X Rated

Warning...this post may be considered NC17 or maybe even X Rated.

The grippings of God...when he goes after a heart is amazing to me. Does He pick and choose? I do not know that answer to that question, but I am becoming more aware that God does choose to make Himself known to and through the broken, weak things of this world.

Rahab the harlot comes to mind (you know the great, great, great grandmother of King David...who was in the lineage of Jesus...makes for a really good scandal to have a prostitute for a relative, right?!?) Mary Magdeline also comes to mind (again, another scandalous individual who I like to call "Lady Love Much"). Both women swept up into relationships that could not have been anticipated.

First, Rahab...selling her body, making her wage by the hour...leading men (maybe women too) into adulterous and hedonistic acts. Keep in mind there is nothing new under the sun. She was called a harlot, making her living by participating in acts of sexual behavior that would only be defined as vile and idolatrous to a proper, upstanding individual. And on the day of her encounter with the living God, two men came knocking at her door. I wonder if she thought, "Bonus...double down!"? I don't know what went through her mind at first thought, but you can bet she didn't answer the door in her Sunday best and have tea and crackers waiting in the next room. Sure, she had heard the rumors of the Israelites at the river, but this didn't affect her business model. The more the merrier or how else would she provide for herself. She answered the door like any other time....heavy amounts of makeup, jewelry adoring every appendage, see-through silken clothing (if you could call it that) and intoxicating amounts of perfume....all the tools of the trade.

And there He was...face to face with this lady of the evening...in the red-light district...getting ready to interact with eternity. God came a callin'. How did someone so entrenched in the pleasures of the world, get marked as a candidate for the love of God? I'm sure it is a great mystery. One I'm trying to understand myself. Grace....mercy....destiny.

In Luke 7, we see another woman..."Lady Love Much". She did the most offensive thing that one can do in her position. Whether gripped by shame and embarrassment, we can only guess. But she used her worldly charms to "come on to Jesus." (or so it was perceived). She came just as she was, a prostitute, no pretense. And with the only skill she knew she acted; kissing his feet and washing them with her hair, she poured an entire jar of costly perfume on him. The intoxicating aroma filled the entire space. Everyone around Jesus and this Harlot knew exactly what had happened for days afterward. The fragrance of her act surrounding both of them like a pungent cloud. And there He was again...right in the heart of another scandal.

My point is this...I don't think God behaves any differently today. He still chooses to encounter us with the same love that He did to these two women. He is the same God who can reach us in the very act of sin: adultery, addiction to pornography, alcoholism, angry fits, anorexia...all sorts of sinful cravings or struggles. Mostly when we are not expecting Him...He comes to us. Just as we are, at the bar, beside the toilet, alone in our car, in the red light district...He's there; loving, interacting, setting plans, purposes and futures in motion. Grace, Mercy, Destiny!

1 Corinthians 1:21,26-31 (Message) says, "So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

trans....it...ion

On my Facebook I have written under the "about me" section, "transition, transition, transition...what can I say?". That feels like the story of my life. I have gone from transition to transition. I can count 15 different houses I've lived in, in 7 different states and 2 countries. And minus KY, I have not lived in any one place more than 3 years.

Growing up, most of this was due to my family moving for church reasons...my father was a pastor.

Transition!

When we arrived in KY, where I spent most of my life, there was still a lot of transition. I was finishing high school, and headed off to boot camp with the USMC, and then I went to university. I was married while achieving my undergrad degree. And started a family and career. I moved 3 different times for my job with the airlines. And was unemployed 2 different times within an 11 month period. Whew...I forgot to tell you to take a breath...sorry.

Transition!

So this really is a theme of my life. Like a thread weaved in a tapestry, all these changes have been actively moving me to where I am now. For me...the word transition has been easily defined as a "verb". But I believe that is about to change...lol, another transition.

I believe that I am in a season of understanding this powerful force as a “noun”...as an event that results in transformation!

On Friday 11-11-11, my family went to an event at the Century II Center, that really delved into the prophetic and the positioning of the church. Dare I say it? The entire theme of this meeting was...yup, you guessed it. Transition! I would struggle to even begin to describe all that came out of this meeting. But I was convinced that I was not the only one in transition.

I believe that God is establishing a constance within the body. The HS has shown me at times how flaky I've been and how at times I've been off the charts with lows and highs. I believe my walk with the Lord has at times resembled the stock market, which lately has resembled a roller coaster.

And now the HS draws near and speaks to me, "Prepare a way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for your God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”. Isa40.3. (paraphrased me). We are called out to prepare our hearts for the Lord, to remove all obstacles and see the glory of the Lord revealed as we are moved into the glory realms of understanding and living full lives.

The great truth?!? It’s all about Him...it’s for His glory...it’s “Christ in me” and “when I am weak, then I am strong”. The power and mystery of his grace in transition.

dig down...

So, so dry. The reports of drought conditions in Western Kansas are devistating, even depressing. Water levels are at some of the lowest levels in decades. Long term forecasters report that these conditions could stretch out for years.. As the dry spell continues, the lakes and ponds have gradually become more and more depleated. And in some cases, even dried up completely.

Everything that was once covered by water, and hidden is now becoming exposed...laid bare. All types of debris, including tree stumps, are completely visible. It doesn't leave much to the imagination.

And now this...over the past month or so, I have also noticed a peculiar event beginning to take place. Backhoes, tractors and excavation equipment have been arriving at several locations (that I observe on my commute) and digging out the ponds and lakes has begun. And in some cases, expanding the banks to make the bodies of water larger.

So what's so interesting about that? Well, as the rain began to fall today (I was so glad)...I thought about the consequence of this action. What would happen if the rain came for days and days and at the amount the forecast reports? Would anyone be prepared? At this point I could easily say that those newly re-dug lakes and ponds would be well prepared to contain the bounty.

But what about us? Isaiah 54:2 call us to "enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."

Some have eyes to see and ears to hear. And it is these ones who will take the time and have the wisdom to dig out the dry lake beds. They will remove the debris, and the entanglements and junk that have lined the bottom. They will push back the banks of the shore, expanding their boundaries. These ones will have a place to contain the latter rains (Zachariah 10:1)

The struggle in this is not only for the "revival" of a body of water, but also for it's "glory". With the beauty of restoration comes the responsibility to live faithfully and honorably. And this is the constance that challenges all as we press on to know the Lord.

I feel deeply that the atmosphere is quickly changing. All around I see evidence that there is a deep cleansing going on in the Body of Chirst...in spite of our ability, history, failures and weakness. Such grace is displayed unto us now. And this is where I want to find myself. This is what I cry out for for the Bride. As we lay aside all the things that hinders and we put on Christ. And we put off the old man and are renewed in our minds, "put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man...and put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Eph 4:22-24 Thank you Lord!

constant love...

"...chosen by God and precious." i peter 2:4

These five words have undone me this evening. It seems they have leapt off the page, devouring all the shame and contempt that comes at me, and revealing to me the beginnings of a deep mystery.

I have felt the sting of rejection, the bitter disappointment of my own failings, and the shame of addictive sin...but it all begins to fade away as I draw near to the One who knows it all, who experienced it all, and purposely bore it all in love for us on the cross.

This precious One was despised and rejected by men, and we find that He was called by God the "chosen precious ONE". And we have been chosen by God and precious...a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people...called out of darkness.

And now we stand blinking in the light of this amazing love. Bright and shining ones all around, arrayed in splendor, washed in the blood, pure, white and spotless...not by any works that we can do, but by GRACE alone. That is so powerful to me...and it unravels me and humbles me to tears.

Thank you God for amazing, constant and perfect love. Amazing glorious love!