Blessed Rest

Today, my husband and children let me sleep...and it's Friday. For me, Friday is usually a crunch day. Sunday is Mother's Day, but for me, it's the biggest day of the week. As a pastor, I work 12+ hours on Sunday, so Mother's Day will have to be celebrated...today.

Today, I got up at 6:00 a.m., because I was getting one text message after another. A church member had been asking for prayer in a group text, and much to my delight, he had reported during the night that he had been healed. Praise God! I've been preaching on prayer for the last 6 weeks, and I know that God is moving. I see it. It's tangible, and I see a shift in the verbiage used when my people are talking about the circumstances in their lives and in the church. I'm so thankful, but I'm so tired.

As an introvert, I need time to decompress. This week was abnormally very busy with conferences, meetings, counseling sessions, an annual report that's due, and an unexpected sermon assignment thrown into the usual mix. And did I mention, that it's Friday, and I'm tired. When I delightfully (not being sarcastic here) at 6:00 a.m. to the sound of the group collectively praising God, I was excited to see yet again, the power of Christ in prayer. He is moving in the lives of my people. And I'm so glad.

But I'm tired. I went back to bed after my husband left for work at 8:00, and I slept until 10:30. It was awesome! I smiled when I woke.

My introverted tendencies crave for me to spend time decompressing. All of the activity this week hasn't made me physically tired, amazingly. I'm physically ready to run a few miles. But inwardly, I need to sleep. I need to decompress. I need to spend time with Jesus, not just praying for the needs of my church body, but to seek the face of the one that loves me most. He is my rest, my peace, my source of comfort. But I don't just turn to him for something. I gaze upon the face of my Savior because HE is my rest.

The fact that the Holy Spirit lives in me gives me the strength and the desire to carry on. But turning my eyes upon Him in prayer gives me life. He is my life.

Sleep is blessed. But his presence is rest.

They Call Me Pastor

Tomorrow morning, I will preach my very first sermon as Pastor of Harvest Church of the Nazarene. I can't even believe myself as I type these words. For the last 3 ½ years, Heath and I have only served in interim and pulpit-supply type roles. Most of the time, we have been really good laymen, and it's sort of surreal in a way to be back in the office.

I didn't come to this decision lightly. When I started as interim at this church back in October, my mind was made up that I wasn't looking to pastor again. In fact, repeatedly, the subject came up about me being their pastor, and even the District Superintendent called to ask my thoughts about a possible permanent relationship. I turned all of them down flat.

I mean, honestly, it just didn't make sense. This wasn't on my radar at all. I didn't think my family was in a position yet to approach the subject of entering full-time ministry again, and I didn't even think I was a good fit for Harvest. They're great people. And that's just the problem. They're grounded, solid, mature Christians, and I've never started with a group of people this strong. Where could I take them? And then, there's the culture thing. I'm just a country-girl from a little community in Mississippi that nobody's ever heard of. We don't even have our own zip code. I'm naively old-fashioned on a lot of things, and I just felt like they needed somebody...smarter, more knowledgeable about leadership, more trendy on the ways that churches are nowadays.

And then I started reading, and searching, and praying. And as the months passed on, the door just was left open. They interviewed several people, and they even liked them. But each time, something happened, and the door was shut with those people. But with me, it just stayed open. Still, I was hesitant and scared. I've never pastored without Heath, and I'm...well...a woman.

Nevertheless, I agreed to an interview, and in the interview, the board voted unanimously to recommend me to the congregation for a church vote. And at some point, "I accept the nomination," escaped my lips. Excitedly, they asked, "What do we call you?" And it was decided that they would call me, "Pastor Susan." Until that point, I didn't realize how much I'd missed that title. Pastor.

Oh, how I love these people. From the day that the Lord and I settled it that I was willing, and He is able, my heart has been bonded to them. I love them. I pray for them. I believe in them. My desire is for them to succeed at living up to their name of reaping the Harvest. And with all my heart, I promise to be the leader that God desires for me to be.

How did this happen? And what have I done? These are both questions that have crowded my mind the last few weeks as I have not-so-patiently waited to start my new role. Since my heart has been changed, my mind wasn't so quick to respond, and the enemy has plagued me with inadequate thoughts once again. But I know what God has done in my heart. And I know the steps He has taken to bring Harvest and me to the point where we are.

Without me asking, God has graciously put three households in my presence this week that Heath and I had the privilege of pastoring in the past. As we have visited with each family, my thoughts flood back to the past and the roads we walked with each of them. Their stories were not always pretty or easy, but it was my honor to walk beside them, encouraging them and pointing their attention to the Father. Look at how God encourages and reminds of how He has and can use me again!

And I'm thankful. I'm grateful. And I'm excited.

He never has failed me. To God be the Glory!

Christmas Is Over

Ecclesiastes 3:1-6 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to search and a time to quit searching; a time to keep, and a time to throw away..." ESV

Today, I took down the Christmas tree and put all of the seasonal decorations in the attic. What a chore. I dread this day every year. I love putting up all of the festive garnishments and then looking at its beauty throughout the Christmas season. But the day of taking it all down is just depressing, and what a chore it is! Usually, I delay it because I just hate it so much. My kids' birthdays are in the middle of February, and one year on their birthday, there was a birthday cake/ice cream photo taken with the unlit Christmas tree in the background. But no matter how quickly I remove all of the decor, I'm always shocked at how bare the house looks when it's done, and things have returned to their normal places.

A wise person recognizes that everything has its own season, both in our physical life and in our spiritual life. We should be able to determine the appropriate time to engage in or stop an activity. But unfortunately,we as humans would just like to live our lives in the fun times. No one wants to go through trials and storms, but such is life. Someone once told me that if I were going to thank God and enjoy the good times, then I needed to accept the hard ones in order to appreciate the good ones. Such wisdom.

The remaining two days that we have left of this year are short. Much has happened in our lives, in our country, and in our world this year. I saw a meme on social media yesterday that said "2015: The Year Everyone Got Offended." Tis true. Our world is different now. Heartache has happened, people have been taken from us, we've relocated to another part of the country, and my ministry role has changed. But through it all, God has been good.

Things may look a little different in your home, in your heart, or in your family after living through 2015. The question is, how will you end it? Make the most of these last 2 days. It's the season for organizing, for cleaning out, for taking inventory of those Christmas lights that quit the third week of December. But's it's also the season for realizing that 2016 is coming, and it's a blank slate. What will happen this coming year? None of us know the answer to the question, but we can embrace the new season upon us and clean our hearts and homes for its arrival.

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Happy New Year!

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7, "When you make a promise to God, don't delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don't let your mouth make you sin. And don't defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Talk to cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead."

The new year is just a few days away, and Christmas is only 3 days in the past. Already, some people are talking about their New Year's Resolutions to lose weight and get healthy, but far too many others are still sleeping in their cozy Christmas Cookie Coma.

I don't know about you, but when I indulge in the holiday sweets, it seems like the rest of the day goes downhill. I don't know exactly the science behind it, but when I eat sugar, I crave it for the rest of the day even though it's making me sick to my stomach. That's the honest truth. What makes me sick, I crave. The entire time I'm indulging, I don't really enjoy it like I used to. My healthy lifestyle has made me a different person, and I don't really want to go back to where I was. The physical sickness isn't really the whole issue either. Inside, I can't enjoy what I know will eventually make me unhealthy.

Ecclesiastes is a hard book. It's deep, honest, and straight to the point. Oh, but the wisdom it conveys to us. Chapter 5 is no different. In this section, Solomon teaches about approaching God with respect and care. We shouldn't just flippantly make promises to God and then when those promises are broken, try to justify them with excuses. It only makes the situation worse. I had to laugh at verse 6, "Don't let your mouth make you sin..." Of course, Solomon is talking about how we talk and justify our lack of follow-through. But in thinking of healthy lifestyles, our cravings can cause us to cave to temptation. When tempted with unhealthy food choices, we need only to ask the Lord to help us honor our commitments. It's that simple. Talk is cheap; buying workout clothes...not so much. We can make a decision to be healthy, and we can even invest in new yoga pants and running shoes, but the true test is the follow-through.

I think all too often we make promises to God like we make New Year's resolutions. Do you know that 85% of New Year's resolutions are broken in the first month? Solomon says we aren't to live this way. And by the power of His Spirit, we can succeed.

The day after Christmas, someone posted on Facebook the following status: "Do you wait until January 1 to start your diet, or will you start on Monday?" The overwhelming response was, "January 1." A couple of people said that he should start on Monday, and my thought was, "Why not today?"

Why not today? Why do we need to wait to be healthy? Go put on those new yoga pants and break in those new running shoes. Go wash your new blender bottle, and get after it. Carpe Diem!

Interested in more healthy devotions like this one? Check out my book, Fit Faith, a Seven-Week Weight-Loss Devotional Journal available on Amazon!

Christmas Eve

For my family, today is Christmas Eve. Since we are traveling tomorrow, we will open gifts early tomorrow morning before heading out. Therefore, today is, for me at least, the llloooooooonnnggest day of the year. Seriously, it goes on forever. I can't wait until bedtime because, in this sense, I'm just as excited as a kid. I'm the mom that wakes her kids up at 5:00 on Christmas morning while every other parent is telling their kids to go back to sleep because it's too early. We are that family. Tonight, I will prep breakfast, clean the kitchen and living room to perfection, organize the gifts to hand them out speedily, set up the go-pro to video our excitement, and last but not least, lay out my husband's Bible to read the Scripture of Luke 2 over breakfast. For me, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

For many, Christmas Eve is stressful, awkward, sad, lonely, and long for other reasons. For many, it's just another work day, and for others, it's the day they're reminded yet again, that there's an empty chair at the table this year.

Christmas was, no doubt, all of the above for Mary and Joseph. The night their first child was born was exciting, awkward, lonely, uncertain, and long. People they didn't know crowded in to see their child, and they had to be at least a little curious about why (and how) these people came. Only to be told a little later that King Herod was after the baby's life. Mary had just given birth when she had to run to protect His life. This wasn't what she had in mind when she said, "May it be to me as you have said," to the angel. Several years later, the Magi of all people came bringing strange gifts, and Mary had to wonder. In fact, the Scripture even says several times, "But Mary treasured all these things in her heart."

I'm a little like Mary. At least, I imagine her reaction through the lens of what I know I would think/do. Outwardly, I would roll with the punches, but inside, I would ponder. Hmmm... I would "discuss" the obstacles with Joseph, and I would eventually ask God to help me deal. But most of all, I would prepare. I would plan. I would make all the preparations we would need for the next day, and I would sleep confidently, knowing that things would be much less chaotic in the morning.

But life with Jesus often doesn't work that way. We want smooth sailing, no bad surprises, no obstacles, and no stormy weather. God never promised Mary that being a mother to Jesus would be easy, but He did tell her, "You have found favor with God." Wow, she found favor with God! And she lived the life of a truly favored woman.

I don't consider myself more than an ordinary woman, raising ordinary children, and being an ordinary life. But for some reason, I feel favored. I am blessed beyond what anyone could measure, and I live life walking in fellowship with that baby boy born that Christmas night. I have obstacles, stormy weather, and hiccups happen along the way, and no amount of planning can account for those things. But I can choose to life a life, knowing I am favored, and I can say, like Mary, whatever plan you have for me, I will live it and glorify you in the process.

Physically Obese and Spiritually Malnourished

Matthew 4:4 “But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ‘“ NLT

June 25, 2012 found me at the end of my rope. We had given everything we had to our ministry, but despite our best efforts, it just didn’t pay off in the tangible way we had hoped. The stress of the last few years had taken its toll on our family, our marriage, our finances, and our bodies. That day, it came to an end. I was physically obese and spiritually malnourished. We were drained, tired, burnt out, and I was obese.

For the first time in my entire life, I found myself outside of ministry, and it was an odd feeling. I had always had an identity in serving God, busy doing His work, whether as a pastor’s kid, a Bible college student, or a pastor. Now, I was none of those. What was my identity, I asked myself every day. I didn’t even have a job to contribute financially to my family, and my self-esteem was at an all-time low. All I was, was a fat woman, I thought. I believed it too. That’s all I was, and no one could take me seriously like this. What’s more, my spiritual life had been drained emotionally too. I was always giving out, serving, but never taking in enough spiritual nourishment to restore what I had given. I was so dry spiritually, and everything I read or heard, I just soaked up like a sponge. I was certain that my sponge would never be saturated again.

In our Scripture today, we find Jesus of all people, at low point. He has fasted for 40 days, is drained physically, and Satan is trying his best tactics to tempt Jesus and bring Him down. Jesus has an answer, though. Here Jesus refuses to use his God-given power to get something that He trusted God to give Him. It was God’s place to provide the strength Jesus needed. Originally, this verse is found in Deuteronomy chapter 8, when the children of Israel are complaining and struggling with unbelief in God to provide food and nourishment. Unlike Israel, Jesus here looks to God the Father, unswerving in His faith. Because the very thing that Jesus needed was a word from God. 

Sometimes we think we just need energy and strength, sometimes it’s a pat on the back in encouragement of our work for God. Other times, we pray for God to give us a sign that our labor for Him is “paying off,” but we must remember that our work for Him isn’t always visible in the here and now. We need only trust in the God who has always provided richly to His people and who gives us balance. There is no need to worry whether the manna will fall, but simply trust in the Word He has already spoken to us.

Sometimes we think we just need to lose weight, and things will be better. We fool ourselves to thinking that our problem is a physical one when often times, it’s a spiritual one. I’m totally of the opinion that our physical life affects our spiritual life in a big way, yet which is more important? I’ve heard it said that it would be a shame to be physically fit for this world yet unfit to meet the King of Kings. 

There will be seasons in life, seasons of both plenty and want. But in those times, we have to rely on the Word of God to sustain us. He has already provided!

Are you out of balance in the fitness of your physical and spiritual life? He can bring balance and order! Read through Deuteronomy 8 and Matthew 4:1-11 and contrast the Israelites’ response to Jesus’ response to times of testing.

Encouragement for Today

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” NLT

Philippians 3:19 “They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.” NLT

Read more in my new book FitFaith, available on Amazon!

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

7 Days! In 7 days, just one week, my family and I will celebrate Christmas together. Gifts will be torn open, and the Christmas magic will explode. That's why today, just now even, I am deep-cleaning my home. Nobody's actually coming to my house besides the people that live here, but there's just something about a clean house on Christmas morning. I mean clean. Closets, baseboards, cabinets, the floor behind the big appliances...clean.

I don't know what exactly it is about cleanliness and holidays. But it seems to me that I can't really relax and enjoy the environment of excitement when there's a mess everywhere. I want to look back on photos of this Christmas and soak in the sweetness of my children's faces and not be distracted by the mess in the background.

I also have this crazy itch to help my kids (and me too) purge whatever isn't being used in their rooms and closets before Christmas. We donate any good-repair items to charity and the rest gets pitched. There's no need to keep things just for the sake of hoarding. And it makes finding a home in their room for new gifts a lot easier.

I know, I know...you'll read tons of blogs and articles on the web about just being "present in the moment." And you should. Absolutely, I am a firm believer that people come before process. People always come first...especially my own family. But for me, it's about preparing my home so that I have eliminated all distractions. The temptation is gone for me to be anything but present in the moment. I think my household cleanliness issue can mirror closely what should be happening in our hearts too.

I think of the Christmas carol, "Joy to the Word," and specifically, "Let ev'ry heart, prepare Him room..." This time of year, and all year, really, we are constantly bombarded with things to accomplish, stress, pressure, and temptations of all kinds. I think many times our hearts get so cluttered with all of the tactics of the enemy:  anxiety, jealousy, grief, resentment, stress, and many others I'm sure you could name.

If we don't take time at some point to take inventory of heart and purge all of the things that are unnecessary and allow the Holy Spirit to do some holiday cleaning, how will we ever be able to hear Him when He speaks and make room for His gifts? His gifts are simple, but oh so sweet: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness and self-control.

When David prayed his prayer in Psalm 51:10, he was repenting of sin and asking God to renew his soul. I think we all could benefit from repeating David's prayer as well. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This year, my home won't be the only vessel ready for Christmas. Baseboards are on my list today. But when I'm on my knees scrubbing, I'll be praying David's prayer.