Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!!

The Angel of the Lord encamps all
around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
~Psalms 34:7-8


Be blessed.

Good news: All the answers you ever wanted to know about Heaven will be revealed to you.

If I had known where my conversation with my five year old was going to go tonight I probably would have spent some time preparing for it. No, it wasn't the Birds and Bees discussion yet. Thank you LORD! :) It was the "Heaven" conversation. You know, the "What's this Heaven place all about?" question.

Ahhhh... :)

It was already well past Preston's bedtime but he was enjoying talking about what kindergarten was going to be like so much that I didn't want to rush to get him to sleep tonight. The bus, recess, friends, games, book, etc. etc. He was so excited about every little thing that was going to be a part of his future that he couldn't even lay still. I managed to stop our conversation and prayed our routine "good night" prayer. His mind was still buzzing with all the things he had to look forward to, and then he hit me with the question, "Mommy, What's Heaven like?"

QUESTION TIME WITH MY SON.
I stumbled to think about where to start. There's so much he doesn't understand. There's so much I don't understand. I braced myself...

Me: "It's a perfect place we get to go to when we die and we get to see God face and face and live there forever... and it will be PERFECT!" :)

Preston: "Will chairs knock over there?" (seriously...he asked me that) :)

Me: "Ummmmm...I don't think so"

Preston: "Will the chairs scoot around there?" (what in the world were they talking about at VBS today?) ;)

Me: "Hmm...good question. I guess we'll find out when we get there."

The questions continued and I did the best I could to answer them, but realized I really had to just keep saying, "Well, I am not sure. I just know it will be perfect there".

Preston is my "questions" kid. He's the one with a million "why?" and "how?" questions for every little statement I ever make. His questions tonight ranged from "how long is forever?" to "How big is God?" and on and on it went. An hour later I managed to escape and make my way out to the living room, feeling a sense of relief that I wouldn't have to answer any more questions that I did not have a sufficient answer to.

Five minutes later he came out to the living room saying he can't sleep and then chimed in with more questions, "Does God have power IN him?" and "Is he scary?".... uhhh...

RESPONSE TIME WITH MY SON.
I wish I could tell you that I had all the right answers and quoted all the right scriptures and all that good stuff. If I told you that I would be lying. I stumbled through all my answers because I knew that none of them could possibly be making any sense in his precious five year old brain. Some of the stuff I knew the answers to, but I didn't know the "why" that followed. "Hmm...good question. I am not sure. I don't know, but I think..." The questions finally stopped. (whew)

JESUS' RESPONSE TO ONE "HEAVEN" QUESTION.
The truth is, Preston is not the first person to ask about the chairs in heaven...and every little single part of Heaven, for that matter. We all wonder, don't we? In our humanness we search for answers in terms of what we understand here on earth. In Matthew 20 we read about the mother of Zebedee’s sons who went to Jesus, asking that he "grant that one of these two sons of (hers) may sit at (his) right and the other at (his) left in the kingdom.”

His answer was not the "yes" or "no" she was looking for. He said to her, "These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” He just leaves her guessing, so I suppose I don't have to feel too bad, then, for not answering all of Preston's questions with a firm "yes" or "no", right?

WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO.
We cannot know most of the details of what Heaven is like. It is out of our realm of understanding, as long as we are here on earth. God gives us glimpses, but never a complete picture. This is a VERY good thing, when you think about it. Do you want to go to another place like earth when you leave here and live there for ETERNITY, or would you rather go to a place that is so completely out of this world that you cannot even find words here on earth to explain it? Well, you don't get to decide. God decided for you, because HE knows what is best for YOU. He made you, for crying out loud. Heaven is not like earth.

Who can understand an angel if he has never seen one? How can we, as humans, know what a "soul" looks like? Faith comes in to play here. There are just some things we cannot understand. IF it were something we needed to understand God would reveal it to us, so I am operating out of the assumption that if God wanted me to understand it all he would have made a way for that to happen. We trust in a God who has it all figured out, we seek Him for answers and we rest in him when the answer is not completely clear to us...yet. Someday we will get to Heaven and be like, "WOAH! Earth was like a really bad joke compared to this!!! SAWEET!! Thank you LORD!" :)

PRAYER.
God, you created me, you created the world, you created Heaven and the spiritual things unseen (to us). We believe that you see EVERYTHING...even the things that we cannot. We take you at your word that you have good things in store for us when we believe in you and put our trust in you.

You made our minds with the unique ability to seek knowledge and retain it. Our minds want more. We want more knowledge, more understanding, and more answers. We work hard here on earth to make some sense out of you, out of our lives, and out of this world. We seek you for our answers. We turn to your word to develop our understanding of who you are, and we look to see where you are at work around us, in an attempt to encounter you.

We thank you for the times when you offer us knowledge and give us understanding for some of the things that are from the heavenly realm. We love when you reveal new things to us and we catch a glimpse of who you are. And yet, what we comprehend is only a sliver of all that you have done, are doing, and will continue to do.

"I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" ~John 3:12

There are some things we just would not get even if you did explain them to us. Your ways are higher, deeper, more meaningful than we can fathom. Even still, you allow each of us, with all of our limitations, to step into your bigger plan here on Earth. We are honored to join you in your plan, and we are humbled that one day we will live with you and experience you in all your glory. On that day we'll be overwhelmed with a feeling never felt before, and for the first time ever we'll say, "THIS FINALLY makes sense! THIS is HOME!! My soul is FINALLY completely at peace for the FIRST TIME EVER forever and ever and ever. amen!"

"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." Hebrews 13:14

This world is not our home, Lord. We are here for a short time to do the work you have called us to do here, but THIS is not our home. Some days I am more grateful for that simple, yet profound, fact than others. I know that when I see you face to face, and I sense the peace in my heart and soul that I have never completely known while here on earth that I will comprehend that close to you is where I belong. Amen.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS.

The good news: All the answers you ever wanted about Heaven will be revealed to you.
The bad news: It won't happen while you are here on Earth. :)

The good news: If you needed to know everything, God would reveal it to you.
The bad news: As long as you are here on Earth there will be a slightly irritating longing for more, because THIS (earth) is not all that you were made for.

The best news: God has prepared a place for you!!
If you are a believer, who has asked God into your heart, and asked that He forgive you of your sins, there is a place especially designated for you in Heaven!!
You can take a lot of comfort in that.

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." ~John 14:2-4

GUEST POST: Happiness vs. Contentment

This week's guest post is written by Donna Fagerstrom. Donna was the worship leader at the Speak Up with Confidence Seminar I had the privilege of attending a few weeks back. I was instantly struck by the joy on her face. "Happy" would have been a perfect word to describe her. She was "home" when I saw her, and she was enjoying every minute. :) She has a truly joyful heart and a very giving spirit. You really cannot help but love her. I hope you are encouraged as you find bits and pieces of Donna's journey toward contentment that you are able to relate to today. God bless you. Here's what Donna had to say:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

I Timothy 6:6

Throughout my life there have been times that I was seeking godliness and it was during those times I found great contentment. I remember when I was attending a Women’s Bible study on I and II Timothy. When we got to the verse above I knew I wanted to know how to achieve that powerful combination of godliness and contentment. However, I was not sure of the relationship between happiness and contentment. I found that I often confused those two.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT

I went to good old “Mr. Webster to look up the definitions of happiness and contentment. This is what I found.

• Happiness is “feeling pleased or fortunate.”
• Contentment is “a contented state.”

Those two words couldn’t be more different in definition or experience. Happiness is a moment in time. Contentment is a place where we live. Who doesn’t want to be happy - to enjoy every moment of life? However, as we know, happiness is so fleeting. It lasts as long as the experience. (And I am grateful that I have memories of those happy moments in time.)

MY EXPERIENCE

I must admit during this past year I have struggled with being “happy.” While there have been many “happy” moments, there are other times when I have not found that to be true. I failed. That bothers me because I want to always walk in His will and serve Jesus as an authentic follower of Christ.

I believe there are different benchmarks in our faith walk which helps us monitor where we are in our journey. I’m eternally grateful for the twenty consecutive years God allowed us to serve Him in one city. In that place I made friendships for a lifetime. I know there are sisters in that city who faithfully pray for me, even now. I know it will always be “home.”

When God knocked on my hearts door saying He had another plan and place for my life, I was shocked to say the least. I had begun to believe that after twenty years in one place, this must be where He wanted me and my husband to “finish well”. He revealed once again that His ways are not mine and His thoughts are far higher than mine.

Jesus asked my husband and me to leave everyone and everything we had grown to love to serve Him in a place we had no desire to live in. Some, who know me, may be rolling their eyes about now, but to us this place God called us to live felt to me like just a nice place to visit, and nothing more. Nonetheless, He called. We answered. We packed our stuff and one year ago this past week we moved with the wonderful help of our daughter and son-in-love.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY EXPERIENCE

It was hard. To be a genuine follower of Jesus, I kept quoting Scripture in my heart praying it would go to my head. As I continued in my study and reading of God’s Word I was reminded over and over again that none of this is about me. It’s all about HIM! Did I really mean it when I said as the prophet Isaiah vowed in chapter six, verse eight, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Would I find happiness or contentment?

I remember voicing the Isaiah prayer as a teenager when I received the call for full-time ministry. I remember saying those words when God brought my husband and me together in marriage. I remember praying, “Send me!” when He called us to our first, second, third and the fourth church we left one year ago. Once again, God reminded me of his call. Would I be willing to go for Him? Would I follow Jesus… regardless of the place?

Over the course of time I’ve had several people ask me, “How do you like your new place, are you happy there?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m humbled beyond belief that God would use this broken jar of clay in this great ministry. But to honestly answer the question I wouldn’t say that happiness would define my heart. Ah… there is something more. I am grateful to say that I have worked through this journey of uprooting and saying good-bye to family, friends and a wonderful ministry. I can honestly say now that I am at a point where I can say I am content.

I AM CONTENT!!! :)

I am content that God has chosen to now use us in a way I never could have dreamed. The opportunities for ministry are enormous. There are brand new friendships. I’m content that happiness for today isn’t all that is important to me, but “contentment with godliness is great gain.” Now, that is important to me. And now, happiness is beginning to follow.

I want my life to make a difference. I want my life to bring Him honor and glory. I want to be “in that state” which is “His state.” As we serve Jesus, we are in a rehearsal at this present time getting ready for our audience of One. Will you join with me in seeking contentment for your life as God leads and directs you? I’m learning it’s the only way to “fly.”

Lord Jesus, I don’t have words adequate enough to thank you for helping me to learn this invaluable lesson once again on contentment. Thank you for the work that you continually do in our lives until we “get it.” Thank you for your graciousness in not letting it take me years to come to this place and sadly missing out on the many blessings you’ve poured out on us in this year alone. You are Faithful Father, always. May I always be Your Faithful Daughter! In Your Holy Name, Amen

A

About the Author: Donna Fagerstrom has joyfully served in the pastorate world for 31 years, along with her husband Doug. Donna has led worship in each church they have been in during those years. Doug and Donna are also both published authors. Together they have one daughter, Darci, who got married to Jay Irwin giving them both what Donna affectionately refers to as her "son-in-love". In 2010 the Lord “converged” all of their ministry experiences and asked them to serve as Senior Vice President of Converge Worldwide in Orlando, Florida. Currently they are helping lead their staff to minister to our nation and worldwide. Donna reminds us there is JOY in serving Jesus and others.

· To learn more about Converge Worldwide ministry, you may go here.

A different approach to finding comfort when you're feeling sad..

This made me smile today.

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be AWESOME instead. TRUE STORY." :)

Wisdom: The more you digest the more you crave! :)

Proverbs 3 is PACKED with "further benefits of wisdom". . . .(this is truly an amazing read)

. . .CHECK THIS OUT! . . .

1My son, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in your heart,

2for they will prolong your life many years

and bring you prosperity.

3Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.a

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

as a fatherb the son he delights in.

13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who gains understanding,

14for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

16Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20by his knowledge the deeps were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

21My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,

do not let them out of your sight;

22they will be life for you,

an ornament to grace your neck.

23Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble;

24when you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26for the Lord will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from being snared.

27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,

when it is in your power to act.

28Do not say to your neighbor,

“Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—

when you now have it with you.

29Do not plot harm against your neighbor,

who lives trustfully near you.

30Do not accuse a man for no reason—

when he has done you no harm.

31Do not envy a violent man

or choose any of his ways,

32for the Lord detests a perverse man

but takes the upright into his confidence.

33The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34He mocks proud mockers

but gives grace to the humble.

35The wise inherit honor,

but fools he holds up to shame.

How Proverbs is like a "Grand Finale".


. . .All of these verses are wonderfully and concisely written. To read one verse right after the other in the book of Proverbs is like the "Grand Finale" of Wisdom in the Bible. All the fireworks are pretty, (all the verses in the Bible lead us to more knowledge, wisdom and better understanding of God and ourselves) but Proverbs is like the Grand Finale of the verse, "BAM, BAM, BAM!" One right after the other. :) Each verse builds on the one before it. After each verse I want to say, "OH, woah, Amen!" By the time I get to the bottom I just want to yell, "WOW!!! Holy cow! That was incredible!!" :)

I mean, you cannot read Chapter 3 of Proverbs without desiring wisdom! Try to read the whole book of Proverbs without wanting to have wisdom. You just can't do it. :) I deleted the "If you's" and made a list of all the "then you's", so that we could see a list of all the good that will be done in our lives when we choose to live out the wisdom Proverbs teaches us in just chapter 3 alone. For instance, Chapter 3, verse 9 says,

"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."

so I took out the "If You's" and left just the two "Then You's":
your barns will be filled to overflowing,
your vats will brim over with new wine.

Here is the list I came up with. When we heed the nuggets of wisdom found in Proverbs 3, God says our reward will look like this:

• prolong your life many years
• prosperity.
• you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
• He (God) will make your paths straight.
• health to your body
• nourishment to your bones.
• your barns will be filled to overflowing,
• your vats will brim over with new wine.
• the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
• Blessed
• gains understanding,
• more profitable than silver, yields better returns than gold.
• Long life
• riches
• honor.
• pleasant ways,
• paths are peace.
• blessed.
• life for you,
• safety,
• your foot will not stumble;
• you will not be afraid;
• your sleep will be sweet.
• the Lord will be your confidence
• (The Lord) will keep your foot from being snared.
• (The Lord) takes the upright into his confidence.
• (The Lord) blesses your home.
• (The Lord) gives grace to you.
• (You) inherit honor

I don't know about you but wisdom is sounding better and better by the minute! I think I'll get me a great big crave case and munch on it throughout the day. :)

One of my favorite songs.

They sang this song at my church yesterday and I was reminded of the power of focusing all of our attention on who God is, and taking all the attention off of how inadequate I am.

"Jesus, your name is power.
Breath and living water.
Such a marvelous mystery."

This song gives me chills. I love it so much!! Hope you do too. Crank this baby up and be blessed. ;)

(might I suggest something...don't stop listening until the end of the song. Because of the way that this song builds on itself, the power of the song hits me hardest about 3/4 of the way through the song...without fail.)

You are loved!

GUEST POST: Cindy Bultema encourages us to bring intentional focus to our prayer time through a Prayer Guide.

I had the pleasure of meeting Cindy Bultema at a Speak Up with Confidence Seminar I went to a couple of weeks ago. Her smile and energy are contagious. The name of her blog is She Sparkles, and if you ever meet her you will know that truly she shines like a disco ball in an otherwise dark room! :) Her guest post is packed with GREAT ideas, and very useful (and practical) resources that you can click on, print off, and use yourself. Definitely a worthwhile read!! Enjoy, learn, and be inspired as you read about how she brings intentionality to her prayer life...

One of the things I am most passionate about in my life is PRAYER.

(Unfortunately, this hasn't always been the case. I didn't become a Christian until the age of 26. Finally after years of poor, self destructive choices I gave my life to Jesus in 1996! You can read more about it here.)

My heart for prayer really began to grow in 1999. I was asked to accept a job leading a ministry at my church. I knew that God would have to show up BIG TIME or it would be a huge disaster.

I read every book on prayer I could, studied prayer Bible passages, and most importantly, I began to pray. A lot! I cried out to the Lord, "Teach me how to PRAY!" And you know what?? God answered those prayers (in abundance)...and continues to grow me in my prayer life today! A powerful tool that has really shaped my prayer life is my Prayer Guide.

WHAT IS A PRAYER GUIDE?

The Prayer Guide I use was designed by an amazing ministry called Walking with Him favorite part is that my Prayer Guide may be personalized with photos, prayers and mementos. It has become the story of my walk with God! Here are just a few examples of sections I have in my prayer guide.

A FEW SECTIONS FROM MY PRAYER GUIDE

THANKING GOD
For example, there is a section of the Prayer Guide on Thanking God. This part of my journal is filled with things I am grateful for (a picture of me getting baptized in 1999, family & friend pics, etc..). I also fill the pages with answers to prayers.

In the picture below you can see the SOLD sign when our house sold - in less than 2 months! - and lots of post-it notes of answered prayers. It is a perfect visual reminder of how good God is and His faithfulness in answering prayer!

PERSONAL PRAYERS/ INTERCESSORY PRAYERS

I also have a whole section of my Prayer Guide where I pray for myself and others. The pages are filled with photos of family and friends (this is where I put the pictures I receive at Christmas). I usually sit with a stack of index cards and/or post-it notes, and pray specifically for others (and then slide the index card behind their picture). If a friend sends an e-mail and asks me to pray for something, I print it off, pray, and then slide it behind the picture.

MY FAMILY

This picture below shows my page for John. On the left I have a download of 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband. On the right are pics of me and John, and then post-it notes with specific prayers. (Can you see the top right post-it note?? It has prayers from my little Sarah. She loves to sit with me as I go through my Prayer Guide and help me pray for all of our family and friends! :))

Another example below. These are the pages I pray for my kids. I love being able to look at their precious faces as I pray for them! One resource I use when praying for my kids is 31 Biblical Virtues. You can see more prayers below from Sarah. Praying that her sister would be nice :)

PEOPLE WHO HAVE YET TO BE SAVED.

I also have a section where I pray specifically for family/friends/acquaintances who do not know Jesus. What a blessing to watch God work in their lives ~ and then be able to move their picture from the "Far from God" section to the "Thank God" section when they come to know Jesus as their Savior!! Praise the Lord!! :)

OKAY, NOW IT'S YOUR TURN...

I could go on and on...but it is easier to understand when you try the Prayer Guide yourself. Go ahead and give it a try. You just might love it!! :)

About the Author: Cindy Bultema lives in West Michigan with her husband John and their children Jake, Benjamin, Amanda and Sarah. Her number one ministry is that of wife and mom. She is also a writer, speaker, blogger and former Director of Children’s Ministries at a Grand Rapids area mega-church. You can find out more about Cindy Bultema at her blog, She Sparkles!