Category Archives: Blog

encountering God

at the well“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well. It was about six in the evening.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.” John 4:6-7

“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush.” Exodus 3:1-2

My point this morning is this:  both Moses and the woman at the well had an unexpected encounter with God, while they were going about their daily routine. Neither of them were in the middle of any kind of religious activity when God showed up. They were simply doing what they did every day.

We don’t have to pray that someone will come to church so that they can encounter God. We can pray for those we love to have God encounters right where they are, doing what they do everyday.

Is there someone you know who desperately needs to encounter God? Pray that He will show up, right where they are, during their daily routine. Pray that they will encounter Him in such a way that their lives will never be the same.

It happened too many times in scripture for us to believe that it won’t happen today. Jesus went through Samaria on purpose, even though most Jewish travelers went around it to avoid encountering Samaritans. I believe His encounter of the woman at the well was planned, and purposeful.

In other words, no one accidentally encounters God.

in search of a wilderness

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”” (Matthew 4:1-3)

This taking to the wilderness fascinates me. Maybe because I feel like I’ve stumbled my way through the desert a time or two.

OR

Maybe I’m fascinated because I need a wilderness experience right about now. Maybe my faith feels dull like a butter knife and maybe I pretend there is no war and maybe this lethargy is making me sick. Maybe.

“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”  And in that dry, lonely place, faith and temptation and hunger would collide and it had purpose and was on purpose and He was led there. He didn’t wonder why. He didn’t try to turn around and find His way back to comfort. He followed.

God, make me brave like that. Lead me to what I need and give me courage to follow.

” After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to him…”  The tempter came when the hunger came. But it wasn’t physical fullness that prepared Jesus for the face off, it was the spiritual fullness that came from forty days and forty nights of denying His flesh. 

And I know that I have been physically full and spiritually hungry for far too long.

 “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The devil is many things, but dumb is not one of them. This was not an identity issue. He knew Jesus was the Son of God, and so did Jesus. He was tempting Him to fill His own need. To provide for His own hunger, without seeking His Father’s will first. Later, Jesus would tell His disciples “the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) So the way I see it, Satan is tempting Jesus to do it by Himself and for Himself. 

And so I say to myself:  This is not an identity issue. You know you are a child of God, and so does the devil. Stop going around in circles trying to prove that you know who you are. Stop ringing that bell, and wake up to the real issue. 

BECAUSE of your identity, the tempter is trying to get you to do it by yourself, and for yourself. 

To meet your own need. Fill your own hunger. To make your identity about you, instead of about the One who gave it to you.

Four verses from easily my favorite book in the Bible, and one of my favorite passages from that book. A passage I have read hundreds of times. Really. But today four verses have me undone. Today, four verses brought an answer to a problem that I’ve been ignoring.

I have been physically full and spiritually hungry, and, from a biblical standpoint, this is backwards. It has made me dull. Spiritually lazy. Selfish. (Oh. So very selfish.) I’ve just gotten self-consumed, and frankly, I’m a little sick of me.

Today, four verses confirmed my suspicions.

I need a wilderness.Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

bathsheba and the whole story

“David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife”  Matthew 1:6

062-Widow-Mourning-q75-500x317I didn’t see it at first, even though that one sentence seemed to stand alone on the page. I read it, and went on with my day, but my mind kept repeating the words. “…whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.” Why did He breathe those words? Why didn’t He call her by name? There were other women listed in the who-belonged-to-who section, why not hers? Her name was Bathsheba. Why didn’t He say it? It felt almost offensive, this dismissal of a woman.Continue reading “bathsheba and the whole story”

she was guilty

stone“Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery,making her stand in the center.  “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.  In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?”  They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him.” John 8:3-6

Yesterday my team was discussing ways to get 6 women, living together in a recovery home, to be on each other’s side instead of backbiting, finger-pointing and tattle-telling on one another. This story came up. Getting them to see one another through the eyes of Jesus.Continue reading “she was guilty”

death and what really matters

Kim2I watched my sister die last Thursday. Held her hand and told her it was ok to let go, to just go to Jesus. It was hard and it was holy and it was painful in so many ways.Continue reading “death and what really matters”

don’t be a trader

“Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” … Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”… So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him.” – Genesis 25:29-32

stewEsau was hungry, so he traded away the blessing. He would have received twice the inheritance as his younger brother, but he gave it away for a temporary pleasure.

What do we trade away?Continue reading “don’t be a trader”

in the shadow of God

conferenceThere were over 4500 people in the room. Plus me. I didn’t know anyone there except Jesus. That was my plan – drive two hours to be alone with Him in a crowd. Kari Jobe led worship and Christine Caine brought the word and all of that was very enticing, but really, I was there to meet with Jesus. It’s true, I could have met with Him anywhere, without even leaving my house. But sometimes, there’s just something about the going to Him that matters to me. It was the shaking off the heaviness, getting up and going that I needed.Continue reading “in the shadow of God”