"One Time"

My Boss, Zo and I met this weekend and we prayed a lot! God moved in an amazing way!!! I got really fired up about some of the things God is speaking. I talked with my team this summer a lot about how the enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy us. We talked about how to guard the seed that God has planted in us and give it a good environment to grow in.

One of our guys would always say "One Time" after everything! "Can I get a coke, one time?", "Where is my shirt, one time?", "Let's go get ice cream, one time."...you get the picture! He got all of us sayin, “One time” and it cracks me up!

I was reminded yesterday of the ULTIMATE “One Time”…..“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” – I Peter 3:18

I don’t know about you, but that humbles me. We deserve death and he took it for us ONCE and that was enough. One thing that I have been seeing a lot lately is that as sinful creatures, we slap Him in the face a lot by the way we live our days. He asks us to do something and we have the nerve to say “No” or “Later”. He asks us to be Righteous and Holy and we say “It’s too hard.”, or “I can do this and still be a Christian.”

Don’t slap Him in the face by compromising. He Died for you….it is not too much for you to LIVE for Him. It REQUIRES sacrifice, but the joy of HIS journey and the lightweight of HIS burden is Worth it!!! “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’.” – Luke 9:23

This Life is NOT about YOU!

Let that sink in ONE TIME!!!

Beautiful People

Late night thoughts are sometimes dangerous. But, I am going to take a risk....

I have contemplated life more this year than I EVER remember. Just stopping to take in the mountain view or to THINK about what is actually going on around me. I don't know if we do that enough.

This summer, I was challenged in more ways than I can adequately describe in words. ALL of my dreams, hopes and wishes were challenged. I examined my heart in ways that I never thought was possible. I asked myself HARD questions, and I made some BIG mistakes with my attitude and the way I perceived my circumstances.

As fall approaches, I am coming to my 4 year anniversary with Crossover, and Crossover is celebrating it's 10th Birthday. I am standing on the brink of our "New" year in ministry and I ponder the depth of God's promises and the shallowness of my belief.

I am inspired by friends of mine who are living a portion of my dream by pursuing adoption of a Chinese orphan.

http://www.nogreaterjoydad.com/2011/08/testimony-matt-peterson-in-china-says.html

I am curious about God's timing and the fact that His biggest promise to me still lays unfulfilled in my heart after 14 years of waiting. (That's longer than Joseph waited....just sayin'! ) Haha!

I am dust. I am reduced to a pile of dirt in the hand of my Father God. My hope is exasperated. My needs seem ignored. My hurts are unrecognized or scoffed at. Yet.....HE remains STEADFAST.

One of the girls on my tour sent me this quote. I feel that it describes our lives so beautifully.

‎"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." — Elizabeth Kubler Ross

My heart aches for the Tree of Life as described in Proverbs 13:12. May it not tarry as it has in the past. For HIS Glory and HIS renown.