Come to the Mountain of the Lord

Rochelle developed a preparation guide for Mountain Camp this year. You can imagine my delight when I saw the title…”Forty Days of Preparation to Come to the Mountain of the Lord.” How perfect!!! The materials have been great, but today’s theme is particularly resonating with me…

James 4:7-8 -“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw high to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.” 

In the valley, I often experienced an absence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I rarely felt God’s Spirit, and if I did, I questioned its authenticity. While I was intellectually self-actualized and fully aware of the reason for the void, I felt paralyzed by my own apathy. Through prayer, fasting, and repentance the Holy Spirit is working within me to resist the devil….and he is, indeed, fleeing from me! I have been asking myself lately what I am willing to give up for the Lord? As I struggle with reoccurring sins…I am being honest with myself…is any amount of sin acceptable before the Lord? Will Christ accept my rationalization and procrastination? Of course, the answer is no; however, the catch is translating intellectual thought to practice. And so...I will

continue to cleanse myself and seek Him...because, well, afterall....what else matters?

We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion, we’re marching onward to Zion the beautiful City of God

The Assent...

Happy Tuesday everyone! The sun is shining and the awesomeness is abounding. There are so many things to be thankful for today. Thank you all for your encouragement in weathering the storm and waiting for God to rebuild me in the way he desires. I truly am blessed with the most amazing, sweet friends. The journey has already been pretty fantastic (insert Fantastic Voyage lyrics here) - I can’t wait to see what is around the corner.

The Lord is definitely providing me with massive amounts of assistance on this journey of refinement. Strikingly, I have been amazed at the inner peace and the contentment, even if fleeting, that comes with submission. Wow, I can’t believe I just typed that last sentence, but that truly is representative of how my lens is refocusing. Unfortunately, paralleling the joy attached to changing my heart is the sadness in the realization of my blindness, pride, and stubbornness. Ambiguity in my life’s trajectory is dissipating each day…and with that, comes a profoundly clear picture of what I have been missing.

Nonetheless, I am encouraged. God loves me (and you) and truly desires our happiness. While I haven’t always magnified my discernment in traversing the mountain range of life, and I most certainly have left my map at home (or brought the wrong one) at times, I continue to climb the mountain of faith – resolute to never return to the valley.  

Luke 9:62: And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Send Me Forth, Oh Blessed Master

As children, we crave the freedom and independence of adulthood

As adults, we longingly wish for the days of our carefree youth

This past weekend, I was blessed with 16 high school and middle school students

We traveled to a rather ordinary place, but the experiences we had were extraordinary

The youth showed loved, compassion, and resounding determination to serve the Lord

I was uplifted simply by being in their presence

Friends, God is moving. He is a living God  who works in our lives today – seeking to bless us if we just turn to Him! The field is white ready to harvest… The needs are great, but the laborers are few. I am determined, more than ever, that my life will be a living sacrifice...of His love.

Send Me Forth, Oh Blessed Master

Send me forth, oh blessed Master! Where are souls in sorrow bowed,

Send me forth to homes of want and homes of care.

And with joy I will obey the sound and in thy blessed name

I will take the blessed light of the gospel there

Refrain
Call me forth to active service And my prompt reply shall be,
“Here am I! send me.” I am ready to report for orders,
Master, summon me, And I'll go on any errand of love for thee.

There are lives that may be brightened by a word of hope and cheer,
There are souls with whom life's blessings I should share.
There are hearts that may be lightened of the burdens which they bear;
Let me take the blessed hope of the gospel there.

 

There is work within the vineyard, there is service to be done.
There's a message of salvation to declare;
Send me forth to tell the story to the hearts of sinful men.
Let me take the blessed Christ of the gospel there.

 Oh, I would not be an idler in the vineyard of the Lord;
With the Christ the vineyard labor I would share;
Into hearts that know not Jesus I would speak the saving word;
Let me take the blessed joy of the gospel there