Trees of Fruit

Just last week I was at the All Ontario Youth Convention as a youth leader with our church.  I just want to share one of the ways in which God revealed himself to me in a really cool way.

Rewind to the Wednesday before convention.  Wednesday morning I was praying for a few of the girls in my youth group and as I was praying, I got a picture of these girls as sapling trees - healthy, but young.  As I prayed for God to work in each of their lives and reveal himself to them, I saw the trees grow into mature trees with full leaves and fruit on their branches.  It was a great picture, and I continue to pray that they (and all our youth) grow rooted in God's love and mature in their faith.

Saturday morning at convention - I woke up feeling pumped and alive, still feeling the presence of God from our first general session the night before.  I got up, picked up my Bible and decided to do the open-to-a-random-page-and-read-whatever-is-on-it style of morning Bible reading.  I opened to Ezekiel chapter 47:1-14.  In it the prophet Ezekiel is seeing a vision of a river flowing from the temple, and at one point he notices that there are many trees along the side of the river.  Verses 12-13 "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river.  The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches.  There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple.  The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing."
Pretty sweet.

After reading this, I felt drawn to read a verse in Revelation that has captured my heart recently.  Rev. 21:5 has been in my thoughts constantly for a few weeks here.  But this time, I read all of chapter 21 and into chapter 22, which says "Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  If flowed down the centre of the main street.  On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month.  The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations."

Wow!  Pretty amazing parallel between these two passages.  Throughout this whole day at convention I kept thinking on the relationship between what I had read, and then more passages kept coming to mind.

Psalm 1:1-3 - those who delight in God "are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do."  So, when we follow God, we are the trees?

Galatians 2:22-23 "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."  So we're the trees, and this is the fruit - the fruit that brings healing to the nations.

Ok, yeah, wow.  All through the day I'm ruminating on these passages and making connections and feeling blown away by the Spirit.  Then that evening, I share these things with the girls that I was praying for (from the top of the blog) and one of them says - "that's like what you were praying for us."
Yes!  Right on!  You (we) are the trees planted by the banks of God's river of life, bearing fruit that brings healing!

Love it!

So there's all this amazing stuff about the trees and the fruit.  But there's also this river of life that the trees are planted beside.  In the Ezekiel passage, the river flows from the Temple.  In the Revelation passage, the verses I shared are directly after a section saying how there is no longer a Temple because God lives with His people, they don't need the temple because they are directly in His presence.  The river flows from His throne.  Awesome!  And in the Galatians passage, the fruit is produces by the Spirit - the Spirit is the River of Life!

I could continue - but for now I'll stop!  People of God, the Bible is so rich!  Be rooted in Him!  And lets use the fruit that His Spirit produces in our lives to heal.

Sweet Tooth

I have a sweet tooth.  A sweet tooth the size of the Eiffel Tower.  

I also have been working for a year and a half at adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes walking, biking, and being aware of what I eat.  I count my calories most days and log them into a really helpful website.  And if you've been around me the past year or so, you probably know that I have had success with this and have lost approx. 30 lbs.  Give or take with the ups and downs of life.

What happens when these two things collide???  

I come home from work, and man!  I want something sweet!  Open the pantry, open the fridge - look!  Left over raspberry tarts!  Perfect.  Without letting my good sense catch up with me, I pop it out of its little tin cup and chomp, chomp - gone!  Now something inside of me says, "you better log that!"  But something else says - Nope, that was my freebie for the day. Within a few minutes, I eat supper as if that tart never happened, and my count for the day no longer is an accurate reflection of the days intake.  When that second side wins out, I trick myself into thinking its ok to omit the tart from my count, its ok to not tell my accountability partner that I snuck a treat, and somehow I believe it will not impact that number on the scale tomorrow morning! 

Oh how wrong I am.  

I know what some of you may be thinking right now - what kind of way is that to live!  Can't even allow herself some room for a treat every now and then??  

But here's the thing, if my sweet tooth had free reign, it wouldn't be one tart every now and then.  It would  turn into two tarts, a few cookies, a spoonful of peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips.  Every day.  

I actual find great freedom from counting.  I feel more confident and alive now than I did two years ago.  I'm learning self-control.  Learning - still need the help of counting.  Maybe someday I will be at a place where I can maintain a healthy eating lifestyle without counting.  But for now I feel free and secure within my daily rhythm of counting.

Here's another scenario where my healthy eating and sweet tooth both win!  I come home from work, and I choose not to sneak any snacks because, man!  I'm looking forward to the chicken and potatoes we're having for supper.  I enjoy a lovely meal with my hubby, and I input my food data.  Kevin and I decide its a nice evening for a walk, and when we get back he suggests we have a bowl of ice cream.  I know because of the count that Yes!  I have room to spare today!  Woohoo!  My sweet tooth and my self confidence win!  Bring on the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!

This is more than just food for me.  It's spiritual - learning a life of self control and honouring God through not giving in to cultural excess.  It's hard, but I feel its worth it.  

The voice of Bob

I recently read the book Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer.  In it Phil talks about the creation of Veggie Tales and the incredible ride he and his friends had through its success and then through its bankruptcy.  At the end of the book Phil has two chapters on what he has learned <insert song - And so what we have learned applies to our lives today, God has a lot to say in his book....>  One chapter on what he has learned as a business man, and a second on what he has learned as a Christian.  From that second chapter, there are two thoughts he explored that have really stuck with me.

First, he said God's people are not to be people of vision, but people of revelation.  

Second, in response to someone asking him where he hoped to be in 5 years, he said If he is truly following God, where he is in 5 years is none of his business.

I love both of these statement so much because he has realized something a lot of people have not - Following Jesus is not about me!  It is not my vision or my plan that is going to define my decisions at the moment or my thoughts and hopes for the future.  

People of revelation - I love this!  It is not about trying to generate a vision within my own mind.  It's not even about being given a vision by God that I can then own as "my" vision.  It is about being open to the Lords leading, and letting Him reveal Himself and His vision to me.  When I think of the youth group I am a leader for, or the worship team that I help lead, or my daily interactions with friends, or my marriage to Kevin, or anything else in my life, I should be looking to Jesus to reveal Himself to me and see where He would like to lead.  I just find the difference between living out of my vision for the future and living out of God's revelation to be huge.  It is scary but freeing all at once.  Which takes us to point two...

Where I am in 5 years is none of my business.  Living out of God's revelation means giving up control completely - it means if He has chosen not to reveal what is coming around that next corner, then I have to wait and trust.  Actively wait, acting on what He has revealed for the moment, letting His Word be a light on my path.  In 5 years, will we still be enjoying the jobs God has blessed us with now?  Will we have a family?  Will we be called to move, or to stay?  I don't know!  But I can trust Him to reveal Himself when I do need to know.  And I can trust that if I keep pressing in, He'll continue to make me into the woman He wants me to be.

How do you find God reveals Himself to you? 

He Loves Us

I'm sitting here at the computer before 7am checking my email and as the newly risen sun is streaming in the window, Kim Walker's song "He Loves Us" is playing on my little ipod shuffle.  And I am struck by the raw and awesome reality of those words.  God loves us - not in a calm, controlled way, not because He has to, but He loves us in a wild, undeserved, overwhelmingly powerful way.  Something in my spirit just feels like bursting with praise and tears and love when I listen and sing along with this song!  Oh how He loves us, oh how He loves us.  I am completely unashamed of how His love can leave me a complete mess!  A mess of gratitude!

If you have never heard this song, or need to again, check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

The Constant

I was never an ardent science student in school, but I do remember the concept of constants and variables.  I may not be completely accurate in my definition, but for my purposes today, a constant would be a state of being that is the norm, and a variable would be a temporary change from that constant, but after a time, things return to the constant.  I think in life each of us live within mindsets of constants and variables.  For some people, life is generally good.  Their constant is comfort, happiness, good times.  Every once in a while something will happen to disrupt it, a sickness, a hard situation, but eventually things will return to being good.  For others it is the exact opposite, the constant in life seems to be suffering.  Life is generally rough, and there may be variables once in a while that lift that person up for a few moments, but inside they feel they know it won't last, and eventually life kicks them down again.  Life is hard.

Do I have a choice of which path my life takes, or am I at the mercy of life itself, am I trapped in my circumstances?  Or better yet, is there a bigger story that can completely change how I view my life, how I view suffering, how I respond to the inevitable pain life is going to throw my way?

I believe there's two constants by which we should view the world and our own lives.  I think this way of looking at things can change everything about how I live each day, how I respond to life, how I view who I am and what life is all about.

Romans 8:20 and following...  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse.  But with eager hope the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time....

John 3:18  - Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already...

The first constant is this - death, decay, condemnation.  Within the framework of human history, from Adam and Eve to the end of time, we live in a world of death, decay, brokenness, condemnation, judgement.  John 3:18 - we all stand already condemned, guilty of sin and in need of salvation.The first constant is that we, no, I deserve death because of my sin.   And even before physical death, because of human sin, the world is broken.  Cursed.  The constant of this world is not goodness or happiness or joy.  The constant of this world is sin and pain and death.  I should not be surprised when something in life does not go my way, when I have a bad day or someone hurts me.  In this world, that is the norm!  Instead, I should be shocked each and every time I am blessed with something good - a new day, a warm bed, the love of a good friend, the taste of ripe strawberries, the beauty of music.  Every single one of these moments in our lives goes against the very state of the world we live in.  It is not our right to have a good life, God owes us nothing.  We deserve nothing yet He lavishes daily blessings on each of us.

The second constant is God Himself.  The love, grace, hope that can be found only in relationship with Him.  Jesus died and rose again, permanently doing away with sin, death, brokenness, the curse on the world.  The constant of God is love - if you recieve the gift of grace given through Jesus.

John 3:16 - God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:35-39 - Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?  Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted or hungry, or destitute or in danger or threatened with death?...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 The first constant - the curse of sin and death - is the reality of this world, is the very fibre of human history.  The second constant - God's love and life - is the reality of heaven, and it goes way beyond human history.  It overwhelms this world.

So - how do I live my life?  By the constant of death - the fact that everything in this world always reverts back to brokenness, death and decay?  I think yes and no.  I think it is healthy to know that in this life, things are often going to suck!  That is the norm of this world and I should not be surprised.  Yet, even though that reality is often so present in our lives, I choose to live by the constant of God - that no matter what pain and brokenness I experience in my life, God's love in the end will eradicate all of it, and His love is really the constant of my life.

Revelation 21:3-5 - I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people!  He will live with them , and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever."  And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"

He is making all things new!  It was made possible at the cross, and one day it will be fulfilled in heaven!       But what about our lives in the meantime? How do we live with pain and death and suffering?  With humility and with the bigger view of God's love and desire to restore.  When life hurts, instead of bursting with anger and hatred at God, as if it is His fault, we should instead grieve the brokenness of our world while turning to God who is going to make all things new through His everlasting love.

One last scripture...  This guy could see through the pain to God and he knew what it was all about...

Lamentations 3 (start at verse one, but I'll pick it up in verses 16-25)  - He has made me chew on gravel, He has rolled me in the dust.  Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is.  I cry out, "My splendour is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!"  The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.  I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.  Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:  The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.  I say to myself "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him!"  The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him...

Rhythm and Grace

If I were to try to define Kevin and I with only a few words, which words would I use?

Quiet, Love of Music, Fun Loving, Easy Going, Reliable, Hard Working, Christians, Hungry for God, Trustworthy, Private, Love of the outdoors, Love for people, Love for Family,

The list could continue.  The truth is, it is hard to define who we are.  That would be a difficult task for anyone to undertake.  But in taking some time to think about ourselves, two things that stuck out to me were our love for God and our love for music.  These are two things that probably encompass a lot about who we are.

God - In both of our lives we have come to a place where He is everything to us.  He is not one piece of the pie that takes up our hearts interests.  Living for Him, Walking alongside Him is something that infuses all the other important aspects of our lives.  Our marriage, our jobs, the way we treat our friends, the ways we choose to use our time, the ways we view money, food, and even our own rights, are all affected by our desire to put God first in our lives and honor HIm with the way we live.  He walks with us, and though we are far from perfect, He is faithful and guides us each day.

Music - We are the types of people who in a crowded restaurant can hear the song that's playing on the radio above all the other noise.  Not only that, but we can pick out which groove the band is playing in, and on a good day, maybe even the key.  We love to play.  Kevin has this amazing mind to understand the technical side of music, the rhythms, the intervals, the chord relationships, and then he can use that to continue pushing his own skill, and the skill of those around him to new levels.  I feel alive when I get to sing and play.  When I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I feel like those are the moments I am most myself.

Rhythm and Grace.  Walking with God has a rhythm to it.  There's a way in which we need to lock into the groove of Grace.  You find those moments where your heart is in sync with His and it is a sweet song!  These are also the moments when you feel most alive, most like who you're supposed to be.  Then you play a wrong chord, loose the beat.  But this is a song of Grace, God is always ready to count you back in.  It's beautiful.

I love living for God.  I love singing for Him.  And I want my life to be a beautiful song of praise, gratitude, declaration for Him.