Breaking the Spirit of Toil

I am such a go-getter by nature and I usually feel compelled to "make things happen" particularly if things seem to be moving too slowly. However, God in His great sovereignty has joined me with a man who is methodical (sometimes painfully methodical) so that I don't get ahead of God. The other day I was urging him, as we wives are so skillful at doing, to "make something happen" and to rectify a wrong that was done to him. While thoughtfully considering my passionate request, he said, "I'm going to pray about that, but I don't think that is what I am supposed to do." I wanted to add a quick, verbal jab about how God gave "me" to Him for just this very thing. To help him get moving and "get the lead out". You see, I abhor injustice and will often times take up the job of defending the ones I love in an effort to bring righteousness to a situation. While this "drive" is intricately woven throughout the fabric of my personality and is indeed a gift, it has, on many an occasion, gotten me in trouble when I ran ahead on my personal timetable and not on the Lord's.

Thankfully Darron, in his blessed, methodical way, sensed that God must be His defense. And boy was he right! That afternoon, the fifth day of our fast, that situation began to turn around. In fact, I dare say, we have already seen a 180 degree turn in our favor! What a God we serve!

While reading my Bible as Darron prepared a light Daniel-fast meal in the kitchen that evening, the Lord highlighted a passage for me in scripture found in Matthew chapter 6 that really caught my attention.

"So why do you worry about _________ (fill in the blank concerning the things you regularly worry about be it finances, clothing, career, children, etc.). Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

As we began to meditate upon this passage together, I realized that if I take up the cause to defend myself against wrongs done against me, then I will always have to take up that cause. That is pretty exhausting. Always looking over your shoulder. Always in a fighter's stance. That is the spirit of "toil". Clawing and scratching to make "your" way in the world. Is it any wonder why so many people hate Monday mornings? There's no rest in that kind of mindset.

Darron shared some insight with me on this very same passage. Jesus said that the lilies of the fields were clothed better than the most wealthiest king in all the world, Solomon. Imagine all the amazing designer gowns that America's actress gush over...hoping to don some famous designer's dress to the Grammy's or to the Oscars. Gowns worth tens of thousands. Yet the Lilly of the field, which is here today and will be dead tomorrow, God says those flowers are better dressed! Darron said to me, "We might think that it is lavish and wasteful to clothe a flower whose lifespan is so temporary. But God says to us, 'It's mine to dress.'"Aren't we, His people, much more valuable than the Lilly of the field?

I know that when I role the weight of the care upon the Lord and seek FIRST His Kingdom (God's way of doing things) and His righteousness, there is rest. I know that He has my back. He is my strong tower and my defense. He is my rear guard.

So before you take out a battery of prayer requests that you are ready to fire at the Lord all at once, why not crawl up into His lap and worship Him? I am really learning how to "live" a life of worship. Worship is not just what I do at church service or even in my personal quiet time moments with the Lord. Worship is what I say with my mouth about my God. May my life be a total confirmation of what I believe to be true about my God. He is the Great I AM!

P.S.--I've added a few wedding photos for those of you who weren't able to join us at our wedding celebration. Please enjoy. God gave Darron and I a debt-free wedding! Isn't God good?

Hi, I'm Cherinda.

Hi, I'm Cherinda. Valencia invited me to share on her blog, so I thought I'd better introduce myself first.

I met V when we were in college at ORU and we were both placed on the summer missions team to Spain in 1993. It was obvious she had (has) zest for life and zeal for the Lord (two z words you can't use very often, but are so V). She was (is) also very compassionate and caring and just loved (loves) people. We clicked right away. (Incidentally, Terri D was also our teammate and my future husband was also on our team--we've been married almost thirteen years now.) It was a life changing summer for me and V and the members of that team hold a special place in my heart.

What I like to do to start off a New Year is to spend some time with God and ask him to give me a scripture for the year. I write it down in my journal and can go back and read it when I need some encouragement and I can also say it like an affirmation; that I am who He says I am and have what he says I have. I like to get in agreement with God.

Too often, we believe what we see and too often, it is not the truth. The truth is there and to get it from unseen to seen, we have to believe that it is. Simple, yet profound. It's no wonder so many people can't wrap their minds around it. To them, it is a paradox. To Jesus, he is simply speaking how it is. How beautifully profound, how beautifully simple. I love it!

I guess I mispoke when I said I only ask him for a scripture for the year. That's what I did four years ago. The past two, I've just let him keep giving me scriptures for my year until he is done (not that he can't give you scriptures to stand on during the year, but these are specifically from him for the year). I figure the more he gives me, the more I can stand on. More, for me, is better. (Same with communion, I take the largest piece of bread or cracker or whatever because I want as much of Him as I can get. I don't just want a little of Him, I want all that he is and all that he has.)

So here are the scriptures he gave me for this year (and boy, do they sure look good):

Psalm 18:30-36
"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn."

Psalm 121 (I have changed a few "yours" to personalize it.)
"I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip--he who watches over me will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Cherinda will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over me--the Lord is my shade at my right hand; the sun will not harm me by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep me from all harm--he will watch over my life; the Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore."

These are such beautiful scriptures of help and encouragement for me (us) and I sure needed it after such a hard year last year. I love it that he will broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn (important) and that he watches over me, now and forever. It lets me know just how much he cares and how important I am (we are) to him.

There you have it. I want to leave you with a blessing (because I like to bless and speak healing and wholeness): May God show you the depth of his love and concern for you, may he heal the dry, broken, barren places in your heart, may his blessings overtake you so that you do not even have room enough to contain them, and may you walk in health and peace and joy in 2009.

The Daniel Fast

So our new church is participating in the Daniel Fast! I am so excited about it. Unfortunately, I have not been very consistent in fasting. I have only done this sporadically since Teen Mania days. It's sad of what you let go of...the things that were such a bedrock and an integral part of your Christian walk. Although as a church we were set to start on January 4th, Darron announced to me over the phone from work that he was beginning his fast early, on December 30th. I thought that was definitely the Lord's leading for our family.

I am a huge believer in this: The way you exit a year is the way you will enter the next. Darron and I are so eager for the favor of the Lord and increase that we are willing to "buffet our flesh and its carnal appetites" for more of the Lord. So I decided to start early, too. I hadn't eaten anything yet, so why not?

On New Years' Eve, it had already been a day- and- a- half of a complete fast and the voice of the Lord was so much more pronounced! I love living like this! I love hearing His voice so effortlessly and without second-guessing. Sometime that afternoon Darron called me to ask me if I would consider going on a "Soup" Date with him. You see our Daniel Fast consists of the following diet: soups, juice and water. I am allowed salads/spinach and an occasional bowl of oatmeal or grits should I start loosing weight. Oh, and some wheat crackers. This will last 21 days (See the book of Daniel chapters 1:12; 10:3).

So when Darron invited me on a Soup Date on New Year's Eve, I just thought that was the sweetest invitation. He took me to La Madeline's and we had Tomato Basil soup and water. That has got to be one of my most memorable dates of 2008! Basking in the presence of my husband and my God. Does it get any better?

Happy New Year!

I hope that you are as excited about this year as much as I am! My beloved husband, Darron and I married just seven, short months ago. And in the midst of wedding planning we discussed from time to time that change was on the horizon. Not just the change of my name, my living arrangements, and the adaptation of learning how to become "one" with my spouse, but other significant changes as it related to our spiritual growth, place of worship, and our giving and wealth-building streams.

As God would have it, a brochure came to our home in the month of June inviting us to hear the riveting testimony of Bill Wiess's riveting message to the Body of Christ. I have to admit, as the testimony was about a 23-minute visitation to Hell, I wasn't interested; however, my husband was engrossed. He spent hours studying his testimony and looking up scriptural references that confirmed the speaker's encounter. Wanting to be supportive of Darron's interest, I attended the service held in Kingwood completely unaware that we would meet our future pastors at that event.

The testimony was stirring to say the least and although I did not meet the head pastor, I met his wife and found her personality delightful and her easy laugh contagious. They are Afrikkans from South Africa. She joked with us about how she was more African American than were we. Darron's quick and witty reply was, "You are right! I have never been to Africa. I am an American." And we laughed and laughed and laughed.

While perusing through their church flyer I was impressed by their boldness regarding the role of the Holy Spirit in the church body today. It really caught my attention.
Some time afterwards Darron received a call from him. He was so touched that he called me to tell me about their conversaion. On and on, my husband expounded upon how timely the pastor's call was. Before we knew it, we were exchanging phone calls and enjoying his wise counsel and his genuine extension of friendship. He never once tried to sweep us away from our current church and for this we were very grateful.

Soon it became quite apparent that this just might be the place God was leading us. Yet at the same time we were regularly visiting Believers Church in Katy, Texas. Which one, Lord?
You know for years I had been a faithful member of Lakewood Church. I had grown up there and never thought I would ever leave. I was even on staff for five years there. The person I am today is largely because of the greatness of that church and its leadership through the years. Even my husband's life was changed at Lakewood some nine years ago. Had he not met Jesus at Lakewood, he wouldn't even be alive today. And then I would have never met my Beloved. So we have a lot of fond, fond memories from that place.

However, nothing is forever as the late Pastor John Osteen used to say. The hardest decision was resigning from Compass and New Begginnings Classes as teachers and facilitators. We both love to teach! And it was a thrill ministering together in that capacity.

So as of December 22, 2008 we are now members of Christian Family Church, Int'l with Pastor Pieter and Tessa van Dyk. We are full of expectancy regarding where the Lord is about to take us. The best way that I can describe our unbridled joy is that we sense that we are on the launching pad. And as the Bishop T.D. Jakes would say, "Get ready, get ready, get ready!"