Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Heaven's Rain


Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3

Rain. As I sit and watch the raindrops fall and listen to the lightness and calmness of their descent, I’m captured by the Creator of the Universe. In the same way that earth’s surface is the rain’s destination; we, as human beings, are the only ones who can receive, feel and experience the fresh pure rain of our Lord. Our heart’s soil is the very surface on which Heaven’s rain is longing to seep into. It is destined and purposed to cleanse, remove unclean particles, to soak up dryness and create life, bring about lushness, quench the soul’s thirst, and to rejuvenate the wilting heart.

Our hearts, our inner sanctuaries, need to be consistently washed and renewed by the Lord’s cleansing rain. For it says, in Hebrews 10:22-23, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” To do so, we need to remove our umbrellas of apprehension, throw off our rain coats, kick off those rain boots and allow the Holy Spirit to drench us with the rain of His purifying presence. Let’s lift our faces to Heaven’s floodgates and allow our Savior to soak us. To let every drop that hits our heart’s soil bear the fruit of righteousness. As Isaiah 45:8 states, "You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.” After we’ve allowed His rain to wash out our inner sanctuaries, the reward will be the rainbow of His righteousness radiating through us, we will then be a beautiful reflection of the One we love and serve. Every decision made, every thought taken captive and every word carefully spoken will be crisp colors that will sparkle and attract the world to something they are thirsting after, and that is the freedom we will have found with being able to dance in Heaven’s rain! You and I will be able to testify, that even though cleansing can be painful, the outcome far exceeds the throb of the moment.

When we force ourselves to step out from the shadows and allow the rain to fall directly onto our heart’s top soil that is when we will be able to bear the fruit of righteousness, that is where spiritual growth will occur and that is the place when our lives can have a ripple effect on those around us. Just as the rain drop hits a bed of water, or a small puddle and causes many ripples to transpire, the same with our lives.

The rolling heavy clouds shift in the overcast blanket above, our bare feet hit the pavement; we have come to the place of decision of either going forward or turning back to go for cover. Which will it be? Will we leave the comfort of our dark sheltered dwelling? Or will we run and abandon ourselves to the steady cleansing rain, His purifying rain that can not only instill in us a joy unfathomable, a hope irresistible but also a love that is so deep that we are not able to reach its end. Rest assured, it is worth it.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Update on Stephanie

Hello Dear Friends,

I'm so sorry for not posting in a long time. My life has been extremely busy! :) I've been directing a documentary on the life and ministry of Nick Vujicic, titled, "Measure of a Man." Also, I've been directing some webisodes for Nick's ministry, Life Without Limbs. I've been in California working for LWL since June 23rd and will be flying back home on the 18th! Life is going great! God has been so faithful and has been teaching me so many things.

My plans for this fall, as of right now, are to write a devotional book for girls, lead a girl's Bible-Study, work on a couple of house projects and go on several mission trips. I'm really hoping to go to Ethiopia, in December, to help out with an orphanage.

God has been giving me so much joy! He has been stirring in my heart specific things He is asking me to do for His Kingdom. He is teaching me that when I allow myself to be sweetly broken before Him, that is the place, the heart position where He can be the lifter of my head.

I will definitely be posting more once I get home from Cali! Blessings on all of you!

Love,
Stephanie

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Creator Of The Universe


I, The Creator Of The Universe, am with you and for you. What more could you need? When you feel some lack, it is because you are not connecting with Me at a deep level. I offer abundant Life; your part is to trust Me, refusing to worry about anything.

It is not so much adverse events that make you anxious as it is your thoughts about those events. Your mind engages in trying to take control of a situation, to bring about the result you desire. Your thoughts close in on the problem like ravenous wolves. Determined to make things go your way, you forget that I am in charge of your life. The only remedy is to switch your focus from the problem to My Presence. Stop all your striving, and watch to see what I will do. I AM THE LORD!

Romans 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Song, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
*Devotional e-mail was sent to my Dad and he passed it on to me.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Dancing in His Rain

Lately, I’ve just felt so overwhelmed by the love of the Lord. I feel like the Father is allowing His spring and winter rains to just pour over me. “Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” Hosea 6:3, 10:12 I’m letting it soak me and allowing nothing else to pull me away from this amazing moment, this special season in life. I want to be at the place where every drop of His presence absorbs and completely saturates every heartstring, every fiber of my being, my very soul. I want to dance in His rain! I want this incredible love to drive me to yearn for my heart to beat in rhythm with His. My heart’s cry is for the Lord’s desires to be my desires, His thoughts to be my thoughts and His words to be my words. I want to be a daughter who is attentive to my Heavenly Father’s consistent whispers; the intimate secrets that He is so prepared to unfold before my very eyes. “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 Father, I truly stand amazed by how wide and long and high and deep Your love is! Jesus, you take my breath away!
How He Loves
By: John Mark Mcmillen
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane,
I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And the heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Fragrance of Christ

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."2 Corinthians 2:15

Sisters, I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas and if you had or were at a New Year’s Eve party…I hope you didn’t stay up tooooo late! J LOL! JK! I actually stayed up till 3am! Yep, I know…I’m a night owl!

Well, I was thinking to myself, you know, it’s about time for another blog post! So, I decided to write some thoughts I had about we, as Christians, being the fragrance of Christ. David wrote in the Psalms 141:2, “May my prayer be set before You like incense.” We each have an aroma that we carry with us, wherever we go. But, for us to have the ability to permeate the atmosphere around us, we have to take the time to sit at our Heavenly Father’s feet. We are called to be still, He beckons us to take the opportunity to be quiet and hear what His heart is longing to impart to ours. Communication not only involves words, but it also incorporates listening ears. In a sense, we need to be at the place to allow the Father to open up the spiritual windows of our hearts. Zach Neese, worship pastor from Gateway Church, states, “Prayer, like incense, is designed for fire. It only rises if it burns, and when it burns, it changes the atmosphere. A life lived in open and passionate communication with God does the same thing-it burns and changes the atmosphere of the world it lives in.” Wow! So true!

A friend of mine and I were talking and she mentioned this beautiful analogy about us, representing candles. There has to be a flame for the wax to melt…only then is it pliable and moldable. We are that candle. Our flesh has to surrender when we allow the light and love of Jesus Christ consume our beings. With the power of Christ, we can overcome the painful tests of dying to self by choosing to allow the Lord to conform us to Himself. We are also clay that rests in the Master’s hands. Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” We are oaks of righteousness, displays of His glory. In Isaiah 61:3 it states, “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” We are all testimonies of God’s faithfulness, displays of His majesty, trophies of His glory at work in our lives! We are also called the fragrance of Christ! Let’s make prayer a priority in our lives, that way we can bring a different atmosphere to a lost and dying world. Communion with the Father, all throughout the day, will even strengthen the breathtaking fragrance of our lives; it will allow us to radiate the love and joy of Jesus to every soul that is saturated by its sweet presence. Be that holy fragrance to everyone around you!


Pour My Love On You

By: Phillips, Craig and Dean


I don't know how to say exactly how I feel

And I can't begin to tell you what your love has meant

I'm lost for words


Is there a way to show the passion in my heart

Can I express how truly great I think you are

You're my dearest friend
Lord this is my desire to pour my love on you

Like oil upon your feet

Like wine for you to drink

Life water from my heart

I pour my love on you

With praises like the perfume

I lavish mine on you

Till every drop is gone

I pour my love on you


Blessings,
Stephanie