The Importance of Journaling

Every so often, I flip through old journals, skimming over past events, prayers, thoughts, and reflections that were captured in a flurry of pencil strokes.  Tonight was one of those times.  I dug out my journal from 2009/2010 and as I was scanning the pages, one particular entry caught my attention.  A poem of sorts written in the early morning dawn illustrated my thoughts as I savored a quiet moment with my Lord.  What I love about this entry is that it's raw and full of emotion; it takes me back to that place in time and I can relive the feelings that washed over me that day.  That's why journaling is important.  When I write I document my walk with Jesus:  the prayers, the joys, the tears, the reflections, the questions, memories, and the whispers of God as He speaks to my heart.  I write to process.  I write to treasure.  I write to savor.  I write to remember.  I write so that I can look back two years later and worship.

August 28, 2010

The morning sun is waking slowly, brushing the sleep from his eyes and stretching his sparkling rays. The breeze is calm, not all together motionless, but very gently rustling the vivid green leaves - leaves that will soon be shedding their summer skin for a golden, autumnal coat.  The sky is cloudless, a perfect crystal blue.  The finches have chased away the clouds with their morning song, harkening a beautiful day forward out of the night.  Just as nature wakes and shakes off the morning dew, I too rise from my bed, and taking up my pen, I write.  In the midst of life, busy and bustling, God rains peace on my life like a stream of cool, flowing water.  He is my tree and I rest in his shade as I sit on the dewy grass... 

Seeing and Savoring

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” —John 17:24

During the Christmas season, I took some time to read John Piper’s Advent devotional, Good News of Great Joy:  Daily Readings for Advent, which is available for free online at http://www.desiringgod.org.  In the introduction chapter, Piper bases his discussion on John 17:24 and points out that Jesus is praying for all believers—for us!—so that our deepest longings might be fully satisfied in the Father (v).  Piper asserts that “what Jesus wants for Christmas is for us to experience what we were really made for—seeing and savoring his glory” (v). 

Oftentimes we notice the glory of God displayed in big ways, such as through a painted sunset over the glimmering ocean or through a miraculous healing from terminal cancer, but how often on a daily basis do we miss many still, small moments to see the glory of our Lord?  The glory of God fills the earth, but how often are we too busy or distracted to really see it and respond in constant, joyful praise as we should?  When we truly see and experience the glory of Jesus, we are moved to worship as we savor His glory.  As Leslie Ludy once said, “daily life is bursting with opportunities… to create, to sing, to dance, to worship, to serve, to laugh, and to learn.”  When we come face-to-face with a loving, just, righteous, perfect, Holy God, the response of our hearts should be to bow in adoring worship before the throne of God.  Savoring the glory of our Father every minute of every day leads to an eternity of delighting, loving, treasuring, and abiding in Christ.  It is my hope and prayer that we might truly see and savor the glory of our Lord throughout the year, remembering that Christ was born in a manger to die on a cross so that we, undeserving sinners, might be heirs to righteousness and thereby enter into eternal fellowship with the Most High. What joy, what grace, what love.  Oh what a Savior! 

Hope In Tragedy

My heart is so heavy with the news of the horrific Connecticut school shooting.  Though tragic and terrible, there is peace in knowing that God welcomed so many precious little ones into his arms today. "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these'" (Matthew 19:14).  I can only imagine the joy on their sweet faces as the children ran into the arms of Jesus... 

Will you join me in praying for the families of the precious ones as they grieve and experience this unimaginable loss.  Pray also that many would seek the face of God in the midst of tragedy, for He is our only hope and salvation. 

Waiting Expectantly

“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” 

Luke24:46-52 (NIV)

God recently reminded me of this scene in Luke 24 in which Jesus appears to his disciples after defeating sin and death by triumphantly rising from the grave.  In this passage, Jesus astounds the disciples by proving that He is not a ghost, but is in fact the risen Lord in flesh and bones – alive and eating broiled fish!  Amazed and joyous, the disciples must have hung on every word Jesus spoke as He commissioned them as witnesses to the nations and promised the sending of the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28 records the Great Commission in which “Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Take a moment to imagine how the disciples must have felt.  First, Jesus appeared to them after being brutally crucified in public and laid lifeless in a tomb.  Then, after rising from the grave, He proceeds to eat broiled fish and prove that He is not a ghost.  Next Jesus points out that these events were all part of God’s divine plan and opens the disciples' minds so that they can understand the Scriptures.  Finally, He gives them the biggest job assignment ever: go to all people and proclaim the good news of salvation.  And, by the way, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, who will go with them and empower them to fulfill this monumental task. 

I imagine that by this point in the story the disciples are pretty excited.  Risen Lord! Alive! Eyes opened! God’s plan for salvation! Go to all the nations!

But Jesus said to wait.  Yes – after all of that, He told them to wait.   

There they sat, stunned and in awe of Jesus, ready and willing to go… and they were just supposed to wait?  That's right.  The disciples were to wait for the Holy Spirit to anoint the perfect moment to go and spread the gospel to all people, tribes, and tongues.  According to Luke, they waited in a posture of continual worship, with a song in their hearts and praise on their lips.  They waited purposefully and with anticipation of the great things God would do through them for the building of His Kingdom. 

As Christians, we have all heard the call of the Great Commission.  Jesus’s words ring ever clear in our minds as we long to see the joy of Christ spread to all people.  It is the desire of our hearts to bear fruit for the glory of God and be a light in the darkness.  Jesus desires that all would know of His love and sacrifice, and that all would enter into the gift of eternal salvation He accomplished by dying in our place on the cross.  It is by confessing that He is Lord and giving our lives to God that we are saved.  We are the messengers of this great news!  We have been appointed! 

Do you ever find yourself in the same situation as the disciples?  I sure do.  Have you heard the call to “go” but are now in a season of waiting?  This passage is such encouragement to my soul as I relate to and learn from the experience the disciples had that day.  It is a joy to know that God has called me to be His child and has commissioned me to glorify His name by bringing others into the Kingdom.  Sometimes waiting on the Holy Spirit’s perfect timing to “go” is difficult – especially when you happen to a "Type A” girl who always has a plan... and a back-up plan.  However, God has shown me through this passage and my own experience that there is so much to be gained from a season of waiting.  What a sweet time to savor and treasure the Lord as I abide in His love!  I am thankful for opportunities to grow, to learn, to disciple and be discipled.  I am thankful that God has a plan for my life, and that He has given me the opportunity to wait in faith on His perfect timing. 

As Charles Spurgeon said in his sermon titled The Filling ofEmpty Vessels, “Waiting in faith is a high form of worship which in some respects excels the adoration of the shining ones above.”  Did you catch that?   Waiting is worship that outshines the stars that twinkle like fireflies dancing across the night sky.  May we wait in humble expectation of all that God has prepared for us, knowing that His plan will be perfected in and through us at just the right moment.  Worship as you wait.  Serve as you wait.  Love as you wait. Abide as you wait.  And when the time comes, may you boldly step out in faith and fulfill your high calling for the glory of God.

Practicing Self-Forgetfulness

Tonight I read a short book by Timothy Keller titled The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, which teaches about gospel-humility by examining the life, work, and writings of the Apostle Paul.   Here is my favorite passage from the book:

“The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less… True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”

Keller notes that modern society promotes high self-esteem as the cure to all evils, resulting in self-worth that is based on how well we perform in life's daily "courtroom" rather than in the truth of the gospel.  We know that when Christ died, he paid the debt for our sin, bestowing His righteousness upon us.  No longer are we bound to the expectations that the world - and ourselves! - places upon us.  At the end of the day, it's not our successes and failures that matter;  it's the joy we get from resting in the love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that on the cross He accomplished everything necessary for salvation.  

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Romans 2:8-10

[Keller's The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness is available on Amazon as a Kindle download for just $0.99!]

A Prayer for Today

Shelly Moore Band, "Scratch"

I’m just a scratch on this line
Such a vapor of time
How can I think it's all mine
Or just for me 
A fleeting thing

My soul cannot rest here 
There is always something more 
That I'm striving for 
Round and round again in this so called circle of life
But it's never the same
So is it a circle or a line

Father, help me wait for my full reward
Remind my soul that it's not here
Father, help me wait for my full reward
Remind my soul that it's not here

So what should be my delight?
They tell me to buy to satisfy what I need
They've got me feeling alone, like this world is my home
When the most costly has been given for free 

There will come a day
When you will say well done
There will come a day
When you will say well done good and faithful one

And, check out Shelly's new CD, Unraveling.  

Prayer and the Heartbeat of God

"Prayer brings our heartbeat in tune with God’s own. In prayer, we come to God in worship. During times of praise and adoration, we are keenly aware of who He is, what He has done, and what His Word teaches us. This love for God leads us to contemplate His perfection and holiness." 

- Michael Sills, The Missionary Call (2008)

Something to Think About

"Many Christians are aware of the billions who have never heard the gospel and those among them who die without Christ every day. This concern is a constant burden in their lives. Like a stone in their shoe, it is ever on their minds no matter where they go or what they do. Their hearts reverberate with the cries of those who are being born into, live in, and die in darkness. They are concerned for the young girls whose parents sell them into sexual slavery to provide for the family. They are concerned for the millions of street children and their hopeless existence. Most of all, they are concerned for the glory of God. Their concern makes them wonder how they can live a holy life in faithfulness to God’s commands if they do not live in reckless abandon and radical fulfillment of the Great Commandments and the Great Commission." 

-Michael Sills, The Missionary Call (2008)

Hallelujah

When I was on vacation in Florida, one of my favorite things to do was stake out the perfect sunset-watching spot on the beach gazebo.  I'd show up at 2:00 or 2:30 with a cup of my favorite tea and a book so that I could enjoy the afternoon while waiting for the sun to sink down on the horizon.  What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!  This particular photo looks like my mental image of the day Jesus will return for us - except, instead of the sun's rays of light, Jesus will be the one radiating in glory.  Do you see it, too?  I thought you might :) 

Holy Holy Holy

is the Lord our God

Mighty King of Glory,

You have rescued us

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You are the God of our salvation

You have conquered

You have risen

You are the God of our salvation

-Phil Wickham, God of our Salvation

In the Garden

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

"In the Garden" by C. Austin Miles, 1912

These are a few pictures that I took at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens,
 one of my favorite spots in the Triangle. 

Autumn

Crisp leaves in amber hues, hot apple cider, crackling fires, golden sunsets, cozy blankets, fuzzy sweaters and warm scarves... I love autumn.  Here are some pictures I've snapped in the last few days - beautiful, right?

Nature's first green is gold, 

Her hardest hue to hold. 

Her early leaf's a flower; 

But only so an hour. 

Then leaf subsides to leaf. 

So Eden sank to grief, 

So dawn goes down to day. 

Nothing gold can stay. 

Robert Frost, Nothing Gold Can Stay, 1923

I. Love. This.

Hey, stop reading and go watch this:  The Duke Football Story

Sacred Moments

“Those who excel at the art of sacred living know how to savor the romance of life, the beautiful joy and simplicity of knowing Him, and walking in His presence.  It doesn’t happen by adopting a self-focused, pleasure-seeking attitude, but by learning how to cherish and value the opportunities that God gives us each day.  Daily life is bursting with opportunities to enjoy his amazing creation; opportunities to cultivate relationships with family and friends; opportunities to build God’s kingdom; opportunities to create, to sing, to dance, to worship, to serve, to laugh, and to learn.  Are we letting those sacred moments pass us by?  If so, it’s time to return to the peaceful, still waters and green pastures of daily intimacy with our King.  No other lifestyle compares to one lived in His presence!” 

– Leslie Ludy, “The Art of Sacred Living,” setapartgirl Magazine, Sept/Oct 2012, p. 78

[A note about the picture:  I copied this picture from p. 79 of  setapartgirl Magazine, the Sept/Oct 2012 edition, and attribute all photo rights and credit to the magazine.]

My Happy Place

I'm so thankful that God gives me moments like these when I can feel His presence all around.  

As the warm beams from the morning sun danced on the tranquil sea, I knew that He was providing me with a moment of peace in his company where I could rest and talk with my Savior.  

The beach - especially at sunrise - is my happy place.  The quiet of the morning is interrupted only by the pitter patter of sand pipers scurrying along the shoreline as brilliant shades of pink, red, and orange paint across the sleepy sky.  Buried shells and sea glass sparkle like gems in the soft sand, and the salty ocean breeze awakens the day to life with its sweet fragrance. What better place to commune with the Most High? 

Buying a House in Crazy Town

This morning as I was driving to work, I took a few minutes to reflect on the last few weeks.  Life has been insanely busy now that the students are back on campus and our office is gearing up for an eventful fall.  There are some days when I am pretty sure I just don't sit still... which on one hand is really nice, but on the other hand can result in one tired Morgan by the end of the day.  It feels as if I've bought a house in Crazy Town and moved in with no plans to leave anytime soon...

So, I challenged myself with two questions: 1) when life gets tough, what are you running to for solace or rest, and 2) when you need to recharge, what do you fill up with?  Tough questions for sure!  It's easy to get swept up in the business of balancing spinning plates, but how does that business affect my spiritual life?  Am I growing closer to God in the midst of the chaos or farther away from Him, distracting me from abiding with my Savior?  Am I running to God for rest or am I relying on something else to sooth my soul after a long day's work?  These are big questions and it's important to take a step back and talk to myself... rather than listen to myself.  So, I challenge you to do the same.  When things start spinning out of control, ask yourself on what or whom you rely for strength, comfort, rest, and peace - if it's not God, then there's a problem.