I am always amazed when God reveals Himself and His work. Yesterday afternoon I received a text from my prayer warrior. She knew I had told her we were starting a new Step Study for men in our Celebrate Recovery ministry but couldn’t recall the starting date of it. She wanted me to know she was praying God’s Word over me and each of the men in the group (sharing several verses she used). What is amazing to me is God’s timing. Today we start lesson one. Last week when we met we talked through the structure of each week’s meeting, the lessons we’d be addressing and closed the time having each one who came tell why God had prompted them to attend. This past week I’ve had two of the attendees let me know how difficult their week had been trying to address the first lesson. I’m always touched how much God cares for us kids. Showing His care by having someone tell you they are specifically praying God’s Word over you brings me to tears.

This prayer warrior is one of the widows our quartet is singing for this afternoon. I pray we will bring a blessing from God for her as well as for the other widow we will be singing for. God is such a tender, loving Father as well as the CREATOR of all things. What an intimate God He is. Someday I will better understand all of this about Him, for today I simply am grateful!

This morning’s Bible reading had me reading the last chapter of Mark. In it Jesus has arisen and shows himself to Mary, the people on the road in the country and later to the 11 disciples. Towards the end of the chapter He tells the disciples in vs 15 to “Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news to every creature of the human race.” In vs 17 & 18 He tells them , ” these attesting signs will accompany those who believe in My name they will drive out demons; speak in new languages, ….”

Following these scriptures Joyce Meyers writes something which challenges me for this weekend. She says, “I always believed those signs and wonders to be miraculous healings until God began showing me to believe not only for miraculous healings to confirm the Word preached, but also to believe for and expect miraculous breakthroughs and abundant fruit in whatever area I was ministering.” Our quartet is singing tomorrow for a couple of widows we know well who cannot get out any longer on their own. In my mind I wanted to simply give them a blessing tomorrow. However, this morning I sense God nudging to not only give them a blessing of music for their soul, but to also pray over them for the “miraculous healing” they may be praying for which we know nothing about unless we ask.

This message of this morning reminds me that our own neighborhood is part of the world we are to go into taking this blessed Jesus we serve. How much I do love HIM!

Yesterday was a remarkably good day. The school work turned into a real blessing meeting with a teacher who is also a youth pastor on the side along with another who use to be a student of mine when she was a girl. Last night at Celebrate Recovery we had chip night. It turned into almost 30 minutes of real testimony of what God is doing. Everyone was so touched. I taught the lesson following all of this which then led to a couple talking to me following small group. This lasted an hour. God was very present throughout the evening and He was praised! To God be all GLORY!

Today’s scripture reading was Mark 14. In it Christ is preparing the disciples for his crucifixion. Peter’s response to this has always made me realize how human he was and I am. Even though I wouldn’t be the one who boldly said first, as Peter did, the words that even if all others deny you, I would never do that. I would be right behind him acknowledging that I’m with Peter.

For years I measured man’s response to God’s leading from the lens of my dad’s behaviors. He would say things which were never followed through and I would use him as my measuring stick for obedience to God’s leading in my life. These past couple years of addressing boldly the effects of abuse in my past has taught me to let go of all those old habits. Today, reading Mark 14 I see me and how many times I’ve denied God–Jesus. I see and know I haven’t measured up just as Peter hadn’t. I truly want to surrender these behaviors and have Jesus replace them with the fortitude to follow Him forthrightly into each and every day He gives me. He is worthy to be Praised and Followed!

The power of God’s characteristics is boundless. However, as I look back on my life I find that I so often limited this boundless power by my beliefs. I truly think this is one of Satan’s biggest areas of attack (at least it was for me). If we are willing to believe the lies he plants in our minds, God waits for us to see Him as He truly is. This class we do on Tuesday night’s is bringing this truth out into the open. From last year to this year I see so many shackles now removed from the chains for which I had been bound by false beliefs. It has always been easy to believe God’s truths for someone else, but for myself, I couldn’t see them. Now, however, God is taking these lies and replacing them with His glorious Light of Truth. How much I love Him for this!

Freedom to operate in God’s Kingdom is no small thing. The privilege to freely come to God and to be welcomed by Him is so awesome! I love this Father of ours!

Learning to lean into God’s Strength through faith in Him is something He is pressing into my reality of late. It is so easy for us to hear the problems of others and quickly give advice which comes from us. It is such a natural instinct to do this. However, of late, God has been wanting me to realize how this is of man and not of Him. Responding to our instincts may be OK, but people need to know the response is from our initial thinking rather than from God’s Wisdom. God’s Wisdom comes from His Word and from His Spirit within. He wants us leaning into His Spirit’s voice and trusting as we do.

In my devotions this morning I am challenged to take the weight of each hurt, hang-up, habit brought to the table Sunday morning in class and in faith, give it to God trusting that His Will is the Power greater than any of these issues. I in no way want to hinder God’s Power by my own limitations and pride. I want only to be a torch carrier of God’s Light, Wisdom and Power so others see Him and can begin to trust Him with the bondage for which they came. How I love this Father of ours!

Yesterday morning during the 2nd worship hour at our church I led a new step study for men. This is a class taking the 24 lessons of Celebrate Recovery and puts them into 4 booklets which are the meat and potatoes of this ministry. In the class one is confronted with all the hurts, hang-ups and any habits one faces. He is challenged to step out of the denial they exist and have bondage over him. There were 7 men who came for this first class. It was the first time I’ve led a class where two of the men were present to face hurts rather than habits.

I have found over the years that men especially will face a habit (addiction), but when it comes to facing a hurt, they stuff that away because we have to be stronger than that or else we’re just a baby, sissy, etc. We men will eventually get to hurts, but it usually takes a few years of Celebrate Recovery’s journey to get us to open up about them. So, when two men showed up for the class and this was stated as their reason, I felt like we’d jumped a major hurdle. It took me several years of Celebrate Recovery to finally get to the root of the hurts which dominated a habit. I’m so proud of men who come with the hurt at the top of their list. God is working! This is a journey I look forward to being part of in these next several months.

Yesterday was a relaxing yet full day. I went to a men’s breakfast at church which had a speaker who one would think had been through Celebrate Recovery, yet he hadn’t been talked to about the fact we have one. He does now because one of our leaders talked to him afterwards. In the afternoon we went to an open house for a man and wife who were part of CR for a few years. He contracted a rare disease which attacks the body similarly to cancer. Within 6 months he had gone from running marathons to being wheelchair bound. He has gone through a stem-cell transplant and much chemo and is actually gaining some ground now. What was amazing was meeting his parents. I knew he’d graduated from Adrian, OR where I had and I mentioned this to his mom. She asked my name and then told me hers. We were one year apart in high school ourselves. It was an amazing discovery.

I love how God works and I love being involved in God’s Kingdom work. He is such a loving Father!

Yesterday turned out to be one of those days where many loose ends were tied up. I am always thankful for those kind of days. The phone call I wanted to make turned out to be a rich blessing. The individual said it made his day and likewise did mine. In the afternoon I attended a funeral service for a neighboring farm family I grew up with. This mom was 100 years old and the service was such an excellent tribute to her life of obedience to God. I also got to see more than a dozen old classmates which was really fun.

God has been working with me about why I am doing what I am doing. Superficially, I think most of what I do I do for Christ. He has made it clear that the work of schools is from Him as well as the ministry work at church. Yet, when I get questioned as I did yesterday about “why I do what I do” I clam up. When people my age see that you are still doing what they call “work” they think I am doing it for additional income. Rarely does it come to mind when I am asked these questions that I am doing it because I love it and because God has confirmed He wants me where I am. I know I am human and my emotional response to these questions almost freezes me up. I feel selfish at the moment as though I am hungry for material things. This has never been the case but I suppose to man it looks that way.

As I reflect on a couple conversations of yesterday I’ll continue to leave all of this in God’s hands. I truly want only to please Him and obey His leadership in my life.