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Empty

22 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by Lori in Uncategorized

Six hours in a car = A Thanksgiving post after a long hiatus.

Empty.

The word, the thought that keeps coming to me.

The reason why I haven’t been blogging lately.

The feeling I have at the end of the day.

Me.

Not just empty. Emptying. Dripping. Pouring. Constantly.

Cleansing.

Purifying.

Refilling.

Peace.

Philippians 2:4-8 ESV Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing (emptied Himself), taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

Highly recommend Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Love and peace to you and yours this beautiful Thanksgiving Day.

Lori

You revive me
You revive me Lord
And all my deserts are rivers of joy
You are the treasure I could not afford So I’ll spend myself till I’m empty and poor
All for You You revive me Lord

23rd

23 Jul 2012 1 Comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: doubt, psalm 23, thankful

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

On this, the 23rd day of July, I am reminded of the 23rd Psalm. Z had a fabulous doctor visit today. Absolutely fabulous. God is good, faithful, and true. He is omniscient and omnipresent. The beginning and the end.

However, a year ago I was scared. We stepped through the door He asked us to, but still the doubts crept in. What if Z is really sick? What if we can’t handle it? What if… What if…

God knew. He knew Z was tough. He knew D would be an awesome big brother. He knew B would get a promotion (yay). He knew Z and E would love each other so much. He knew that it was all GOOD before I did.

Thank you God. Thank you for helping us not to say no.

What is God asking you to do today that makes you want to scream no from the rooftops (but His Word says to say yes)?

Also, Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law. We love you!

Body

15 Jul 2012 4 Comments

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: body of christ, bonhoeffer, church

Ok, you know it is trouble when I say, “I was reading Bonhoeffer this week.” Well, I was.

The section I was reading was discussing being the body of Christ, and what that REALLY means. It was pretty heavy stuff. Funny how you can read the Word, and just not GET what Christ is saying. No wonder the poor disciples stayed confused.

The Church is the Body of Christ. This I know. No really. The Church is the Body of Christ. He is our head. We are the members. He died in the flesh. To rise in the flesh. His Spirit in our flesh. The Church is a moving breathing being. Why then would we want to hurt it? It is part of us. Literally connected on a level that I will never fully comprehend this side of Heaven. Never.

Could you imagine your own body parts doing their own thing? Hurting each other. Fighting. We would never get anything done. We also would not survive long. Think about when you are sick. How an infection in on part affects the way your whole body feels.

The Church is the same. Divisiveness. Bickering. Gossip. They have no place in the church or the Church. It is not healthy. A healthy Church follows Christ. The Bible says it all.

Also, read a little Bonhoeffer. It is good for you!

Matthew 5:29-30 ESV

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

John 12:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

1 Corinthians 6:15-17 ESV

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Mountain

30 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Lori in Uncategorized

This is the view from our mission home in Zamorano Valley. My second home. Boy how I miss this place.

It is not just the view that I miss. Serving with a team of Christian brothers and sisters is refreshment to my soul. Eating, sleeping, studying, sharing, and worshiping together. As a dear friend said, this is about as close to heaven as we are going to get on this earth. The last night, many of us went outside to our “place”. A porch/balcony on the second floor of the mission home. All voices singing and worshiping God. Yep, I could do that for eternity.

I said in my last post that God shows me something every time I go to Honduras. This time He showed me that I definitely need to spend more time in His presence. As another friend shared in small group this week, we cannot stay on our spiritual “high”. We must come back down the mountain. This is how our relationship with God works while we are on earth.

Coming down the mountain is hard (literally and figuratively). If I want to shine, I have to be more intentional than ever about spending time with Jesus.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

(Exodus 34:29-35 ESV)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

(2 Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV)

Here is the next section I am memorizing in Matthew 5:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 5:13-16 ESV)

Decade

14 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: honduras, isaiah

I am leaving tonight for Honduras. This marks 10 years that I have been traveling to Honduras for missions. Wonder what God is going to teach me? Every year He reveals Himself a little deeper.

We say “God will never give us more than we can handle.” I believe more than situational (cancer, infertility, death, job loss, etc), that He won’t reveal more of Himself than we can handle. When I travel to Honduras, I hear Him in a more clarified way. Like Jesus going away to be by Himself for days to talk to His Father.

Last year, the word was this:

Isaiah 61:1-4 ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

They shall build up the ancient ruins;

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

This verse was painted on the side of a church we passed. I felt it a little prophetic, as we were looking forward to our trip to China to get our boys. Once we got them, we would mourn no more. God would set them free. To Him be the glory.

Please pray for our team and the people of San Miguelito, Honduras. I hope to post some updates from the field.

Love,
L

Asking

09 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: adoption, asking, foolishness, tired

Many people go through painful consequences of poor decisions. Sometimes, the response by others around them could be, “Well, they asked for it.”

I know that has been mine in the past. Not a very loving response, I must say.

Have you ever heard that said of something good that has happened to someone?

One day, I was tired and voiced that to a friend. The response was, “You asked for it.” Hmmm. Technically, I didn’t. I asked to conceive a baby. Repeatedly. This was not His will for us. He asked us to adopt. Not the other way around. Not even the adoption of our oldest was something we asked for. Much less 2 special needs boys from China. One of whom we were not sure would ever be able to walk. (FYI: He has been doing the Insanity workout with me and Tae Kwon Do with his daddy.)

No, this is NOT what I asked for. It is so much more. The blessings I have been given. The miracles I have witnessed. Yes, I get tired. I am human. Other people get tired because they work too much, party too much, worry too much, etc.

I prefer my reasons for being tired.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Gift

29 May 2012 1 Comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: debt, gift, love

This past weekend, my husband and I ran away to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. It has been a very long time since we have spent some time away and alone. Some friends of ours kept our 3 boys while we were gone.

What a gift. On top of the fact that we have 3 boys, there are some medical issues that hinder leaving them with just “anybody”. “Anybody” would have to be willing and able to perform certain tasks to make sure the boys stay healthy. Our friends willingly stepped up, because they love us and our kids.

Have you ever been given a gift you could not repay? Not just at this time, but ever? It is frustrating, isn’t it? Not to mention humbling. No matter how many times we thank them, it will never be enough.

God did that for us. He loves us (present tense) enough that He sent His only Son to die. He died so we could have a relationship with Him. Forever. No matter how many times I thank Him, it will never be enough. No matter how many “good” things I do, it will never ever be enough.

That is the point, isn’t it?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jeremy Part II

19 May 2012 6 Comments

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: israelites, miracle, pentecost

Miracles. I have witnessed them too many times in my life not to believe they happen. Not only that, the Bible is full of examples.

Jeremy is a miracle. He is no longer in liver failure. His kidneys are functioning properly. He has been allowed to eat and drink (for the first time in days). Cardiologists are seeing him now as they believe the source of all these complications is his heart.

Like the Israelites, I soon forget the mighty works God has done. I go my own way. I grumble. I want to turn back.
Why do I forget that with God all things are possible? My guess is that I don’t think about or talk about God’s mighty works enough. What does that say about the condition of MY heart?

I used to get frustrated when people would not take the time to hear about God’s mighty works in my life. (Still do.) Now, I have three little boys who WILL hear about God’s mighty works. Works He has performed for them, for me, for all of us.

I know Jeremy will never stop talking about what God has done.

Tomorrow is Penecost Sunday. Notice when the Holy Spirit descended, the first thing the Jews in Jerusalem did was speak of God’s mighty works.

Acts 2:5-11 ESV

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Here is a picture of our nephew Josh home from Kuwait. I am so grateful for his service to our country.

Jeremy

17 May 2012 1 Comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: blink, jeremy, worry

Whatever I wanted to write about, well this trumps it. My dear friend Jeremy went from a healthy 25 year old to receiving dialysis and waiting for a liver transplant in the span of 2 weeks. Two weeks! The doctors have no idea why this is happening.

Why do I worry about chores, bills, work, etc. when life can change in a blink? A blink! Everything we go through is allowed by God, so I know He will be glorified in this. I am just sad for my friend. Jesus wept, so can I. We were supposed to be in Honduras together in 4 weeks. He was supposed to ask for an El Snickero at the pulperia. We were supposed to ride a bus together for way too many hours, enjoy the sweet smiles of the people in the village, and hug babies at the Children’s Home.

Please pray for my friend and his family. Please pray for me. I love my friend like a brother.

My memory verse for this week: Matthew 5:3-5 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Peacemaker

09 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Lori in Uncategorized Tags: beatitudes, mount, peacemaker, persecution, sermon

Monday, I listened to a sermon by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He preached this sermon in 1990. It was part of a series on the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:9-12 says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Like Bonhoeffer, Keller explained the Beatitudes as a description of a true Christian’s life. He focused on the description peacemakers. Being a peacemaker is our purpose, our life direction. This does not mean taking everything on the chin and not making waves. This means not being at war with God. We stop being hostile toward Him.

Enmity with God can show up in our mind, our will, and our emotions.
We are born as sinners. Our human nature pits us against God. When life doesn’t go our way. When we are asked to do something we don’t want to do. If we continue to battle Him, then He is not fully Lord of our life. Our purpose in evangelism/discipleship is to help others see Jesus as Lord and stop fighting Him.

Where am I fighting Him? The Holy Spirit will help me flush that out.

Where are you fighting Him?

Matthew 12:30 ESV Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Signs that we are not warring with God:
1. We are constantly amazed by Him.
2. We are persecuted at least some of the time. (In American society, we should not feel persecuted all of the time. Even Jesus was not persecuted all of the time.)

Ephesians 5:14 ESV for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

I am starting over with my study/memorization of the Sermon on the Mount. My sweet hubby printed me some memory cards, care of Ann Voskamp (author of 1000 Gifts). My verses this week are Matthew 5:1-2.

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

I typed that from memory. 🙂