July is a special month for me. It starts with my birthday and then 6 days later our daughter Angie’s day. However, 22 days after mine is Kathy’s. Today she joins me in this new decade which I’ll leave with you to figure out which one it is! Little did I know 39 years ago what a treasure I was receiving from God when He gave me Kathy as my wife and she said yes to my question! Yes, God gives us new freedom as our journey with Him continues, but if it weren’t for Kathy, I doubt I’d ever know the freedom of being a new creation like I now know it. She has been the one who never doubted what God intended when he created me. Not only has Kathy been my most valued encourager, but I’ve watched her do this over and over again with our own children, grandchildren and a host of ladies and men who come to Celebrate Recovery. It is with much love and gratitude I wish her Happy Birthday today! What a gift to life you are! My journey stops for a moment today to tell you THANK YOU and to know you are loved beyond words!

The Celebrate Recovery Summit has begun and it started with a wonderful tribute being given for the founder of it 30 years ago. His name is John Baker and he passed away last February. His son and wife are the new directors of it and a wonderful commissioning was given for them. It was most touching.

Our prayer warrior, Lois (90 years of age), conducted a workshop for our leadership team in the afternoon yesterday. Her focus was on prayer with emphasis on believing and trusting the power of prayer. I think all of us who come to CR struggle with the power of our prayers. We can easily believe for someone else, but to believe in oneself is a whole different story. Lois provided a good deal of spiritual wisdom along with telling her own walk with God establishing her own belief. She will be coming back today to give a second workshop. This time it will be simply to answer questions from individuals who have a stumbling block in any area of prayer. I look forward to this time. This dear lady has been a huge spiritual help for me in the past many years and our group has grown to love her and her help with all of us. God is so good at putting just the right person in our path at the right time. How I love and thank Him for this Goodness.

Today begins the first of 3 days for the Celebrate Recovery Summit. We will be attending it virtually again this year as in last year. They have it live for those who are attending in person. The beauty of virtual is that we have 18 attending where in person the costs make it too expensive for more than 3-4. I’m eager to learn what this summit will bring.

Today’s devotional message is all about HOPE. Recently I was talking to our prayer warrior about the absence of hope in the men attending the Mending the Soul class. I had told her they needed hope in order to even have the “faith of a mustard seed”. I even said that to me, faith is the spiritual substance of hope. Of course, this was just my own interpretation. Today, however, in Zephaniah 9:12 it says, “Return to the stronghold you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity to you.” Joyce Meyers writes that a prisoner of hope is someone who refuses to stop hoping in God.

I’ve always thought hope was a nice thing to have, but faith was far more important. Well, I’m readjusting today. Hope is far more substantial than I ever gave it credit. I’m going to picture for now a garden of hope where I plant a seed of faith and start with this. I’m going to hope for a mighty harvest!

This is getting written much later in the morning than usual. The last leg of my flight home yesterday was delayed over 3 hours making my arrival home 12:30 am rather than 9:30 pm. When I crawled into bed it was approaching 2:00 am. Far more than half of the night’s sleep was already gone! All of that doesn’t matter however when I put it up against the worthwhileness of the trip. The meeting yesterday was inspiring to say the least. This new superintendent is truly a believer with passion I don’t often see in our profession. Along with this, he is not afraid to stand up to any issue needing addressed in a supportive yet firm way. Then, on the ride back to Spokane he had his wife accompany us so she could “keep him awake on his 3 hour drive home.” She is equally as committed a Christian as he. It was a delight all the way around.

This morning as I was journaling to Jesus I was thanking Him for keeping me focused on Him and trust His leading. Instead of dreading another district to work with, I look forward to the opportunity. In my reading of Zephaniah this morning the in chapter 6, vs 15 it says in part, “…And this shall come to pass if you will obey the voice of the Lord your God.” God is sure driving home the message of obedience to His Leadership. Learning to obey and know my boundaries within the obedience is my latest next step.

Today I’m in Montana to begin the consulting work with a new school district here. The superintendent picked me up from the airport yesterday afternoon and we drove the 3 hours to the town talking intensely regarding what the work would look like for this coming school year. The more we talked the more I could easily see this connection working. He is a strong believer and was raised in a strong Christian home and continues this with his own home. He is only a year old in his superintendent role so he is very open to learning which is a huge plus on his part. As I awoke during the night I thanked God for the opportunity to work with this place and with this man.

As I was reading in Zachariah this morning earlier I find such relevant instruction. He himself is learning that his role is to complete what God inspires within him to do. He is not to do what God Himself is to do. Learning to separate my own role from God’s is a lesson unto itself. I am a doer by nature but learning my boundaries in what my job is has been a continual lesson. Providing insights is much of what my consulting work does. However, creating the desire to complete the work with the ones I consult with is God’s work. I don’t need to think I’m here to change people. God is the Change Agent through His Holy Spirit. I give this to Him. God is never done shaping us into a greater image of Himself.

This morning, after I go to church and lead the class for Mending the Soul, I head to the airport. I’m going to meet with the superintendent of a school district in northwest Montana. Several months ago I was asked to consider working with this district in the coming year. I said I’d pray about it and actually didn’t give it much thought until a couple months later when they called again and asked what I was thinking? It is then that I began to pray and ask God what He thought/wanted? I still thought it was not to happen. I was going to make this my last year and so why would I add more work to it? The amazing thing to me is that God kept inspiring reasons to go rather than reasons to not go. Today, I go and the superintendent is meeting me at the airport in Spokane so we can use the driving time to get started. Tomorrow we will continue to define the work ahead and then I’ll fly home–hopefully with a schedule that God builds.

I’ve written before how I struggle with secular work being God’s work. Yet, in this case there is no struggle for I’ve seen too much of God’s work putting it together to question His leadership. Here we go.

Yesterday morning I received a text message from a lady who had read my book and had sent it to her husband. They separated almost a year ago due to his addiction which has been motivated by his running from childhood sexual abuse. The reason for the text yesterday was because he had called his wife and asked to talk. He has begun to read the book finding it very painful yet, he said he was committed to finishing it. He hasn’t thought God could love someone who had been used like he had. I know this message all too well. God is working and never stops working. How much I praise Him for this!

Today is one of those days for which I have little, if anything to say. It is not that it is a bad day, I have lots of things going through my mind, but none of which seems worthy of writing down. As I had gone to prayer time in my devotions I saw the word PRAISE at the top of my prayer list. I know to praise and I did praise God/Jesus. I needed to remind myself too that joy comes in the morning and it is morning.

My brothers and I with our wives get together once a month and yesterday was the day. Most of the time I enjoy them and I actually enjoyed yesterday. However, one of the topics discussed was growing up on the farm and the work of doing so. I was the one brother who wanted to use the shovel and not the tractors and equipment. If something went wrong with them I would be stuck for I have never been good with mechanical issues. Why this troubled me yesterday, I don’t know but it is carrying over to this morning. My brothers loved the tractor work. For a moment it reminded me how different I am from them and how limited I always felt I was not being like them or dad.

OK, I’ve written this down and now I let it go. I’ve not learned to appreciate who I am very much. But, right now I thank God for making me the way I am. I am not gifted as my brothers, but God made me the way I am with purpose in mind. I will use who I am for Him and I will praise Him in so doing. Praise God!

Joy is a decision rather than an emotion. How many times have you heard this? I’ve heard it for much of my adult life. Yet, I far too often equate it to being happy. I tend to do the same thing with praise. We are instructed to praise God in all circumstances. Yet, what I often do is ask God how to praise Him when circumstances are dismal. I have a post-it note on my desk with PRAISE written on it to remind me each morning to do that–PRAISE HIM. I will say that in praising God, I sense Joy. I sense the peace that passeth all understanding.

God never stops working to complete His purposes in creating us. He wants us to know He never makes a mistake. I am learning this much more fully in life today and I continue to stand in amazement for this. To God be the glory!

Yesterday’s prayer time was amazing. It was interesting to hear the different ones participating tell how God had given them a peace about being present. Man is never to take charge in items that belong to God and His Spiritual Authority. Yes, man is to do our part, but in this case, man’s part was to be present and obedient to God’s nudges. God made very clear what this lady needed to do and this came out during the evening. It was a privilege to watch this process unfold.

This morning in less than an hour my oldest grandson graduates from basic training in the Air Force. We get to watch it on line. He has joined and is going into special forces. All of the cognitive tests have been passed at very high levels and he has already been recognized by his commanding officers as a leader of his group of men. It is a joy to watch this take place. A letter from him just yesterday said that he was praying each day for grandma and me knowing we also pray daily for him. I had never once thought about the time when my own grandchildren would pray for me. What a tearful honor this is!

God is such a GOOD GOD! What an honor it is to serve Him. Learning to let Him lead in every aspect of my life is an ongoing process and a daily exercise. Yet, I love watching and participating in life with Him.

It is so amazing to me how egocentric we are. No matter how much I believe and trust, I find myself needing to be brought back to the fact it is not what I do but it is what I surrender and let God do. Later this afternoon we meet to pray over this lady from Celebrate Recovery who is in bondage. I keep thinking I need to do this and that in order to be ready. Then, when I asked Jesus what He wanted me to know for today He reminded me that my task is to BELIEVE. There is no power in what I do if Jesus is not in the lead. It seems to be inherent in man to think he always has to lead. I surrender over and over and I’ll need to keep doing this. The other big item is I need to quit thinking about doing and think about believing. This is a real shift and I need to spend much more time in this arena.

If you are nudged at 5:30 MDT to pray for Lois (our prayer warrior) and for this lady from CR, I’d appreciate it. Yes, I will be present too so praying for all of us as we address this bondage will be deeply appreciated. I won’t tell the whole story here, but evil is being confronted today in the Name and the Power of Jesus Christ–our Great Healer!