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911 – Baby Grace is in surgery – PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!

October 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

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Hey everyone – thanks for stopping by.  Today is the day we have prayed and prayed about as a ministry and one that the parents of Baby Grace Dorbor have prayed about as well………..for months!  Today, right now as you read this, Baby Grace is having her intestine placed back into her abdomen the way it is suppose to be – like in you and me.  I know why she was born this way……….For HIS glory and to bring others closer to Him – that is for His glory as well.  As a believer and lover of the Lord, a minister of the gospel and one that seeks Him in many situations, have been changed and challenged!!  I will not be the same, ever!

I didn’t do this  on purpose, but my devotion today led me to the scripture below – Pastor David, Baby Grace’s dad, favorite book of the Bible.  This is beautiful as it pertains to them!!  My thoughts are in red.  


Isaiah 51:4-8 (The Message)

 4-6“Pay attention, my people. I have not been paying attention – He has been right before me and I could not see.  My eyes are open and I can see clearer now having been with my Liberian friends!  
   Listen to me, nations.
Revelation flows from me. Oh Lord, why do I seek others more often than you for revelation and instruction?  Jesus, keep my mind on you!  
   My decisions light up the world.
My deliverance arrives on the run,
   my salvation right on time. Surgery for Baby Grace was not a minute off – this miracle after miracle is right on time! 
   I’ll bring justice to the peoples.  Even in the remote places of Liberia!  
Even faraway islands will look to me
   and take hope in my saving power.
Look up at the skies,
   ponder the earth under your feet. He is so much greater than we know or can even fathom.  
The skies will fade out like smoke,
   the earth will wear out like work pants,
   and the people will die off like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
   my setting-things-right will never be obsolete. Praising the Lord – big time!!  He will make all things right.  He will make all wrongs right!  He will make sure all is taken care of at just the perfect time.  His salvation is forever and to everyone!!  
 7-8“Listen now, you who know right from wrong,
   you who hold my teaching inside you: Father, help me to live by what you have placed inside of me.  Help me to walk according to your Word.  Help me to hold fast the convictions you have placed in my heart!  
Pay no attention to insults, and when mocked
   don’t let it get you down.
Those insults and mockeries are moth-eaten,
   from brains that are termite-ridden, I need to remind my kids of this….often!!  You will be ridiculed and even have your feelings hurt, but once again, HE will make it all right!  
But my setting-things-right lasts,
   my salvation goes on and on and on.”  Oh Lord, make it all right for Baby Grace.  Make it all right for her parents that are so concerned for her.  Give them peace and understanding of what she is going thru.  Lord, all that are involved please bless with your peace and mercy.  May the right decisions be made concerning all.  Oh Lord, guide us!  


Jesus, thank you again for this word and thank you again for this opportunity!!  I love you Savior.  Please lead your church to continue to support this endeavor.  It is costing way more than we predicted and funds are getting low.  We have until Dec. 11 to make it!!  Oh Lord, please rise up your generous givers like you have so faithfully done in the past.  Thank you Lord for the way you work in the lives of so many!!!  I love you Father! 
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Filed Under: dolly, faith, Isaiah, liberia
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865 – Faith and Fear and Giants

July 8, 2010 By 7 Comments

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Lord Jesus – one of my favorite stories from Your Word is David and Goliath. I Samuel 17:31-58 is the actual account. It is so exciting to read and I can just hear certain prayers of my past as i referred to this promise and faithful claim of David’s confidence in the Lord. As sleepy as i am right now, I still get excited knowing He will defeat my giants as well. Just to have faith has nothing to do with it, it has to do with knowing that my Big and awesome God can defeat anything with the smallest of resources. As Beth Moore said it much better, “Faith in faith is empty and useless, but faith in an active, living God can move mountains.”

Lord a couple of things stuck out to me. When David is talking with Saul kind of like convincing the King, “I can do this”, he goes on to tell him about things he has done in his past. Many times I am scared to tell about things You have done in my past in fear of making the person jealous that God has not done that in their life, or simply coming off braggadocios! UGH – why can’t we just share about all the lion and bears we have ripped about through His grace and mercy.

1) we have to be careful who we tell our successes to. To God be all the glory, of course, but if you have had situation with one in the past, if would be appropriate to not go there. Saul was looking for a hero or “Holding out for hero” (remember that song) and David need to make sure the King knew he was capable. There was a reason for the king to know that and it was not just an FYI kind of thing.

2) Be specific. David did not just claim to have a feeling “Well, i just really feel in my heart I can do this”. No David was stating what had been done in the past and how His God could easily do it again. Love it… Be specific. I used to have a notebook of how God did things in our family’s life or things He miraculously provided for us, but i stopped. God never stopped, but i just quit recording them. It was my Provisions Notebook. I put ways that God had done things for us so the kids could look back one day and be encouraged, filled with faith in the Almighty, and strengthen that He could do it in their lives as well. I really ought to start that up again. Maybe this blog is serving as that.

3) I love that David tried to wear what was suggested by the King for armor, but he was confident in how God had worked through him in the past. He knew his strength and the way God had finitely developed a talent in him and wanted to use it for God’s glory – for His service. Lord, too often i want to grab other’s talents to do something in Your service. But Lord You have equipped me very specifically to fulfill my calling, purpose, and my service unto You. Help me to be thankful and always willing to use what You have given me for Your glory and honor.

Fixin to leave to go to my son’s heart echo!! Just a giant my Lord is about to slay!! Will be back soon to tell you how it goes!! I am ready to see victory!! Much love, Leigh

PS – would you mind leaving a comment telling me where you are from…. I have my reasons – ha! Thank you!
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Filed Under: faith, fear, Tucker
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852 – Will I Be Convicted?

June 15, 2010 By 2 Comments

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I have some thoughts that having been weighing heavy on me for some time now. And really it is just a bunch of questions that I have been asking myself.

Reading this morning in Esther when Mordecai told or insisted that she not tell her nationality! So obviously it wasn’t her looks that gave it away – they must of all had a similar look for the others to not know that she was a Jewish beauty. So it had to be something else – food, drink, talk, etc. that might have given away where she came from.
What about you and I? I have learned you can never just look at one and decide whether they know the Lord or not. It might seem that we can, but the moment we do we are proved wrong! But what is it in our lives that give it away that we know Him. The reason I ask this question today is that I think too often we compartmentalize our faith! We bring our faith to church, but not to the party. We bring Him to a sick friends, but not to the ballpark….
Would they know you know Him by the way you dress?
Would they know you know Him by the way you respond to tragedy?
Would they know you know Him by what you eat?
Would they know you know Him by your ability to stop drinking?
Would they know you know Him by the way you talk around unsaved friends?
Would they know you know Him by the way you act at the ballpark?
Would they know you know Him by the way you treat your kids?
Would they know you know Him by the way you treat your spouse?
Would they know you know Him by the way you take care of your body?
Would they know you know Him by the way you put your family first?
DO you see – we cannot just decide to not take Him certain places? We cannot decide we are not going to impact another’s life as well – good or bad! We cannot really control anything other than the simple prayer of asking Him to control us!
Would you be convicted if they put you on the stand with the offense – “I believe she is a Christian and this is why!”
Love to know your input! Love, Leigh
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Filed Under: Esther, faith
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800 – Your Faith Must Move!!!!!

January 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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Putting Feet to Faith
Faith can be such a daunting part of the Christian walk to understand and figure out. Once I think I have finally have it all mapped out in my mind and heart then life happens to change its course. Life has a way of doing that.
I think I have been the greatest of all conference attenders. If there was a speaker coming in a 100 mile radius I was there and have all the books, t-shirts, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. to prove it. The massive amounts of Biblical teaching that I have gleaned that was suppose to bolster my faith is nearly unfathomable.
The scripture states in James 2:17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Those inspired words written by James, brother of Jesus, came alive to me after many internal struggles trying to figure out why my faith didn’t feel like life to me. Why did my faith not look like the speakers’ described? Why would I go home after every conference and always be the same. What I now know is that I was operating on a “dead” faith.
Yes, I knew my Savior and He was my Lord, but until I put feet to my faith it didn’t seem like the life all the speakers had implored me to risk in. Once I began to step out and act on the faith things began to click and make sense in my heart and mind. When I gave to a struggling family clothes and food I began to understand how He provides for me…my faith was engaged! As I forgave even when it was not asked I could see the mercy of God exuded in me…my faith was lit! And the time I was able to love the person that has hurt me time and time again can only be done when a faith is engaged and Christ’s love is fueled…my faith was alive!!!
I hope you can see it is possible to sit on the sidelines, a saved believer with a faith that has never been engaged and made alive. I did not want to live my Christian walk in the realm of those that just don’t “get it”. I wanted a complete, fully working faith that is alive and well! Is your faith alive or dead? Have you put feet to your faith?
James 2:20-24 “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

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760 – No wonder…

September 15, 2009 By 1 Comment

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Dear Lord, I am excited for today as I am gong to be teaching PE for our mentally and physically handicap school in Brownsville. They have been without a teacher for at least this year and have been unable to find one to hire. So I am going in for a few days to help out. I hope I can be creative – this will be a stretch. Yesterday I was at our high school doing PE for girls………..tough to get them to do anything! I am excited to work with these kids today!

Ps. 40:5 “Many, O Lord my God, are the wonder you have done.”
As I read this verse I immediately felt great conviction. I do not look for God’s wonders that often. I don’t stand in awe and wonder of You, Lord, all that often! It is my perspective. I am expecting things that are on my time line, expecting things that I think should be in Your will for me, expecting things that You have not promised to me. Instead of waiting for You God as this whole Psalm talks about, taking in Your big and small wonders, I find myself getting disappointed in this and that.
Oh Lord, thank you for revealing to me this heart issue. I see such err in my way!
There is nothing wrong with wanting to see or even be a part of a splitting of the Red Sea kind of experience. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see or be used in a burning bush kind of way! But I do believe and I think the Lord is telling me this morning – I must have the faith to split the Red Sea or the faith He will provide a burning bush before I am used or even get to see that kind of wonder.
In the mean time it is the wonders that happen everyday such as running long distances, breath in my lungs, my kids laughing, food on the table, faith that He will provide us a buyer for our house something soon, tennis team fun, etc……. it is those kinds of wonders that build my faith – or are suppose to if i allow it – so that I will have the faith for a burning bush.
It is the same for this situation – if i can not be faithful in the small things why would He ask me to be faithful in the big things! A work of any size is a wonder of our Lord! God, help me to notice all your wonders and be grateful and appreciative of them no matter!
Thank you for rearranging my heart Lord!! I love you – off to a great WONDERful day!!
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Filed Under: faith, psalms
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731 – Look (and pray) Before You Leap or You Might End Up in a Heap!

June 2, 2009 By 3 Comments

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Just last night we were at the ball park just hanging out and watching games.  I guess we don’t get to be there enough with the 5 different teams my kids play on so we thought we would take in some more.  (It is actually much less stressful watching someone else’s kid.)  The weather was nice and the kids were getting worn out – good thing!  

We had to cross one inside park road to get to another ball field.  Elleigh was up ahead of us just talking to all the birds and bugs – really anything whether it talked back or not.  Getting right up close to this road we had to cross, Elleigh darted across the street without looking either way for cars and abruptly stopped on the other side.  She turned around and proceeded to look both ways as if she was going to cross again.   She then yelled out to me, “Mom, no cars crossed after I got to the other side!”, as if that made complete sense – at least to her.  
Elleigh just leaped into the other side of the street just like we like to leap into the other side of life – without warning, thought, or anything diligent about it!  By that I mean, I have many times gone after something with good motives, but have not truly taken it to much prayer just because it was a good thing and basically I wanted to do it!  NOT GOOD!   After the fact I might look back and see that nothing smooshed me, but is God honored in that at all?  
I have found the Lord saying over and over to me – Leigh, look before you leap or you might end up in a heap.  This saying came from a safety drawing contest my brother entered one time with a guy jumping off a diving board into a pool absent of water! But that is so me.  
Blind faith is not walking into something without prayer!  
Blind faith is walking into something that you really don’t know many details and are in complete trust of Him, but you are completely prayed up and in agreement with the Spirit!  I think too often we or I want to have an overall disclaimer that I trust the Lord and want to follow His leadings and so therefore I don’t have to pray as much as I ought because I have a blind faith and just do it!  
I honestly get scared that I have done that with lots of things in my life.  God has been so merciful to pick up the pieces and make good and wonderful things of my leaping without looking and praying, but how much more wonderful would it have been if I had truly followed His plan instead of just doing!  
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Phil. 4:6  
The word “prayer” in that verse has the meaning of general prayers…  Possibly the kinds we say at the table over a meal or the blessings a pastor might pray over his congregation before departing from them.  But the word “petitions” has a much specific meaning.  It means prayers that we are praying for a particular benefit  - specific in nature and I would think with much more passion and urgency possibly.  
So as we walk into a blind faith kind of thing the Lord does not want us walking without prayer.  In everything and that does mean everything we are to have taken it to Him with general and specific prayers.  He does want us to leap and have reckless abandon and barbaric faith, but not without praying and seeking Him – in everything!  Don’t cross the street looking back to see if you got smooshed any longer – look before you leap or you might end up in a heap!  
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Filed Under: faith, philippians, prayer
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522 – But WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

January 22, 2008 By 2 Comments

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Lord Jesus, there are many times in my life I just need to know why. You have been given “a” or “b” situation to walk through and yet the main thing I am concerned with is WHYYYYYYYYY! The why can actually really be a frustrating thing to me. Even though i am very laid back in personality I still have this longing to know why someone does something, why God allows such to happen, or why I just reacted or acted in such a way. You know, kind of like i stepped out of my body and didn’t even know I was going to act that way! WHY!!!

Is it my place to know why Lord? Is there any real importance or would it really help me to strive harder if I knew the why to everything? What is it about the why that would make me feel better. I guess for me it is the loss of control that is tough. It is for me the unknown. It is fear of how long this could last. It is just not understanding the purpose!!! That is tough!!

I read through another random chapter in Job. Chapter 33. Here we have another friend instructing Job on why he can not hear from God and why God has him going through all this – or rather why it happened in the first place. This friend claimed Job was just not listening to God. But my own my, Job had nothing but time to listen to God and was doing so – or at least trying!!! That was not it!! I don’t really have any scripture dissection to tell about – bummer, I love that stuff. But rather just a point that I learned from the commentary – nothing on my own this morning – no revelations from God to me per say.

Job up to this point is really getting frustrated with not knowing why he is going through such terrible things and pain. He has been recounting his days and trying to figure out every mistake he might have made to bring it before the Lord to seek forgiveness and redemption. That was not the deal! Knowing the why of something brings security in a sense and Job wanted and pleaded with the Lord to know why. Then my guy said the most profound thing – “Job’s greatest test was not the pain, but that he did not know why he was suffering. Our greatest test may be that we trust God’s goodness even though we don’t understand why our lives are going a certain way. We must learn to trust in God who is good and not in the goodness of life.”

My youth minister, Ergun, said one time, “What you believe is more important than what you feel. And what God says is more important than what I want to believe or want to feel.” Wow, that is profound. We want to know and feel and be informed. Or at least I do and that is not trust. Yes, we trust God, but I still want control and want to be informed. That is not real trust. Real trust I think I lam earning this morning is not just accepting God through the trials that seem to make sense or you can see the end, but leaning on His righteousness and His goodness – His never changing, all-knowing, secure, faithful, and gentle characteristics!!! GOD.

Lord, thank you!! Thank you for teaching me to trust you more. I can say I believe I have only ever scraped the surface of trust. Lord, I want to know you better in this area too. I want to trust your goodness and not the life that is going good that You are in as well. Thank you for revealing your scripture to me and giving me the help of the commentaries to understand it. Lord, I love your Word. I leave very early in them morning for Nashville. I speak at Long Hollow tomorrow. I am excited – this is an incredible church!!! Then I come back they same day for only a moment. I fly out for a long weekend in Wisconsin!! I am excited about this one too!! Jennifer who has been planning everything has been sooooooooooooooooooo organized!! These are brand new messages. Lord, help me to internalize them, passionize them (that is my word), and speakanize them in such a way that Your purpose and plan is reveal in a new and different way to these ladies!! I am looking for not one person to leave the same!! Encounters Lord, we want you to invade everything!!!! Especially the hearts!!! Can’t wait to see you there!! Amen!

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Filed Under: faith, fear, Job, trust
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520 – Dear Donald

January 18, 2008 By 26 Comments

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Dear Donald, This is Leigh Gray. We met yesterday in Evansville as you were quickly doing my nails. (Oh by the way, I was not late! I asked God to do something special with the time and guess what? When I arrived at the doctors they were running behind so that made me right on time. He came through.) I enjoyed our conversation and just can not stop thinking about everything you said. I had to write you here in hopes that you might see it and understand better about my God.

First of all, Donald, I want to apologize for any and every Christian you have seen that has given you a false interpretation of who my God really is. He is the Creator of all, He is Master of the Universe, He is perfect, He is the Judge, He is everything. But He is grace, He is mercy, He is forgiveness, He is patience. He doesn’t just possess those qualities, He is!! Sometimes we as Christians allow life to get in the way of what we know to be true of our Lord. We display much worry saying to the outside world that He is not capable of handling things. We have little faith as if to say He has let us down before or has been imperfect. Nope, not my God! We talk rudely or at the very least very unbecomingly of the standard a Christian is to be held at. Forgive us for not looking any different. We are so selfish in our dealings with the world and I am, again, so sorry Christians as a whole have not given your a correct opinion of who the Lord God is.

In the Bible, James 2:14 says “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save Him?” Donald, I know you said over and over you are just waiting for faith to hit you – like when you had faith then you would believe. You are obviously a very intelligent young man and there was no way I could even hang with you in a conversation trying to explain the whys about everything. It takes faith to believe that God will save you from hell, but that is only the beginning. Like I said yesterday, we have to start somewhere. But if you take the first step and asking God to come into your life I promise, promise, promise He will be faithful to grow your faith and show Himself to you. He wants you to know Him better so that is something He will make sure happens. I know you want to have it all together first and be ready to really die for this “thing”. That is so incredibly honorable. But frankly you will never be ready, prepared enough, nor sinless enough to approach the Lord. That is why He died for you and for me! I could never be good enough on my own. He made a way!!

Faith is not something to be figured out, but there should be some evidence that one has faith. In your life it would just be the fact of stepping towards God and asking Him into your life. All the other stuff will come if you seek Him. It really is very easy as far entering into a relationship with Him. But to understand the ins and outs of faith first, it just won’t happen. And that is an OK thing!

I can soooooooooo appreciate your honesty. It was as if time stopped for us to have our conversation. Donald, God is reaching out for you. He has a plan for your life and is waiting for you to take the first step. You told me that I was the second or third person you had had a conversation with in the last few days about God and faith. I am so thankful for the lady that invited you to church! Even if you don’t have faith and do not believe in God find a church and stick with it. It will not be perfect and certainly not the people inside, but God will reveal Himself to you!!! But as I was saying, God is reaching out to you and it is in a very obvious way. I am thankful that you have seen faith in your house, but now it is time to discover and accept it on your own. Yes, your family are ones you can turn to in time of pain or need, and even as wonderful as they are, He is better!!! Oh Donald, He is so much better!!!

I do agree with you about people hiding behind their faith to not have to deal with reality. I have seen that. Instead of confessing their weakness or what I call up “mess-ups” and dealing with consequences, they hide in “I have forgiveness, everything will be fine”. You do have a point there! But also, there are those I have seen that are going through things so unexplainable that they have no other option or would have it no other way, but to hide in the Faith they know to be real and peaceful. They hide in the One that can make them rise up for another day. They hide in the Lord who gives them joy in the midst of it all. Now that is the kind of hiding I want to do. You asked me if I can go to bed at night with peace? Oh yes oh yes oh yes!!! God gives us a peace that transcends all human understanding!! I go to bed each night knowing I will see another day – could be in the same room just a few hours later or it will be in Heaven. I have peace that no matter how bad it gets I will not be crushed or destroyed!!! You can have that peace too!!!

I know you said that people should not pray for you because you don’t believe. But i believe He is speaking to you and is waiting for you. I have a responsibility to pray for you and I will. Keep your eyes and ears open for more ways God is talking to you. He is calling. Keep your heart open and ready for Him to come close. The ball is in your court and He is waiting. I can only imagine what God would want to do with such an intelligent and handsome young man like you!! I believe!

PS, Donald, I just received word that I did get the True Love Waits event!!! Thank you for your insight in speaking to these kids! I would be thrilled if you left a comment just to say hello.

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Filed Under: faith, friends, ministry, salvation
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516 – Living a Life that Requires Faith

January 14, 2008 By 11 Comments

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Dear Lord – thank you for a great weekend. Clay and his dad did a ton of work on the house and so we really could be 2 or 3 weeks away depending on how this week goes!! Yeah! I “distributed” the kids all over town on Saturday afternoon and Clay and I went to dinner and a Mark Schultz concert with his parents. It was just a very small thank you for all the free work Papaw has given us in the last 8 months. We had a good time. Then of course Sunday was wonderful. We had 201 in service and I didn’t have 2 of my own with me – ha ha! We have started have a little drums and ensemble play for all our music – it rocks! We are still doing some hymns which I have learned to enjoy after really taking in the words instead of just singing, but now we have “tempo-ed” (can I use that word Val?) them up just a bit. I love it – the harmony, the pace, the Spirit filling the room – just awesome!

Luke’s sermon yesterday was great. The title was “But because you say so” found in Luke 5:1-11. This is the time when the guys were out finishing – had done everything right to get a big crop – what do you call it when you get a ton of fish? But anyway, they did all the right stuff to be successful and yet were not! So as they are cleaning up and calling it a night, Jesus stops by and changes thing and them. This is also known as the calling of the first disciples!

My preacher went from the direction that what God calls us to do may not make sense. The guys were cleaning everything off and Jesus stops by gets into on of the their boats and does some teaching. I think it would be kind of funny scene. I can picture them cleaning everything off, disgusted that it was a bad night (they fished in the evenings), and are might be thinking “Hey Jesus why don’t you help us clean up here instead of sitting in the boat and teaching. Can you give the boys a hand?” As Jesus wraps up His lesson for the evening and I can see the guys folding up the nets and just about done, Jesus asks them to come in and bring your nets.

That has so been me Lord – just when I think things are done in a situation, when I think we can pretty much call it a day or I feel like the “deal” is never going to change, You ask me to do one more thing that not only is a bit unnerving or frustrating, it doesn’t make sense. But because you say so. Wow – I really love that statement. I am not sure I have ever noticed it before. I will definitely feel much more liberty to say that to my kids – Because “I” say so. There have been so many time sin my life I have seen this lived out…………but at 5:30am I am having just a tad bit of trouble thinking of one. Maybe my move to Illinois. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to being in Charlotte forever. Clay business could not have been doing better with more opportunity on the horizon. My ministry had really picked up and things were happening. Kids were getting a fine Christian education. We were in a great Sunday school class. Life was great for the most part. But because you say so – we moved.

I think the thing that is interesting is that God allowed them to be extremely successful for just a moment before calling them to drop everything and follow. That is the part that really draws my attention. He took them out on a personal tour of the lake and allowed to catch so many fish that another boat had to come over and help out and then even at that the boats were beginning to sink because they had so much. It turned out to be a great day and then God says drop everything and follow me. Lord, I have to honest here – you know my thoughts anyway – I would have a hard time dropping everything and following after such a great evening. You just showed us how to really get ‘r done with fishing and all and now you want me to just leave everything. At the pinnacle of my success you want me to leave everything? What???

I think God is telling me this morning that following Him will not always make sense as Luke preached yesterday. Following You will be a sacrifice. Following You will be different than worldly success. Following You may be a turning from what I think I am made to do. Following You may be not be without ridicule. Following You demands immediate attention and obedience. Following You requires faith and trust.

At my retreat with the Plainview Church we had our last session and paid out on the floor seeking you in our lives. My new friend for that weekend, Christina, prayed outloud and I will never forget her tearful words. “Lord increase my faith. DO things in my life. I want to live a life that requires faith.” I remember popping up my head and in a moment of faithlessness and gut reaction thought – holy cow, does she know what she is asking? Does she know what she could be in store for? Doe she have any idea the things that could come her way that she does not want let alone want to invite? But Christina knew! She was well aware of what He was asking of her and she responded immediately! It was incredible. I wonder what He has brought in her life as of late?

Lord, that is what I want! To live a life that requires faith. I want to live an immediate life – when you say jump, i say how high and begin to jump! I want to do everything and go! I want to not ask questions, have an argument with you trying to reason things out, I want to jump!! I guess you leading the ministry into a year of speaker fee free is an example of this. Thank you for giving me the faith to do this, but thank you for feeling like You could ask this of me. Oh Lord and Savior – let there be more in my life – more reasons and example to require faith and then to jump off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Lord!!! I love you!

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Filed Under: book of Luke, faith, surrendered life, trust
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513 – Moving Faith

January 11, 2008 By 8 Comments

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Oh Lord, you have given me some really great thoughts this morning. I have been looking at the life of James, Jesus’ brother. This is the brother that did not believe he was Messiah until after the resurrection. Oh how many people do I know that just need more proof or they are just waiting for a little better time to follow Christ. James was “lucky” in that it didn’t get too late for him, he was still able to “know” the Lord Jesus as his Savior before he died. This is another person I like to call that was Up Close and Personal with the Lord and changed. His transformation did not come till much later in life, but it did happen.

I am encouraged that I have seen the Lord be so faithful to those that truly did know Him at one time or knew about Him and came back to KNOW Him. I am so convinced that there is no way to lose my salvation – or anyone to lose their salvation. That is really not the issue or an issue. The real key is did you truly ever know Him at all? Salvation is not part of a lay-away plan and we can come back and get a little bit at a more convenient time. When we truly come to know Him it is done, sealed, and forgiven! Praise you Lord – thank you!!

So I look at James and am just amazed. This dude spent many, many days and nights with Jesus but did not buy it. Oh how I feel like that at times. Not only am I one to not buy into someone at times – their sincerity – but have been treated the same way. Someone doesn’t understand me, someone doesn’t buy into my heart, someone doubts my motivations or whatnot. But Jesus was perfect – there were no contradictions for James to argue with. Maybe it was he just thought he would have to be perfect too? Maybe it was that he thought he could just keep the letter of the law and be fine – he didn’t need his big brother. Maybe he was just not ready to walk that serious and suffer persecution. Maybe he was already mad at his brother for bringing so much attention to the family and their private lives. Maybe just maybe he even overheard his parents talking about even their doubts. I most likely think they had not doubts – I am just kind of speculating here – but you how we get when we are just laying in the bed talking things through with your spouse. Lots of stuff comes out… Who knows, but James did not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah until after the resurrection!!

I love to see a new believer just go on fire for the Lord. I kind of feel like that is what happen to James. He was not just in Jesus family, but he was all in His business too. SO even though he didn’t believe for quite some time – if Jesus dies at 33, then James could have been well into his 20′s before he believed and accepted – once he did come to know the Lord, it was a radical change. The things I love the most was that he wrote the book of James.

The book of James is one of the most practical books in the Bible, to me. It is a book of instruction for the most part. How to deal when trials come and temptation sets in. How to deal with having faith and then doing something with it. How to deal with favoritism. How to deal with working your faith, not working out your faith, but putting your faith to work. How to control the tongue!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow!!! How to deal with giving it all to the Lord, surrendering your life, having patience in suffering, and having an eternal perspective! He must have something all those years of living with Christ that made a huge difference to him even though he didn’t buy in at first.

I have to think about my own life. My kids are finding their faith right now. My Tucker is saved, but is trying to figure out what he knows to be truth. Emmajoy is a believer and take everything with such a child like faith. I know her day will come too. Sarahjane is wanting to understand, but can’t sit down long enough to really care. Elleigh is too young. But they all are watching Clay and I too see what we do about certain situations, how we express our faith, and how we react to their faith. It is so different for someone just looking in to judge whether one is doing a “good” job of displaying a faith that someone just has got to have. Will my kids see a faith they have just got to have? Will they see a faith that did more than just talk? Will they see a faith that did more than just sit on the sidelines?

That is the thing i love the most about the book of James. James saw Jesus doing – he saw his faith that was express in action. Remember him saying in this book that faith without works is dead. James must have never seen Jesus dead in His walk. I know that seems obvious, but how many times to my kids see a dead faith. James must have seen a faith that was willing to go the distance – death!! What is it like in your house I know the Lord is asking? James knew his brother was the real deal, but it was like he had to see how far he would go, death, before he really believed. I bet he was so disappointed to have wasted all that time of not believing.

Lord, when people really get inside my home and heart do they still see a faith worth dieing for? When I allow people up close and personal in my life do they something that is real and contagious? Lord, am I the type of person you can bring people to me knowing that they will encounter Christ through me? Oh Lord, I know the answer is no at times – nor often that I want to admit. But Lord, help me to be more expressive of my faith. Help me to be real and authentic. Help me to have a faith that my kids will say – I have just got to have a faith in the Lord Jesus like my momma! Thank yo Jesus for hearing my prayers! Thank you for knowing my heart. Thank you for forgiveness as I fail so often. Thank you for my kids asking questions and really seeking what all this is about. Lord, bring to them passion that can not be equaled. Lord, set them on fire at this early age to know you and to want to share you with others. Give to me wisdom to know their bent and how to “water” that for growth. Lord, help clay and I to display a working faith and one that never sits back to let everyone else do it!! I want to be in the game!! I want to be to your go to girl! I want to be faithful!!

I got a potential opportunity of speaking at a True Love Waits deal in WEST Tennessee. (Fran, Teresa, all ya’ll – it could be fun.) Oh how i would love to go to that!!! Lord, may the timing and calendar work out. My March is already so busy!! I love you Father – off to go running and weigh in!! ugh!!! double ugh!!

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Filed Under: faith, James, Jesus, kids
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