An Open Door

After a wonderful day at church worshiping together and really experiencing a fullness of the Spirit It was time to head home. I was a little tired when I came home. Walking in the house our dog spunky looked at me, “let me out” and so I went over and opened the door to our deck. Once again Spunky looked at me she really did not want to go where it was cold.

As I walked away leaving spunky sitting there looking at me, I realized that the the door was still open. It had never closed. “That’s weird”, I thought to myself. Walking  over to shut the door, I heard a wooshing sound. I began walking towards the sound. The door to the garage which I thought was shut was also wide open in the same way that the door to the deck was open. The odd thing was that it appeared to be held open, as if something was holding it open. As I went to shut the door I sensed a teachable moment.

Teachable moments are those times that God meets us in our every day life to remind us of His promises, instruct us in the way we should go or reveal to us something new.

I am he who opens the door what I open no man can shut. Revelation 3:8

It was a moment that I heard Jesus, “There are open doors coming, walk through them”.

Some would say, “coincidence”. I would say God uses the ordinary to instruct my heart and my mind. He reminds me that He is at work and I only need to watch him and join him.

I don’t know what those open doors are but my eyes are looking, my heart is ready and  I pray that my I would follow along as God uses teachable moments to lead and guide me.

What open doors is God giving you today?

• I new friendship
• an opportunity to serve
• holding your tongue
• Using your gifts
• Forgiveness
• New position or job
• Undeserved grace
• New ministry
• Healing
• New adventure

Maybe he’s giving you the open door to walk away from sin or to embrace your calling , to step out in faith, or an open door to share your faith with someone else.

I am reminded of The walls of Jericho coming tumbling down. God can open any door no matter how tough they appear. He is able to make a way when there seems to be no way!

Look and see and be utterly amazed, I will do things in your days that you would not believe even if you were told! 

I’m ready to walk through the doors that you open Lord!

Reservation Guaranteed

Prepping for Christmas this year meant calling the Honey Baked Ham store and reserving our succulent selection for Christmas dinner. The woman on the phone gave us our reservation number and eagerly informed us that our meal would be ready on the day requested. All of my family loves the flavorful ham that they produce.

This morning we headed out to pick up our reserved items from the local Honey Baked Ham store. Upon entering the parking lot we were shocked at the number of people that were lined up around the store. "Is this for people who have just showed up or do they all have reservations?"

Grudgingly, I got out of the car, bundled up for it was only 27 degrees out and stood in line. Did I mention that it was really cold? An hour later I was inside the store preparing to meet with the girl behind the counter. " I have a reservation for the combo pack", I proudly shared with her. It seemed odd to me that she didn't ask me for the reservation number, but I was just glad to be out of the cold and close to the check out.

A man that was in line behind me started to request his order that had been reserved, when he was told that although he had reserved it, the order had not come in and so they were not able to guarantee his reservation. "We have a similar product that we could offer you", the counter person suggested to him.

Several thoughts began to run through my mind.

When we reserve something, doesn't it mean to set something aside?

• A table that is reserved is for a specific time.
• A hotel room is reserved with the number of beds, preferences and dates.
• Liquid is reserved in a recipe to be used later.
• A reservation is a guarantee.

Of course this reminded me that we have been given a guaranteed reservation

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

Reservations are kept here

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:27

Have you made your reservation?

Lardner's Ring

I have fallen in love with the BBC series, The adventures of Robin Hood. Perhaps it is the mixture of humor, great acting, one liners, fight scenes and romance that gets me. In any case, I am addicted and grieving that there are only 3 seasons of it. Thank goodness for Netflix!            

Lardner's Ring was one of my favorites.  In this episode a messenger brings a note from the King and in His dying breath whispers, "Lardner's Ring". Robin is later told that this refers to a pigeon and the ring that can carry a message back to the King.  I was so intrigued by the conversation that ensued. The pigeon will always return back to it's mate, separate them and they will always find their way back to their love. These pigeons mate for life and take their relationship very seriously. 

Interesting facts about Homing pigeons.

• Pigeons achieved a 98% success rate in the missions flown in WW II, despite enemy fire, and often with mortal injuries to themselves.
• Pigeons are still used today by the French, Swiss, Israeli, Iraqi and Chinese Armies.
• Noah's Dove was most likely a homing pigeon.
• They were used by many for communication before the telegraph was invented.
• In the late 1800 the most heroic recorded flight was from a pigeon that was released in Africa and took 55 days to get home in England. Traveling over 7,000 miles.
• Unless separated, pigeons mate for life.
• Can travel 700-1000 miles a day.
• Homing pigeons have been used throughout the centuries to carry messages, since they can travel up to 1000 miles.  

After learning this information, I kept coming back to the phrase, it returns to it's mate. Beloved, who ultimately is the Christian's mate? We are the bride of Christ and to Him are we to return.

Just like the message that is attached to the pigeon, God's word has messages for us.

Who can separate us from the love of God? Romans 8:35

Nothing can keep us from His love, nothing!                                  

Return to me and I will return to you. Malachi 3:7.     

He waits for us to come to Him. What is stopping you?

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

Are you feeling distant from Him? Go to Him.

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:7-9

We are the Bride of Christ and He is our one true love. Nothing can separate us from is love, He will be close to us when we return to Him and draw near to Him. 

I had to ask myself these questions after this.

Have I dedicated myself to being the Bride of Christ?
How am I drawing near to God?
Have I allowed anything to come before my relationship with Him?
What can I do to be ready for His return?

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A New Beginning!

We just finished an 11 week  Beth Moore study on the book of Revelation. Here and Now, There and Then. Wow! So much to take in and to dissect. My head is still spinning from the symbolism and metaphors.  I wish I could say I understand it all now!  It has motivated me to learn more. This week 2 phrases have flooded my spirit. 

God will make all things new.  


He is in the business of resurrecting.


When you come to the end of a season in your life, there will be a new beginning. 
He makes all things new. 

You may find yourself at the end of

 a job

 a marriage

 a career

 taking care of children

 a living situation

 school

 a friendship

Remember that He could have started over and made all new things, but He didn't. He chooses to take us and remake us! He is able to take any situation and make a new thing out of it. He is in the business of making all things NEW!

He will make a way!
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

He can change us from the inside
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19

Our lives can be different and new
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4

We are truly born again

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, I Peter 1:3

He makes everything new!
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5

It can seem that you are at the end and that there is nothing that can change your

situation. God can and will do something miraculous in your life.  Trust the one who is trustworthy and true.

Be careful of the Cracks!

Have you ever played the Jenga game? The game is simple, you take out little wood blocks and eventually the whole things tumble down. It falls because the foundation has been weakened.

 Today's blog is a summary of a message that my husband Kevin and I gave this morning.  “Be Careful of Cracks in your Life”

There is an amazing story from history about the city of Sardis.  You may recall that Sardis is mentioned in Revelation as one of the 7 churches. The city of Sardis was a real city that had to deal with some cracks!

Located at about 1500 ft. high on top of Mt Tmolus with very sheer cliffs that were almost impossible to climb. Because of the city’s difficult and isolated location the residents believed that it they could not be infiltrated by opposing armies. They thought they were safe!  The people of the city became overconfident, cocky, proud, lazy and complacent. 

 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! I Corinthians 10:12 

 1. Be careful of what you think of yourself   

Think: This is what you suppose or feel about yourself. What kind of opinion do you have regarding yourself?

Important Facts About House Foundations

A. It's the most important part of the building.

You can't just build without planning what it is you're building on.

If you build a house on the beach your house is going to disappear with the next incoming tide. Something has to hold the structure of the building up. If you read through all of Matt 5-7, you'll notice that the foundation Jesus talked about was that of a godly character - Christ-like attitudes.

What's important is the kind of people we are and a good foundation gives us integrity.

B. The foundation is the first part to go in. We can't build the structure until the foundation is in, or we're asking for trouble.

Imagine building your house without a foundation. An inspector would say, "You've got to pull this house down and start again - this time with a foundation." He says that because he knows that without the foundation your house will fall down anyway! It could even be dangerous. 

Likewise we may think "Why doesn't God just fulfill everything He's promised in our lives immediately?" He's laying the foundation - making sure it will stand the pressure - the weight of the whole building. He wants to make sure it doesn't destroy us. That's why God's never in a hurry. The foundation must go in first.

C. The foundation takes the weight of the house / building.

If it's not done properly the house will eventually come crashing down.

Ever wonder why some of the most talented people have such spectacular failures?  Because of the bad foundation. Talent is a part of the house, but what they do is build the house on a shoddy foundation. These people have suffered disgrace, jail, even death, largely because of the kind of foundation that was built into their lives. So remember - the foundation takes the weight of the house - If it's not done properly the house will eventually come crashing down.

D. The foundation (the most important part) is hidden from sight.

Prophet Samuel is sent to choose the next king of Israel. When he saw Eliab, Jesse's eldest son, he was impressed, and thought, "Wow, this must be the guy." 1 Sam 16:7 Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 

Nobody says, "What a lovely foundation. I love it! I just love the color - grey. That's just the most beautiful slab. And how thick is that concrete! I wish I'd seen those little barstools going in, and the mesh." Imagine having slab-laying parties, instead of house warming parties. "Now that's a great right angle you've got on that corner."

What would really happen if you said to someone, "Hey, want to come and see my slab?" They'd probably think you're crazy. Aren't they more interested in the structure that goes up on the slab, the big rooms, the bathroom, the decor. When you buy a block of land, the question is, "When's the house going up?" Not: "Call me when the slab goes down." We do the same with our lives, we ignore the quality of the foundation.

This is why God is so interested in the foundations of our lives.

Sardis neglected their foundation and cracks began to appear.  The foundations and walls of their city had begun to deteriorate. At first the cracks were small and unnoticeable; but as time progressed, those tiny cracks grew bigger, deeper, and wider.

2. Be careful how you stand  Paul is urging us to life in a state of watchfulness regarding our spiritual lives and being in a firm stance on what we believe in faith.

How is your spiritual stance today?


The city of Sardis is like most of us, we get so busy with life and tossed around with all of the expectations and issues of life or possibly so confident of our own abilities that we become unaware of our own spiritual need. We go on in life as though we have no need to deal with the foundation of our lives not realizing that tiny cracks are starting to form.

Crackscracks. The Holy Spirit wants to come and repair them.

The people in Sardis let apathy take over.  They boasted in their self confidence. They felt sure that foreign aggressors could not make war on them!  While their arrogance grew so did the cracks! As time progressed those tiny cracks grew, finally the gaps in the walls became so wide that a human body could easily slip through them. The people were not even aware that they were at risk!

One afternoon, a Persian soldier named Lagoras watched a soldier from Sardis sneak down the back wall in order to retrieve his helmet that had fallen. That night while the city of Sardis was sleeping, the army snuck up and scaled the cliffs and slithered through the cracks in the foundations and walls of the city. In the morning, the city of Sardis awoke to find that they had been conquered, one crack at a time. The city hadn't been as careful about their foundation defense as they should have been, and they people paid for that. 

3. Be careful that you don’t fall  

Be careful about your thinking, your standing, so you can be prepared and not fall! Don’t be so proud that you think it couldn’t happen to you, so smug you fall into complacency.

Are you aware of areas of your life that have deteriorated and need attention?   Could you fall?  What are your slippery slope areas? 

4. The challenge to the church of Sardis
A couple more things about the city of Sardis. It was overtaken twice by it's enemies and had a terrible earthquake that destroyed the city.  It puts this passage into a new understanding.
Revelation 3:1-3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

“Strengthen what remains…hold it fast… repent.” We must never fall into complacency!

Look at your foundation, is it built on Christ?  What can you do to continually strengthen your relationship with him?

Ask God to reveal to you the areas that are weak and need to be strengthened. 

Ask Him to show you the cracks that are weakening your witness and your spiritual life.

Some of this information was modified from the book Sparkling Gems by Rick Renner.

A taste of heaven

Have you ever been given a gift that far exceeded anything that you could imagine? No really! One that you never even dreamed possible? This past weekend our Journey leaders went away for a time of refreshment before our new year started.

One of our leaders had asked a friend of hers if we might be able to use their lodge for the weekend getaway. Generously they granted the request but asked to remain anonymous. No one in the group had ever been to the lodge and we were thrilled to have a place to stay. A few of us went early to set things up for the women before they arrived.  I was so excited to put little gifts in their rooms to make each person feel appreciated.  Little did I know that our present was in front of us! As we approached the address on the map we noticed a very elaborate gate and intercom. I was starting to think that this little lodge was more than I had previously thought.  We entered into the drive and saw a large log house to the left and an even larger, no, massive estate to the right. Did I mention the landscaping? Everywhere we looked there were trees, flowers, ponds, fountains and beauty! My stomach began to feel like a washing machine.  I was nervously excited.  If we hadn't spoken to the caretaker at the gate, I would have thought that we were at the wrong place.  To say that this place was grand would be an understatement. We entered into the great room and I had no words!  I was trying to look as though I wasn't impressed in front of the caretaker but when he went out of the room I jumped up and down and giggled like a little kid!  I could not contain the excitement.  "How in the world did I get here?" I thought to myself. As we spent the next half and hour looking at the lodge I kept thinking,

"If I am this excited to be in this place, How much more am I going to be when I get to heaven?"

The bible describes heaven as a city that is filled with the brilliance of costly stones and crystal clear jasper. Heaven has twelve gates (Revelation 21:12) and twelve foundations (Revelation 21:14). The paradise of the Garden of Eden is restored: the river of the water of life flows freely and the tree of life is available once again, yielding fruit monthly with leaves that “heal the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2). However eloquent John was in his description of heaven, the reality of heaven is beyond the ability of finite man to describe (1 Corinthians 2:9).


Heaven is a place of “no mores.” There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more separation, because death will be conquered (Revelation 20:6).

The best thing about heaven is the presence of our Lord and Savior (1 John 3:2). We will be face to face with the Lamb of God who loved us and sacrificed Himself so that we can enjoy His presence in heaven for eternity.http://www.gotquestions.org/heaven-like.html

Nothing on earth can take the place of having a home in heaven.

Father,

Thank you for giving us glimpes of you!  Thank you for preparing a place for us in heaven.  May I grow in the knowledge of you and of your kingdom.  I yearn to know you more and to make you name known.

Jann