Just thinking

To listen to the instructions of God.

Seems simple and desirable enough. It's a hope of mine...and to carry them out, the instructions of God, well, that can feel like a different task altogether. However, when we pause and consider enough...in our inmost places, the desire and love of God - those "instructions" suddenly become more a guide, a poem of direction rather than a list of do's and don'ts which allow no freedom nor fun. 

I'm gathering more and in my experiences that God's desire is more of presence and dwelling than boundaries and wrong doing, etc. I believe His desire is to be fully present with us, His creation.  If that is the case, because He is God, there must be Holiness and Glory. For He says, "Be Holy, for I am Holy.". So, it shouldn't be any surprise as what his requirements are to walk with Him. It's more like a license to live...live truly and in freedom. Otherwise there is living hopelessly and in bondage. To me, that spells misery and nothing that is life-giving. 

 I want to live where there is freedom and hope and Glory and goodness and desires that come from Heaven. So, today, I will do my part to honor that which God the Father has called me forth. 

What other "choice" is there? 

The instructions of God...

Blessings,

Andy O. 

Out of my time in Exodus...

This morning I was reminded of the delivery methods of God.  He delivers clearly and so it seems is in the same manner by which Jesus put on skin, that we might have life abundantly (John 10:10). He delivers with ample supply...more than enough...more than is desired..more than our fill - He essentially over delivers. 

I think it's a matter of fully trusting in his power. Fully trusting in His calling. His word. His desires. When this occurs, belief rings true and I believe it pleases the Father even more so and He can't resist...the truth is, He's crazy over His creation. 

May we listen more deeply and trust from our roots upward into the arms and direction of God. 

Blessings today. 

-ao

Notes from Holy Week contemplation

Psalm 22:19

"But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me."
-Psalms 22:19 (NIV84)

And then...

Psalm 27:14

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
-Psalms 27:14 (NIV84)


Take heart and wait...for the Lord.

Watching the snow fall.

Waiting for the depths of what this Thursday night and Friday morning mean within the core of myself...longing to hope for the the Life that will spring forth on Sunday morning...Life from the power of God. Life from the focused Christ...from His heart..from His love. It was......for me. For you. For us. All of us.

Again, snow falling today; yet another reminder that He is in control. Not me. Thank heavens. He is in control. While I have things, ambitions, and specific hopes....not one thing will happen that has not first been allowed to happen by the love and mercy of God. Oh how I hope for things to come...yet the sense I get within, the one that seems to be from the Spirit of the Lord, His Holy Spirit...seems to say "wait for the Lord!" "keep your focus on Easter...on what I have done for you!"

So here in the snow...I wait, I watch, and I long for the next move of Jesus. It's snow for now...what to make of this perfectly unique and pure white covering from the skies??? I suppose I can only continue to watch and wait in gratitude alone.

Gratitude, Lord.

Here am I. Hoping. Waiting. Watching. (secretly crossing my fingers)

Blessings,

-ao

genesis 32:22-32

From Olivia's blog. From our reading today....I say "ditto" - read below. 

The back drop is also Psalm 31. 

-ao 

 [The Wild Wild West] genesis 32:22-32

Please, go read this now.

I am doing a Lenton Devotional written by a friend of ours, Jim Branch. It's been neat because Andy is doing it too and we have had some great conversations. I have had so many "Ah-ha" moments where God continues to show me another deep layer of Himself. This week the title is Broken. We are all broken. Christians, non-Christians. We are broken. We have all experienced pain, sadness and even some of us have questioned "Why". Why me?  Why am I having to go through this? Why is this happening?

This brings me encouragement:

In fact, blessings sometimes come through brokenness that could never come in any other way. –Gerald G. May

A night when God finds us alone, grabs us, throws us to the ground, and wrestles with that fundamental flaw in our character. In that dark night of the soul, though He cripples us, in the dawn He blesses us. –Ken Gire

Deepen my hurt until I learn to share it and myself openly, and my needs honestly. Sharpen my fears until I name them and release the power I have locked in them and they in me. –Ted Loder

Some of the times I have felt the closest to God, have been some of the most dark times in my life. God was faithful and continues to be faithful. Thank you Lord.

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Posted By Blogger to The Wild Wild West at 3/12/2013 02:30:00 PM

Tuesday...it's the only today I have

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." -Psalm 51:10

The best day of your life?

Recently, a friend sat with me discussing our lives, our trust in God...or lack of trust, and the hope we have in God's faithfulness & provision. We talked about desires and from where do they come from...of how the Lord both placed them (the ones we referred to in our conversation) and wants to give us the desires of our hearts. He delights in our hearts' desires!

Then, my friend spoke up about living our lives. He said, "I spent my entire life living "out there", waiting on my life and my ministry to unfold. He said I knew that when I got there (pointing with his finger out from his body) I would have everything in order...all my financials, all my details of my ministry, my family...my dreams. But, you can't live out there in the future just the same that you can't live your life in the past...and you know you can't do that!!" Then he looked at me and said, "Andy, today is the BEST day of your life...it's the only one you have. Live in this moment, this breath, this one..right now, every single day. It's all you have."

TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!

Lord, help me to live today in each breath as a gift from you because it's precisely what I have been given from you. Let me live my life purely. Renew my spirit with you each day. Beginning, now.

Amen.

"Your breath isn't your own; it has been borrowed from God."

"We experience being drawn, like a magnet, to the Divine."

-both from Macrina Wiederkehr

Blessings,

-ao

Today's Reading

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion–to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
-Isaiah 61:1-11 (NIV84)


Thanks be to God.

-ao

Day 6. The Winter is over.

"My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past;the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledoveis heard in our land."
-Song of Solomon 2:10-12 (ESV)

Last night, James, our speaker, stood up to tell the Love Story. He told the "old old story" of Jesus on the cross. He told of Jesus becoming our Sin...of the love of God and His passion for me, for each of us. He talked about Jesus taking upon Himself & the cross all of our brokenness and all the symptoms of Sin and all our things we do to attempt to fill the emptiness in our lives...all of it was placed upon Jesus Christ, that we might live in Him. That we wouldn't have to be the ones to shoulder that burden.

After the talk, we were sent out to be alone under the Colorado sky....to think about what we had heard, to ponder and consider the love of God, to perhaps talk with Him or hand over our hearts. Or to use it, quietly however we needed. I sat there in the silence feeling unworthy and so in awe of God...and I heard above all the quietness a repeating sound...one boy who was about 25 feet away was sobbing. He was crying uncontrollably. He would get louder and then quietly cry...then it would pick back up again. Underneath the pantings, I could hear his whisper, "Thank you...thank you...thank...thank you!!" He was in awe. I think what he experienced is similar to this:

"The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones."
-Proverbs 15:30 (ESV)

Last night our friends heard good news. Last night, the light of God shone forth and into many of their hearts. Many of them will be forever marked by the love of Jesus.

There is more to tell...more about three of our guys who handed their hearts to Christ last night. More about the joy of our leaders. More of how one boy's life is different because "I met you!" he told his leader.

Keep praying.

-ao

Day 5. A thing of Beauty

Last night was simply amazing. A wonderfully fun & energizing night...simply known as "The Night that Never Ends" in YL.

Yesterday morning we had club where our high school friends heard the truth of Sin and it's consequences: eternal death / separation from God. It was really hard. Our cabin time was full of frustration, confusion and probably a renewed distrust on their behaves.....that's exactly where we might hoped hey would be. If we don't camp out here for a bit, then to truly gain understanding of Jesus' love and the message of His death on the cross....cannot be fully attained. Well, I suppose it cannot ever be FULLY attained, but apart from understanding our Sin we cannot begin to grasp our hope of Salvation through Jesus Christ becoming our Sin on the cross.

We left cabin time to enter a day of fun, of beauty, of contemplation internally. After an early morning horse ride and a cowboy breakfast, we also rode the ridge runners (think go carts on steroids). We played a massive game of ultimate frisbee. Then on to the night 4 festivities: dinner, ding alongside, old fashioned carnival, an opera (program finale) followed by square dancing and dancing all night thru the ages of song and dance. It's too much to type here on my iPhone..suffice it to say it was a thing of beauty.

Today.....after the mourning, after the message of Sin. We will hike a mountain. We will point to the heavens, the mountains and the glory of God....revealing the hope in Jesus. We will hear the message of the Cross tonight. We will have this incredible opportunity to see kids and be with them as they perhaps cross over from death to Life...in Christ.

Pray for us. Here's to the joy of the Lord!

-ao

This place is magical

 

That’s what you hear from folks….kids, campers…leaders – all in one way or the other will talk about the beauty and the awesomeness of Crooked Creek Ranch.  They will drop their jaws over the splendor and grandeur of God’s creation so wonderfully displayed in a 3D view right here at camp. It cannot be helped….but to simply notice the magnanimous wonder that God has put on display.  It is a part of His story unfolding in the lives and hearts of kids that are here. After all, I am here because… for whatever reason, the Lord has decided to use me as part of his scripting in their lives….one way or the other. So, I will be here, I will go forth and trust in His call. I sure need to….I am thankful for the joy that comes from the Lord…the joy that He gives me and that is the same joy that Jesus experiences in his relationship with the Father…I get to have that in my heart and my life because of Christ in me. That is beauty that no Rocky Mountain view can compete with!

Last night, we had a “rodeo” at the coral followed by the best barbeque meal in Young Life…..it was incredible. Next up was a wild YL club where James, our camp speaker, talked about God becoming one of us – that He put on skin, that he, like a daddy playing with his children, “got down on the blanket” to be with us and to reveal himself….for you, for me.  Kids were able to consider the question, “What do you think about Jesus?” and “What do you think about God becoming one of us?” They could also reveal their doubts and questions, too. All that takes place in what we call “cabin time”. 

After cabin time, we went to the “Western Revue” – similar to an old timey “variety show” with fun, songs, and skits and games. It was a hit….especially when the Summer Staff brought out 400 ice cream sundaes for a fun and sweet night cap! I loved being with our high school friends and seeing the look on their faces when all this happened.

My eyes are slowly healing….the redness is dying down and the swelling is all but gone. Please keep praying and please keep praying for our high school friends, that they would be open to hearing the gospel and receiving whatever God might have in store for them. There is much more….so much more for them to hear and to get a chance to unpack what is going on within their hearts. One of my friends, he’s a senior and he is clueless on the love of God. He does not know the Love God offers him….he does not really care, he simply lives his wild life with no regrets or consequences in his mind. I am so thankful he is here and so hopeful that God might open up his heart to reveal Himself to my friend. 

Today is Day 3.  In my time with the Lord this morning…here are some things I read:

“The joy that Jesus offers His disciples is His own joy, which flows from His intimate communion with the One who sent Him.  It is a joy that does not separate happy days from sad days, successful moments from moments of failure, experiences of honor from experiences of dishonor, passion from resurrection.  This joy is a divine gift that does not leave us during times of illness, poverty, oppression, or persecution.”

                                                                        -Lifesigns, Henri Nouwen

“Joyful persons do not necessarily make jokes, laugh, or even smile.  They are not people with an optimistic outlook on life who always revitalize the seriousness of a moment or event.  No, joyful persons see with open eyes the hard reality of human existence and at the same time are not imprisoned by it.  They have no illusion about the evil powers that roam around, “looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), but they also know that death has no final power.  They suffer with those who suffer, yet they do not hold on to suffering; they point beyond it to an everlasting peace.”

                                                                       -Lifesigns, Henri Nouwen

 

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

                                                                         -Nehemiah 8:9-11 ESV

 

Today, as I am choosing the Joy that comes from Christ….and praying over and playing with and leading my high school friends….may I recognize the joy of the Lord is my strength…nothing else. That I choose Him. Choose His love. Choose His comfort and joy. His glory.  I just get to come along for the ride….oh, that I would really believe this and live it.

Blessings,

-ao