Thanksgiving in Poland

I realize most everyone is well on their way toward Christmas & Thanksgiving 2009 is a vague memory but I wanted to share with you what my Thanksgiving was like.

In Brief:

One turkey

Two pumpkin pies

One cherry pie

Mashed potatoes

Stuffing

Lots of gravy

Oriental cabbage salad

Green bean almondine

Ten guests in stages

A fire in the fireplace

And an evening of thankfulness, games & fellowship

Then a week of wonderful leftovers...the only thing missing was the football.

"Do You Trust Me!"

Have you ever noticed how God seems to have your number? Or at least He seems to have mine! For the last year I have been on an intense path of learning to trust Him even more completely & deeper than before. It's a bit like praying for patience. The way we learn is to be in situations that normally would try our patience or in this case "trust".

It often means going against the norm or "rational" behavior & stepping out into an area where there is no "railing", nothing to give you feedback that anything will really come of the step except the "still small voice" deep inside saying "Trust Me".

I know that My God is able to do what He promises. I know that He loves me & cares about every detail of my life. I know that He is My Loving Father who provides for my every need.

Yet I am just as human as anyone & when I see the "black & white" figures on the page I have to choose to "fight" to trust the omnipotent God who is not as tangible as those figures on the page. I find myself praying for the Lord's forgiveness for my doubts & fears. And begging Him to help my unbelief.

This is one of those such times. I have spent a TON of time in prayer, intercession, worship, praying in the Spirit over the last few months...all the while fighting with the nagging thoughts of "But what have you DONE?" Somewhere deep inside I KNOW that I have done more in the Spirit than I could ever do in the "Flesh" but still, it isn't easy to continue. Then that gentle & familiar voice comes... "Just Trust Me" "I will do all that I have promised & more"

I don't know about you but I would prefer to get in there with "MY" hands & get it done, whatever it is. Sometimes I feel like I have to sit on my hands, so to speak. Today, as I watch the VERY EARLY snow fall, I'm reminded that I have no idea what is coming next! None! All the more reason for me to "TRUST". To "TRUST" the God, my God & Father who has already gone ahead. Who has & is preparing not only me but all whom I would meet for what He wills to do in & through me.

I wonder if we ever really get to that place of total & complete trust. That place where you don't have to coach yourself to take that next step of faith. Maybe in Heaven?







Today I'm believing & trusting God to occupy my condo in Kirkland/Juanita. It was vacated the 1st of October & for the 1st time since I have lived in Poland there have been no bites. The world would say that it is the economy but I think it is just another opportunity to grow my TRUST in Him, His love & care.





If you are interested in occupying it either as a renter or owner let me know.

Field of Dreams

What are your dreams? What are my dreams? What are God’s dreams? What are God’s dreams for me? How does He communicate those dreams?

God seems to communicate with me in themes and this has been the theme for this season. There are 3 media sources that have touched my heart in this matter: the film “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner, the book “Captivating” by John & Stasi Eldredge, & the Gospel of Luke 21:34. All 3 of these sources have been “poking” at the very core of my being & bringing into the light what has been stolen from depth of me & that God would want to redeem & restore…
A Field of Dreams
Not just one dream or desire but a whole field of hopes, & passions that were deposited within me long before my parents even knew I was to be.

Last week I was drawn to Luke 21:34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing & drunkenness & by the worries of this life.”

Not that I have ever been prone to carousing or drunkenness but the worries of this world have definitely dulled the sensitivity of my heart to the fullness of life that Christ died for. I became aware of how many of my decisions, choices, even ways of relating with people have been altered for the sake of “safety”, “fear” of what might happen, or heart that has been so dulled by the bumps & bruises of life that it has forgotten how to believe, hope, & trust. Though some people may think that I’m an adventurous or even a risk taker type person, my ability or even my desire to hear the voice of the Lord to step out in faith has/had been hampered by life’s experiences.

“Captivating” has been revealing, highlighting, & healing those areas that have been so deeply ravaged for most of my life. I realized today that I started stuffing/hiding my dreams for myself sometime around 2 or 3 years of age. I have a picture of myself as a Princess at 1.5 playing with my Grandfather that I keep in my Bible. I had a counselor ask me once what was the significance of that picture & I didn’t really have an answer. I know now that it is because it is proof of my femininity & all the hopes and dreams that went with it. By the time I started school, I had learned that being a girl was not practical, nor was it safe. Today I saw just how “Happy” my Heavenly Father is that I am His Princess! And that He wants to revive the dreams of the Princess within me. It is a bit scary, unfamiliar, but exciting & freeing at the same time.

“Field of Dreams”… “If you build it he will come” The still small voice of the Lord’s guidance that seems ridiculous, illogical and in some ways suicidal to this world’s way of thinking. In the film Costner, tears up a large part of his corn field to build a lighted, baseball diamond because he hears a “voice”. This same “voice” leads him on a wild goose chase that eventually leads him home where his broken relationship with his father is healed & what was a crazy idea was redeemed. Like Costner I need to risk it all to trust the “voice”, the still small voice of my Loving Father, who will take me down a path that will bring healing, restoration, & fruitfulness when the world would say it isn’t possible.

So today, I’m choosing to build a new “Field of Dreams” within my heart. Risking it all to follow the voice of my Heavenly Father, trusting Him, & expecting Him to surprise me with great gifts that uncover the deepest longings of my heart. A Field of All the Dreams I Have Yet to Dream.