Come to Me, I'm all you need...

One of my favorite CDs is The Loft Session from Bethel Live. This morning I sat listening to this song, Come To Me and found such reassurance and strength in just being with our Lord, sitting with Him, listening for Him, resting in Him. Such joy and blessing and abundance is ours when we take time to do this. May you find blessing as you listen here...

Blessing & Abundance Part 2

So, I was doing a little online reading about the meaning within the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, and I found this essay: The Priestly Blessing One of the things that Tim Hegg opens up is the possibility of a relationship between the words within each phrase. He suggests that it could read like this:

The LORD bless you, that is may he keep you;

The LORD make his face to shine upon you, that is may he demonstrate and 

pour out his grace upon you;

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, that is may he give you his peace.

What is the relationship between blessing you and keeping you? What is the relationship between God's face shining upon you and his grace poured out upon you? What is the relationship between God's countenance lifted up upon you and his peace given to you? When I read the blessing with those relational questions in mind... something broke open!

God's blessing? He keeps us as in protects, cares for, holds secure (like the keep of a fortress), provides for.
God's shining face? His abundant grace demonstrated in His Son, poured out by Him for life ... OUR life to be redeemed. And, shining? His love for His Son, for us. His glory... His g-l-o-r-y.
God's countenance lifted up? As He looks upon us through those eyes of love and grace ... we receive peace that goes beyond anything the world can understand. Redeemed. Restored. Renewed.

In this blessing we receive a relationship with the LORD God himself, a covenant of His making... initiated by His love for us, fulfilled through Christ's love for us, and sealed by His Holy Spirit's love within us. Is this not verse 27? By this blessing God puts His Name upon us... we are His. This is abundance beyond what we can ask or imagine.

As we come to Him this Lenten season in humble repentance, may we see the gift of this blessing... and let us bless the LORD.

Blessing & Abundance

One day last week I went cross-country skiing. I took a trail I've done many times before (OK, so it was 20 years ago!) and I thought I knew it well. Then, I came to this fork in the trail. Where did this fork come from? This isn't supposed to be here!

I stood there on my skis for a good 5 minutes trying to determine where I was and which trail to take. There were no markings telling me the name of the trails or direction to go. So, what to do? I finally decided that it didn't matter. Both trails were groomed for skiing ... so one may be longer and tougher than the other, but eventually both have to lead me home. It occurred to me that this is where I stand in making a decision about my future.

God has given me a choice and one trail may be easier than the other, one may be longer than the other, one may have more hills while the other has more curves. The point is that whichever trail I take, God will go with me. Whichever trail I take He will lead me and teach me what I need to know, He will train and equip me for that particular trail, and He will show me how I need to grow. And, because God goes with me, either trail is a trail of blessing and abundance. This is true because God is God and His nature is to bless. And, when God blesses... that is abundance!

Now, I don't mean blessing or abundance that looks like a big bank roll or a lavishly appointed house or 200 pair of shoes. What I mean is the blessing of His Presence with us, that He keeps us and protects us, that He delights in us and saves us by His scandalous grace, that He is our God and marks us with His Name -

Christ-ians. 

This blessing gives us His peace... His shalom: well-being, contentment, completeness, wholeness, harmony. Such abundance! 

Whichever trail I take, God goes with me, He is Present with me. That is blessing & abundance enough. The LORD be with you...

Firsts...

This past week or so blessed me with a number of firsts. One was a true first, meaning I have never done it before with any success, and the other two I have done before but they are firsts for this time at Honey Rock. Regardless of whether it was a first-time first or a first-time for this time first they all blessed me ... exceedingly. Wonderstruck blessed to borrow the word from Margaret Feinberg's book. So...

Tammy is in the blue. New friends Nathan and Sara bundled up for the ride.

This was my first time back on a horse in, oh I'd say, about 20 years, and it was marvelous! Tammy Johns* a Honey Rock Wrangler asked me to join a small group to ride a trail and see if it was safe for taking retreat groups out. Only about 4-5" of snow covered an icy base. Not the best conditions for the horses. It was a very cold day... and I mean VERY COLD, so she advised us to bundle up in case we had to walk the horses back to the barn. Walk? I was so bundled up I wondered if I was going to be able to get up into the saddle! But, with a little bounce I was successful and Jesse (my horse) and I set out with the others.

Tammy leading us into God's blessing.

Tammy led us through fields, passed bogs, under snow-ladened branches, between majestic firs. I wish I could describe the sound of the horses hooves plodding into the fresh snow. I wish I could describe the gentle kisses of wet flakes as they landed on our cheeks and noses. I wish I could describe the fellowship that grew between us and the horses and the nature which embraced us. It was ...

Beautiful.
Quiet.
Peace-filled.
Joy-filled.

I could have stayed out longer but toes and noses were beginning to feel the single digits.

Interestingly enough, those single digits rarely hinder any of us from venturing out into the beauty around us. A couple of days ago, I put on a pair of cross-country skis determined to find my skiing rhythm again.

The first 20 yards or so were a bit shaky... or I should say ... slippery. Arms and legs didn't seem to want to work together. But as I passed the field where I first learned how to cross-country ski, the song "Elvira" began playing from my memory. It's the song the Honey Rock staff used to teach a rhythm for cross-country skiing. I laughed when I remembered it, but it worked! Soon, I was on my way following trail signs and again, marveling at the untouched beauty of the woods. I chose a trail that had not been used for a while and found myself skiing through new snow. Often times I would stop to look and listen. The fir-tops reaching up to the blue canopy of sky. Birds singing into the silences laden with God's glory. How could this not fill one with wonder?

Where did that log come from ?!!!

Then, the inevitable happened. The path descended a hill and turned a corner. I wasn't so hesitant about the hill or the corner, but I couldn't see what lay beyond it. Well, there was nothing to do but point the skis in the right direction and hope for the best. You guessed it. Major wipe out. A log had fallen over the path. One ski lodged underneath and the other slipped over the top. Unlike downhill skis that release when you fall, cross-country skis stay put. My skis stayed put and I went over! No broken bones. As a matter of fact, no injuries whatsoever! It was, however, really really funny. I couldn't get at my boots to release the skis and I was majorly stuck. So, for a short time I just lay there looking up. Snow fell softly, drifting all around me. The birds chirped wondering what knucklehead decided to invade their home. And, the angels laughed with me... and I believe, literally helped me up. Somehow I was able to back up and release my ski from the log. I was back on track and enjoying every moment.

Cushman's olive oil and my first success at bread making!

The last first... well, for this week... was my attempt to bake bread. You have to understand that I DO NOT choose to cook or bake unless needed. My sisters are the professionals in the kitchen. My claim to fame is that I like to eat. And, I am very accomplished at doing dishes. But, this last week, with the encouragement from my sister, Christine, I baked bread. I was astonished. Literally, astonished! It turned out and it was delicious! It is a VERY SIMPLE recipe and by the afternoon I was enjoying freshly baked bread dipped in the most delectable olive oil (Thank you Rob and Janina for the La Mandorella Olive Oil!). Oh, my... just a bit of heaven! A glass of their award-winning red wine would have put it all over the top! (Congratulations Rob and Janina for the ribbon won at the Hilton Head Wine testing!)

So, a week of firsts. What I learned from this is that "To try and fail is at least to learn; but to never try is to suffer the inestimable loss of what might have been." (a quote of Chester Barnard from my friend, George Carmody) It would have been easier to stay inside, out of the cold... to claim it wasn't safe to go outside in single digits, to risk the horses walking on ice, to get lost or worse cross-country skiing on my own. It would have been easier to say, "I've tried to make bread and it never turns out!" But, if I had, if I never tried... again... I would never have discovered that God is so near and wants to bless me if I just take the risk or try again. I was fed through each one of these experiences and in each one I remembered other times and other brothers and sisters who have blessed me.

May this day find you willing to take the risk... to try, even if to fail and learn... so that you may discover God's blessing for you. He is near.

Praise be to God.

*Johnstown, Pennsylvania is named after Tammy Johns' family. And, Vicky Johns, Tammy's Mom, loves studying Dr. Allen Ross' books! She is now working her way through his book on Leviticus. What a God-moment for me to find out that I am at Honey Rock with someone who connects my past (Johnstown, PA) with my present (Dr. Ross). How fun is that?