Out of the Pit

The Chilean miners rescue has captured the attention of the world over the past couple of months. It is an amazing story of how inviting God's presence and power into a tragedy can strengthen and sustain people under the most trying circumstances. When I read the account below by a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member in Chile, I was moved to thank the Lord for coming to deliver those who cry out to Him, no matter how dark the pit, physically or emotionally.
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Hello team and friends! I want to share with you about the last 2 very intense weeks as we have worked on the project to take the Word of God and the JESUS audio version to the mine, but it has really be worth the effort as it is food for the soul. This long history of the miners that is now passing 2 months has been without doubt the longest survival experience for people trapped underground.

This all started on the August 5, when the San Jose mine collapsed because of the exploration in the mine. The news was not good as it was only 6 months after we had experience the very large earthquake and tsunami. With a population less than other countries in the world, problems like this seem much closer to you and much more like it is part of your own family.

After 2 weeks without news from the miners we could only think the worst. The government had made every effort, but it was reasonable to think that the miners were lost, above all considering the distance where they were located, some 700 meters (2,000 feet) deep with a difficult future to be rescued. But God had other plans and 2 days later (the 17th day), contact with them was made. Obviously we were all very happy and we celebrated the miracle that all were alive.

As Campus Crusade, God guided us to think about how we could help these men and this was how we took the initiative to contact some churches in the north, leaders and authorities about sending the JESUS audio into the mine. It wasn't easy in the beginning because of some apathy in the Christian leadership and a lack of a sense of urgency, together with the restrictive control of the rescue team but, God in His sovereignty provided that we were able to gain contact with the daughter and the brother of 1 of the 3 Christians that were trapped there.

During several weeks, I was in contact with them and I explored the possibility of sending them audio material. Finally, I traveled to the mine with 33 MP3's containing the JESUS audio version and an ample portion of the Bible. I was there for 2 days and we sent the MP3's through each family members that were there.

Jose Samuel, my contact in the mine (father of Hettiz and brother of Gaston) is an extraordinary man who has really surprised me. The psychologists that are giving help from the surface have recognized that he has been a tremendous emotional and spiritual support for the rest of his co-workers.

He sent me a letter that grabbed my attention for his incredible clarity of thought. For example, some parts of the letter are:

"I want to express my appreciation for this great blessing for me and my co-workers, it will be very good our edification" (He is talking about the MP3's)
"I am well because Christ lives in me"
"We have prayer services at 12 a.m. and 6 p.m."
"I ask all of you for pray not only for us here, but for all the lost people in the world"
At the end of the letter he signed off with Psalm 95:4, "In his hand are the depths of the earth, and mountain peaks belong to him."
This is a very motivating story, let's continue to pray for the salvation of these souls. Thanks for being part of this.
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I'm so grateful for God's faithful servants who reach out in times of need to offer hope in the Lord Jesus.

Posture of the Heart

The church I attend recently moved in to a beautiful, new facility. What a great day to celebrate God's faithfulness to provide after 14 years of waiting for a permanent home. This is my first time to experience such a move and it is delightful to watch God's fingerprints all over the details.

One feature I particularly like is the kneelers on the chairs. As our pastor mentioned, sometimes the position of the body can reflect our spiritual posture. It is interesting to me how the physical and spiritual are intertwined. I think of the Psalms where I like to camp out for encouragement on how to pour out my heart.

On a number of occasions the Psalmist talks about his physical posture as he seeks God. For instance, he bows down toward God's holy temple (Ps 138), and he lifts his hands (Ps 141) to the Lord. I think of David who danced before the Lord (II Samuel 6). It seems that a natural part of worshipping the Lord is found in physical expression.

The kneelers remind me of this. I think sometimes I don't feel like my heart is in the posture of humility or reverence whether I'm alone or in public. However, by faith at times I want to move toward a physical expression, asking God to help my heart catch up. A popular Bible teacher once commented that sometimes, "We get to the next place [in our realtionship with God], by coming before the Lord on our face."

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6

This is The Day

I used to be an ER groupie. I know I'm dating myself a bit by saying so. In my mid to late 20's when I lived in Fort Worth, a couple of girlfriends and I would pow wow on Thursdays to faithfully watch George Clooney (AKA Dr. Ross), Dr. Lewis, Dr. Carter and Carol Hathaway live out their medical dramas. Did I mention we watched George Clooney?

When you have most of your life ahead of you, it's normal to envision how it might turn out. Whether intended or not, it seems that the human heart is wired for expectations. I know my friends and me presumed that life might have its maladies but that God would come through to save the day like the doctors on ER did on many occasions.

The longer I live, the more I experience the reality that misplaced expectation is the root of disappointment in my relationship with God and people. I think of my friends and me. We've had our griefs that none of us would have ever chosen, like family members who have yet to turn to Christ, miscarriages, a debilitating stroke, untimely deaths of loved ones, singleness, moving out of a dream home to down size, divorce, children with learning disabilities, and chronic pain.

To be sure, there have been many celebrations in life if I were to add them up for my friends and me like 10 years and counting of a godly marriage, children who are thriving, publishing a Bible study, family members who love well, recovery from physical struggles, friendships that are rich, travel adventures, and more.

Because life and God are unpredictable, it does all come back to the good deposit of wholeness that God is making in our hearts as we know Him through the ups and downs of living in a broken world. One expectation our hearts can know for certain is that unlike the ER docs who may or may not save a life, God saves THE DAY. I realized recently that Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." isn't just saying, as I have often thought, that we can simply find joy in each day. Sometimes the difficulties of a day seem to stink when expectations are dashed by disappointment or a painful turn of events.

I discovered that when I looked at the two verses preceding verse 24, I had a different take on it. "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice in it and be glad." God has saved THE DAY by pouring out His beloved Son on our behalf. No matter what happens on our journeys, this reality brings healing to our hearts including the tendency to misplace expectations. It is also the source of our rejoicing and gladness as we experience God's restoration personally and pour out on behalf of the hearts of others.

Bigger and Better, Greater and Grander

Hola! I recently went on a vacation or might I say "on holiday" if I was from England (that phrase is just lovely!). I hit a wall early this year and asked God to give me an adventure to look forward to. After multiple attempts at rallying friends and trying to figure out an oh so fun tropical spot, the getaway puzzle pieces came together when a kindred friend and me ended up at an all inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya.

We reveled in the idea of spending a number of days at a place where the hardest decisions of the day were what tropical fruit to taste and which lounge chair to choose at the beach. I haven't been on a vacation in many moons where relaxing, reading and refreshing were the daily "to do's".

I had been to Playa del Carmen about 8 years ago. If you've been, you know the drill. If not, here is how it goes, for those traveling on a budget. You fly into Cancun and a shuttle picks you up along with other passengers to drop you off at your resort. In the process, you see a parade of the resorts that the other vacationers are going to enjoy. We loved our resort. Check out these fun pics.

The funny part to this vacation adventure is that I had seen this resort during the "drop off" 8 years ago and coveted the idea of staying there. I remember thinking next time I'd like to stay at that bigger and better resort. I didn't intentionally seek it out as I was researching this trip but sure enough it is the one. As my other friend who was with me 8 years ago confirmed when I mentioned the name as I had an idea it might be the long ago sought after spot.

Through this detail, God reminded me that He remembers the desires of my heart, not just on a big scale but on a small one also. He hears my thoughts. He likes to show off that He is personally orchestrating my times.

I am also reminded of the human heart's tendency to want the bigger and the better, the greater and the grander. I looked at one resort on the way back to the airport as we picked up sun burned vacationers, thinking, "I wonder what that one is like?" Many times we might get down on ourselves or feel guilty for having such a bent. However, I think we can also think of it as part of how God has wired us, wanting something more. A longing for a beautiful, perfect place where the world is right and all of our desires are fulfilled. Bigger and better, grander and greater can nudge us toward our heavenly hope if we stop to reflect on what is behind the desire. Taking in the character of God in all of life including vacations is one of the beauties of belonging to Him.

What's in Numbers? Grumbling

On personality tests, I come out as optimistic and easy going (for the most part). I do have some "lion" in me from the tests with animal names as the categories which means I like being boss at times. For those melancholy/beaver types, I admire your temperments and need your strengths but truly am not wired to relate. Inspite of my natural sunny side, I am tempted to grumble.

The car in front of me is not driving sanely, my friend is not able to find a job and I wonder if God hears, the season of my life causes me to question God as I have multiple weddings to attend this spring without being able to fill in the "and guest" category.

Grrrrumble is the sound we hear from the majority of the Israelites in the book of Numbers. As I mentioned before, there are a number of incidents. The Hebrew word for grumblings means, "murmuring, speaking words of complaint, expressing dissatisfaction, implying a failure of proper relationship and possibly faith" (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains)

The murmuring comes to a head in chapter 20. The Israelites approach Aaron and Moses with accusations, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!", "Why then have you brought the Lord's assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?"

Like the Israelites, my spirit of grumbling begins with giving in to the temptation to think that "if only" this or that would happen or would not have happened, I'd be able to flourish in the Lord. The other temptation is to give in to fear that God does not have good intentions toward me and that the people around me have the ability to drive my destiny when their choices seem to be causing negative affects.

In stark contrast to the others, Joshua and Caleb are commended in the book of Numbers for their faith in God's purposes and promise in the midst of removing enemies from the Promised Land. I want to be counted among the ranks of those who believe God is constantly in motion and at work in all circumstances for my good and His glory.

What's in Numbers? Guidance

When you think of the Israelites entering the promised land, there are a number of heroes who come to mind- Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb. But whoever recalls Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite? As I resumed digging for treasure in the book of Numbers, I stumbled upon an introduction to this guy Hobab in Chapter 10.

Hobab is Moses' brother-in-law. You may remember that in Exodus 3, after Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled from Pharoah to Midian where he showed kindness to Reuel's daughters. In turn, Reuel invited Moses to live with his family and gave his daughter Zipporah as his wife.

As the account goes, Moses asks Hobab in Numbers 10 to come with the Israelites into the Promised Land. It seems that he had skill in navigating through the wildnerness, knowing where to camp and having the eyes to be on the look out for enemies.

When Moses first asks Hobab, he declines going with them so that he can return to his own relatives. But Moses persuades his bro-in-law to guide them, promising that whatever good the Lord shows Israel will also be shown to Hobab.

I think Hobab is a hero in his own right. He set out on a journey to claim the land even though he was not an Israelite. Hobab exercised faith in the promises of God through Moses. He left behind his relatives and was willing to brave the uncertainty of what might transpire before the land was secured. I had to ask myself, "Am I exercising faith and surrender in the circumstances God has me in today?" More on this in my next posting which is about belief and grumbling. There are a number of incidents in Numbers to choose from.

I also think, as one scholar observes, that God's guidance in our lives does include asking for human help at times. The help may come from a person who is already in our lives or may be someone we seek out because he or she has skill in an area where we need guidance.

I felt prompted to write a note to a friend this week. I have not talked to this person in 13 years. We were friends for a fairly short period of time and then our lives went separate ways. However, I remembered that she has experience in an area where I may need help. I can't say for sure that God is pointing her "to go with me" on my current stretch in the journey of faith. I am praying that God will guide my note to her and her response.

What's in Numbers? Blessing

Here goes my first reflection on treasures from the book of Numbers. After walking through the first 5 chapters about the census, the role of the Levites in worship, how to deal with jealousy on the part of a husband who thinks his wife has potentially been unfaithful (this is serious "summoned to the priest" intervention), and the Nazarite consecration to the Lord, I found myself staring at a small, beautiful clearing on my journey.

That would be Numbers 6:24-27. It's a blessing that God told Moses to relay to Aaron and his sons to speak over Israel. I looked up the word "bless" in my handy Logos software and it offered the following, "speak words invoking divine favor, with the intent that the object will have favorable circumstances or state at a future time". Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament).

I have read this blessing before and also had it spoken over our congregation by the pastor. It caught my attention more than usual because God had impressed on my heart a few months ago through a message I heard to pray this blessing over my loved ones.

I have been calling out to God to add to the favor already on the lives of my loved ones. I love how the Scripture says in Numbers 6:27 to invoke the name of the Lord on the people and that He will bless them. So I have been invoking and believing that God is answering although my faith is tested when circumstances and relationships are tough.

The blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 is written below in the New Living Translation. I am asking the Lord to make Himself known in bold and bodacious ways as we seek Him and His presence. I encourage you to ponder for a moment who you might pray these words over.

May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.

What's in Numbers?

When I think about obtaining a seminary degree, I think of having a mind full of grandiose theological conclusions. It's funny though. That's not the way it worked for me when I attended Dallas Theological Seminary. I will say I did learn a lot of very helpful perspective and input on the Bible. However, the most powerful things I learned that I apply on a consistent basis are the most simple and practical. For instance, I had this awesome mentor who taught me how to think about what God is doing in my emotional life through circumstances. I will forever be changed by her friendship and counsel.

One of my professors, prof Hendricks, taught us to use a 5 year Bible study plan so that at the end of it, we have studied all the books of the Bible. So the idea is that you dive in to one book per month (and doubling up for a few months on the smaller ones to make it 60 months or 5 years). Mind you, I don't always make it through the whole book~ think about Deuteronomy or Isaiah.

This is fun because as a new month rolls around, I sneek a peak at my chart to get an idea of where God and I are going for that month. Every now and then, I switch it around because the place where we're going doesn't feel quite right. I don't mean to imply that God's Word is dull, it's just that I feel a need to change to what feels like a more enticing and easier to navigate lane. Anyway, as I turned to my chart for the month of April, it was the book of NUMBERS. Who gets excited about studying Numbers?

One of the first things I did was look at the number of chapters. 36. I am also thinking that there's going to be a lot of going on about geneaologies, details about Israelite guidelines for life, roaming around in the dessert, and so forth. To give you an idea, you may remember that the book begins by the Lord asking Moses to complete a census and then details those clans who were accounted for. Hmmm. . .how to apply this to my life? Well, I do have to say that it did remind me to complete my own census form. But beyond that, I am looking for some personal application and have found a number of them. Pun intended! So I am going to blog a few times on reflections and devotions from the book of Numbers in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Gluten Free Me

I have been recovering from a number of health issues. About 6 weeks ago, I decided to give up gluten and sugar for Lent. I usually don't give up anything during Lent but it seemed fitting since I wanted to try 6 weeks of eating this way which is about 40 days. Plus I figured that perhaps I would draw strength from knowing that others are abstaining from this or that.

Soooo. . .here are some reflections from gluten free me. Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook. Brown rice chips are tasty. Brown rice bread has an interesting texture and is expensive. Brown rice pasta is better than wheat in my opinion. So you probably get the picture that I've been eating a lot of brown rice products. Beans and corn are my gluten free friends. Eating out can be a pain unless it's tex mex which I really dig anyway. Thai and Indian food are also really good picks. I miss pizza.

I miss brownies and chocolate. I have noticed that once I gave up sugar and in my case including fruit, it tastes incredibly sweet when I have a nibble. Yes, I've had a few but I must say that there are quite tiny. The taste is so sweet that I don't really want a lot of it. So that's a bonus. It does seem possible to train our tastes.

A friend and I did go to one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas called Bread Winner's this past week. Just the name of it should scream, "Making provision for the flesh". I knew I would eat the bread when I sat down and yet my portion was much less than usual. However, did this momentary relapse affect me? I confess that I ate a portion of my sister's delicious banana bread today. It is a helpful analogy of letting sin in~ we open the door a tiny bit and then get used to the taste so that pretty soon we indulge more frequently, forgetting the consequences will come.

I haven't seen all the results I was hoping for and yet I am experiencing progress. I think this means I will need to remain on this eating plan for longer than 40 days. uggh. I have to remind myself that my health is worth the delayed gratification. That's on my good days. On my bad days, I think, "Why do I have to eat this way when most of humanity is partaking of dessert, fried foods and Diet Coke?" I am going on vacation mid May so my new goal is to see further results in the next 6 weeks so I can relax my eating. Please pray for this sister's full recovery. By the way, my hat goes off to those of you who eat consistently gluten and/or sugar free.

The Mysterious Side of Life

Jane Austen is a personal heroine of mine. A friend of mine gave me a plastic figurine of Jane which I placed in a strategic spot as I wrote the study Capture My Heart, Lord. It seemed fitting to have such a great author watching over me as I worked. One of the best elements of Jane's stories is the mystery of the character of the suitors toward the leading lady. You don't quite know who is really being true to themselves or putting up a front. In the end, the true colors are displayed along with a dose of humility on the part of both romantic parties.

Life is full of mystery~ there are just things I don't get like why The Bachelor turns out the way it does. OK, I'm a little embarassed but do admit that I got sucked in this season and may have to post my thoughts. The show is a fascinating study in relating albeit not healthy in the way it can escalate the insecurites of women. On the deeper side of life, I think about the mystery of the human body, the universe, the existence of God.

When life takes a turn we didn't anticipate, we are faced with the element of mystery as God writes our stories. Merriam Webster defines mystery as "something not understood or beyond understanding". In our humanity, we attempt to offer ourselves or one another some explanation for what has transpired so that there can be a more defined "why" behind it. I'm not sure why we do this except to make ourselves feel in control since perhaps we want to keep God's ways within certain limits or to make others feel better by providing an answer.

However, the very nature of a mystery is that it is beyond our understanding. Why a friend suffers physically, why another one goes through a painful divorce, why a loved one passes away at a certain time, and the questions remain unanswered. God's ways are mysterious and many times the best approach is "I hurt with you. I don't know why this is happening."

Even though the unraveling of our stories involves mystery that in many cases we may not have answers for in this lifetime, the mystery has been solved about God's character since He says so much about who He is in His word. God doesn't always explain the "whys" behind what He does although He does give us a heads up that the element of mystery will be part of our journeys by expressing that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours. A mentor of mine in seminary encouraged me to ask the question "What does God want me to know about Him?" through every experience I encounter. This question has helped me as I learn to embrace mystery.

Reflections on Valentine's Day

SEND CAPTURE MY HEART, LORD AS A VALENTINE'S GIFT. FREE SHIPPING AND HANDLING IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IN HONOR OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOOK RELEASE! CLICK ON THE STUDY TO THE RIGHT AND FOLLOW THE LINK.

February 14th is on its way! Whether you are married, divorced, dating or can't remember the definition for the word "date" because it's been so long, the mention of the day seems to elicit a variety of responses. I love pink, roses and hearts so the ambiance behind Valentine's is really appealing but the reminder that I'm without a "romantic pursuer" much less husband is not so attractive. However, I do know that many women who are married or have been in a marriage relationship would readily remind us single gals that marriage is many times a tool of sanctification (God's spiritual sandpaper hurts!).

Soooo. . .I've been thinking about what is behind all the hype. In my mind, it seems to come down to the reality of love. We experience love through people whether it's a kind word, affection, thoughtful gift or heartfelt prayer. There is a longing to know love at the deepest level and people are part of that knowing. God defines Himself as love so the longing is truly to experience Him at the very core of our being. I believe God uses romantic love with a man as a way to reveal more of Himself~ even when a man fails to show the love of God or there is not a man to do so, it is a loss and should be grieved as so. As Dr. Henry Cloud says, "grieve your losses daily". This means have Kleenex and waterproof mascara on hand.

Losses and longings can cause us women to look to the Author of Love. I was reminded of this last year when we celebrated the publishing of Capture My Heart, Lord on Valentine's Day. I had tried to plan the book launch party multiple times before it became apparent that God wanted to put His fingerprints on Valentine's Day. He reminded me that even our best attempts at human love pale in comparison to His perfect, restoring love which heals our hearts. I had invited a godly gentleman to join me at the celebration who ended up not being able to make it. Throughout the weekend, I was blown away by the kindred friends who came to celebrate and the reality that God's abundant expression of love or my worthiness to receive it is not limited by what we can or cannot do for eachother.

I pray there are many godly men out there who will depend on the Holy Spirit to unconditionally and sacrificially love the woman in their lives. I pray that a florist knocks on my door oh so soon (I'm not picky about the day) to deliver a beautiful arrangement of hot pink roses by a romantic interest. I would have delight at this moment in the expression of love. I also know that if this gesture doesn't happen that by faith in Jesus' life and sacrifice my experience of the love of God will remain rich, creative and all encompassing.

Chili for chilly weather

Hi friends, it's that time of year when Mr. Winter visits with cold temperatures, making blankets, heaters and "warm comfort food" necessities. For those of you who are visiting Face to Face from those "ohh so cold" places, you may be thinking, "What do you know about cold weather living in Texas?" Point well taken. However, having gone through a number of days with the wind chill in the teens recently, I know enough that I am not made to live in consistently cold climates. It is a jolt to our southern, coastal city when freezing temps arrive. I myself am cold natured in an apt. with not a ton of insulation and high ceilings in the living room so I found myself in my robe with my blanket and fuzzy shoes. I felt quite cozy until I realized that I could not keep my nose from being cold. I decided to make a big pot of chili and wanted to share this tasty and quick recipe taken from Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS: 1.5 lbs ground beef, 3 stalks celery (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped), 1 onion (chopped), 1 tsp. crushed garlic, 1 (28 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste, 1 TBSP. white sugar, 1 cup cold water, 2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans (undrained), 1 TBSP. chili powder, salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS: In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef until brown. Stir in celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, water, and beans. Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

Enjoy a bowl full of warm comfort food.