Tag: truth

Posted on

Less is More

In our world today, to get ahead, you must talk yourself up & make a name for yourself. You have “people” who work for you & your endeavors. This seems very real to us here & understandable. It’s his things work. But the Kingdom of God is paradoxical – almost self-contradictory. With the God’s Kingdom, you must become less to be more.

““But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:8-12 NIV

If you want to work for God – you must serve. Humility is the currency of God’s Kingdom. Be careful about making it about you – because God will always outshine you.

Serve God & serve others. The more we do that, the greater God’s Kingdom becomes.

I ask you to join with me to commit to being more humble & genuine in your walk. I know this is an area I always need work & I would love for you to join me.

Let’s build God’s Kingdom & bring glory to His name!!

Posted on

The Power of One

As humans, we care about numbers. How many friends we have. How big our salary is. How many people watch this show. Or even how many people show up to our event.

God is not always like this. Great numbers of people coming to Christ for the first time is special to Him, yes. But so is just one. God will gladly orchestrate a situation for you to reach one person, even if it is inconvenient for you. Check out what Jesus said here:

““Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Luke 15:4-7 NIV

Or the situation with the Woman at the Well:

“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)”

John 4:1-8 NIV

Jesus was passing through & knew He had to stop there in order to reach this woman. I wonder if it was a bit inconvenient for Him & His disciples. But to reach that one woman mattered enough to Jesus to make His way there. When you read further in John 4, you will see that, because He took the time to reach her, she reached her town.

That is why the ONE matters to God. Because the ONE rarely remains just one.

What does that mean for us? It means that you can make a huge difference. You matter so much to God & to His kingdom. It means that when you are sent on a weird route or you are on a detour you didn’t expect – look out for one that you need to reach. Because God will orchestrate something just like that.

Out of 7 billion people in the world, God celebrates when one comes to Christ. Because each of His children matter to God.

Posted on

No Matter What

It seems the older I get, the more I realize how trust in God is our lifeline.

So many bad things can happen to us – it doesn’t matter how “holy” you are. But knowing that, no matter what we face, God has our back & will work everything out for our good. That knowledge brings a peace that knows no understanding.

Whatever you are going through, give it over to God & trust His ways. Lean into Him and find rest.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Posted on

Persistence

Did you grow up with a weird last name?  I did – and I still have it.  Gaigalas…it’s one of those last names that make people nervous to say.  Ha!  It’s Lithuanian – which I am 1/4th.  Lithuania is a small Eastern European country by Latvia and Poland near the Baltic Sea.  With its beautiful countryside and amazing architecture – it is also a country known for its resilience.

One of the greatest stories of resilience is the Hill of Crosses in the town of Šiauliai.  It began in the mid-1800’s when the Lithuanian people rose up against the Russian Czar’s regime and, as a result, many of their families remains were not able to be buried.  So, instead of a traditional burial, they placed crosses to honor them.  It was a show of defiance against oppression.  Thus began the hill of crosses.  It was a place where the Lithuanian people could pray, reflect, and find hope.

In the 1940s – the country, which had been independent for some years – were overtaken by the Soviet Union.  In a communist regime – any form of religion is forbidden therefore, the Hill of Crosses was a prohibited site.  As a stubborn and persevering people, they were not going to allow the KGB to stop their efforts of building the Hill of Crosses.  Through the course of the 30+ year oppression – there were Soviet soldiers stationed around the hill, the new crosses and figures removed, and the Soviet soldiers bulldozed the hill a few times.  None of this deterred the Lithuanian people from continuing to build this hill.  In 1991 – Lithuania became a free nation – no longer under communistic rule.  At that time, the Hill of Crosses was no longer under threat of destruction and it started to grow (and overflow!).  They estimate that the number of crosses, Christian figurines and other religious relics on the hill is 200,000!

I look at this story and think about how we, as the Body of Christ, must be as resilient as Lithuanians were when we get knocked down or our dreams get “bulldozed”.  The world is becoming a place that is hostile to what Christianity teaches.  I just read that the government of China tore down a Christian Mega Church this week.  ISIS is killing Christians.  Even in America, we are finding it harder to express ourselves without opposition.  The world is becoming a hostile place to worship Jesus freely.

If we want overflow, we must persevere even in this hostile climate.  The Enemy will do everything he can to take us down, make us believe we cannot do something, or that we are not worthy of something.  If we can continue to be persistent and build our own hill of crosses – how great a tribute would that be to Jesus?  Sharing Him with others, speaking truth in love when it is no longer “politically correct”, or even worshiping freely for our international brothers and sisters – how much would that shake the world around us?  How much do you want the overflow?  Are you willing to continue to fight when you are under siege?  God works everything out for our good, y’all.  Keep pushing and don’t let the enemy keep you down.  Our victory is just around the corner!

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Galatians 6:9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

 

article-0-1A1F2A02000005DC-29_964x526
Picture courtesy of this article
Posted on

The Answer

If you are anything like me, then you carry a lot of weight on your shoulders. Not physical weight, but symbolic weight.  You feel like you have to solve every problem and make everything right; you have to make sure everyone is pleased with what you do and if you don’t do any of these things – you are a failure.  These are things we feel like we can control…oh, but we can’t.  Nope, we aren’t that powerful.

If you are a control freak like me, then you must admit that there are things out of reach for you to change and that you cannot make everyone happy.  It’s so hard sometimes to deal with that, but it is life.  We MUST put our trust in God.  We MUST allow God to fight those battles.  And we MUST not allow ourselves to carry burdens we were never meant to carry.

As I have confessed above, this is me most days.  So when I say that having this problem is in connection with a BIG pride issue we MUST face (and repent from) – I am speaking to myself also.  Pride will destroy us if we allow it, even when we mask it by telling ourselves we are helping others.  We will not be able to solve all problems and we will not be able to be the superhero to every story.  That is Jesus’ job.

The book of James is my favorite…it really is.  I love how direct he is and doesn’t sugar coat things.  It’s awesome.  James 4:6 says “But he gives more grace.  Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”  Dear fellow control freaks – when we get into a spiral where we feel like a constant failure, maybe it’s time to humble ourselves before God and admit that we took too much on.  Repent of the sin of not fully trusting God and let His grace wash over us.  It’s a soothing thing to let that grace wash over our “pride” wounds we gave ourselves.

Jesus is always the answer – we are not.  People that don’t know Him need someone to show them what is the answer.  We need to always point to Him in everything we do.  I know that many of us mean good when we try to constantly make things better for everyone around us and solve everyone’s problem, but that isn’t our job.  Our job is to love – God and people (Mark 12:29-31).  That is it.  If we do this without getting in the way of God doing His work, then we are successful.  And, when we fail to do this – because we will – if we go to God in repentance, then we are successful also.

The greatest way to fix this problem is to dwell with God.  If we stop 1) reading scripture, 2) worshiping Him, and/or 3) healing wise counsel/preaching/teaching – then we can get into a spot where we feel we need to take on more than we need to.  God is our refuge and strength and He is always the answer!

Psalm 46:

God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.”

 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

 

IMG_5240[1]

 

 

Posted on

Identity Crisis

I was sitting in church worshiping and a thought hit me…why do we, as born-again Christians, have such a hard time laying things down and living a life full of joy when we serve such a faithful and present God?  I have seen so many people stay in their struggle to overcome things in the past for years and years – going to the alter crying, being prophesied over, reading the Bible, and all the other things that seem the right thing to do when we are walking with God.  And yet, they still have this baggage tagging along.

Could it be that when we have struggled so long with something that it becomes a part of us?  And when it becomes a part of us, we are afraid that, if we allow God to heal that part of us we no longer are who we have become to know as ourselves?  Therefore, we find so much of our identity in the struggle – healing, even if subconsciously, is just too scary to accept?

If this is correct – then laying this issue fully down and giving it ALL over to God is a completely scary thing full of doubt and anxiety.  As we face the fact that healing will bring so much change that we decide not to fully give God the authority to do what He needs to do.  And then we remain sitting in our mess because that is easier than the change of healing – even though God is more than willing to give us what we need if we fully trust him.

Our identity was never for us to be hurt, broken or misused.  We never were meant to remain sick, hurt, abused, or stuck.  That is not who God is.  We have seen, over and over, how God has redeemed those in the Old and New Testament – Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, David, Bathsheba, Solomon, Peter, Paul – to name only a few who have seen the redemptive work of the Lord in their lives when they surrender all to Him.

So – what is it for you?  What issue do you face that you need to lay down?  Trauma, chronic sickness, your abusive past, shame from what you did in your past, drugs, alcohol, relationships that are not good for you…what is it that you are afraid to lay down?  What struggle has become your identity?

Whatever it is, remember these things:

  • We are a new creature in Christ Jesus
    • So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
  • We are called out of darkness and into light
    • But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
  • Christ lives inside of us
    • My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
  • We are friends of Jesus
    • I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15
  • We are God’s masterpiece
    • For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10
  • We belong to God
    • But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
      O Israel, the one who formed you says,
      “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
      I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
  • God’s thoughts about us are precious
    • How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
      They cannot be numbered!
      I can’t even count them;
      they outnumber the grains of sand! Psalm 139:17-18
  • We were knit together in our mother’s wombs
    • You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
      and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
      Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
      Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
      You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
      as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
      You saw me before I was born.
      Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
      Every moment was laid out
      before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:13-16

It’s time to start seeing our identity in Christ and not in the things that of this world.  No matter what someone has said to you or how someone made you feel, how long you have been sick or what secret shame you hide – God loves you and wants to make you whole.

Go to Him and give over those things that you are holding onto.  Let Him make you who He sees you to be!!

IMG_5178[1]

Posted on

Shelter

I am in a rather long season of singleness. Being alone can make you lonely sometimes, but it is in this time of “aloneness” that I’ve found a special relationship with God.

He is my shelter & my foundation. My lack of person, in the wee hours of the night, has lead me to late night talks with the Holy Spirit. I can lean into Him and find my hiding place – my safe place, where I can share those things that no one else know.

Psalm 91:3-6 says “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stocks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”

This is the promise for me & for you. In the darkness, he will cover you…when the arrow flies, he will cover you…when the person talks behind your back, when you are overlooked, when you feel defeated, broken or misunderstood, he will cover you.

In those “wee hours of the night” talks, remember to tell the Holy Spirit all that is on your heart & let him wrap you up in himself. You have shelter in him.

Posted on

Out of Hand

This morning, I walked into work after having a few days off for the Thanksgiving holiday to major system issues.  My work is impeded majorly and I can only do a fraction of what I usually do until all gets corrected.  It is frustrating to not be able to do some things that I need to do, but I also have to admit that much of the issues are out of my hand.  I cannot move forward until other parties do their part and figure out why the issue exists.  I have an option to be stressed out and worry.  I also have an option to be at peace knowing that I just need to wait and see what happens.

It makes me think how many times I spend worrying about things that are completely out of my hands.  Sometimes, the issues in my life are completely fixable and I can get it all settled really easily and quickly.  There are other times when there is very little I can do to make things okay and I have a choice on how I react to it.  It is super hard to feel out of control or have things that NEED to get done and you just can’t.  But, in reality, there is very little I can control.

So, dear reader, I ask you – how many times have you went out of your mind with worry, anger, or fear when things happen that are completely out of your hands?  How many times do you feel extremely helpless and hopeless?  It’s so easy to do, isn’t it?  It’s a human condition we must face – that we are very small in a big universe.  But, when we add our big God to that equation – we aren’t that helpless and hopeless anymore.

John 16:33 says  “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 
Relationship issues, financial issues, children issues – whatever issues you may face, Jesus overcame them on the Cross.  We need to 1) give your cares to God (1 Peter 5:7), 2) wait patiently on the Lord and be still before Him (Psalm 37:7) 3) and the Lord will fight your battle (Exodus 14:14).  It seems too simple to be true, right?  Well, we may have to deal with the situations we are walking through – but as long as we put our trust in God, He will take care of the situation and make sure we come out in good standing.  It is out of your hands.

So we need to realize (I’m for sure including myself in this because it is a lesson I continue to get taught) that so many of the battles we try to fight are not ours to win.  God will work things out for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  So be patient and realize that things are working behind the scenes.  Hold on and you will see great things happen!

IMG_5075[1]

Posted on

Combating the Chaos

Chaos is how I live my life. No, I don’t have children or a husband…if I did, I’m sure my life would be EVEN MORE chaotic…so everyone who is busy with life and has a family – you are my heroes!!!  You are rock stars for sure.

Chaos is comfortable to me.  I don’t like to be still or not have 5 different things going on at once.  It just seems strange to me to have nothing going on.  I believe that there are many women and some men who have this same issue of being sooo busy.  We love the controlled chaos of life.  But it can become too much abs if we allow it, it can become uncontrolled chaos – which happens more times than I’d like to admit.

When these uncontrolled chaos moments happen, I often feel overwhelmed and like I no longer have control over my life.  I have a feeling that you, dear reader, have experienced this from time to time too.  Especially if you are a stubborn control freak like me (ha!).

It’s in these moments of my life I feel like an ultimate failure because I cannot juggle it all and be successful.  And, it seems, I spiral right out of control into a “I’m not going to do anything with my life” conversation inside my head.  Can you tell I tend to be a little overdramatic?  The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

Psalm 23:1-3 reads “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.  He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.  He renews my strength.  He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”  This is one of my go to scriptures when I feel incomplete because it reminds me that, in God, I have all that I need.

When I become overwhelmed with life and my “to-do” list, I remember this scripture and

  • The need to stop and breathe

Rest – rest in the knowledge that God is all you ever need.  How often we try to figure things out when it isn’t meant for us to know everything?  Sometimes we have to stop, breathe and remember that God has it all worked out.  He has the control and has our best interest at heart.  Rest in the fact that, if we cannot do everything we think we are supposed to do – God is ever faithful and will be there when we drop the ball – even on the small things in life.

  • Social Media Snocial Media

It’s great to connect with people from every area of your life.  We get to see our friends’ children grow up, stay in contact with family who live too far to see consistently and stay up with the current events all through your preferred form of Social Media.  Too often, though, we find that it takes our peace.  Someone doesn’t like our status, another person posts a nasty comment that you think is about you, and another person posts their opinion that doesn’t match yours which leads you to get upset.  Sometimes, we need to step way, check our thinking, and realize that this medium is not the proper way to form relationships.  Step away, make face to face connections and keep Facebook, instragram, or twitter as something fun rather than stressful.

  • Make sure you show love to those who God has put in your life

Too many times in our crazy busy world we just zoom through life trying to achieve things when we are supposed to be sharing life with others.  We were created to be in community, but all too often we make life about what we checked off our to do list rather than whose life we touched.  Take moments out of your week to spend with people and show them that they matter to you.

  • Don’t worry about every little thing in life

Life is messy and that is okay.  Learn to laugh at the things that go wrong rather than worry about them.  Because, at the end of the day, getting worked up about something small that went wrong didn’t make it any better.  Don’t sweat the small things.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, realize what you did wrong and move on.  If you chuckle along the way because you looked a little silly then that is even better!

  • Spend time with God

Out of all of these points, this is probably the most important because we find our peace, rest and refreshment from spending time with God.   Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”  We need time with God like we need water, food and air.  It is essential to our survival.  Make sure that you take time to be still with God and hear His voice.  It’s important that we tell God our requests and it is equally important that we allow God to speak into us.  I have personally found the more I allow God to pour into me, the more I am able to combat the chaos that life can throw at me.

The more I rely on God to lead me through life, the more I realize that the busyness of life isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.  One of my goals going forward to is to be more present in the now and spend more time showing people that they matter.  When I die – many, many years from now – I don’t want people to say that I got a lot of things done, but that I made them feel important.  In the end, that is what matters.

IMG_4750[1]

Posted on

Unity

Unity – the state of not being multiple. That is what Christ wants for His church. If you consider yourself a Christ-follower, He is speaking about you & I. It is no secret that, in America, unity is not where we are in our country. So many of us are waiting for our government to unify us, make this country better. But we can’t depend on them to do that. It must start in the church…with us!
So many things could divide us if we let differences matter. I am very blessed to attend a church that is multiracial, multigenerational, and multi-socioeconomic. We aren’t a perfect church because that doesn’t exist. But the fact that we have many differences and yet we are one family says so much. It shows me that unity within the body of Christ is possible.

We are going to be different. We are going to have Democrats & Republicans, different races, some people wealthy and others that aren’t – and still work for the same goal. The Church should be where unity starts.  

Let’s show love to others regardless of how different someone is to us. Speak truth, yes. Preach the word, yes. Live righteously, yes. But love people like God loves. Seek justice for those who deserve it. Treat all people like they have value…because they do. Everyone is made in God’s image.  

Let’s start being the change we wish to see in the world & living boldly. Who is joining me?

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:26-29‬ ‭NIV‬‬