Fear Not the Transforming Power of Christmas

Luke 1: 26 - 38 - 26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[c] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."
38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

When I was talking to God about what He wanted me to write for Christmas, I must admit I was kind of stumped. Then like he always does, he gave me a ton of things at once. So here it is...

I don't know about you, but lately (probably over the last 2 months) I've struggled with caring for my heart and really taking quality, meaningful, intimate time with the sweet Lover of my soul. It's not for a lack of "want to". It is that I let distractions and other things become more of a priority than spending time with him.

A friend of mine e-mailed me Christmas Letter blog from Mary Beth Chapman (Steven Curtis Chapman's wife). If you haven't read it yet it's a great read with challenging insight. (http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/marybeth/2008/12/mary-beths-christmas-letter-.html) She talks about how they are adjusting to the "new normal" with the loss of their 5-year-old daughter Maria Sue. She goes on to mention Mary, the mother of Jesus as only a mom who's lived through a significant loss could do.

I love that whenever an angel appears to someone in the Bible that the angel simply states, "Do not be afraid." Usually when the angel is on the scene, transformation in a person's life is about to occur.

At work I, along with our entire senior leadership, have required reading over the next month: Deep Change by Robert Quinn. My attitude wasn't the best about this assignment. I don't have time to read the stuff I want to read, much less the stuff I now have to read. So, reluctantly, I dove in and was pleasantly surprised. Now keep in mind this is a business book, read with my spiritual eyes and heart (like I view a movie with my spiritual eyes and heart). So, there are some things in this book that have challenged me.

The book talks about the difference between "incremental change" and "deep change". Incremental change is defined as change that can be reversed; it usually includes a process that is built on experience from the past and if the change fails, then you can always go back to the way things were before with little harm. Deep change however is irreversable and risky.

"Each of us has the potential to change the world. Because the price of change is so high, we seldome take on the challenge. Our fears blind us to the possibilities of excellence - and yet another formidable insight. This insight concerns the price of not making deep change. That price is the choice of slow death, a meaningless and frustrating experience enmeshed in fear, anger and helplessness, while moving surely toward what is most feared. "(pg. 11 - Deep Change)

Deep change is about facing our fears and wanting transformation more than comfort. Then I think about Mary and Joseph more than 2000 years ago. Mary's response, "I'll do whatever you like," is full of more trust than fear. She didn't have a plan, or a step-by-step process. She just had to trust God with her life, her circumstances, her heart, her future and her son. She let transformation happen. She trusted the only one who can truly make deep change happen and walk with us through our fears.

So, I'm looking at this Christmas a little bit differently. Yes, it will always be the time we celebrate the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ. But now I look forward to celebrating transformation and the power Jesus has to do that in me if I let him. Deep change is what I'm praying he delivers to me in 2009.

All the circumstances in my life have stripped me of the control I liked to believe I had. I have no idea how to be a mom of 2 boys; I have no idea what Scott's future job situation looks like; I have no idea how to adjust to the demands that face me at my job due to downsizing; I have no idea what to do with this blog or where it will lead. All are mysteries to me, but I know that God is in control and will provide me with the steps I need to take as I need to take them. I just have to be like Mary - live with more trust than fear.

Be bold - be brave - be you!

Merry Christmas! Happy Transformation!
Kim

Through Fear

Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship and by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

First of all, sorry it's been a while since I've blogged. Life happens and I've unfortunately let too many things be distractions. But all is well.

I love this verse! It reminds me of so many things... what God has given us - a spirit of freedom (not to be a slave again to fear!) and a spirit of sonship. I'm realizing the more I dig into His word and what He says about fear that He constantly reminds us about who He is. Hmmm - that's the point!

I love it when our sweet Heavenly Father chooses to use children to show us more about his character and his plans. Here are some recent experiences that have wowed me lately.

I was picking Ian up from daycare one day. He had had one of those days. His teacher told me she had asked him to pick up the puzzles that he'd dumped out and put the car he was playing with away. I proceeded to urge him to do the same and he says to me with car in hand, "But, mommy, I don't know where the car goes." I told him to put it on the table next to his teacher so we could start picking up the puzzles. These weren't your normal puzzles - they were wooden and layered with several pictures on top of one another. I was having difficulty figuring them out, much less my nearly 4 year old son! Anyway, his excuse for not picking up the puzzles was that he didn't know how to put them together. We miraculously put the puzzles together and headed home for a great night.

On the way home, my sweet Heavenly Daddy whispered to me, "Not knowing what to do and doing nothing is not obedience. Do something." I reflected on my experience with Ian and saw the direct parallel. So often I let fear of making a mistake or making the wrong decision overpower me. Then I do nothing because I'm in the bondage of fear which ultimately results in disobedience. Now, I don't want to be foolish and just do anything because it's something, but I don't need to get stuck in a comfort zone of no action either.

Then, Sunday morning was Ian's first time singing in "big church". I missed it - was late getting to worship from my 9am ministry service. After all my tears of missing one of Ian's firsts, I got to hear all about it through my wonderful husband's eyes. Thank you, honey! As Scott shares the details of the experience, his eyes light up with pride and excitement. I asked Scott, "Did Ian see you?" Scott said yes and went on to tell me that Ian told his teacher near him while pointing at Scott, "There's my daddy!" Because we both serve the same Holy Spirit, He gently gave both of us this word, "That's how I feel when you give me the credit for working in, through and for you." Oh how God loves it when we say, "That's my daddy!"

So here is the challenge for us now:
Are you choosing (knowingly or unknowingly) to live in a spirit of fear, which results in no action (maybe even just a comfortable life), which equates to disobedience?

Ask God what living in the spirit of sonship looks like for you today? I think you'll be surprised how extravagantly he loves you and cherishes you. If you're not ask him to show you specifically and then be looking for ways (even in little things) he shows you.

How have you given God praise lately for who he is and what he's doing through and for you?

I'm so glad that God frequently reminds me of his sovereignty and power so I can remember who is in control - and thank you, Jesus, it's not me!

Sisters, be bold - be brave - be you!

Love & Prayers,
Kim

Using this blog

Just a reminder that you can post your comments if you like.
Also, if you'd like to chat a bit one-on-one you can e-mail me at quartzministry@yahoo.com.

Be blessed!
Kim

Who am I?

Isaiah 44:2-3
2 This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

I have to tell you that I was wowed by these verses when I read them. How funny that God reminds us who He is, then proceeds to tell us not to be afraid, then tells us what He plans to do for us. Too cool! He calls Israel by 2 names: Jacob, my servant and Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. Very descriptive and intimate - don't you think? He knows Israel. He knows us. He made us. He formed us in the womb. He will help us.

I was listening to the radio recently and came across this song that reflects these verses. Israel's (how appropriate!) "I am not forgotten". Here's a link to the YouTube video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7DHsMbxZg (Turn it up load and be ready to jam and dance! Yes, this Southern Baptist girl loves to dance!)
The main lyrics of the song are: I am not forgotten. God knows my name.

I take comfort in knowing that my Savior cares enough to remind me who He is. He reminds me of his power and his creativity. I'm hopeful that you, like me, are discovering the assurance, freedom and boldness that come with knowing Him, believing Him and trusting Him with everything.

Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Waves of Fear

Exodus 14:9 – Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not be afraid of the people of the land because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. (NIV)

This verse comes from the time when Joshua and Caleb and 10 other guys went to spy and scope out the Promised Land. They spoke about how beautiful the land was. Then the one of the 10 guys spoke up about how large the people were and compared themselves to grasshoppers in comparison to their large stature. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to speak up and say, “No, we can take them!”

Scott and I recently celebrated our 8th anniversary (I love you, honey!). We were preparing to get away for a weekend and I decided to look through my journal. Last year at this time we were going through one of those difficult times in our marriage. We went away to celebrate our anniversary then too. I wrote in my journal the following,
Scott and I took a stroll on the beach in the dark – very cool!
Saw a shooting star – quick, but amazing. Just what I needed to feel romanced tonight. Thank you, Jesus!
Saw the waves coming in and noticed that they’re a lot like our fears – they seem so big so far away, but once they get to you they’re really nothing but salty water ebbing to and fro.

Now, I know you’re probably thinking, well what about the waves with hurricanes and tsunamis? Well, those are the storms of life. God promises in Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I can think about my circumstances and within a matter of minutes in my imagination have the whole thing turning into this monumental disaster. This is our enemy’s ploy to distract us from the One who holds the future and the One who knows the truth. If we focus on our circumstances and their size or severity we will be stuck there. If we are aware of our circumstances, their size and severity but choose to focus on God, our Rescuer and Redeemer, than we experience freedom and have the privilege of living out a child-like faith by trusting him through the circumstances. By no means is this an easy task, but it is one that is life transforming and worth all that it brings.

Be bold! Be brave! Be you!

Getting Started

I’ve waited long enough to do this!! Now I’m overflowing with things I want to share. Hope it comes out clearly!

I had an amazing “God experience” about 5 or 6 weeks ago. Here’s a description:
The company my husband worked for decided to close their doors. Not a fun place to be anytime, but especially when you’re 6 months pregnant. We had taken our 3 and a half year old to watch Pop Warner football (he’s a football fanatic and wants to be where the action is, in the action at all times!). Later that afternoon I needed to go get my haircut. You know just a normal Saturday of doing life stuff. Well, it cost us more than we expected to go watch the football games and then we didn’t have enough time to go home for lunch before I needed to get to my haircut appointment. It was logistical craziness. I submitted (with a bit of an attitude) and we ended up at McD’s for lunch. While Scott was getting our food, Ian and I were sitting at a table. Ian was singing some goofy song quite loudly. He quieted down and then this woman came up to our table. She said, “I know you don’t know me, but I feel it’s important for me to be obedient with what God tells me to do.” (Can you say freak out moment!) She proceeded to say, “You’ve been praying about some important decisions and God just wants you to go for it.” Struggling for words, I politely said “thank you” and sat in total shock. Scott came to the table and I explained the encounter to him. He looked up and saw the woman and by the time I turned around to confirm it was her, she was walking out the door. I told Scott, “I don’t know about you, but over the last several days I’ve been praying about a ton of important decisions – so which one is it?” Dumbfounded yet feeling secure and loved on by our Savior, I continued with the day. Later that evening I was getting Ian ready for bed. After his bath he wanted to read his Bible, but he wanted to read the whole thing right then. I explained that God tells us many things in His word and that we need to read a little bit every day so we can listen to all that God tells us. I referred to a movie we had been watching over and over again - “Facing the Giants”. I reminded Ian that in the movie, Coach Richt tells Coach Taylor that God tells us in his word 365 times to not be afraid. Well, I’m not sure what happened except that the Holy Spirit took over my son! He started preaching for the next 5 minutes about not being afraid and giving examples that were relevant to him. He turned out his light and said, “Mommy, see this shadow? We don’t need to be afraid because God is with us.” He continued with this type of message and related it to scarier shadows, thunderstorms, lightning, and more. Again, overcome with God’s clarity, specifics and truth, I sat there in shock. After a couple of days of digesting what had happened, I came to this conclusion: I had been letting fear steal so many of the things God has for me through various excuses like procrastination, timing not making sense, what my plans were and much more. So, I’ve embarked on a new study adventure: what does God’s word say about fear? It’s been enlightening so far. I trust that you enjoy the journey with me! Here we go!

Why Quartz Ministry?

Quiet and calm yourself in his grasp (Isaiah 30:15)
Understand who and whose you are (Romans 8:15)
Authentic relatioships with Jesus and a small community of believers
Rescue mission for your heart is in progress (Isaiah 61:1-4)
Trust and do not be afraid (Isaiah12:2)
Zealously seeking all that He is and savoring the journey (Romans 12:11)


That's what quartz stands for and ultimately hopes to bring to Christ and to many women that choose to read this. As always, Christ has a story here.

One day several years ago while driving my little green 2-door escort (the first car I ever bought and owned all by myself!) to work in downtown Jacksonville, I heard God say study quartz rocks. I was reading Elizabeth George's, "A Woman After God's Own Heart" and one of the things that stuck out to me was become an expert in a few things (the 5 file folder concept). So, not being a science girl (I prefer English much more!), I thought I was going out of my mind. I didn't like to even get dirty, but now God was asking me to study rocks. Made no sense to me, but I did it anyway. What I learned transformed the way I look at my relationship with Christ.

You see the process starts in the center of the Earth with the hot magma. As it flows out of a volcano, the heat mixing with the cooler air makes condensation or water beadlets or sometimes streams of water. The water mixes with the magma and as the magma cools, the magma forms a rock and the water forms crystals on the inside.

I believe that God gave me this picture of our relationship with Him. We go through hot, refining times. He is always with us (remember, He is the living water). His beauty is reflected from the inside out.

So, here are my questions to you. Write down what others say is beautiful about you. Write down what you say is beautiful about you. Write down what God says is beautiful about you.

Be bold! Be brave! Be you!