Thursday, May 31, 2012

World altering truth.

This just blows me away. We get to know the heart and passion of the King of the Universe Himself. This right here should change how we view EVERYTHING:
"But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God--[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and
understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of
glory. But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not
seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefit He has bestowed]. Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]. For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God. And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and
interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]. But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him]. For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the
thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart." (1 Corinthians 2:7-16 AMP)

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Miracle. [Introduction]

Miracle. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read that word? Dramatic healing from cancer? Lazarus being raised from the dead? Prison doors being swung open in the middle of the night by the very army of the King of Kings? Time itself stopping and the sun staying put in the sky?

These are indeed incredible things. It's difficult to really think about them without having a large sense of awe overtake you. But how often are these types of miracles something we sub-consciously view as detached and foreign? Admit it. Most of us don't hear the word today and think of what our week has been like. But maybe we should.

God is unchanging, right? Most of us find this comforting. He Word tells us that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In it's simplest form, this means that His character doesn't change. That's what is great. By studying His Word, we can see what He's like. We don't have to guess. We can KNOW Him. Do we realize how incredible this truth is?! I don't know about you, but most of the time, I don't.

My point is this: If God is unchanging, and if we look at His heart and character all throughout scripture, we see that one of the biggest themes starting in Genesis and actually escalating throughout the new testament is a heart to do HUGE things for His people. Straight up miracles. He actually DELIGHTS in being asked to do the impossible. He THRIVES on it. And so often I think we look at that as a mindset he had. Rather than one He HAS. This is one of those issues I believe Satan himself is working overtime to keep his hand in. If he can keep Christ's Bride from getting this, he keeps her from being 1/4 as effective and powerful and dangerous as she could be.

The truth is that God still very much delights in being asked to do the utter impossible. He loves to and does perform miracles every single day. And I'm learning that we haven't been told or taught enough to ask for, seek, and expect this as a normal part of our lives. In fact, there's only one solid teacher I've ever in my life heard speak on it. Who's ever told me to ask for, expect, and delight in my God doing the impossible on a consistent basis before my eyes. Dare I suggest the lack of addressing this be an issue of unbelief within the church today?

I'm so glad I listened to my Dear teacher. I believe this person has serious wisdom & insight straight form the Holy Spirit. Over 5 years ago, I heard for the first time through them someone tell me I could desire, ask for, expect, and delight in miracles as a way of life. I was hesitant. It went against the way I was raised to "do" Christianity. I had always believed God did miracles in the Bible. But that He doesn't work that way anymore. But I tried it. And it began a wilder string of events and miracles than I would ever have imagined. This is the beginning of one incredible testimony to how amazing He is. Stay tuned for chapter 1......

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I was teaching a Zumba class yesterday. The girls were nervous about getting the steps right. I could see a few of them tense up. I realized it was because they were concentrating much too hard on each movement of each beat of each song.
So I told them. "You're makin it too complicated. Don't dissect it so much. Listen to the music. Move and flow with the music. It really is that easy. I know you think it's way more fancy or intricate. But it's not. If you listen, you can hear when the music changes. Your cue to move differently. That's all of it. Right there."

Jesus reminded me of that moment today. I was thinking about some of my friendships. Trying to sort out what feels like complicated and painful situations. I was disecting a re-accuring health issue and trying to find solutions & feeling hopeless. I was thinkin about the things I want to be doing this year with life: Moving into missions, theater, dance, blah blah blah. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and beat up by everything. And then.....

"You're makin it too complicated. Don't dissect it so much. Listen to the music. Move and flow with the music. It really is that easy. I know you think it's way more fancy or intricate. But it's not. If you listen, you can hear when the music changes. Your cue to move differently. That's all of it. Right there."

It's simple. Believe God.
CHOOSE to love and forgive others. Always. And listen to the spirit. You don't need to over-complicate those things. Just do them. And breathe.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

What matters.

2012 has most assuredly been one of the wildest years of my life.  A little over a year ago, I was on track for climbing the Starbucks and Zumba ladders. I was teaching 5 nights a week. I was losing weight. I was getting a name. And then I crashed. Physically. Sometimes God has to be a bit more extreme when we aren't listening.  I felt like my whole world was ripped from under my feet. I was angry and frustrated. But I see now why things had to happen the way they did. If I didn't crash, I wouldn't have had to slow down. If I didn't slow down, I wouldn't have realized one of the biggest truths I've ever seen.  The things I'm passionate about are GOOD. That may seem obvious to many, but it's news to me. My whole life, I've had a love of musical theater, of the arts, and of traveling and cultures. I've set these things aside for a very long time because I was taught that they are nice things, but that they are to be put aside so I can grow up and act like an adult. Find a carreer. Find stability. Save money. Grab at whatever will provide health insurance and retirement. And maybe someday, when I retire, I can enjoy some of those things I'm actually passionate about. Anyone else know this story?..... It's crap. That's what Jesus is teaching me. I'm realizing that the things I'm absolutely passionate about are there for a reason. He hard-wired them into me when He knitted me together in my mother's womb. And He did the same with you. What you love, that is not random. That's not by chance. It's with intricate intention. He wants each of use to flourish and function to our fullest. He wants HUGE things with us. And we can't do that unless we fully step into doing what we're passionate about. That's when we come alive. Call this common knowledge, but to me it's a revelation.  Hi. My name is Elisabeth. I LOVE musical theatre. I love painting. I desperately love and want to be a dancer. And I don't need to be ashamed of these things or shove them aside.  I'm turning 30 this year. It makes me really think HARD about my life, where it's going. What I'm doing. What I want. I'm getting serious about it. I've had this list hanging around for years. I think it's time to pull it back out. How about you? Are you working at living out your passions?  1.Become a heathy size 8 2.Write poetry/songs 3.Paint a mural 4.Study technical dance (Contemporary Ballet, Jazz) 5.Hang out with Beth Moore 6.Work in Musical Theatre 7.Sing with Wynonna Judd 8.Become an archer 9.Ride a horse 10.Begin my own ministry 11.Live in Africa. 12. Spend time in:      1.The Bayou       2.The South      3.Dubai      4.South America      5.India 13. Go to Disneyworld, DisneyParis, or EuroDisney