If It Were Only That Simple

In God We Trust.

When the world explodes in revolutions and protests – in God We Trust.

When national and state governments exhaust their budgets  - in God We Trust.

When unemployment continues to maintain a 9.8 percentage rate - in God We Trust.

When we can’t manage health care costs - in God We Trust.

He’s our only hope when nothing makes any sense. He’s our encourager in our darkest hours.  He’s our supporter when every person or system fails us.

He’s everything. He’s enough. He’s our Father.

So hold on tightly. Take deep breathes and hold your hands out to God.  Let Him lift you up in his arms and take the weight off your shoulders.

Hold on to your faith. Be strong and courageous.

In God We Trust.

Trusting is Not A One Time Act

Trust is an important word and I think it’s definitely one of the keys to a good life. And for you wordsmiths out there, it’s equally meaningful both as a noun and verb!

Look at the following definitions.

Trust (noun) reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence; a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

Trust (verb) to trust in another’s honesty; trusting to luck.  To have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.

NEW YEAR

As we get ready to usher in another year, I can’t help but reflect back on how this noun and verb has been a challenge and blessing to me at the same time. I’m learning if I just put all my trust in God, He’s got it all covered.  The stress goes away and I’m walking the path He intends for me. Life is good when I follow that belief.

Then there’s this other side when I panic and worry about trusting God. For how can I really trust Him? What if He doesn’t come through in the way I want or in the time frame I want it to happen? What then?  And just like that I’m thrown off track. (Being “on track” is a big concept this year for me.  See here for more details.)

My spiritual mentor told me that it was time to start relying on God’s trust. She said I needed to stop with my double-mindedness and let go of matters of my heart and finances.  She first told me this last summer and it took me awhile to work through it.

But, now, at the end of the year I finally get it.  When I stay on the path or track God has for me, all’s good. The more I veer off, the more disbelief, panic and sadness come in. I am trying to stay the course and keep my eyes on Him. I’m trusting in confidence that He has it all covered.

UP, UP and AWAY

On December 24, I surrendered my two areas of deepest concern over to Him.  To symbolize the release of my control over my life, I let go of balloons.  First, I first let go of a red helium balloon. The red balloon represented matters of my heart.  With the release of its string, I declared that God was in charge of my hopes and dreams of finding a mate and healing my brokenness.

Cast all your Cares on Him, the Master and Creator of All.

And then I let go of a green one.  The green balloon stood for my financial future and career path.  As I let the balloon slip through my hands, I reiterated to God that it’s all His money and that I work for Him, He’s my boss and He’s in charge.

And as both balloons soared higher and higher, I felt lighter and lighter. These areas are in his care now.

Do you have something(s) to let go off? Do you need to trust God more in 2011.   If so, why not let off a few balloons.

Happy New Year!

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  Psalm 19:7

When You are Overwhelmed Do You Call Jesus for Help?

My daytime shenanigans are spent in social media. I simply can’t get enough of working in this space. It’s my passion and I do think it’s my call.  I recently attended a speaker’s conference on digital media where the speaker, Trust Agent author Chris Brogan reminded us of the fact that everyone’s business is pretty much hurting. He wanted us to remember that businesses are dying and that if we can align with others, so be it the better if the partnership does makes sense.

I loved that reality check for its absolutely true. We’re all in the same boat and the waves are crashing in around us and some of us are trying to empty the boat as fast as we can.  But, I wanted to remind you (us), that although we may feel like we’re drowning or doomed that all we need to do is look around and see that Jesus is right there with us.

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning^[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. ⁵⁰ They were all terrified when they saw him.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!^[b]” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. Mark 6:45-51

Are you seeing Jesus or is he walking by and you are not recognizing him? He’s there and he wants to be in your boat. When He’s there, the waves will calm and you can have His peace. We just need to recognize Him and lean into his care. Ahhhhhh.

Case in point...many of you know that I am embarking on my favorite conference this week, well in fact tomorrow.  With that, it was very important that my computer be up to snuff. I have never had any problems with it until today of course.  Five hours were spent on trying to get it to load programs and my blogs.  I had to shut it down and leave it to attend Brogan’s engagement.  As I drove to the venue, I spent that time in prayer with a friend and I believed that God would fix my problem.  Five hours later…I’m back on my computer and blogging.  God is good and He is in the boat. We just need to ask Him to join us and trust that He’ll take care of the storm.

I’ll be writing again soon.

All My Best,

Cindy

Jan Provoost’s “Abraham, Sarah and the Angel" - Man, look how old Sarah looked! Can't blame her for her disbelief.

Just when I thought God wasn’t in my daily plan, He goes and explodes upon me a heaping plate full of love.  At the beginning of summer, several things that I had taken for granted as being “sure things,” were disrupted, halted or ended. The life that was certain, suddenly became uncertain.  And it left me feeling out of sorts and well, discouraged and at times a bit hopeless. Hence, my lack of blogging of late.

So when I was staring at the walls of the pit instead of up at the stars, I really felt like I was becoming Sarah.  You remember Sarah. She was the wife of Abraham and she scoffed at what God told her husband.  I can’t say that I wouldn’t have either.  I mean if I was up in my years and beyond the natural age for childbirth, I’d chuckle too if God told my husband that I’d get my youth restored and give birth to son! That’s just too crazy for a miracle, don’t you think?

But, never under-estimate God. For He did just that. Abraham and Sarah gave birth to a beautiful son, Isaac, who is honored to be in Jesus’ lineage. This miracle of super-sized proportion actually happened. So why do I feel like and act like Sarah then?

In one of the five bible studies I am in the moment, one is Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love.” And this is what I just read today – “If life were stable, I’d never need God’s help. Since it’s not, I reach out for Him regularly. I am thankful for the unknowns and that I don’t have control, because it makes me run to God.“

So, as fall is now upon us, so is a new adventure with the season. It’s up to me to be either a scoffing Cindy or joyous Sarah.  So I’m honestly asking myself if I have enough belief in God to expect a new thing?

I mean I’m hearing and seeing His direction in my daily life– but at the end of the day do I really believe that it will come true? Do I honestly think He is cooking up something extremely wonderful, earth-shattering and unbelievable in my life? It just seems so outlandish and impossible. And isn’t that just like God to do the impossible?

A New Season is Upon Us and Its Joyous!

So, I’m going to believe and expect his favor and thank Him for it in advance. I am definitely understanding that He is guiding my path into places that are unfathomable to me and not understandable. But, I know that they are purposeful and in line with my call.

As I type this I am so excited for what He is birthing in me that I can’t stand it.  So as Pastor Chan recommends – I am thankful for the unknowns because they make me close to God. And with that, I understand, that  It’s in the uncertainty, that He becomes certain in our lives.

Stay tuned,

A Joyous Cindy

There always is a sticky side to transparency

I sat in an amazing session last week led by Alex Hamilton (The Redeemer Church) at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. He told us he would be talking about one of the most important issues facing the church – when leaders fall and how you handle it. Well, being a crisis communication executive, my ears certainly perked up.   Kudos to Pastor Hamilton – he did lead one of the most important seminars of the conference and what he had to say about how to handle it was spot on – he took a risk and was transparent with his congregation when his church was faced with such a problem.

Pastor Hamilton had to deal with two of his pastors who were in an affair together.  He wanted to tell his church about it and trust them to not gossip nor stone the victims. So he sent a letter to congregation stating the fact that two pastors have professed to the affair and that they were now going through a process and may or may not return.  He told the congregation that he would talk about it further on Sunday. That next Sunday, the church was packed to hear about how Pastor Hamilton was going to address the sin.

How did he handle it?  He hit it head on and asked his congregation to drop it and let the guilty parties go through the steps of healing. He said that he received numerous letters from people who thought he handled this brilliantly while others said he should have hid it from its members. Transparency is always the best way to deal with crisis.  It nips any further speculation, gossip, lies or rumors from spreading. It’s also the fastest way for a situation to blow over.  This was handled beautifully. Very impressive.

The old ways of cover-ups never really work. Eventually, as more and more lies are told to cover up the initial sin, the truth will come out. Leaks do happen.  Just read the papers every day.  Also, in this day in age of social media, it’s harder than ever to keep things under the wraps. Every one with a smart phone now has a recording device with them.

Transparency is key in every situation as a Christian, not just for church leaders.  God calls us to be transparent with Him. No matter how much we try and hide our sins and try and cover them up – He’s all knowing.  The best way out is the honest way out.  Tell God everything that hurts you and where you need forgiveness and grace.  The burdens will immediately fall off your shoulders and the baggage will be left behind.   Transparency is the key to the other “t” transformation.  Always remember the importance of crossing your “t’s” in prayer.

Thank you Pastor Hamilton for being so transparent with us.

Also, as a sidebar to this discussion, Pastor Hamilton left us with some practical steps on how to avoid temptation.

5 R’s of Resisting Temptation

• Remember who you are – a follower of Jesus Christ – A child of the king!
• Recognize the consequences of your actions – will I feel better or worse after I’ve done this. Will I be proud or ashamed? Who will be hurt by it?
• Rededicate yourself to God – stop, drop and pray
• Reveal your struggle to a trusted friend.
• Remove yourself from the situation.

Looks are deceiving. Piranha fish may look harmless, but they have sharp teeth and leave a mean bite.

I really do not want to write this post….but I feel, it is part of my responsibility as a single Christian. I need to preface this post with the fact that I am not asking anyone to judge another person per God’s instructions to us – “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you are well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” –Luke 6:42

With that being said, just because someone is involved in a Christian singles group, it does not attest to the fact that he/she is a born-again sold-out Christian. I’ve seen this played out so many times and have seen its destruction that many times. It can be devastating to the person who falls prey (not pray) to this evil behavior. Usually what happens is these people who have motives of landing another (for personal pleasure) is looking for someone who is a bit new in their faith and vulnerable. And like a piranha, these impostors devour their subjects all under the guise of being a Christian. And it makes me so sad.

The main point of this post is Please Realize that Christian Single Groups are Not Automatically Safe Places and better yet,  just because someone says they are a Christian…doesn’t necessary mean that they are.

So be very cautious about building relationships with others until you’ve seen the true character of that person.  When you’re not totally infatuated with them, its much easier to make a realistic assessment.  When you are head over heels in love, then its difficult to see the truth before your eyes.  But, keep a look out for those red flags.  There are several character traits that will tell you the type of person that individual is and I will list some in a few graphs. However, first I want to chat a bit about the two different approaches that I’ve witnessed.

Again, these are not tried and true facts and I am totally speaking about generalities here.  But, women in this category are seeking security (financial, emotion) at all costs and look to land a man who will take care of them.  Men, on the other hand, or looking for someone who will give them pleasure…that’s about all I’m going to say about that.

So how can you guard your hearts.  Here’s a few simple tips.

1) Take things slowly.

2) Become friends.

3) Go out in group settings and watch how that person behaves.

4) Listen to how they answer bible study questions or if they answer questions.

5) Observe their actions – who they hang with; how they spend their days off.

6) Watch their church attendance.  If they  seldom attend or church hop or singles group hop…that’s a red flag.

7) If they are constantly turning their heads around to see who’s walking through the door – move on. They are just interested in meeting the new kid in town.

And most importantly, pray. Seek God in the relationship and be patient to hear what he says.

Heck at the end of the day…it’s best to be friends, then to go through a relationship that God never intended for you.  Friendship is a win-win for all…and if it moves into finding your soul mate…is there anything better?

So be careful.  Satan is very crafty and knows that Adult Christian Singles Groups are fertile ground. I have to confess that I learned this the hard way and feel prey to a piranha fish…and I don’t want you to have to experience the same heartache.  It’s affects were profound.

Simplistic Beauty

Read this today and thought you might find this inspirational as well.

Zephaniah 3:17 (New International Version)

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Sometimes its so simple. If we can keep our mind on those thoughts all pain, confusion and struggles will do away.  You are Loved and He’s there singing about you right now!

What song do you think he’s singing about you? I hope mine is Happy Day.

Amen,

Cindy

God Stands Right in the Middle of Darkness and Brings Us Light. Credit: Flickr-thundershead

God is teaching me some really rich things at the moment- so personally rich that I can’t explain what he teaching me with mere words.  But, through my cleansing, much healing and new thinking is being born.   It’s like a beautiful meteor shower.  All these incredible things just keep whizzing by my brain – and it’s a beautiful light show.

One such piece of matter that is coming front and center is how we are to shine His light into darkness.  I think I’m finally figuring that equation out. I’ve got a few things that have caused me fear my entire life and God knows it.  The last few nights before I’ve dropped off to sleep the Holy Spirit has been whispering to me to bring Him into those feelings and situations – that I should not leave him out.   In the past, they’ve sacred me silly and thus, I didn’t want to let anyone in, not even God.

But, God has called us to handle our fears this way. He wants to know everything about us and free us from strongholds and bondage.

• When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12
• “A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light.” John 11:9

So no matter how dark something appears to you at this very moment and for me, some of my friends have some pretty heavy situations on their hands right now – that’s when we especially need to shine His light on the situation.  He’s the only one we can trust to see us through. He’s our Father, our healer, our friend and our help through the darkness.

So dig out that flashlight and turn it on.  And let me know how things turn out.

In His Guiding Light,

Cindy

(Cover Photo Credit: piterart (Flickr))

With God All Things are Possible

My last post was about weariness…but, this word came to me on Monday…and I like it…resilience. Look at how Dictionary.com defines it.

1. The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune; buoyancy.
2. The property of a material that enables it to resume its original shape or position after being bent, stretched, or compressed; elasticity.

I attended a job search workshop and our guest speaker for the day is someone who calls himself a “change coach.”  He truly embraces that there’s one thing certain in our lives and that is “change.”  He went on further to tell us that the sooner we can embrace this reality, the better it will be for us.  And at the same time, we need to remain resilient. Even though we faced the loss of a job, we do have the ability to recover quickly from it.

And for those of you whom trust in God…we understand that. Our recovery is due to Jesus Christ and the fact that the Holy Spirit guides us into the hope of the future…the past is the past.

Look at God’s promise to us.  Here’s his recipe for resilience.

Isaiah 61:3 -

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Just look at that–in my case – for those grieving over a job loss – He is going to bestow on me a crown of beauty…in place of ashes, I’m going to have gladness and praise instead of mourning. Woo hoo.  If I remain resilient in Him, joy is going to come.

So friends, if you are weary…stay in the boat.  The storm will eventually stop and the waters will become calm.  There will be more celebrations in your future. God promises.

Cindy

]]> http://www.godgirl.net/resilience.html/feed 0 http://www.godgirl.net/weariness.html http://www.godgirl.net/weariness.html#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:30:39 +0000 Cindy http://www.godgirl.net/?p=194 Continue reading →]]> Lately, God has been telling me to tune into Joyce Meyer’s Enjoying Everyday Life broadcasts and I must say He’s right again.  This week Joyce has been hitting on a subject close to home, weariness.  She has been providing her audience with practical steps on how not to sink down into the heaviness of this weight by turning it all over to God to lighten the load.  She’s even gone as far to say that once you give it all to Him, your soul will feel like its on vacation.

I get this idea and am glad that it’s possible to live that way when you feel that all your waking hours are spent walking through thick mud.  That each step is so hard to take and that you feel like you’re going nowhere.  I’m living at that place now and I know that Satan loves putting me there.  You just get weary.

Here’s how Dictionary.com defines “weary” in adjective form:

1.physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired: weary eyes; a weary brain.

2.characterized by or causing fatigue: a weary journey.

3.impatient or dissatisfied with something (often fol. by of): weary of excuse

4.characterized by or causing impatience or dissatisfaction; tedious; irksome: a weary wait.