"By Appointment Only"

Have you ever seen those boutiques in major cities that have "By apointment only" signs out the front? They often are tucked in a back corner that you kind of stumble upon by accident. To look in the windows would reveal a tiny space with about 4 items for sale, and one stunning salesperson who does a great job of ignoring the entire world that exists beyond the front window. It is easy to wonder how a store with a bad location, no inventory and snooty sales staff could ever stay in business, much less turn a profit.

The key to these businesses is the exclusive clientele, those of discerning taste who are happy to pay a lot of money for the latest creation from the designer who rents that storefront. There is no need to advertize, no need to welcome the public, mainly because not everyone is welcome. There is an aura of mystery because of the exclusivity.

I recently had a conversation with a married woman regarding the state of singles at our church. We as single women have often bemoaned the lack of single from which to choose; the woman I was speaking to used the word 'stagnant'.

In other moments when asked what I am praying for in a man, I have some pretty specific requests that I have laid before the Lord. Often the response from others is that I am limiting the population of men and their thought is that this is a bad idea. I realized some time ago that it didn't actually matter to God's ultimate plan how many men I 'excluded' because all I really need is one. One man whom God knows already will be the best person for me.

I don't need a whole "Wal-Mart" of choices, where all are welcome and the choices have been picked over, tossed on the floor, mislabeled. Not only is that time-consuming it is also confusing, how do you know that somewhere in the next aisle there isn't a better deal or person. You could spend your life looking back at the options and wondering.. did I make the best choice.

Rather, I know this really great designer, only does family, by appointment only. When you go in He spends as much time as you need, he lets you talk about what you want and what you don't want, debate colours and fabrics. He cannot be cajoled or manipulated or demanded of, you can try but there will be no revealing of His masterpiece until the appointed time.

I have tried to convince Him that this particular time or event or situation could be a great time for His masterwork, but He asks for patience and trust. I have spoken to others who have gone to Him and they say that as frustrating as it is, what He is creating cannot be rushed and once it is seen, will always be above and beyond expecation and imagination.

There are others who have rushed Him and begged, and harrassed to the point where He gives in and gives them what they asked for even though it wasn't His exact design. In those cases, the fit is never quite right, the fabric not exactly what would have been best, and often the recipient has questioned the designer's talent and ability, He just says, "I gave you exactly what you wanted, even though I knew it wouldn't be perfect for you." Sometimes they negotiate a return or a second try, and often the result is stunning, but there is always the memory of the first.

The Bible says to pray specifically for all things. I don't suppose that this is any different. In fact, I find that the more specific I am when praying for anything, the more clearly I see when a prayer gets answered because it fits all the criteria that had been prayerfully crafted.

Take heart ladies, there is a beautiful and exclusive creation being formed just for you, and will exceed all that you could ever ask or even imagine. A one-of-a-kind.

An Undivided Heart

"Above all else, guard your Heart, for it is the Wellspring of Life" Prov 4:23

I always thought that this meant that when you meet someone who piques your interest, to be cautious so that youdon't get hurt. I was WRONG.

Recently, I have begun to see a MAJOR dream of my life beginning to reveal itself in my life. I am totally excited.... and a LOT scared.... not scared in an 'I'm afraid of the dark' kind of way, but rather in the "Whoa, this is big, and fragile, and.... distracting me!" kind of way.

In recent months I have found a deeper relationship with God than I have ever experienced before, there is more strength, trust and intimacy. I am loving it. Now suddenly I am lying in bed unable to sleep at night because of the beginnings of this dream come true! Tonight, as I was pondering recent developments, I prayed AGAIN that God would be at the centre, and that He would work all the details and the timing in a way that will build a solid foundation. I was ONCE again doing what I had always been taught, return it to God and He will bless it.

Then something hit me.... my prayer life in the last few weeks has been almost exclusively regarding this subject. I have had many long conversations with God, and little short moments as I needed to stay focused on the task at hand. That is not the problem, it is the exclusivity, one topic that is the problem.

There is so much going on the world and in the worlds of my firends and loved ones and ALL I can focus on is this situation! I had momentarily lost the "undivided heart" that is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 7:32a. It is this undivided heart that has been the message of my life for the last 5 years. I have sought to put Christ in the centre place... and now here was a precious dream... pulling me in a second direction.

There is an album that I just picked up by Tim Hughes called "Holding Nothing Back", one of the songs talks about Jesus being EVERYTHING.... I began to weep as I realized what people had been telling me all along, my singleness is a GIFT from God because of the freedom that it has allowed me to be undivided of heart.

I know that there is room within my Christ-centred undivided heart for all the dreams that God has planted in my Heart. They are His idea too, and so there must be provision for them, but even the DEEPEST desires of my heart MUST give way to my relationship with God- even if it could mean giving them up.

You know what is cool though? God has moved me from a place of 'having' to give them up to 'WANTING' -truly desperately wanting- to give up whatever could possibly distract me from His purpose.

"Look what God can do" - Jennifer Hudson

Immediately Important

What a time this has been!! I have spent the last week in "Homeowner Chaos". Within 1 week, my dishwasher bit the dust,the framing on my couch broke, and I reached a boiling point with my washing machine- 3 trips down the stairs per loan to ensure all is detergent-free and spun well is too much! This necessitated a shopping excursion for a big-ticket item.

In the best of times, shopping for appliances can be intimidating, frustrating and is ALWAYS expensive. Combine that with the stress of an unplanned expense, and the need to get a replacement, and you have the recipe for time-consuming adventures.

I had many things planned that I needed to accomplish last week, and spending time with Appliance sales people was not on that list! There were a number of things that just COULDN'T get done. Unfortunatly that meant disappointing a friend, forgetting a few things and ultimately a busy Saturday prepping for a gathering that should have been done on Thursday.

Through it all, God is good and provided just the right people, a sense of peace, timely sales, and Home Depot open on Sunday, so I survived, but it got me thinking.

I spent all weekend chasing my tail and running from one 'fire' to another as I reacted to the things life threw at me. I remember a post I read recently (I think on Tim Sanders Blog??) about the difference between immediate and important things. So often we go from immediate need to immediate need and there doesn't seem to be time for the important things. Obviously there are moments in our lives where the immediate and the important collide but so often we get robbed.

I find that in this ADD world of 1000 messages in our faces all day that it is too easy to get pulled in so many different directions. Because we read blogs, and hang out on facebook, it can sometimes feel like we are connected to one another, and so we forget to pick up the phone for a real chat.

So today, I want keep a list of the important things I have to do this week, and when given the choice of immediate or important, I will choose important....

gotta go check my facebook :-)

Random tuesday thoughts

It is important to me...

1) that those around me feel loved and like they can accomplish anything
2) to know that my family is safe
3) to have a purpose and goals that carry value to the world at large
4) that truth is a cornerstone of my life
5) that every dream God places in a heart has an opportunity to grow
6) that to the best of my ability people I love never go to or return from the airport/hospital alone
7) that every child I love gets enough hugs and attention
8) to know that Canada's future and past, legacy and future are in good hands
9) that people feel at home in my house
10) to feel emotionally safe with my closest friends

Where are the Heroes?

I had the great privilege recently to spend some time with a member of our armed forces who is actively training for deployment to Afghanistan. A couple of months ago, another friend had to say goodbye to her new husband as he was sent over as well.

I had a realization this weekend about the different perspective that we in this country have versus the US. The US is a country AT WAR. We are a country who has troops in the "Theatre of War". Where does the difference come from? Why are we here in Canada so set on denying that, as distasteful as it may be to have to send our friends, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons into battle, we are a country at war?

Have we changed so much in 90 years? Tomorrow is the Memorial for the Vimy Ridge. From France to Holland and now Afghanistan, when a difficult manouver was needed to change the course of battle, they have called in the Canadians. We are known as nation of well-trained, consistent soldiers.

This is something that we need to be proud of. The rest of the world knows it, but in Typical Canadian Style we deny, and argue away our achievements under the guise of political correctness. These are the heroes of our culture, not the airbrushed, over photographed celebrities and athletes we so often elevate.

Whether you agree with the the government's policies or not, we are all in this together. Many of us have some sort of tie to the armed forces, whether is was a grand-parent in a conflict long past, or know of someone who actively serves. They deserve our support, thanks and mostly our Prayers.

What is a Family?

There are those who would argue that family is a group of genetically connected people who share common history and lineage. Others might say that Family are those people you go to in trouble, the kind whose unconditional love guides us through the hard times and celebrates the good times.

Growing up, I always had family around me. Like any other family, there were dysfunctions, laughter, tears, and that somewhat uncomfortable feeling of being in a room full of poeple you don't know as people but feel a connction to. Every Christmas, thanksgiving and Easter, we would gather like actors on a stage and catch up and joke and argue like families, but for the most part spent very little time together in between. Some of the reason for this was geography, some of it was circumstance, but we would still come together, mostly in honour of my grandmother who was truly the Matriarch of the family. In recent years, however, my family is more scattered, my parents divorced, and the older generation all are in nursing homes.

If we had limited ourselves to the traditional definition of Family every holiday would be 2 or 3 people sitting around a table wishing for others to be part of our celebration. But we made a choice a few years ago, that we would actively seek out those who also had limited family in the city and invite them out.

In doing this, I have had the amazing privilege to spend time with people I might not have connected with. Once you share a holiday meal with someone, that person is always connected to you..... like family! In this way, I have found a network of people who will allow me to be me, and care about my joys and my tears. There is safety in the love of family.

I love that God's crowd is a family. We don't need to share interests, or history, rather it is the different history and the different interests that makes things interesting. But when it all comes down to it... we do share something so valuable....

We are all sinners saved by the Grace of God, through the death of Christ on the cross. What better common ground is there?

Out of the Salt Shaker!

We have just completed "The Nails" performances for the year. While it is bittersweet to find that all the hard work we put into it over the last few months is over so fast, I know that we touched many lives. In each performance there were more people who had never seen it than who had. Each of us took up the mantle of bringing friends and family who need to know about God. It makes every moment worth it.

The highlight for me is how everyone involved comes together as a family. It doesn't matter whether someone has a solo, a single line, or is working in the background helping with makeup or hopsitality, we all share a bond. We were part of the CAST AND CREW of '07!

The cool thing about having so many people involved from the smallest kids to the biggest kids (those of us who are usually called adults) we all get to cross out of our usual social strucutres and meet people we might never had met.

I had the amazing privilege of meeting a couple of really amazing single women, built better realtionships with those I already knew, and met some completely new people. It is too easy in a church of our size to see faces for many years and pass in the halls but never meet. I am always amazed and humbled at how God connects hearts and lives in ways that are eternal.

In the book Captivating the authors talk about how one of the things women need is to be "an irreplaceable part of a grand adventure".

What bigger adventure is there in the whole world than to expose new people to the amazing Love of Jesus?? EVERYONE who gave even a single moment in service to The Nails, is an invaluable and indispensible link in the chain.

To Honour a Friend

Today's post is a little different. Here's the deal. My friend Nicolle is turning #% years young this year. As a lead up to her Birthday, I have been writing notes of the top 30 things I like about her. Each day there is a different aspect of her personality and our friendship that gets the spotlight.

Today I decided to give her some public attention......

Today's Reason why I like Nicolle is.....

The way that you Steward all of your resources. I have watched as you manage the finances, time, and energy available to your family. I have seen you sacrifice, pinch, get creative and stay tenacious to get the most of every penny available to you. I love how you approach large challenges and surprises that come your way. Your level of faith to believe God for the provision for your family is inspiring. I have seen people with much more do much less to provide a quality life for their family.

This talent that you have extends to all areas of your life. You steward your frienships and time in the same way.

May God continue to richly bless you in abundance.

Love you....

If you have a comment that you would like to add to Nicolle.... feel free