"Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?"

-1 Kings 3:9 ( MSG)

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of faith."
-Author Unknown

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thouroughly Prepared

Just wanted to share some thoughts as En Gedi gets back on our feet... Hope to have some music for you soon. “So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. Nehemiah 2:9 "It is very hard to over-prepare. Indeed, most people do not struggle with over-preparation. One’s temptation is to neglect the real need of being thoroughly prepared. When you rush ahead of God, you expose yourself to the nagging details you could have intentionally prayed about and thought through. Pride tends to shun preparation, as it assumes too much and prays too little. When you take the time to prod those areas you are unsure of, you discover insights that are invaluable to success. If, on the other hand, you go off half-cocked with a Pollyannaish naïveté, you are an excellent candidate for disappointment, or even worse, failure. Irresponsible assumptions are foreign to faith because faith thoroughly prepares on one hand and humbly prays on the other. Preparation also includes the involvement of others because you will not accomplish big things for God by yourself. Jesus didn’t. He called the Twelve to join Him. He has also placed people in your life whose hearts have been inexplicable moved to join you in this God-created opportunity. Let them in and do not be intimidated because they possess skills and experiences you don’t. Instead of lamenting the different backgrounds, personalities, and skills that surround you, celebrate them. A well-rounded variety of relationships and resources bring strength to the whole. A true team is diverse, and a secure leader accepts diversity as a key ingredient in the recipe of success. So unfetter your team from the fear of failure by giving them the freedom to try new things and to test long-held assumptions and methods. Help others prepare by removing obstacles. ‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people’ (Isaiah 57:14). A team—thoroughly prepared—produces. Prayer is the most potent part of your preparation. You cannot pray too much about your methods and motives. Pray for God to be glorified and for His will to be done. Pray for His provision and resources. Pray for relationships you have yet to enter into that will become critical alliances in your God-sized project. It is through prayer that you persevere in preparation. Change occurs primarily in the person praying. Their faith expands and so does their patience. Their love elevates, while their vision grows. In a phrase, their character receives an extreme makeover. Prayer is the crowning jewel of thorough preparation. Prayer gives you courage to speak boldly and the wisdom to know what to say and how to say it. Prayer holds you back when you need to wait in silence. Prayer is preparation, as it aligns you with the Almighty’s agenda. Thorough preparation is your friend. God does not waste preparation; He blesses it. Therefore, be thoroughly prepared following through with the plan with abandonment and gusto. Weave prayer throughout your preparation as if it were an intricately woven quilt, and then watch God work. Thorough preparation positions you to be used by God.' -Boyd Bailey, Wisdom Hunters Devotional

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

When Life Breaks You

This seems to be a reflection of all of our hearts lately.. just wanted to share "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see." Hebrews 11:1 (MSG) "It was a hard year. Heart-breakin' hard. A dream I nurtured for ten years went up in flames. This hope wasn't a passing flight-of-fancy. It was a promise I fully believed was from the Lord. Staying the course and believing for so long was exhausting. And thrilling. Yet in a flash my dream died. My heart was burned and the ashes seemed a proper place to fall. Sad and unresponsive to encouragement, I stayed there a long, long time. My hands {emptied of hope} filled with fists of ashes. I knew I needed to get up; I just couldn't muster the elusive 'oomph' to do it. Grief was the only emotion that felt natural; sorrow was comfortable. Yet I knew, wallowing in the embers would be the death of me as well. And here's the sweet thing: God knew this too. He unwaveringly kneeled next to me, extending a helping-hand up. He promised: This isn't the end. Give Me the ashes; I'll do something with them. Something beautiful. He spoke this message in hundreds of ways. But it wasn't until He was silent that I heard Him at a concert. It was barely noticeable. Permanently engraved on the girl's foot in front of me, the swirly feminine font contrasted with dark masculine ink: Beauty for ashes. And there He was. Our God of redemption and resurrection, speaking His timeless message once again. For me. For you. Give Me the ashes; I'll do something with them.Something beautiful. That was several years ago. And I wish I could tie up my story with a pretty bow. Say that I unclenched my fists; gave God the soot. Have been happy-go-lucky since then. But I won't. Cause I can't. I want to be real. And real is the fact that it's taken every day between then and now to see redeeming qualities from the heartbreak. To be honest, I still don't see much beauty from such devastation. But like I said, I want to be real. And real is also my trust ... my faith ... in a God who makes life worth living. When I can't get a handle on my emotions or wrap my mind around the questions, I'll stay committed to... Take Him at His Word, despite circumstances. Believe He a creative Creator. Hope for what is unseen. I'll continue to look for His goodness, our firm foundation, even if it's from a pile of ashes. Because truly, the most beautiful thing I see from these years and this pain is a faithful God. One who stands by. One who redeems – all things. One who creates masterpieces out of muck. A God who took the most hopeless situation and the ultimate death ... and resurrected hope. Resurrected our Hope: Jesus. And there is the spark we need to light a new fire in us to Give Me the ashes; I'll do something with them. Something beautiful. Dear Lord, I can't see how good will come from my pain. But You are my creative Creator and I know You can work masterpieces out of muck. Today, I recommit my hope and faith in You, and I'm looking up to You. Thanks for kneeling beside me so faithfully. In Jesus' Name, Amen." -Samantha Reed, Proverbs 31 Ministries