Sometimes I like to pretend I am a race car driver

I have about a 30 - 40 min commute to a from work everyday. Of which 90% of my time is spent on major high ways. Over time I have adapted to the fast reactions needed to drive aggressively at high speeds. When I was 16 my dad bought me a little black BMW Z3 that was amanual which really laid the foundation for the driver that I am today. Couple all of these small facts with the fact that my Mom is a crazy speed demon herself ( she would take that as a compliment ), and you get Jessica driving to and from work everyday in a white SUV with music blaring, one hand on the steering wheel, sunglasses on, skirting in between cars developing the quickest and fastest route down the beltway.

It is fantastic.

And everyday while I am on the over passes I imagine that I am on the last curve of a race gaining that ever so important last little bit of centripetal force to sling me forward to the finish line - beating all of the other cars.

Then I arrive at the office - already satisfied with my accomplishments for the day - I take off my sunglasses and walk inside - and no one knows that I was just named Champion of the Beltway and 249 that day. - but the minivan I passed back at 1960 sure does know!

Timing and Trust

A.                 The Timing in Our Brokenness

The Lord employs two different means to break our outward man. One is gradual. The other is sudden. To some, the Lord gives a sudden breaking, followed by a gradual one. With others, the Lord arranges constant daily trials, until one day He brings about a large-scale breaking. If it is not the sudden first and then the gradual, then it is the gradual followed by the sudden. It would seem the Lord usually spends several years upon most of us before He can accomplish this work of breaking.

The timing is in His hand. We cannot shorten the time, though we certainly can prolong it. In some lives, the Lord is able to accomplish this work after a few years of dealing. In others, it is evident that after ten or twenty years, the work is still unfinished. This kind of delay is most serious! Nothing is more grievous than wasting God’s time. How often the church is also hindered! We can preach by using our mind, and we can stir others by using our emotions. But if we do not know how to use our spirit, the Spirit of God cannot touch people through us. This loss is so great. Should we needlessly prolong the time?

Therefore, if we have never wholly and intelligently consecrated ourselves to the Lord, let us do so now, saying: “Lord, for the future of the church, for the future of the gospel, for Thy way, and also for my own life, I offer myself without condition, without reservation, into Your hands. Lord, I delight to offer myself unto You; and I’m willing to let You have Your full way through me.”

 

Do you know what I find so necessary as I read this?  TRUST.  Look at the prayer that Watchman Nee offers up at the end of this passage, “I offer myself without condition, without reservation, into Your hands.  Lord, I delight to offer myself unto You; and I’m willing to let you have Your full way through me.”

How in the world do you expect to pray that ever so necessary prayer if you don’t trust Him? 

Now, please, it is not as if I don’t have some understanding of the difficulties of trusting in a God who is, for the most part, unseen, without audible voice, and a spirit.  I also understand that circumstances in life such as parents have an influence on the way that we see God.  The Father designed it so that our earthly fathers would be our earliest example of Him.  They do the best that they can, but in the end they are human just like we are.  They have weakness, sin, and struggle, and most of us have to struggle through some remnants of our views of our earthly daddies before we can really know our Heavenly Abba Father.

OK, so in all 119 words of my last paragraph, we have some crap to muddle through.  Trust is necessary.  How do you trust a God who you cannot see or audibly hear to the point that you can say, “I offer myself without condition, without reservation.”?  How do you trust a God when your first understanding of Him was set into place by an earthly father who left?  What about a dad who had an anger problem or, on the other side of that, was totally uninvolved with your life – caring more about business or computer games. 

Can I tell you something?  As I sit here, as I write, with all of the passion that (if you know me) I can muster – He wants to show you why you can trust Him.  I remind myself this morning, He is the best, most honorable, most loving, most wonderful person that I have ever known.  Let’s talk about why:

-When we still hated Him, He died for us.  When we were unworthy of trust, when we were His enemy, He gave His life to save us.

-He says in His Word, that, “For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”

-Addressing fathers, He says, “If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”

 

I find trust is such a huge thing in our walk with God.  It is so necessary.  In my own life, I feel like it has been one of the greatest things that the enemy of my soul has tried to assault in my relationship with Christ.  Abraham trusted His voice even when it commanded him to sacrifice that which was most precious to him.  Noah trusted the Father’s voice even when it told him to build something that everyone called him crazy for.  Joshua trusted His voice, even when it lead him into battle against enemies who were 9 foot tall.  The disciples followed His voice and His commands even when they knew that it would mean their lives.

Their trust led to Abraham securing the covenant, Noah saving his family, Israel securing the promised land, and the Gospel being spread throughout the world.

I end this post with a question for you – seeing as those men were ordinary and (in most cases) uneducated, realizing that through the commitment of their lives into God’s hands they changed the course of their nation and world…

What can your God do through you if you will but trust Him, offer yourself unto Him, and be willing to let Him have His full way through you?

Mr. Hill

What I'm reading...(for the second time around)

So, it's time for some more SHFP! (See previous post for definition of SHFP.)

This morning's installment features a book that I am in the reading of for the second time around.  I don't really have to hype this book up...All that I feel that I really must do is tell you the thoughts that I kept having as I read through the book:

"Oh, well that part of my life makes sense now."

"No wonder things were rough after I prayed to be more like Jesus."

"Boy, you mean that, that is something that everybody who knows Christ should get to do?  Wow."

"I wish that I would've read this book 10 years ago."

I am not kidding when I say that this little book, all 113 pages of it, messed me up in a huge way.  It is so easy to understand, but I found the depth of truth and meaning in it so captivating that I reread sections of it many times.

I'm going to post a section of a chapter this morning, and in subsequent days I will post smaller sections with my thoughts about them below.  This morning, however, I will just post Watchman's words with some emphasis of my own added.  (About the author: Watchman Nee)

                 The Alabaster Box Must Be Broken

The Bible speaks of “alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure spikenard” (Mark 14:3). God purposely used this term “pure” in His Word to show that it is truly spiritual. But if the alabaster box is not broken, the pure spikenard will not flow forth. Strange to say, many are still treasuring the alabaster box, thinking that its value exceeds that of the ointment. Many think that their outward man is more precious than their inward man. This becomes the problem confronting the church. One will treasure his cleverness, thinking he is quite important. Another will treasure his own emotions, esteeming himself to be more advanced than other people. Others highly regard themselves, because they feel they are better than others, their eloquence surpasses that of others, or their quickness of action and exactness of judgment are superior, and so forth.

However, we are not antique collectors. Nor are we “vase” admirers. We should be those who desire to smell only the fragrance of the ointment. Without the breaking of the outward, the inward fragrance will not come forth. Hence, not only do we individually have no flowing out, but also the church has no living way. Why then should we hold our outward man to be so precious, especially if the outward only contains the fragrance, instead ofreleasing the fragrance?

The Holy Spirit has not ceased working. He makes sure one event after another and one difficulty after another come to us. These disciplinary workings of the Holy Spirit have but one purpose—to break our outward man so that our inward man may come through. Yet here is our difficulty—we fret over trifles, we murmur at small losses, and we complain about insignificant things. The Lord is ever finding and preparing a way in order to use us. Yet when His hand slightly touches us, we begin to feel unhappy—even to the extent of quarreling with God and having a negative attitude. Since the time when we were saved, we have been touched by the Lord many times in various ways—all with the purpose of breaking our outward man. Whether we are conscious of it or not, the aim of the Lord is to break this stubborn vessel called our outward man.

Nevertheless, the Treasure is in the earthen vessel (2 Cor. 4:7). But if the earthen vessel cannot be broken, who can see the Treasure within? Have we seen what is the final objective of the Lord’s working in our lives? It is to break open this earthen vessel (2 Cor.4:7), to burst open our alabaster box (Mark 14:3), to crack open our shell (Jn. 12:24). The Lord longs to find a way to bless the world through those who belong to Him. Brokenness is the way of blessing, the way of fragrance, the way of fruitfulness. But, it is also a path sprinkled with ‘blood from our wounds.’ Yes, there is blood from the many wounds we suffer. When we offer ourselves to the Lord for His service, we cannot afford to be lenient and spare ourselves. We must allow the Lord to crack open our outward man utterly so that He may find a way out for His working through us.

Each of us must find out for himself personally what is the mind of the Lord in his life. It is a most lamentable fact that many do not know what is the Lord’s mind or intention for their lives. How much they need Him to open their eyes, to see that everything which comes into their lives can be meaningful. The Lord has not wasted even one thing. To understand the Lord’s purpose is to see very clearly that He is aiming at a single objective, and it is simply this—the breaking of our outward man.

However, too many of us, even before the Lord raises a hand, are already upset. Oh, we must realize that all life’s experiences, troubles, and trials which the Lord sends are for our highest good. We cannot expect the Lord to give anything better, for these constant difficulties are His best. Should one approach the Lord and pray, saying, “O Lord, please let me choose the best thing for my life,” I believe the Lord would tell him, “What I have given you is the best—your daily trials are for your greatest profit.” So God’s motive behind all the things He has ordered for our lives is clearly for the breaking of our outward man. Once this occurs, and our spirit can come forth, we will be enabled to exercise and release our spirit consistently.

With Hope,

Christopher

God's gift to Chicken Pot Pie :)

I never ever liked Chicken Pot Pie growing up, but then Real Simple magazine had this recipe in their January issue and the picture of it made me want to make it. So I did, with a few alterations to the recipe, and with only like 388 calories a serving it was the best chicken pot pie I have ever had in my life. So here it is:

1 pound of chicken breast --- (I just used an HEB Rotisserie chicken for quickness and extra flavor)
1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion chopped (calls for 2 I used one)
4 carrots - chopped up
(I also added some mushrooms)
3-4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white cooking wine – I used about 3/4 cup
2 cups of 1 or 2 % milk
16 oz package of frozen vegetables
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper – I salted and peppered the onions and carrots first
1 9 inch piecrust – I used Pillsbury piecrust
*I also added 3 tablespoons of pecorino Romano


>Heat oven to 400 F. Cook the chicken in the oven or boil in chicken stock or buy a rotisserie chicken (or turkey breast)
and shred

>Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stir-ring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 mintutes (I personally cook the onions until they are completely transparent and soft, and I also like to add the mushrooms at this point). Sprinkle the flour over veggies and cook, stirring for a minute or 2 - letting the mixture turn a dark sandy color.

>Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2-4 minutes - stir constantly to make sure the mixture thickens wells, I also like to add the pecorino Romano at this point. Stir in the chicken, frozen veggies, thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer to a shallow 1 ½ - 2 quart baking dish – or whatever you want

➢ Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust ( about 4 start at the center - about 2 inches long). Place pot on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, or 30 to 35 min

Dude ... Let's live in the NOW

My Life goal is to live for Jesus everyday. To get closer to Him everyday. To learn more about him everyday.

Life if just way more exciting when Jesus is the center of it.

Some of you might be thinking.... "thanks Jess, but we have all hear this before and life is still not that exciting". Well, yesterday while I was sitting at my desk learning about how oil rigs work and all that, I realized that if I put all my hope in Jesus everyday he will never disappoint me. For example we do not have to sit around hoping and looking forward to the next thing. Like - when will Friday come, when is my next vacation, when is my next promotion, when am I going to be able to upgrade everything I have, when am I going to be satisfied next...... and so on. With Jesus being my end all of end all - He makes everything more exciting and better because he gives me a purpose in HIS KINGDOM!

Jesus is just cool like that. When you depend on him for absolutely every bit of anything exciting and wonderful and cool in your life, He will actually never disappoint you. Now, Jesus can never be predicted because He never does anything the same - he is always keeping you guessing but also he never lets you down. At first it might just be little things like you got through the day and you are driving home from work and you are full of joy and excited about life. It could also be that you find yourself satisfied with the materialistic things in your life, and you find yourself to be actually grateful for the car that you have had forever and have always wanted to get rid of.

Every single day we live is a part of our destiny, and sometimes the most exciting part our destiny is learning how to live it on a daily basis. Which starts by focusing on today and letting God focus on tomorrow! And, ya know what? God will never ever plan a boring life for you. He is the creator of all things - all things good and awesome and fun. God will always be more creative and with it than us, so His plans for your life will always be on the cutting edge of what is going on in the world!

As you grow in becoming more dependent on Jesus then He starts to add things to your life that are really exciting, because he has learned that it is not the "things" that you are excited about - it is HIM!

So give up worrying about whats going to be, and learn to enjoy the NOW!!! By depending on Jesus for everything He will start to revitalize your life by revitalizing YOU!

Step OUT!

Beth Moore Being Awesome

Beth Moore made this post on her blog this morning and I just thought it was a good follow up to my previous blog. I don't know about any of you, but lately I have had trouble controlling my thoughts and taking them captive. In fact they have been trying to take ME captive!

So, this post was such a great reminder to me for when I let my though wonder. It seems I am most vulnerable to wondering thoughts on my drive back from work .... so maybe I need to start memorizing some scripture....

Here is the part of Beth's post that I loved:

I’m also prone to mental defeat when the enemy has pitched me a great opportunity to obsess about something or to give way to fear and stress. Each of these represents perfect moments to turn to my Scripture memory. There are tons of things we COULD think about today but we have the power in Jesus’ Name to choose the things that edify our spirits and renew our minds. Remember, every defeat and every victory takes place on the battlefield of the mind before it erupts in the exterior life. Listen, Darling Things, we don’t have to let every mental struggle turn into a stronghold. We can successfully cut things off at the pass. And this is one huge way we do it.

You can find the rest of it at: http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/

*Beth is one of those role models of mine that is femine to the max yet incredibley fierce!