Yesterday I drove up the bumpy dirt road from my house to the highway singing my heart out to God, the wheels of my thoughts still turning from the time I’d had with Him earlier that morning. My soul felt alive. My eyes, wide awake. I pulled out onto the main road and wound my way to work, passing all the familiar scenes. Farms and pastures gave way to schools and businesses and, with every mile, I grew more preoccupied with one glorious wonder: God’s willingness to do that thing that He does again and again. Moved that, after umpteen million ups and downs, God is still willing to move me.

I love that God is a God of again. I’ll get dry and think the bloom is behind me and that the best I’ll be able to do is maintain and try not to lose what I have left. Then I’ll be scared it’s all gone and never coming back.

And here He’ll come again. The Scriptures will jump back to life for me like breathing bones. The Cross will suddenly feel to me like it all happened yesterday and like I was right there in the gore and grandeur and grace of it all. I’ll feel alive with belovedness and anxious to love. Awake with forgivenness and anxious to forgive. I’ll feel called and sent and ready to go. The reverberating power of the empty tomb will fill my soul again and I’ll try my hardest to roll that stone back over the entrance and trap Him in. Then, like Mary Magdalene, I’ll throw my arms around His neck and try to hold onto Him right there where He appears most obvious to me. I want Jesus to stay put. I want it in the worst way. But then…

The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

 Try as you may, you can’t catch the Holy Spirit like a firefly and keep Him in a jar.

Of course Jesus never leaves us. We are sealed.

He abides. He remains.

His presence is a fact, not a feeling. But those moments when He’s willing to make Himself known are without equal, I think, in the human experience. The next day comes and its demands and distractions with it. I read and not much happens. I pray and not much moves.

But sooner than later, His fullness comes again. His shadow will pass nearby through some kindness, some revelation, some word on that sacred page – and maybe not even to me but to someone I love – and my heart will light up again. Or tears will well in my eyes. Not just tears of sentiment, though they are a gift and have their place, but eyes pooled with the Spirit. Enlightened with fresh hope.

Only God can keep doing that again. He alone can quicken our souls like that. He is the initiator. He who brought it, brings it back. He who did it, does it again.

What patience.

What love.

What resistance to boredom.

What willingness to risk that faithfulness could be misinterpreted to its receivers as routine.

Abide with me just a moment in the wonder of this: God is willing to awaken our sleepy, sluggish, selfish, sinful souls over and over again.

I’m not new to so much of this. I was in the church nursery by a few weeks old. I’ve heard ten thousand sermons and read nearly as many books. I’ve heard the sound of my own teaching until I thought that if I heard another word from this mouth, I’d have to punch myself and I’ve wondered how God couldn’t be sick of me, too. This has been my life between and within the train wrecks. I’m not new to Jesus. I’m not full of surprises to Him. I’m not new on the docket. But in His unfathomable and tender mercy, He keeps making Himself new to me.

That’s what takes my breath away today.

And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. Judges 13:9

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 1 Samuel 3:8

And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3:21

And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 1 Kings 17:22

And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 1 Kings 19:7

He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 2 Chronicles 33:13

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:7

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21

Again.

Blessed, beautiful, merciful, divine again.

So I write today for someone with a heart for Jesus who wonders how she’s going to keep it. And, if she can’t, how she can get it back again. Someone whose life, marriage, health, home, sanity, job or ministry depends on it. You’re the one I want to talk to today. I’ve been you. I’m still you.

He who chose you before creation, authored your faith, and birthed new life in you through His Spirit will see to your reawakening again and again. Not in your timing but in His. Not with your methods but with His. He alone ignites, sustains, and reignites holy fire. The fire is in His palm. It is not of your making. It is not yours to manufacture.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do when all is cold and ashes.

When you’re parched, tell Him you are. When your eyes are dim to wonder, tell Him you cannot see. When you’re getting bored, have the courage to say it. When you think you’ve heard it all, tell Him your heart is lying to you, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When you get sick of yourself, plead to see in the mirror what He sees in you. When you get sick of somebody else, hold your frozen heart straight up to the heat of His holiness.

When nothing moves you, move to the floor. Tell Him you’ve got to have Him teeming with life in your bones. Beckon Him and welcome Him over and over to pour His Spirit on you. And He’ll do it again. In His own time and His own way but, make no mistake. He will do it again. Even when we’re the ones who ran off the fullness of His Spirit.

But the hair of [Samson’s] head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Judges 16:22

Praise God.

Even when your body lays lifeless on your deathbed, He will do it again. He will stand you on your feet in His presence.

God cannot seem to resist an opportunity to resurrect.

You don’t have to accept the waning of wonder as the natural evolution of a long-term relationship. Accept it as a visitor but refuse it as a resident. And, when it visits, don’t waste all your energy ranting and writhing and despising it. The floor in the banquet hall of revival is always made of sand. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. A garden blooming is not a miracle. A desert blooming, now that’s the miracle.

It takes a certain amount of lifelessness to know what it means to be revived.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 43:5

This morning I got an email from a sweet lady asking where in the world she should start? Start what, you might wonder? Where to start as a new believer. Basically, HOW IN THE WORLD DOES ONE DO THIS THING?

At first I wanted to forward the email on because I didn’t feel the least bit qualified to answer such a question, especially when she mentioned that “though she wasn’t saying reading the book of John as the standard answer is a bad answer”, she just wanted more.

To be more specific, she wondered, “If I don’t want to look like a complete fool as it relates to Biblical knowledge, history, early church, and generally how the Bible was compiled, where do I begin?”

I so appreciated the email because I feel like there are so many out there asking that very same question, hence the reason for this post. Maybe they’ve even read the book of John, but are having trouble interpreting it and they just need some clarity. I get that, I really do.

So, in all my naïve wisdom, as a 28-year-old still-learning-what-life-is-all-about, I am here to offer you what I personally have done, and what I know scripture points to.

1) PRAY.
I know. That’s not what you were looking for. But it’s the gospel truth. Tell the Lord EXACTLY what you are thinking and feeling, He already knows anyway. If you read a portion of scripture and you are more confused than when you dove in, tell Him. Be honest. If you can’t be honest with the God of the Universe, I don’t know who you can be honest with. And of all people, He can handle it. And He cares. So, pray.

One very specific thing you can pray if you’re just starting out as a new believer (or a seasoned believer) and treading uncharted territory is, Lord, open my mind to understand your scriptures! It is straight out of Luke, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…” Luke 24:45. In fact, I have that plastered on a sticky note right in front of my computer at work so I remember to pray that. Because news flash, a lot of times I don’t always understand! He hears you! The last thing you should do is let your lack of understanding keep you from reading the scriptures. Find a translation you like that works for you. It’s okay if everyone around is you is into the English Standard Version (ESV) and you’re drawn to the New Living Translation (NLT). Don’t let comparison discourage you! Read The Message translation if you like it. There is no formula! I have personally found that for me one of the enemy’s biggest schemes is to get my mind wandering away from all or any thing Jesus. The more I allow my mind to wander and daydream, the worse off I am. The more I am in the scriptures (and it is a FIGHT at times) the more sane I feel.

2) CHURCH.
Yes, this millennial is telling you to get yourself in a church. It’s a big deal! Whether you believe in it or not, you need those people. You need the church. You need the older. The wiser. The younger. The married. The single. The children. The people. As hard as you try, you can’t (and won’t for long) survive without them. These are the people that will welcome you, encourage you, love you, pray for you, laugh with you, cry with you, teach you and grow with you. You have a place (and a gifting – 1 Corinthians 12:27) in the body of Christ, don’t let anyone tell you different. Plug yourself into a church where Jesus is the focus. That may seem obvious, but it’s vital.

Consider Hebrews 10:24-25 to help you understand why the church is of utmost importance, I really like it in the Amplified version.

“And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.”

Side note: Besides learning the discipline of prayer, this may cause you to be the most brave, but do it! You will find all manner of excuses not to go, but ignore them. Create the time go and commit! Commit until you know that if you missed, someone would notice. I know for some this may mean going alone, but if you never try it, you might not experience the blessing. Be brave, friend!

3) BIBLE STUDY.
I have found that the easiest way to meet people in church is to either serve or attend a small group or Bible study of some sort. Once you find a church, this will be a little easier, as most churches offer multiple Bible studies. If you’re not comfortable serving right away, no shame! You may not even know where you’re needed or what you’d be interested in doing. So, start by attending a weekly study either on the campus of your church or in someone’s home. And by all means, if this is foreign to you and you have no idea how to go about doing this, for heaven’s sake, ask somebody! Find someone standing behind an information table, ask the person sitting next to you, just ask. People are there to help, and they want to help! Simply put, the easiest way to get acquainted with the Word is to study it, and studying it with other people around you is even better, especially if you’re just beginning. Plus, this increases the level of accountability, and we all need someone to assist us in this. Even better: Ask if your church hosts any type of Bible class. You never know what the church might offer.

Can I just be honest? This is all hard. Life get’s busy, distractions pop up, you get weary. Maybe results are slim, but in the end, it will be worth it. You’ll NEVER waste a minute pursuing Christ. So to those of you who are brand new to this Jesus thing, we ARE SO GLAD you landed here! Persevere, walk it out, get honest, and just have fun. And for the record, and if you hear one thing, hear this, if anyone makes you feel like a fool for not knowing the “basics” of studying the Bible, or having to look in the table of contents to find a certain book of the Bible (which, hello, I have done just recently), then you can find a new friend. NO ONE should make you feel like that! We ALL started there. No one came out of the womb a know-it-all. You are never a fool for asking questions and being honest. Never.

If you’re looking for specific books that are more in-depth, and study books that aren’t necessarily Bible studies, a few years ago Beth compiled a list for our blog readers. You can find that here! It has some really great resources for anyone, but especially if you desire to be a student of the Word.

And if this is old news to some of you, then encourage somebody with it who has the same questions. It’s all about discipleship!

I’ve heard it said a million times by a pastor I respect greatly, you don’t just stumble into godliness, it takes work! As with most things, there is so much more you can do, but this is a start! There is hope, and godliness is possible.

We love y’all so much.

Happy Monday, friends! Here is the video recap for Spokane. We cannot wait to hear all about your weekend! Much love today!

Living Proof Live | Spokane from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Howdy, friends!

Allow me to reintroduce myself to you:  My name is Lindsee, I was born and raised in Houston, TX, I’m tall with brunette hair and…

I’m only kidding.

It’s been well over two weeks since I’ve poked my head around these parts of the LPM Blog. While I literally keep the blog up on my computer screen at all times during the workday, I’ve only been present behind the scenes.  I’ve not said hello!

So, hello! Or, howdy. Or, hi. Or, aloha. Or, whatever synonym you can come up with.

About two weeks ago I set out with my sweet roommate and we headed west to the great state of California.

(Is this where I admit my jealousy for you fine folks that live there ALL THE TIME. My word, it is stunning in every way. Minus the earthquakes, which, thank you, Jesus, I did not have the pleasure of experiencing.)

Anyway, one of the beauties of being single is having a little more freedom to travel, if you have the vacation time.  I hadn’t used my vacation time to actually take a real life vacation in a while, so I did just that. We spent six days traveling all over Northern California, gallivanting through San Francisco, driving down The 1 (are you proud of me for using “The 1” correctly?), stopping every 15 minutes on the highway to take it all in, pulling out our iPhones trying to capture the beauty in pictures, rested, rode a few cable cars, ate some incredible food, were fascinated by all manner of people watching, toured Napa, stood inside big Redwood Trees and other fun things like that.

Listen, if you’re a creature of habit like I tend to be and desire to vacation to the same places over and over again, can I just encourage you to take a risk and visit somewhere you’ve never been? There is so much joy in seeing different cities and cultures and meeting new people. Just try it. And if you hate it, by all means, go back to your happy place.

Needless to say, I’m beyond grateful for that precious time off and a sweet time of rest and renewal.

A few days after I got back I was at lunch with my coworkers when I confessed to them that I had gone on my trip with the expectation that the Lord would give me some big revelation about Himself, or some insight on things I was praying about when, lo and behold, I returned with a phone bursting of breathtaking pictures, fun memories galore, but a journal full of empty pages. Although I spent most of my trip in complete awe of the Lord’s stunning creation, I didn’t get my big revelation.

Right after I shared that thought over lunch, Beth, understanding this phenomenon, shared that often when she’s in a creative setting (Insert: The California Coast) is when she is less creative.  She mentioned that usually it’s when she covers her eyes with her hands and can see absolutely nothing that the Lord gives her the most revelation because nothing is distracting her from her goal.

I realize it’s not impossible to get revelation, creativity, and inspiration in stunning places, as this may be where some of you thrive, but for me, it made so much sense. The more beautiful my surroundings the less creative I am because I don’t NEED to be creative! Light bulb moment for yours truly.

I’ve sat at my desk 28 times since then and shut my eyes to see what might be revealed, and still nothing but black, but I trust the Lord. I trust that when we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.

Because I tend to process things a little slower, I’ve thought about that statement every day since and tested it in myself to see if that is true of me, too. And, I think it is. Since then, I’ve realized that most of my inspiration, creativity, revelation or however you want to label it comes by sitting down with a friend over coffee, or simply reading. And sometimes, it just takes faith and a fresh piece of paper and a new pen.

Naturally, it got me thinking about all of you. Sometimes I read the comments from you ladies and am stunned at the revelations and words you share. The way the Lord uses you to encourage all of us stuns me. I often wonder what your relationship with Jesus is like. Isn’t it crazy that sometimes even through a computer screen we can sense someone’s intimacy with Jesus? Only God.

So I’m curious, where do you find that you are most creative? In what spaces does the Lord often reveal Himself to you? Is it on the beautiful coast of California, or in your day to day reflections and routines? When I was on staff at a church before coming to LPM, I was known to ‘preach’ to the students that they did not have to wait for summer camp for the Lord to do something big in their life. He wants to do something in us in the midst of our everyday lives. I still hold true to that. I’m a big fan of camp, and getting away, even Jesus did that, but I’m also a big fan of seeking Him in our routine days.

He is so faithful, my friends. So faithful.

And in case you needed some refreshment, look no further than the west coast.

Carmel, California. Yes, please!

You can’t go to San Francisco and not get a picture perfect postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge. Perfect Day.

Sunset at the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Napa.

The 17 mile drive. Stunning.

Deep sigh. It only took seven days to fall in love with California. I miss it already.

UPDATE: We are so excited to tell you that all of our tickets allotted to give away for Spokane have been shared! The Lord knows each name, and each need. We would be so grateful for your prayers over these and all attendees this weekend. Thank you, Siestas!

Good Tuesday, Ladies!
It’s a thunderstorm kind of morning here in Houston, but we gladly welcome the heavy rains! The rain may have slowed down traffic this morning, but it hasn’t stopped our beloved Beth from preparing for this weekends’ LPL in Spokane!

As Beth is hard at her studies, we want to remind you about our new ticket giveaway initiative. We are still experimenting how best to do our giveaways, so we thank you for your patience during this transition.  Our desire and ongoing emphasis this year is toward those who may not know Christ at all, or maybe have never been discipled in His Word.  Young, old, friend, or family, we welcome them.  If while inviting them to attend, you yourself also need a ticket, then we by all means want to help you go.

Personal invitations are huge! Do not be discouraged if the friend or family member you asked declines your invite. No discouragement! Keep looking for open doors and open hearts and keep pressing on in prayer. I said to my roommate just a couple of weeks ago if I had not grown up in a family that believed in and loved Jesus, and took me to church every single week of my life, I wonder who would have told me about Jesus? Who would have invited me to church? To a conference? To Bible study? Let that sit on you today. As Believer’s, pointing others to Jesus is our job, and our joy; to tell those who don’t know about Jesus, or simply get them somewhere they will undoubtedly hear about Him. We are praying and believing for salvations this year!

With four days until the event, we still have some tickets for Spokane we would love to give away. And we will do so until the last one is snatched up.  If you aren’t near Spokane, keep in mind upcoming LPL’s near you: 2014 Schedule   Just call and ask for Kimberly here at the ministry, and she will get you set up: 1-888-700-1999

If you need a refresher on our new emphasis this year, or for some reason you missed it, just click here.

We love y’all so much!

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms of all kinds! This post is especially for those who could stand to feel a little happier in their mothering. Below you’ll find the link to the file I reference in the latter half of the video. Watch it first so that you’ll get the context. This little video is not slick or well-rehearsed but it comes with earnestness and love. May Christ continue to perform miracles in your family and in your home. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

To Moms With Love from LPV on Vimeo.

You are highly esteemed around here!

Armed For Prayer

OK, everybody! Here are the results of our random drawing for our book giveaways! I wish so much we could send one to each of you who entered. I so badly wanted some of the men to win! Bless them for posting on our blog today!

Carole Hunt

Addison Rothrock

Brandy Tucker

Gina Myers

McKenzie

Julie Meador

Kristin Funston

Allie Field

Sarah Bryant

Betsy Martin

Mykael Story

Stephanie Bandy

Cami Lang

Amy Harris

Patricia Hoskins

Brenda Prose

Heather Briggs

Robin Lamp

Jill Roberts

Amy Wilch

Dawn Reeves

Angie Osborne

Alison Vaughan

Please email LPM as soon as you can at [email protected] with the street address (no P.O. boxes please) where you want the personalized book sent and we will get right on it! Thank you! We are so blessed to serve you! Tons of love to you all.

Hey, Everybody! We would just love to do a drawing to give away 23 personalized copies of Feathers From My Nest for Mother’s Day. It’s the only official “Mom” book I’ve ever done. I wrote it with wet affection right after my youngest daughter went to college and it is still dear to me. The idea to do a random drawing for a giveaway occurred to me right at closing yesterday so I asked KMac and Evangeline to do a quick perusal and tell me how many copies we have on hand at the ministry. They looked on our resource shelf then around several tables and came up with exactly 23 copies. That’s the reason for the random number. If we find any more around the ministry, we’ll add those into the drawing and give them away, too! I wish I’d thought of it sooner and we would have placed an order for more but we’ll have fun with this many. I so hope some moms will enjoy it.

If you’re interested in winning one, here’s what you do: Leave a comment to this post with your own first and last name and then the first name of the person you want to receive it for Mother’s Day so that I can personalize it. 

We’re going to do a really fast turn-around because we want to get them into the mail in time for Mother’s Day. That means we need to close the post at 11:30 AM this morning. We will then post the 23 winners at 12 noon today in a second post and ask them to jot us a brief email as soon as possible to supply us with a mailing address for the book.

Sound easy enough? Let’s do it!

So much love to you guys today!

Living Proof Live | Hershey from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Hi Siestas!  Many of you may have read Beth’s post from Monday about how she feels God directing our ticket giveaway for Living Proof Live.  Thank you for your great feedback and encouragement as we seek to hear Him and follow His lead!

We still have leftover giveaway tickets for Hershey from our Monday post. Our initiative remains the same but 24-hours out, if we still have tickets, we want to give them away!

Call and ask for Kimberly here at the ministry, and we will get you set up: 1-888-700-1999

LPM loves you!