What is it that you hope for?

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Hmmm.....I love this. May the God of hope.....so that....you may abound in hope.

Our God is the source of hope and he wants us to abound in it!

I was reading something earlier this week that spoke of hope as something we must have in order to survive...without it, we will die. Physically and spiritually we must have hope in order to live.

Psalm 62:5

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Isaiah 40:31

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.

Hope is believing with expectation and trusting. Faith is acting on that hope even when the situation your in looks less than promising.

Put your hope today in the one who loves you like no other.

Confide in Him, rest in his hands.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jesus is your hope, sister....He is literally the rope come down to save you.

In her heart a woman plans her course, but the LORD determines her steps. Proverbs 16:9

Lord, frustrating as this seems sometimes, when I realize that the things I determined to get done today will not, I will trust that you are directing my steps according to your good, pleasing and perfect plan. I choose to rest in your ability and desire to move me to do what is needed for each moment. Thank you for what seem like interruptions to my schedule and additions to my list. I give you my day, my schedule, my list, me. I am yours, and I'm glad no plan of yours can be thwarted and that it is your purpose which will prevail, because this is really what my heart desires.

Many are the plans in a woman's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

Jesus loves me
this I know
for the Bible tells me so.

You know the song. Little kids sing it in Sunday School. Picture them singing this song with everything they've got. "YES! Jesus loves meeeee! YES!!! Jesus loves meeee!"

Many artists have recorded this song. I'm listening to Aaron Neville's recording as I write this post today. It's a simple song - with profound truth. If we truly believed even this one line of the song, we'd be forever changed and experience true freedom.

Jesus loves me. This I know. Do you know this? Not just in your head, but so deep in your heart that it makes you feel giddy in love. That's what I'm talking about to know this love. We've seen people discover being loved and realizing they also love the person. Their faces glow. They can't keep from smiling. Troubles aren't as troubling because the love they are experiencing simply causes them to rise above them. Their heart is light for they know that they are loved... delighted in... seen as wonderful... precious. They are wanted - desired.

Jesus loves us like that - more than that. Think about it. If a love between people can be so strong, how could the love of the LOVER be anything but infinitely greater? Ohhh, please hear me. This is the one thing in life that you need to know - that I need to know. Jesus loves me. God loves me... with an undying love - with a love that can never be quenched. His faithful love endures forever.

For the Bible tells me so. All of Scripture points to Christ. It's all about the love of God shown to us through Christ. For the Bible tells me so. Sister... friend... if what you think in your heart doesn't match what God says in His Word, it's we who have to change our mind. If deep down inside, you just don't think God's great love applies to you personally (even though you know it in your head)... go to God and ask Him to show you why you aren't free to accept this as true for yourself. I've done this. I know my sisters at Soul Kitchen have done this - some of us have asked God together - and we continue to do this when we somehow, in the deep places of our hearts, can't agree with God's word... or don't experience it to be true in our lives.

Do you understand what I'm saying here? It's all about knowing that Jesus loves me. Jesus loves ________ . Put your own name in there. Jesus loves you. Do you know it? The Bible says this is so - God says so. So... if you don't know it deep down, ask God to show you what it is that is keeping you from knowing His love. You can do it right now as you sit by your computer.

Father, show me why I don't really trust that you truly love me. What is keeping me from believing that this is true for me? I seem to know that you love others, but somehow, sometimes I feel disqualified. Why is that? (Listen for the answer.)

What's He saying to you? So many times it's a lie we believe that keeps us from believing the truth. Was it a lie He revealed? You know what we have to do with lies, don't you? We renounce them. We no longer agree with the lie. Then we can ask Jesus what the truth is. What is the truth, Jesus? (Listen for it!) We want to agree with truth. Let's agree with the truth God shows us according to His word. Almost all the time, it's a lie I have believed that keeps me from being able to believe and live the truth.

Get someone who is spiritually mature to pray with you through this and the other things that God brings to your attention as you walk through life. God wants us to freely live and walk in the truth. He is for you and loves you! We are for you too, friends!

Once again the prayer that we have quoted so often here on Soul Kitchen, we pray this for you our sisters and friends who read our blog, and we pray this for ourselves...

"And I pray that you (yes, you!)
being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long
and deep and wide
is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:17b-19

(a recycled post)

Hidden Beauty

The timing doesn't seem right to me but... but at our house, the flowers and bushes are starting to bud. The rhododendron are not far from blooming and the tulips are already part-way up. I saw new little buds on the plants in January. Maybe it has been this way before and I had just not taken notice of it. I am excited though because it is a promise of beautiful things to come.

I look at the buds and wait and anticipate that on the appropriate day, they will open and I will see the beauty that has been hidden for several months within the plant. The beauty was there all along, just in a different form. However, it took the changing seasons within the plant to finally expose itself.

It is that way in our lives, sometimes. We endure a time of growth that we had rather not go through only to find the hidden beauty. We are beautiful to God, but at times we don't see ourselves that way, especially if trekking through the harshness of winter in our lives. But as we allow Him to fertilize, nurture and prune away the dead stuff, it exposes what only the true gardener knows. All of this must happen to bring forth the the greater beauty. The plant is stronger, it weathers the storms, the wind, the hot sun, the cold rain, the aphids, the snow and ice and yet, bursts forth with incredible beauty that pleases the Maker and the eyes of those who look upon it.

As we go through the seasons of our life, may we grow in grace and become more beautiful everyday because of our Lord Jesus Christ abiding in us.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

An Extreme Home Make-Over

I'm sure most of you have seen the show. I can't even watch it without crying it seems...every time! Some family devastated by a tragedy of some sort, gets chosen to have their home completely made-over more wonderfully than they could ever imagine. I just can't help it....when the bus pulls away and they start screaming and crying, and running from room to room, blown away with gratefulness...I just start crying too.

Each one of us has been devastated by sin and hurts and pain in this life. But when we invite Jesus into our life....He comes and does more than an extreme make over. He moves in to our heart and builds in us a home that will last forever and never become outdated. His Spirit comes to live inside of us and can change us completely from the inside out! It is definitely an extreme home make-over.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

My young daughter and I were talking about the Holy Spirit the other night. She had heard me praying and inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to us, guide us and reveal more of God's truth to us. She wanted to know why I was inviting the Holy Spirit to teach us when He already lives inside of us. While I was thinking of how to explain it. The Holy Spirit himself spoke to her.

As we laid on our backs in her bed looking up at the dark ceiling...she answered her own question in a very matter of fact manner. "It's like the Holy Spirit already lives in the house, but when you invite Him to teach you, its like asking Him to come sit next to you."

"Yes, my daughter," I replied. And the truth was revealed to a child. I have heard that Augustine once said that the Gospel is deep enough for an elephant to swim and shallow enough for a child not to drown. I find that breathtakingly true.

Holy Spirit continue your work. Jesus, don't stop the renovations of my heart! Heal my hurts, build in me your grace and truth. I give you every room and every closet to clean out and remodel. Let your sweet freedom transform all of the old into the new. Thank you, Jesus.

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

A young co-worker of mine loves to read. She has asked me what books I have read and liked. Most books she has read, I have not, but there have been a few. She told me about a book she checked out from the library that she found very interesting. It is about a woman who dressed as a man for 18 months with help from make-up artists, body trainers and a voice coach and infiltrated the world of men, frequenting places and becoming involved in situations where women rarely see or experience. Since my friend thought it was a good read, for conversation's sake and a way of connecting with her, I checked it out from the library.

The woman who wrote the book is a journalist and a self-revealed lesbian. This, while not a commentary on her intelligence, writing skills or bravado in taking on such adventurous research, it did give me reason to look closely at her insights and conclusions because of my differing world view regarding human sexuality. Admittedly, I have only read the introduction and first 2 chapters, so my full judgment and complete opinion has not been formed, however, this is what I see:

From what I have read so far, to gain insight, she befriended men by joining a bowling league. The friends she made cheated on their wives and went to strip joints. Good grief! These men and the things they did (and the things she observed in those places dressed as a man) are to be on what we as readers are supposed to base our understanding of the world of men?! Clearly, what she was proclaiming as normal (albeit noted that it was unfortunate and worthy of sympathetic expression) behaviour for men is nothing like the healthy ways of Godly manhood. To me what she wrote about was a picture of people whom God had "given over" to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1) Darkness pretending to be illuminating. Who wants insights into a mind deprived of light and truth?

I guess my point is this: The ways of God are vastly different than the ways of the world. God's way of thinking about men, women and the relationships between them are incongruous with how people operate - if left to themselves. God has given them over to depraved thinking, because they made a choice to leave him out of it. Depraved thinking leads to depraved behaviour which is really, really dark. Darkness is ugly and consuming. There is no light in darkness.

I became so aware of the gift of light that we have been given. In God there is no darkness at all! (1 John 1:5) We have been transferred out of the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God's beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13) At one time we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord! (Ephesians 5:8) What a beautiful Saviour!

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10

Time to Say Goodbye

This is my last week and post as a Soul Kitchen sister writer. This has been a difficult decision for me but my new journey is only beginning. I have walked along incredible women and been so blessed with the words God has laid on their hearts for you and me.

The above photo that is used as the header of this blog drew me in when I first saw it. I loved that the woman's face remained unpainted and I felt the freedom to remain anonymous and have my life experiences bless others. God has stretched me and I have grown so much in my Soul Kitchen journey. My prayer is that through my life God has allowed me to bless you and connect with you too.

When I embarked on a new journey in my life last spring, Sweet Freedom (Wednesday's writer) put these verses down in an entry and now I leave them with you:

A Time for Everything (Ecclessiastes 3:1-7)

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Thank you Soul Kitchen Sisters for blessing me and allowing God to speak through you. I thank Jesus most of all for walking along side of me. Sometimes I still need to be carried through the storms in life as I'm not strong enough to walk. I'm excited to continue seeking Jesus and trust Him with every day. God is good! God is great! I am so incredibly blessed because of Him.

Greetings to you all. Thank you for journeying with me. May God bless you.