Joy in the Journey

God is always present.  He is the Great I AM.  Sometimes we struggle to see His fingerprints on our lives.  Joy in the Journey comes as we seek to recognize the work of God in our lives–and in the lives of those around us.

Joy in the Journey is a tool box for those wanting to know more of the presence of God.  This book is useful for individual or group study.  Workshops for small group leaders or multi-week studies can be arranged for groups wishing to dig deeper into the topic.  The books are available for individual purchase at Amazon and CreateSpace.   A PDF version of the book can be ordered below:

Joy in the Journey PDF

God desires for us to ENJOY this life! He has given it to us as a gift. Joy in the Journey provides tools for unpacking the gifts He has given! Exploring the seasons of life–and God’s presence in each–deepens understanding and reveals the fingerprints of God in every detail of life. Utilizing journaling and insights from such greats as St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila’s ‘Interior Castle’, Joy in the Journey leads you toward the abundant life Jesus desires for you!

$1.99

More information on Workshops is available here.

If you cannot afford the suggested donation, please fill out the contact form below and indicate the specific resource you would like to have.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Joy in the JourneyJoy in the Journey Back

Celebrating Heartsong’s Sir Barnabas

12011203_10206373999700891_2684319076143043947_nSir Barnabas of Chester is ONE year old!  He is an ‘abundant life’ dog for sure.  Named in honor of Barnabas in Scripture, his destiny is to become an encourager.  His first year of life has been one of expressing himself and learning to be part of a family.

And in doing that, he encourages all around him to do the same!  That’s a pretty good start in legacy building.  Join us in celebrating and may each reader BE ENCOURAGED!906112_10206577955119649_1065774115508889853_o

Barnabas came to Chester as a gift of love and appreciation.  Craig faithfully provides our family with love and care…and has done so for nearly a quarter of a century.  The kids and I wanted him to have joy in loving…in the form of a squirming, wrinkled bully.  Barnabas wiggled into that role perfectly.

0219160922Although he didn’t realize it (and sometimes still doesn’t), Barney didn’t come to rule his own kingdom.  He came into a home with two doggy siblings…and a myriad of DSC07193 (2)other critters.  He had to find his way to harmony, and it hasn’t always been easy.

Sometimes you have to surrender to be a part of the pack!  But sometimes you can just charge on with pack and have a good time, too. As Barney found his place in his new ‘kingdom’ everyone else learned a bit more about themselves too!

Sir Barnabas knows who he is created to be and he lives out the design with a strong will and determination.  Sometimes his rambunctious pursuit of what he wants aggravates others–and gets him in trouble.   That doesn’t really slow him down; he just loves with equal passion.  This first year, Barney has spent encouraging his house mates to live and love!  We celebrate that and anticipate the expansion of his legacy in year two.

flip barney

 

Happy Birthday, Heartsong’s Sir Barnabas!

 

Christian Character: Holy Fear

Let’s Look Like Jesus: Holy Fear

This series of articles, “Let’s Look Like Jesus” complement the perpetual prayer list for Christian Character.

Holy Fear is actually the antidote to the horrible fear immobilizing so many in the world today.  Fear is a common part of our world; in fact, sometimes it seems fear makes the world go round.

Proverbs 28:14 challenges us though:  ‘happy is the man who is never without fear.’ The words stop me as all of the foolish fears of life eddy through my mind: the fear of aging and infirmity, the fear of disappointing or offending others, the fear of failing, and the fear of shame. The list is endless of those things that we can fear. Yet, those are the fears of evil which destroy life.   Dr. Caroline Leaf explains the deadly impact of fear-based thinking in this brief video:

Clearly the wise writer of Proverbs spoke of fears which lead to blessing and life.  There is a reverent fear…an awe…which protects from evil and leads to life.   There are earthly things which inspire a reverent fear. Electricity is one. We often take its power for granted but unleashed electricity is indeed a fearsome, deadly force. The wind is another. At times it is a gentle, refreshing breeze and others a destructive force beyond the control of our best efforts.

The only fear, though, that leads to happiness is awe of our eternal Creator. As a Christian, holy fear is that aspect of our character which flattens us before our mighty God. It is the reverent awe of lying prostrate before the King of Kings which transforms a child of God. It is an attribute of great value in the character of a child of God.

With reverence and fear as an integral trait, we will not only read the Word of God, we will seek to see it become alive in our relationships with others. We will take His Word not only as our standard but as the reality in which we long to live. Our choices will never become completely perfect…our humanity is not eliminated as the character of Christ controls us more fully.  Less of us and more of Him is a life-time process.

Fear of God, though, will lead us to trust in His design, to obedience to His ways. His blessings will overflow into the details of our days. Our lives, and the impact of our lives, will reap eternal rewards with a heart that is humbly reverent. Rejoice today in trusting submission to the Creator…in laying before Him every worry and care knowing that He can and will bring good!

A Life of Faithfulness

We looked at the quality of faithfulness in our study of Christian Character.  Today, though, I want to share the story of a faithful saint God blessed our lives with.  This saint exuded the characteristic of faithfulness.    Miss Marilyn Davis.

Sixty-nine years of teaching Sunday School is a pretty solid example of faithfulness.  Yet, it only scratches the surface of this saint’s example.  Courageous conviction lived with humble meekness are the right words, but the reality is so much more beautiful than the words.  Miss Marilyn lived consistently…she was the antithesis of the double-minded man in James.

Miss Marilyn could always be counted on to do what she said–even to living her entire life without electricity or running water because she made a commitment to her father years before.  I never heard her complain: she hauled coal buckets (and ashes) for heat and cooking; she carried water; she used an outhouse.  Yet all those things were simply the backdrop of a life that constantly reached out to others in faithfulness to her Savior.

She planted hundreds of  ‘Impatience” seeds each year to give to the ladies of the church on Mother’s Day.  She shared the bounty of her garden with all but the woodchucks; she had a gun and knew how to us56821_1545096159393_6199181_oe it!  She loved her woods and walking through God’s beautiful creation; and she shared it with those who wanted to walk with her.  She saved stickers and cards to give to the children.  She shopped for presents and candies to encourage the children’s attendance in Junior Church.  She shared Missionary stories to give little hearts a glimpse of devotion to Jesus.  She shared her life with everyone to give a glimpse of Jesus.

Miss Marilyn revealed the faithfulness of Jesus by the way she lived her life.  She was a woman who helped people know what the Bible said even if they didn’t open it.

As a Christian, that is how we are to live.  I am thankful for her example and so are hundreds of others.  I pray you have such an example in your life.  And I pray that God will help each of us give a glimpse to the world of what the faithfulness of God is all about.

 

Let’s Look Like Jesus: Faithful

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:  Ruth 1:16

The Spirit of Christ exudes faithfulness and the character built on Christ can be equally steadfast!  During Christ’s earthly life His Spirit demonstrated fidelity to the heart of the Father; the character of the Christian is intended to do the same.

The ancient words of today’s scripture model the attitude of the Christian:  ‘whither thou goest, I will go…’. While Ruth’s words were spoken in loyalty to her earthly mother-in-law, our commitment is to be to  God alone.  Our character, embodied with the life of Christ, readily responds to the movement of the Spirit.  Obediently presenting our lives as living sacrifices to God necessitates a Christ-like character.  It is only such a character which demonstrate fidelity to the cause of Christ.

Our natural selves continually demand loyalty to our own dreams, desires and felt needs.  Sacrificing our self-will for the will of the Father is possible only as we surrender ourselves to Christ’s transforming power.  The glory of God will flow forth from a character rooted and nurtured in Christ’s character.  Ask God to reveal to you the sacrifices of self which would please Him most today.

Another aspect of ‘faithful’ is trustworthiness.  Jesus was reliable; from his earliest days, he knew–and expected others to know–what he would be about.  When separated from his family at the conclusion of a religious celebration, he asked his distraught parents, “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know where I would be?”

Every activity and aspect of Christ had an inherent integrity which made Him wholly trustworthy.  In 1 Corinthians 4:2, Paul exhorts believers of the need to be found faithful–to be trustworthy.  That word is the essence of Christ’s life: to be ‘faithful’ meant to be steadfast to one’s Word and promises, to be worthy of belief and to be a believer.  Christ was all of those things and as His servants, we are to be the same.

Those who walk this life journey with us need to be able to trust us.  Our words must be fulfilled in our actions.  Our promises must be certain lest those we walk with draw a conclusion that our belief in Jesus is not trustworthy either.  Throughout scripture we have examples of faithful, trustworthy characters.

Daniel’s detractors were unable to accuse him because he was so trustworthy and never negligent to his duties.  Joseph had the complete trust of those he served–whether the prison guard or the pharaoh–because he was trustworthy.  Living the Christian life is about ‘how’ we live not just what we do.  Growing into the likeness of Christ will involve a character that resonates trustworthiness.

Such a character trait must be intentionally integrated into every activity of our life.  In our world, there are so many opportunities to do good things and be busy for the Lord.  Yet, we are only vessels of clay and can not do all things well.  We are to be busy about good things, but we must never allow ourselves to be so busy we can not be faithful in all that we do.  We are to do all things for the glory of God and if the activities we choose are so excessive that this key spirit of reliability is lost, we fail to bring Him glory.  We also fail to evidence another aspect of faithfulness:  right-focused belief.  Our belief must be in God’s power and provision, not our own productivity.  Solid belief in our Lord, will help us live in a way that others will believe too!

Can people trust you to do what you say you will do?

How do you feel when someone promises something and then does not follow through?

What should you do if you make a hasty commitment and then have to withdraw?

Verses to read and discuss:

A few of the examples of faithfulness in scripture:  Luke 2:49; Nehemiah 13:13; Daniel 6:4

What does Jesus say about being faithful?  What do scriptures say about the blessings of faithfulness?   Matthew 24:45-46; Psalm 101:6

A key trustworthy part of our life is?:  1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy 2:11; Revelation 21:15

Allow your life to be flooded with Christ’s character and you will be awed by the expansiveness you have entered into!  The world will be changed by His presence.  Faithful and True is a treasured name of Christ.  His Names are a great way to understand more of His character.  Fixing Our Eyes on God is a resource to help you know Him more!

The character of Christ is a treasure God has entrusted to our clay vessels.  Receive Him!

Choose wisely the spirit that rules you

This world is hungry for ‘spiritual stuff.’  But there is one Holy Spirit and a multitude of unholy spirits.  The acceptance of ‘unholy’ stuff troubles me, and I decided to pull out a summary of some Scripture digging I did some time ago on the topic.

The Scriptures are the only place for Truth.  The topic is far beyond my total understanding, and this is not offered as a definitive analysis.  I share it as a tool for prayer, as an encouragement to go the Word and as a flicker of Light in the midst of much deception.  The draw to ‘spiritual stuff’ is part of our design.  God created us for Himself and He is spirit.  There is an enemy seeking to steal, kill and destroy, though.  The occult is very prominent in our culture today.  Beware.  Honor the draw to ‘spirits’ with humility and dependence on God.  Seek wisely!

Without Jesus Christ, we are subject only to the unholy spirits…demons the workers of Satan.  Without Christ, we are captive to the unholy trinity of our flesh, the world and Satan. With Jesus, victory is ours if we love and obey the Father as our Savior showed us to do.  Our lives are now hidden in Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father.  Free will allows us to choose Jesus Christ instead of those unholy spirit…but we must live that choice moment by moment.

As a believer in Jesus, the Holy Spirit of Christ (the One that raised Jesus from the grave) lives in us.  There is no need to fear, but the reality is our lives are lived out in the earthly realm where Satan rules.  Victorious living in the midst of his domain demands that we live in the power of the Spirit.  We must walk through this life as Jesus did:  in fellowship with and obedience to the Father.

With Christ, we are free to choose the spirit we live from…the spirit that will rule us.  We can choose to live with a spirit that is:

Humble, Patient, Contrite
Or one that is Troubled, Hasty, Proud
The Spirit we choose determines the flavor of our lives.  However, I was intrigued to note that both the Holy Spirit and unholy spirits can be in state of: rest/unrest; vexation; vanity; grief; trouble; lust; or strength.  Being controlled by the Holy Spirit does not mean we will become passion-less robots or ‘anything goes’ liberals.  Our passion will be for the Holy, True King…just as His passion is for us.
Scripture is clear:  The spirit speaks.   When we are attentive, we will hear, see and know the spirit–good or bad–ruling in us.  It was also interesting to me to note that the Scriptures attribute a spirit to most entities:  men, nations, angels, kingdoms and animals.  The Scriptures link the Holy Spirit with such attributes and activities as:

Faith          Faithfulness       Truth    Life      Meekness       Humble/Humility   Quiet          Life       Meekness       Promise       Counsel       Prophesy     Grace                Order/Judgment       Might/Power       Sound Mind       Love       Glory       Wisdom         Holiness       Supplication       Adoption       Knowledge       Fear of the LORD

An Excellent spirit comes from understanding!

 Those are the things we want in our lives…those are the things God wants for us.  That is what ‘thy Kingdom come’ looks like.  They are not natural to us; they are divine and require the Holy Spirit.
While the list above refers to actual ‘named’ spirits, the Scriptures also specify what our lives will look like when the Holy Spirit is in control.  A Holy Spirit powered life will have attitudes and activities that include:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, healing, miracles, unity, fellowship, discernment, security and speaking/interpreting tongues.
In fact, the Word tells us that the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is in ALL goodness, righteousness and truth.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
But the Bible does not stop with teaching us about the beauties of God.  The Devil is real and active, and we are not to be ignorant of his work.  Unclean and evil spirits that are identified in Scripture include:
  • Sorrow (with an underlying issue of heart that is hardened to God)
  • Divination (python) (seeking the aid or insights of unholy spirits)
  • Spiritual Unclean-ness
  • Moral Unclean-ness
  • Silent
  • Heaviness (weak, despondent, dull)
  • Deaf
  • Lying
  • Error
  • Bondage
  • Familiar
  • Whoredoms/adultery
  • Infirmity
  • Seducing (that teach doctrines of demons)
  • Fear
  • World

Just as the Holy Spirit produces results we can see, unholy spirits produce results too.  When unholy spirits rule and reign in our lives, the fruit visible in us will be:

pride      haste      unclean-ness      captivity       slumber       error

weakness (mental, physical & moral)      false prophesy      filthiness

In Revelation, we read much of Babylon.  Digging into that word and the essence of the city, reveals that unholy spirits dwell in calamity, confusion and bitterness. God created us for Himself–He is a God of order, not chaos. The devil created chaos and Adam cooperated with it.  Jesus gave us the opportunity to reclaim our birthright and live our design.  Jesus allows us to be ruled by the Prince of Peace but the CHOICE is ours to make!

The command in Eden was to take dominion over the world.  Adam abdicated that responsibility; salvation opens the door for us to obey that command today.  We are not to let unholy spirits rule and reign in our lives.  We are to bring order by being submitted to God.

We are to be obedient children of the most High God.  My prayer in sharing this is that we will be diligent to KNOW God, to know and live the beauty of His design….to recognize and reject the influence of the unholy.  Take authority over that which is not of God and eject it from life.  Let His Kingdom rule and reign in you–and watch the work of the devil crumble!

If you don’t feel like you have a choice, go through the Steps of Peace and talk to God.  You do have choice.  With Christ, all things are possible.

Missing the Answered Prayer

I often miss the answer to my prayers.  Yesterday it nearly happened again.  Sharing the post on Christ’s characteristic of Tender-heartedness, I tweeted:

May our hearts break for the same things that make Jesus weep. ‪#‎sinkills‬ ‪#‎lovelife‬ https://t.co/YtzJOeuQ84 https://t.co/aJONCkLxWF

As the day closed out, I was weary and a little edgier than usual.  Waking up, that same unsettled sadness felt like a cloak over my heart and mind.  There was nothing wrong; I had no significant crises, blatant sins or offenses from or to another.  Yet, the joy and peace that typically settles me was distant.  As I spent time with Jesus, it suddenly dawned on me what I had prayed:  break my heart for what breaks yours.  That cloak that felt heavy transformed into a sharing in the sufferings of my Savior.

When I realized that it was the heart of Jesus I was feeling, it all began to make sense.  I asked the Holy Spirit to show me what had pierced my heart yesterday that brought the pain.  I asked Him, “What was it that broke YOUR heart?”

Here is what I heard:

  • “Me” focus that is self-righteous…isolating…self-pitying…self-excusing…blind to the larger issues.
  • “You” focus that demeans…dismisses…judges…elevates others.
  • Shallow promises that are not honored.
  • Half-hearted desires for better things.
  • Taking responsibility for what is not ours…perhaps to take credit we do not deserve.

I am not sure how I forget that praying is dangerous.  God answers our prayers, but we must follow his earthly mother’s example and treasure things in our heart.  May our prayer today be to  bring pleasure to the soul of our Savior!

Christian Character: Tender Hearted

Let’s Look Like Jesus: Tender Hearted

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.   (2 Kings 22:19)

In the passage above, young King Josiah wept as he heard the Word of God read.  He wept for the failures of himself and his people to obey the LORD God.  That passion for obedience to God is founded upon confidence in His goodness–the ‘rightness’ of God’s commands.

Jesus’ words as translated in the New Living Translation convey the idea well:

“I know that His commands will bring eternal life…” (John 12:50).

Jesus came that those who believed on Him would have abundant, unending life.  Obedience to God and abundant living are integrally entwined!

Despite Jesus’ passion for obedience, He says He did not come to judge.  He did weep at the stubbornness and unbelief of those He came to save, though.  In Isaiah it was prophesied that the Messiah would be despised and rejected–yet would not open His mouth.

Jesus simply stayed focused on the Father’s will and completed His task–deliverance of all who would believe to abundant, eternal life!  King Josiah offers us a similar example:  he mourned his own failures as well as those of his people.  Then, he set out to obey all that was made known to him.  We will do well to imitate their examples.

There is much to mourn in this our world today:  false gods abound (wealth, prestige, pleasure); pagan religions are flourishing; immorality is glorified.  When we allow the Spirit to convict us of our own shortcomings, we will be awed by His mercy.  When we worship Him, the heartbreak of the damage of sin to the world around us will move us to tears.  Harsh judgment and criticism of others will not soften hearts to the mercy of God; however, confession of our own shortcomings, repentance and determined obedience will witness to God’s glory.  Weeping for the lives damaged and destroyed by sin prepares us to serve those who are held captive in darkness.  Sorrow for sin aligns our hearts with God’s own heart.

May our hearts be broken for the damage to lives darkened by sin;  may we be so awed by God’s glory that we will lift Jesus up for all to see!

What do you see in the world around you that makes you sad…makes your heart break?
 
What does God have to say about it? 
 
How can you help others to see God’s sorrow and His solution for the problem?

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)

We’re only human

“But we’re only human…”

For one who has accepted Christ as Savior, that statement–usually offered as an excuse for sin–is a powerful example of a half-truth being a whole lie.  The foundation of the Christian life is that our flesh is crucified and our life is in Christ.  “But we’re only human…” has the sound of humility but it emanates from the father of lies.

Galatians 2:20 says:  My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

True humility sets the flesh aside and boasts in the power of the Cross…in the One who triumphed over the father of lies by dying on the Cross.

May I never boast in anything except the Cross of Jesus Christ–by whom the world was crucified to me and I was crucified to it (the world).  Galatians 6:14

Victorious Christian living NEVER trust in the flesh.   The flesh is ‘circumcised and buried in Christ’ – cut off, put away!

Knowing the source of our life, surrendering to His life and power in us, is the key to victory.  Take time to feed on these truths and fight lies that rob God of the glory He deserves.  Claim Christ’s victory and help others do the same!

Romans 8:10

2 Corinthians 4:6,7; 13:5

Galatians 4:19

Colossians 1:27

Faith is the key to our victory.  Ephesians 3:17 tells us that Christ dwells by faith.  2 Corinthians 13:5 admonishes us to be certain of our position of faith!  Faith is not just a reading of words or an emotional desire.  Faith is confidence that creates action.

Live the reality of the redemption!

Jesus did not stay on the Cross or in the grave…He rose in eternal life.

 

michael flickr
Which side of the Cross will you choose?                                          Picture: Michael/Flickr

 

 

 

Can you hear me now?

We all have those conversations with others that leave us feeling that nothing we thought we were saying was heard.  Whatever it is we intended to convey often takes a back seat to resentment and frustration.  Then, we assure that nothing is heard!

We live in a loud, loud world–where opinions are shouted as truth and personal preference is a god that divides and destroys.  Learning to hear and be heard is a vital pursuit.  We want our hearts to be intent on the cell phone slogan:  Can you hear me now?

A quiet heart resting in God is the key to hearing clearly.  It is also the key to speaking clearly.  When we have God in His rightful place, powering our lives, we will hear Him and heartothers will as well.

We intuitively understand the damage of speaking from a distressed heart.  ‘Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.’  When our heart is impure and filled with ‘us’ instead of Christ, the words we speak reflect that.

David–the man after God’s own heart–gives us insight into what happens when we relate to others with a disquieted heart.

When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.  Psalm 73:21,220227162151a

A heart that is pained and bitter makes us senseless and ignorant.  We can’t even think through what we are hearing or seeing. Our relationships with others are cut off.  We stand before God as a ‘beast’ instead of one made in His image.

The emotions God built into us are to alert us to the need to go for Him–for a clean-up, a restoration to what really matters.  We can’t simply acknowledge our unrest, we must confess it for the sin it is.  David didn’t dismiss his sin by excusing himself or accusing another…he said “I was senseless and ignorant.”  He owned his limitations and honored God.  Then, we see a beautiful picture of how God brings each of us into relationship with Him–and how we can restore relationships in our own lives.

Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory. Psalm 73:23,24

God does not toss us aside or even turn His back on us when bitterness and pain causes us to be foolish and ignorant.  He holds us fast and guides us with kindness.  He refocuses on what really matters and leads us toward that.

My tendency in brick wall conversations is to drop the matter and move on.  Sometimes that is the right choice.  But always, loving others and leading them toward what really matters with kindness is the right choice. 

As Christians, we are called to make disciples of Christ.  We can only do that if we surrender our lives so Christ can be seen and felt.  Insisting on our opinion, requiring others to see things as we see them or feel about things as we do is not the way of Christ.   Through Jeremiah, God told His people, I have drawn you with cords of loving-kindness.  He is unchanging.  May we change into more of His likeness.