spontaneous waste

i got a call from my friend in flagstaff yesterday. she was in phoenix about to board a plane to florida. she had been watching something about a revival going on there and felt led to go. she says that over 9000 people a day show up. it started as a five day conference at a small church and is now at a stadium with thousands pouring in from all over the world daily, just to worship and be touched by god. no one else i know would ever do that. she's going by herself, renting a car when she gets there, and driving to lakeland. this kind of spontaneity was one of the things that kept us from being friends for a long time. i didn't understand it about her. i was always so planned, calculated, organized. she was the exact opposite. but we were drawn together by our desire to know and love jesus. she taught me how to "let go" and i helped her see the good in a little planning.

how often are we spontaneous in our response to God? are we close enough to him to even know when he leads us to go? to know his voice over our own? she is a lover of the word and her savior. she knows his voice. so when he leads, she knows, and she goes.

see, she's been sick with an auto-immune disease for a couple of years now, that she contracted when she was a missionary in thailand. she's battled terrible stomach pains and has prayed for healing. she believes that God's calling her to florida because he's going to heal her. i love that about her. it's her faith i love. she doesn't waste time thinking about the things of this world, she is more concerned about being faithful, doing and going where he leads. she seeks to be in his presence on a moment by moment basis so that as trials and tribulation come, her character is strong enough to endure it so that the refining process may take place. i mean, i can't tell you how many times i've thought to myself, "i just can't stand to let that food go to waste." or i'll think something like, "we can't do that, it's just a waste of money and time." what about all the time i waste not in God's presence? i know, you might think...but sparky...we can't be in god's presence all the time. we have lives we have to live. agreed, we do have lives we have to live, responsibilities, people to care for. but why can't we do it all in the presence of god? our time with his is not limited to our daily devotions or worship at church. we are to be eternally minded. there are things going on around us in the spiritual realm that we are completely unaware of. so it is absolutely necessary that we be in the presence of god moment by moment. we do this by walking in love and light (ephesians 5:1-14). if we don't, we are in danger of grieving the holy spirit and our words and lives turn from edifying to corruption. AND we are in danger of missing out on some amazing things he wants to do in our lives.

so what kind of spontaneous thing is god leading you to do? what kinds of resources and time have you been wasting? i hope today you're encouraged. it's not too late. God has not removed you from this life yet. get back up and seek him out. he's there to be found. and besides, it is our duty to walk as he did. jesus said we would receive power when the holy spirit came upon us (acts 1:8). we can minister and live as he did, if we will just keep our eyes up! don't look down. just look up...and don't waste anymore time. be spontaneous, let him lead you. you will never be disappointed.

"for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. walk as children of the light for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." Ephesians 5:8-10

a call worth answering

today my mom is flying out to europe. she's meeting my dad to visit some missionaries. what else they will do, well, i couldn't tell you specifics. i just know they hit the road running and they help alot of people.

my parents live an adventure and they are such strong, stable, giving, real people and i know that is why others are so drawn to them. they live such an amazing life. funny thing since they were just two people, who started out in el paso, had a baby, moved to abilene, had another baby, on to dallas for a third baby, and then the calling to boise. i can't tell you that my mom was all that happy. i mean, who in their right mind would want to live in boise? where is that anyway? ohio? iowa? do they even have running water and electricity? besides, i'm sure it's miserably cold. all the thoughts i believe ran through my mom's head and her whole families when my father announced they'd be going :O) not to mention with 3 kids all under 5 in tow. but they went, because god called them. they couldn't bare the thought of not being obedient. they loved and still do love the lord with all their hearts. how many of us could say we'd be willing to give up our lifestyles, our friends, church, family, and move on to somewhere that we weren't even sure existed? this is one of the many reasons why i honor them and respect them so highly. they gave up a lot to come here, but it was without a doubt for much more gain than they'd ever expected. when they took broadway ave baptist church over, it had around 5 families. today, 30 years, two buildings, and an addition of 11+ staff later, it runs around 800. talk about reaping. i'm blown away at all god has done over the years. now my parents couldn't imagine living anywhere else. they love this valley.

all these years and even from the beginning, my parents have had a passion for missions. about 7 years ago (i could be off a bit) god began to call them to a new ministry, uncharted territory. god gave them a vision of a ministry that would act as a liaison for the missionary. IMAP-international missionary advocate personnel. imap takes on projects, raising money and support, so that the missionary doesn't have to come off the field, taking precious time away from their ministries and using their recources to do this. to go from a secure job, that you've done for over 35 years, being in your 50's, to start a new ministry was a leap of faith to say the least. but god has more than blessed and opened innumerable doors. it has been one miracle after another and god's providing.

so here's to you mom and dad. i'll miss you over the next few weeks. you're my best friends and i love you so much. but even more, i honor you because you are brave soldiers of the king and your testimony and legacy to your children and all who know you will live on for years to come!

to get involved you can visit their website at

http://www.i-map.org/