So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.

Ezra 8:23

Prayer and fasting. Powerful stuff. Together they are Holy-Spirit inspired spiritual dynamite. Many of you joined us this past summer for a time of prayer and fasting. We thought with our presidential election hanging in the balance, what better time to revisit this powerful tool then now! It’s hard to remember a more divisive election than this one has been so far. We need intercessors who are willing to fall on their knees for our country. Will you join us? We have set aside the week of Monday, October 31, to Friday, November 4, for a time of prayer and fasting for this election and for our country. Let’s pray for our people, our leaders, and our world to wake up, repent and follow God. And let’s cover our election in prayer. You will need a Facebook account to participate. It’s always free! Follow the link to sign up and get a Facebook account if you don’t have one yet: www.facebook.com

Action Steps:

1. Click on the link below and sign up for 5 Days to Fast and Pray for the Election.
2. After you sign up, check your email and accept the invitation to join our 5 Days to Fast and Pray  Group. Be sure to check your junk mail if you don’t see it within a few minutes. On Monday, Oct. 31, you will receive a link to your 5-day guide in your email. It will arrive early in the morning.
3. Follow this link to our closed Facebook  5 Days to Fast and Pray for the Election and ask to join the group. We will then approve you.
4. Decide how you will fast (see below for more info on fasting).
5. Join us each night at 8- 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday-Thursday (not on Friday) to pray via Facebook if you can. This is optional. If you can’t join us then, you can post your prayers at any other time on the Facebook page.
6. Invite your friends to join us.

A Word About Fasting

There are many types of fasts. We are trusting that you can determine which type of fast is best for you. Some of you may want to fast from desserts for the week. Some of you may undertake a social media fast. Some may fast from one meal a day. The Holy Spirit will show you if you pray about it. The idea is to replace whatever it it you’re fasting from with a prayer time. The fast gives you a greater focus on God and His agenda, rather than your own.

Sign Up Here

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/36/2147227736.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-wmi7u8tko"));

“So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.” Genesis 12:4-6

Abram was born in the land of Ur, a city dedicated to the worship of the moon god, Nanna. Because the Amorites invaded Abram’s homeland, Abram’s father moved the family out of Ur to Haran. It was in the city of Haran that Abram (later renamed Abraham) heard the call of God to journey to Canaan, the Promised Land.

Why did God tell Abram to leave the land of Ur?

Because He wanted to bless Abram and all other nations through Abram’s family line. Sometimes in order for God to bless us, we have to leave some things behind; things that stand in the way of God’s best; things that obstruct our relationship with God; things that prevent our progress, keep us shallow and make us small. Things that make us less when God wants to make us more. Things like false gods, bad habits, and generational sin. Sometimes God uses a change of scenery to change a life.

“Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.”

He started in Ur.

Stage 1, Ur (Genesis 15:7) In the original Hebrew, Ur comes from a Hebrew word that means light, revelation. Just as God met Abram in his everyday life, God meets us in the middle of our mess and calls us to walk with Him in the light.

Then Abram live in Haran.

Stage 2, Haran  Haran means, dried, parched, angry, shriveled. Do you have any dried up places in your life? Any relationships or circumstances that drain you of life, joy and energy? Haran also means to be burned, scorched, charred, shriveled up, to be angry, to burn with anger. When we burn with anger, we scorch everything around us, even our own souls.  God never wants us to live a life of anger. Small wonder God called Abram out of the Haran, the “land of anger.” God had a better way of life for Abram. His way. The only Way.

After Haran, Abram had to get out of Shechem.

Stage 3: Shechem  Shechem means back, to turn the back, a place where blows fall. In order to walk with God, Abram had to turn his back on his old way of life. He had to walk away from his idols, wrong relationships and bad habits. To walk with God, we will have to back away from some things.

Then God led Abram to Moreh.

Stage 4: Moreh Moreh means teacher, early rain.  In order to progress in our relationship with God, we need sound biblical teaching. As we let the living water of God’s word rain down on us, we will grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

Finally Abram was ready for the Land of Promise.

Stage 5: Cana’an Cana’an literally means lowland. It also means: to humble, to bend the knee, to humble oneself, to bind together. The land of Cana’an is the place where we humble ourselves before God, and on our knees, admit our great need for Him. It is a place where He binds our heart to His. Cana’an is aka the Promised Land. A Land of Promises.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“I will be your God and you will be my people.”

“You shall be white as snow, though your sins are as scarlet.”

Those are some good promises.

I need the Land of Promises.

How did Abram get from Haran to Cana’an? He followed God closely down the road of obedience. He depended on God’s instruction for each step of the journey. Abram walked so close to God he could hear Him whisper, This is the way walk in it.

 My own journey with God has been marked by stages. I’ve been to Ur and back. I had an extended stay in Haran. I know every nook and cranny of Shechem. Stages of joy, peace, hardship, struggle, pain, growth and suffering. You name it I’ve been there with God , and He has used it for my good and His glory.

The key to progress?

 Keep walking. Never stop. When you fall, GET UP. With God there is always a next time, always another stage, and always a second chance (and a third, fourth, fifth etc.).

I’m glad God changes us in stages. If He had shown me everything that was wrong with me the first day I started following Him, I would have died of shame. He is good. You can trust Him. Keep following Him.

Action Points:

1. Where are you? Look at your life. In order to make progress, you have to know where you are. Are you in Ur, at the beginning of your walk with God? Are you on a detour? Lost? Ask God to show you.
2. Get up. Maybe you have blown it. (I have several times). Or maybe you have been wandering around not really getting anywhere. It’s time. Get up. Get going.
3. Ask for directions. What do you need to do next to keep walking with God? Add something? Leave something? Wait for something? Pray and ask God to show you.
4. Help someone find their way. Maybe you’ve been walking with God for a long time and you have a little road-worthy experience to share. Find someone who needs your help and show them the way.

Where are you in your journey with God?

Leave me a message. I’d love to hear from you!

Life is sweet! Road trip!

all rights reserved.

copyright 1026

“You just passed the road,”

Morgan said as I breezed by our turn. We were driving home from a middle school retreat at Bair Lake on a beautiful September afternoon. The long shadows of late summer played upon the fields and forests. Winding through the peaceful Midwest cornfields, on back country roads, dotted with weathered barns and farmhouses, we chatted about this and that. Until I passed our turn.

I had to make a quick decision. If I kept going, we would go well out of our way, turning our leisurely drive into a frantic haul to make it back to school before the bus load of kids. I decided to make a u-turn.

U-turn: a quick redirect in the opposite direction.

One minute you’re heading east and the next minute you’re heading west. A bad choice rectified with one good decision. A bold move is all it takes to change your course.  I’ve blown past the right turn in my lifetime too. Enjoying life in the fast lane, I’ve  ended up lost. Endless detours. Enormous potholes. Living a wrecked life. The highway to hell—an old super-highway. Yep, I have been on that road.

Thankfully, God allows U-turns.

U-turn yourself around.

U-get back on the straight and narrow.

U-follow-God kind of U-turns.

Funny thing is, every U-turn begins at a Cross-road. U-meet Jesus at the Cross-road and U-turn from living your own way and U-follow Him. U-gotta love Him. One minute you’re on a dead-end road, spinning your tires,  and the next you’re heading to the Promised Land.

Where are you headed?

Are you going the right way? Remember, the road you’re traveling will end somewhere. Make sure you’re headed in the right direction. There’s only one way—His way.

I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.

U-Turn Steps:

1. U-stop. Take some time to stop and take stock of your life. Is the direction you’re heading in now going to take you where you want to end up?
2. U-look. Look at your habits. How you  are spending your time, money and resources.
3. U-listen. Get alone with God and listen to what He has to say about the direction you’re headed.
4. U-turn. You make decisions based on the truth of God’s word and u-turn from what doesn’t line up with his truth. No matter how inconvenient, no matter how painful, no matter how messy, u-turn right now. Note: God will never call you to do anything against His word. Pray and turn.

What is God calling U to turn from? Leave me a comment in the Comment Section below!

Life is sweet when u-turn and follow Jesus.

all rights reserved.

copyright 2016

Short & Sweet: Me, Myselfie, and I!

What is wrong with these vacation pictures? I asked myself as I was scrolling through the news feed on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.  These vacation pictures don’t seem like vacation pictures. They seem more like … more like selfies.

When I was growing up, we took vacation pictures like every other family—beautiful vistas of Lake Michigan beaches, rolling sand dunes and ancient forests. Sometimes, a few small, barely recognizable people were also captured in the photograph. Lovingly tucked in photo albums, the pictures have faded and yellowed with age and love. Vacation photos were all about where we went, what we did and who we were with. Not anymore.

We live in a selfie world.

Now a days it’s all about how I feel and how I look. Modern vacation pictures are often just another version of a selfie. No longer can we vicariously enjoy the beautiful scenery others capture on their vacations because landscape is just a backdrop for another selfie or a  groupie (is this a word?). Whether you vacay in The Alps, Disney, or CoCoa Beach doesn’t matter. The destination is unrecognizable.  Imagine the money families  could save. Forget the pricey getaway—just take selfies at your local beach or campground. Me, myselfie, and I.

Love your neighbor as yourself-ie.

How does all this selfie-ishness line up with God’s word? It doesn’t. God says the first shall be last. Galatians 5:13 reminds us to “serve one another humbly in love. “Romans 12:1 says,  “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Luke 6:38 states, “Give and it will be given to you.” 1 Peter 4:10 offers this selfie-less advice, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

You see it’s not all about selfie, its about serving. Selfie-ness leads to emptiness. It drains, compresses, and stagnates our heart, soul and mind. As we constantly tend to our every want, need and desire, we become so myopic that eventually we only see our selfies and miss the needs of others.

What can we do to combat selfie-ishness?

1. Plan Think of a current situation in your life. Purposely plan a way you will be unselfie-ish in this situation and serve others.
2. Sacrifice. Today, or whatever day you choose, let everybody else go first, choose the restaurant, set the temperature on the AC, pick the movie, dessert, or activity etc.in everything you do. Ouch.
3. Deny. Give up a favorite food, drink, activity, or dessert etc. for a specified amount of time. Double ouch.
4. Ask. Ask God to change your heart; to give you a heart like His. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart to your own selfie-ishness and the need of others.
5. Hide. Hide God’s word in your heart. Memorize verses such as the ones posted above and pray them into your life.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you do with your resolutions to lose your selfie-ishness. I will be struggling right along with you.

All rights reserved.

Copy right 2016

One of my constant prayer requests is for God to expand my gifts.

I continually ask Him to gift me greatly so He can use me deeply. Recently I discovered we have a responsibility in growing our gifts—it’s not all up to God. There are two things we can to do to help grow our gifts.

1. Use them.
2. Give them.

While both methods closely related,  they have subtle differences. Using your gifts requires planning and training,  while giving your gifts requires responsiveness and obedience.

Use your gifts.

What happened when the two servants used their gifts?

They were doubled. Wow! Who wouldn’t want to double gifts? I know I do. Imagine being twice as good  teacher/speaker/writer/principal/secretary/designer/builder than you are now.  We can grow our gifts by using them. Saving or burying our gifts and talents keeps us small, dark and cold. Only dead things are buried.

Use or lose.

What about the last servant? He lost what he would not give.

As modern Christians we neglect our gifts when we  bury ourselves in fear, busyness, apathy and laziness.  Don’t wait until you feel ready and don’t give up when the going gets tough. God wants us to push through negative emotions. The start of a new project is very exciting! But bumps in the road are bound to come and discouragement can set in. Set backs do not mean God’s calling has been revoked—quite the opposite is true. When passion and motivation dwindle,  disregard the lassitude  and continue working. Take a step of faith and get busy.

People need what you have to give.

Give and gain!

Feast or Famine.

.

1. Keep gift for self.  Small. Safe. Unfufilled. One person benefits.
2. Give gift to others. Big. Scary. Amazing. Everyone is filled. Leftovers!

If we keep our gifts, others will go hungry.

Give your gifts large or small, no matter the size and watch them grow. Your gifts may be small, but you Savior is huge. Give what you have and watch your gifts grow! Use and give.

Action Points:

1. Risk! Admit it. There is something you’ve been waiting to give, but you think it’s too small. Walk by faith and give it today.
2. Look! See it. Ask God to make you hyper-aware of opportunities to give today. A kind word, $2.00, a single flower, a short note. They are not too small. Do it.
3. Unbury! Face it. You have some buried gifts, dreams, skills that need exhuming. Take a step today to dig them up and use them for God’s glory.

Pray

Father, we give You our talents (Matt. 25),  our widow’s mites (Luke 21), out last drop of oil (1 Kings 17), and our brown-bag lunch (John 6). Please help us to use what You have given us and give what you have entrusted to us so we me greatly impact our world for Christ.

Amen.

all rights reserved

Copyright 2016

i pray

short podcasts to bring the sacred into your everyday

Do you only have a few minutes for prayer today? You’re in the right place! Try one of our new i pray podcasts. A few minutes is all you need to pray God’s word into any situation by interceding for friends, family, and yourself. 

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you  that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord Your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

 

Blessings or Curses?

It was a revelation to me when as a young adult I finally realized that I got to choose what I let my mind focus on. Too often I was focusing on depressing thoughts that were dragging me down. I remember thinking, “I am the only one in charge of my thoughts.” It was time for me to choose a life mentality.

How about you? Are you ready to take charge of your thoughts? Stop blaming your spouse, children, your boss, or the state of politics for your bad attitude. Join me in prayer today as we intercede for each other.

Simply click on the arrow below to listen. You can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes!