In January I wrote out a list of 20 prayers for 2013 while flying home from Texas. That list has been on my phone this year and I’ve looked at it a few times, reminding myself of my prayers laid before The Lord. Some were specific things with tangible answers. Others were matters of the heart that only the Holy Spirit can answer and supply the need.
As I flew home from a great weekend in Florida ministering with Geron Davis & Kindred Souls (we said Evan Milby is the kindred and I’m the soul!), I read through that list of 20 prayers. It’s a bit surreal to realize that God has so specifically answered more than half of the things on this list. Even the opportunity to be a part of the ministry of Geron and Becky Davis is an answer to one of these prayers.
God is so good to me I just cry when I think about it. I read that list and kept mentally checking things off the list… Yes, God answered, God supplied, God directed, God opened doors, God sent me around the world this year!
The Gospel is good news. I’m delighted, honored and grateful to share this good news wherever I go, next door in Nashville, across the country and around the world!
Nashville – Houston – San Francisco – Osaka JAPAN – San Francisco – Houston – Nashville
It’s getting close to departure time!
I will be leaving Nashville on Thursday morning, September 5 headed to Houston, Texas to sing on Sunday September 8 at a great church near downtown Houston, Braeswood Church, pastored by Stephen & Donna Banning. I’m looking forward to worshiping with these precious friends and their congregation. This is exciting to me because I grew up with such awe and wonder at the ministry of this special church body. The rare occasion that our family was able to visit there on a Sunday morning was truly a treat. We lived in the country and had 100 people at the church my daddy pastored… and that was on holidays! Braeswood was a big city church. Much has changed since then but the life-changing power of God flowing through the people of this church reaching their community has not changed at all. I can’t wait to join with them and praise God together this weekend.
My original plan of departure for Japan was to leave Houston on the first flight out Monday morning which would allow me to get on the flight out of San Francisco to Osaka at 11:30 that morning. That first flight is now full. I will need to fly into San Francisco on Sunday evening, which means an additional travel expense outside of what I have fund-raised thus far. I will need to pay for 1 night hotel stay in San Francisco Sunday evening plus other related expenses to this additional night’s stay (meals/shuttle/tips/etc).
If you would like to make a donation toward this additional travel expense, I would GREATLY appreciate the help. I will be able to access the money in this account directly for this expense or any other unexpected expenses while I am on this missions trip so donations made below will be immediately helpful!
I shared this scripture with a friend earlier today about blessing God’s messenger/God’s prophet. When we bless those who bring the Gospel of good news, we share in that same reward. Your donation truly helps me share the Gospel in ways that I could not do without your help. I pray a double portion blessing back to you for your gift to help me go!
Matthew 10:41 Whoever welcomes God’s messenger because he is God’s messenger, will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward.
To donate toward this additional travel expense, click on the Donate button below!
It’s Monday and I feel the need to post a truly non-spiritual non-life-altering blog with content that will possibly be completely useless to you and you won’t be able to get the 2-3 minutes back that it took you to read it. I apologize.
We all have thoughts that are constantly being censored by our conscience, convictions and hopefully good manners that we learned from great parents. The ability to manage those thoughts and filter what is actually spoken or written is something we do rather naturally when we are well-rested and in our full capacities. (The help of the Holy Spirit is also nice but I’m not making this a spiritual blog so I won’t mention it. *wink) If we are wise, we learn to do this better as we grow older. My father always said “Study to be quiet”. His intent was less about the quiet and more about wisely choosing when and what to speak. It’s not necessary or advisable to tell every thought that goes through your head.
Hand over my mouth….
I was at a party with some friends recently and someone brought up the subject of a rather embarrassing event for me. I had an eye surgery several years ago and was on some strong pain medication that made me quite loopy…. actually, I was completely high. I didn’t realize how “high” this medicine was making me because I had been home recovering for most of the week while I was taking it. Unfortunately, I attended a wedding at the end of that week and I did so completely high on Percocet. What I learned about that experience is that I don’t like the feeling of not being control of my behavior. It was both funny and alarming to actually SAY every thought that crossed my mind. No filter. Everything just flowed right out of my mouth. (I also felt the need to get extremely close to people when I talked to them, like a drunk girl… but I digress.)
Ok… I can’t help it. I guess there will be a spiritual point to this.
When I think about that experience now, I think about who I really am inside. The “me” that I am constantly subtly censoring. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit of God as is the favorite top 3, love, peace & joy. We should all be self-controlled about the things we say and even the thoughts we have.
At what point, though, do we stop needing to censor ourselves so much and actually experience a true transformation inside?
When do our thoughts become God’s thoughts? He says we can have the “mind of Christ”…..
If someone looked into my thoughts, would they say they look like God’s thoughts?
I’d like to say that I have grown spiritually and changed a bit since my lovely Percocet adventure. That is likely true, BUT… I sit here today knowing that at my core, my flesh is sinful. If I don’t spend time feeding my spirit with good things and building up my spirit, my flesh will be the stronger of the two and I will start trying to “be” good rather than letting goodness “be” in me. (wow… that was profound, and I didn’t even plan that!)
So…. back to random and meaningless. Here are 10 thoughts that I don’t mind letting come out of my mouth (typing fingers) today but will not change your life or benefit you in any way! All safely in the meaningless Ecclesiastes category!
1. Why do the little bits at the bottom of a bag of Cheetos taste so good and why can’t they be good for you like an apple? Why do I want to eat something sweet and Chocolate now too? (because I’m trying to lose weight and I can’t have either of these things!)
2. Did Jesus ever have accidents? I always wonder, did he ever accidentally knock over a glass full of water? Did he accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer?
3. Tom Selleck and Mark Harmon. Not bad thoughts. I think they are both “grandpa-sexy”. I hope that doesn’t offend you….maybe I should have censored this thought.
4. Occasionally, like today, my face still breaks out like a teenager. I hate this.
5. I confess, I have an obsession with Bath and Body Works 3 wick candles and Room plug-ins. I have a coupon sitting by my computer as I type this and I’m telling myself to resist this temptation.
6. I really like using Biblegateway.com to look up scriptures. Still… I also love my stack of Bibles sitting on the table next to me right now.
7. I still haven’t done my taxes for 2012. I finally have the Turbotax program in my hands waiting for me to do them. Deadline to submit is Oct 15th. I will probably wait until that actual day to file them. (this is starting to give me stress… and may be an answer to #4 random thought.)
Ahhh… a Coke in Bethlehem, Israel.
8. Now that I’ve mentioned taxes, I’m back to thinking about the fact that I need to get a new computer before I can do my taxes.
9. I really like Coco-Cola. The very best fountain drink mix of carb & cola is from the Cookie Company at the mall. The also serve it on really great crushed ice. *I don’t drink Coke regularly at all but only because of health & diet reasons….otherwise, I love it!
10. I talked with a friend last night who said she doesn’t think she will get married or have kids. I understand the thought but it still makes me a little sad today when I think about it.
Puppy & Kitten
11. Puppies and Kittens. Yeah… I had to add another thought of something sweet that makes me smile after having that last thought.
I’ve read the story many times from 2 Kings about the Widow who was able to fill numerous jars of oil as God did a miracle to provide for her in a time of desperate need. Today, I was challenged to believe for a an “empty vessel” kind of miracle in my own life and the lives of people I know and love. I’m putting my faith into action!
2 Kings 4: 4-7 The Message (MSG)
4 One day the wife of a man from the guild of prophets called out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead. You well know what a good man he was, devoted to God. And now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves.”
2 Elisha said, “I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Well, I do have a little oil.”
3-4 “Here’s what you do,” said Elisha. “Go up and down the street and borrow jugs and bowls from all your neighbors. And not just a few—all you can get. Then come home and lock the door behind you, you and your sons. Pour oil into each container; when each is full, set it aside.”
5-6 She did what he said. She locked the door behind her and her sons; as they brought the containers to her, she filled them. When all the jugs and bowls were full, she said to one of her sons, “Another jug, please.”
He said, “That’s it. There are no more jugs.”
Then the oil stopped.
7 She went and told the story to the man of God. He said, “Go sell the oil and make good on your debts. Live, both you and your sons, on what’s left.”
The widow only had one pot of oil… that was it. She had no means of providing for herself & her sons MUCHLESS the money to pay creditors for other debts. She’s already lost her husband, the prophet, and now was about to lose her 2 sons. Elisha simply asked her what she had… and God worked with what she had to bring a miracle of multiplication into her life!
My Jar of Prayer Requests
This widow gathered empty pots. What good would empty pots be? God was going to do what she could not do for herself but she had to do what seemed foolish (asking her neighbors for empty pots and gathering them all in her home) before God could meet the need. . What a miracle: Having faith over an empty pot.
Today, I searched through my house and found an empty yellow pot that I’ve used to display decorator items in for my home. I emptied it out and started filling it up! I believe that God can meet all my needs. Do we believe He can still fill empty vessels? I started writing my prayer requests on individual sheets of paper from a notepad and have filled the vessel with needs. I have faith that the God of Elisha is the one true living God, unchanging and all-powerful and He can still perform miracles!
I invite you to at least give this a try… or at least do something similar. It’s not about filling a jar or a cup or a bag. It’s simply doing something in the physical, by faith, expecting something supernatural from God. Some say that sounds crazy but I’m not concerned about what people think of me. I have names in that jar of people I love who need healing, salvation, a place to live, broken relationships to be mended, financial needs of missionaries I’m in touch with around the world, my own needs as well… My jar is filled with needs and I’m asking God to meet them all! If you think that’s too crazy, you probably wouldn’t have borrowed an empty pot either, or shouted praises believing the walls of Jericho would come down or let Jesus put mud on your eyes believing that when you washed that mud off, your sight would be restored!
I’ve been making lists for Jesus (Things to do!) for many years. Now, I’m putting those things into this jar. Every day I will pray over the needs in this jar and worship, praise & THANK GOD for filling the pot… meeting the need… doing something miraculous in each situation represented. This is nothing but an act of faith, letting God know I believe in his supernatural intervention.
Write your needs and prayer requests down. Make a list of your lost loved ones that are unsaved. Need to sell land, a house or a car? Put it in the vessel. Need a contract to be signed? List it all and Worship. Shut the world out, cut your phone off, put a do not disturb sign up. Praise God for your vessel being filled.
Make your decisions based on the truth of God’s word and you will stand on a solid foundation.
Decisions made based on your own human reasoning can be argued from every direction and no one will ever be satisfied.
#Truth #GodsWord #Psalm1
Psalm 1:1-3 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
I’ve been thinking, praying, and preparing to speak at a local single ladies event, SheConnect over Teatime, this weekend. The host of this lovely soiree is a dear friend of mine, Frances Rivera. She asked me a few months ago if I would do this and specifically wanted me to share some of my testimony.
So many times a ladies “singles” event focuses on topics like
How to find a husband
How to prepare yourself for the mate God has for you
How to avoid temptation in a dating relationship
Where to find available Christian men!
Those topics are certainly of interest to single women but if that is all we focus on in life, we can become consumed and defined by an emptiness rather than being filled and destined with purpose. It is a classic big-picture case of looking at life as a glass half empty or half full.
Yes, I am the 41 year old virgin who isn’t embarrassed about that fact (actually, I think there should be some kind of award for those who “wait” as I have!) so my testimony is clearly not about how I found and caught my husband. My testimony is more about how to WAITWELL.
Me and Carol Bryant Hardwick. Love her so much!
My dear friend & mentor, Pastor Carol Bryant Hardwick has used that phrase “wait well” many times through the years. After her first marriage came to a cruel end, Carol spent many years as one who waited well. She was the very picture of contentment with God’s plans and purposes for her life and as a younger single adult, I was both inspired and baffled by her genuine peace & rest in that area of her life. A few years ago, God divinely lead her into marriage again (quite a fantastic story that I won’t go into today) and she is genuinely as happy and delightful today as a wife as she was all those years as a single woman. Carol waited well. She recently said the same thing about ME as she and her husband were praying for my yet-to-be-discovered husband and it felt like the biggest compliment I’ve ever received.
To “wait well” is to wait in faith.
Do I get lonely? Yes. Do I want to be loved? Yes. Do I ever worry about getting too old to get married and/or have kids? Yes. Do I ever think about past relationships/dates/close friendships and wonder what if? Yes, of course. I am human. My mind thinks about all of those things and a whole list of other maladies of the single adult! Waiting well doesn’t mean your mind and emotions don’t go there… it means you don’t allow them to LIVE there. 2 Cor. 10:15 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. All of those thoughts are what the enemy wants us to focus on rather than spend our time thinking about the TRUTH in God’s word about our lives. We must discipline our thoughts to line up with God’s word and not with whatever emotion we happen to feel that day. Whatever we rehearse faithfully in our minds is what we will believe.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. (Isaiah 40:31)
These three scriptures have become the foundation for my life as a single woman, living a purposeful life to wait well. I believe that God absolutely will give us the desires of our heart as we seek Him first in all things. As long as I simply “hope” to be married one day, I will live in a state of deferred hope as long as I remain single, which is what makes a person “heartsick”. Instead, I must take that hope and move it into a prayer of FAITH. I pray in FAITH and believe that God has heard me and has already provided/acted/produced… it is already done. Mark 11:24 “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours”. Now, I am no longer “hoping” that I will get married “one day” but I believe that it is done and am simply WAITING. Hoping leads to heart-sickness but waiting from a place of faith will BUILD STRENGTH! This is powerful! It’s also freeing to understand that if the desire for marriage is in your heart, God is not trying to tease or trick you. Lay that desire before God, ask him to fulfill that desire, know that He has heard you and will provide, and then WAIT WELL, knowing that you have what you have asked… you are simply waiting.
This concept of hope/faith/waiting has truly changed the way I pray about so many things but it truly transformed my mind on the subject of praying for a husband. Now, I spend my prayer-time thanking Him for what He has already done and worked out for me and I don’t allow my mind to go back into a place of just “hoping that one day…” NO! God has answered and I am waiting. In HIS time, I will SEE the answer right before my eyes!
I never thought I would live so many years as a single woman but here I am! Truly, my desire for a husband, family and marriage has never diminished or wavered but my confidence in God’s good plans for me is bigger and stronger than my desires about love and marriage. There is never a time when God will fail me. I have a deep knowing, a deep faith, that in whatever stage of life I find myself in, God is working His will in and through me. Even when I have felt that I was losing everything, He was at work bringing me to a better place. I want to live a life as someone who is waiting well and that means being about God’s plans and purposes for my life.
Somewhere along the path of walking in God’s will and doing what He’s called me to do, my steps will intersect with those of the man God has chosen for me… the manifestation & answer to my prayer of faith! I don’t set the time table, I just stay focused on following the path God has laid out for me, living life fully and learning to WAIT WELL.
Growing up in church, I have heard phrases like, “appropriate God’s promises”, “appropriate the blood of Jesus” and “appropriate His grace”, along with many others. When used in context, I’m sure I understood the general message of what was being said. That said, I can’t tell you that I would have ever used the word “appropriate” on my own. I just didn’t have a meaningful understanding of it and definitely couldn’t connect any kind of mental image to the word, which always helps me if I can SEE something.
This week that changed.
Let’s start with the general meaning of the word APPROPRIATE in it’s verb tense: to seize for oneself or as one’s right.
The table is spread before us!
When we say we need to “appropriate” God’s promises, the blood of Jesus, healing, God’s grace, etc., what we are saying is that we need to SEIZE FOR OURSELVES these things and we seize them as OUR RIGHT to do so. All of these things are available. They are nurturing and delicious foods laid out on the banquet table prepared for ALL mankind to sit, eat and enjoy but we MUST come to the table to eat. We have been invited to the table so we have a right to be there but we MUST seize for ourselves and appropriate this “food” that God has prepared.
When Jesus, the Son of God came to earth as son of man, He was able to do and be what men could not do and be. He lived a holy life without sin, overcoming every temptation known to man, and when He humbled himself to be tortured and nailed to the cross, He took on ALL of the sins of the world. ALL sin. All sin before and all sin after. Christ’s death and resurrection sealed the victory over sin and death for every person who has ever lived… forever!
Does this mean then that ALL are now “saved”. (I realized “saved” is a very Christian/Church word to use but it makes sense here. Christ’s death “saved” us from having to pay for our own sins by death.)
This is where the lovely “word of the day” APPROPRIATE actually came alive to me this week. SALVATION has been provided for ALL MANKIND through Christ but we each have to APPROPRIATE what Christ did for us. We have to SEIZE FOR OURSELVES the forgiveness and freedom from sin that Christ provided for us as he died the perfect sacrifice and rose again to live forever! We all must choose to repent, turn from our sin and seize the salvation that has already been provided. We seize or appropriate that salvation by faith. It is as simple as moving from a state of unbelief into belief. There are no hoops to jump through, no incantations to recite, no obstacle courses to complete… just move from unbelief to belief. Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
We are invited to the banquet table… salvation is there for you to dine.
The Bible says (Isaiah 53:5) that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, by the stripes he took on his back, we are healed! Does this mean that every person walking the earth is now healed? The healing was provided by Christ through his sacrifice, once and for all. He took the stripes on his back FOR. EACH. AND. EVERY. PERSON’S. HEALING. There is healing for everyone. We have to appropriate and seize for ourselves the healing that is already provided. We appropriate healing by faith, believing God’s word that healing is available.
We are invited to the banquet table… healing is part of the delicious foods spread out before you!
We appropriate God’s promises… too many to even try to list here and they are available to all of his children. We must appropriate them, seize them by faith. You may be asking, “How do I do all this by faith? You say this happens by faith but I don’t even know how to get faith!”
Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:15-17) God’s Word, the Bible, is true. Everyone wants to know the Truth so we build our faith by reading what is true. Faith comes as we read the truths in God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to help our understanding. Read the Bible out loud to yourself and let the truth begin to live inside of you. Your faith will increase and the Holy Spirit will help you as you begin to believe and seize for yourself as your rightall that God has already provided for you through Christ!
Isaiah 25:6-10
But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts. And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples, The shadow of doom darkening all nations. Yes, he’ll banish death forever. And God will wipe the tears from every face. He’ll remove every sign of disgrace From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so!
Also at that time, people will say, “Look at what’s happened! This is our God! We waited for him and he showed up and saved us! This God, the one we waited for! Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation. God’s hand rests on this mountain!”
I had a nice relaxing evening with some girlfriends at home in Nashville recently and we all curled up on couches with pillows to watch the movie, The Help. I have seen it now about 5 or 6 times and each time I sit in awe that such twisted and skewed thoughts about ANYONE in the human race ever existed, much less that it was a commonplace way of thinking only 50 years ago. I squirm and grimace at every racist comment, shaking my head and dropping my jaw, all while soaking in the resolve and passion to never let this happen again in society.
I spent a leisurely morning here in Texas at the breakfast table with my parents and my nephew Charlie. The guys both left the table to go on about their day but my mother and lingered over cups of coffee for what was probably hours! The conversation meandered and we settled for a while on thoughts about the behaviors of a Christian and truly living a life that is focused on others and not ourselves.
My parents own rental properties and my mother talked about her commitment to never be known as a “slum-Lord” but to always maintain her properties well and treat her tenants with respect, compassion and grace. Her renters know that their landlords are “preachers” and my parents always strive to live a life that is truly a testimony of Christ-like living. The same is true with their neighbors. Everyone in the neighborhood calls their house “The Preacher’s House”. It’s important to be good neighbors, being kind to others, considering the people who live around you, obeying the rules of the neighborhood. This may seem like basic things but it’s part of being a good steward over what God has given you AND living a life filled with the nature of Christ.
As we talked, I thought about a scene from the movie, The Help. One of the maids in the film asked for help from her employer and you can read the dialogue from the scene here below:
[trying to ask for a loan from Hilly to pay for her two sons college tuition] Yule Mae Davis: Well, now we’re faced with having to choose which son can go if we don’t come up with the money. Would you consider giving us a loan? I’d…I’d work everyday for free till it was paid off. Hilly Holbrook: That’s not working for free, Yule Mae. That’s paying off a debt. Yule Mae Davis: Yes, ma’am.
[Yule Mae takes the breakfast dishes and turns to leave] Hilly Holbrook: As a Christian, I’m doin’ you a favor. See, God don’t give no charity to those who are well and able. You need to come up with this money on your own. Okay?
[Yule Mae is almost in tears now] Yule Mae Davis: Yes, ma’am. Hilly Holbrook: You’ll thank me one day.
I remember watching this scene and cringing at her reference to being a Christian. There was nothing Christ-like about her response. We should be ready to give of ourselves and our resources knowing that God is our ultimate source. Bless others and God blesses you. Do good to others and good will come back to you. It is the most simple and basic of the “sowing and reaping” principle from God’s word. Treat others how you want to be treated. Give honor when honor is due. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty…. if you are renting a home from someone, treat that home as if it were yours. Wherever you work, do you work with diligence as if it were your company. If someone else offers to pay for your meal, order your meal as you would if you were paying and don’t take advantage of the person being generous.
Do good. Be good. It’s a simple word with BIG rewards.
Fundraising in swing! New Missions Vol3 cd and Japan tees available for $30 donation or more
Today, my prayer is for the upcoming Japan Missions trip. I am blessed to return to this amazing country and people that I have grown to love so much! I will be a part of the team from Christ Church who will be singing and ministering there this September. The ministry in Japan is primarily through Gospel concerts and music workshops conducted with college age music students. This is a great opportunity to build relationships and share about Christ with these students.
Today is an important fund-raising deadline for the whole team and we need about $25,000 to make the flight purchases for everyone. I personally still need about $1000 towards my fundraising goal.
There is a new Missions Vol3 cd and a new Japan tee (blue) available. Donations of $15 requested for each of these items. If you make a donation online and would like to receive one of these items, please contact me directly so that I can make arrangements to get this to you.
The prayer request for this trip is dual fold…
Enjoying a special Sukiyaki meal in the home of some of our new Japanese friends (2011)
1. For people to make donations so that the cost of everyone in this group will be provided.
2. PRAY for salvation experiences with Christ while we are there. The Gospel is preached in song and through our relationships that are built. I believe this trip will be both a sowing and reaping time spiritually. Please pray for open hearts and ears as we share Christ with these precious people.
Rehearsing for our concert with some of the Japanese choir members (2012)
If you would like to send a donation only, you can send a check with “Japan Missions – Vanessa” in the memo line to: Christ Church Nashville 15354 Old Hickory Blvd. Nashville, TN 37211
You can also give online through these steps
Visit Christ Church Nashville’s giving site: www.ccnashville.infellowship.com/userlogin/new/ If you already have an account, enter your information and proceed to step 7. If you do not have an account, on the right of the page under “New User,” select “Register Here” (your information is completely secure and will NOT be shared with any other party) Enter your information and select “Create an account” at the bottom of the page View the verification email and click the link in the email Type your information in the secured fields Select the bottom “Your Giving” tab Select the top right corner green “Give Now” tab Under the “Give To” field, select “Mission Trip to Japan Offering” and select “Vanessa Maddoux” in the field directly to the right. Enter the desired donation amount and press “Continue” on the bottom right corner and finalize the prompts
