a million years I would find myself doing this BUT…” This is the place where somehow we’ve gotten a hold of an idea that originated in the heart of God, and we’re getting on board with Him. We’re bumbling our way through each step, looking to Him for help and direction. We certainly enjoy what we’re doing but we can never seem to quell the amazement that the idea didn’t first begin within our own heart. In times like these I submit to you Father’s words, ‘Ah, kiddo. I see you’ve got My heart here. Ha! I love this! I’m prepared, Girl, to move mountains as you step into the free-fall of a trusting walk with Me. Take a step. I promise I will be with you. I will provide for you, and I will give you nations.’

Nations. When we shift out of save-the-whales mode and take on the dreams that were founded in His heart, we will never lack for resources, comfort, courage, or fruit. Reader Beware: These things may not come in our timing! They may not go the way we are convinced they should, believe me. But being given over to His purposes will result in His renown, His glory being made known to throughout the earth. Whole nations are presently coming to God, coming into deep relationship with Him, and it’s a result of the obedience of ordinary people like you and me. We can truly expect Him to accomplish the purposes of His own heart.