Delightsome Land

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. — Psalm 147:3 I had to tackle many challenges from my past in order to step into my God-given destiny. I was left in a hospital unnamed and unwanted when I was born and am living proof that no matter how you start in life, you can take charge of your life and run to win. We do not need to live like victims; rather we can appropriate the truth of the Word of God in every area of our lives and experience complete healing and wholeness. If I had not allowed God’s Word to bring healing into my life, I would not be fulfilling my destiny now. Despite having the God-given gifts and talents that I needed, I was so weak emotionally that my soul would not allow me to go where my gifts could take me. It was crucial that I dealt with all the areas of brokenness in my heart. Our inner world totally affects our outer world.  If there is a disparity between what’s going on inside our hearts and what’s happening in our exter...

I make moments on a daily basis because I want to know that when life has decided it has had enough of me. it's gonna be because it is exhausted from trying to keep up. Moments are fleeting, but they can have a huge impact. The experiences we have in those moments, good and bad, are what shape who we are and who we become. We were created by a God who wants us to live fully alive and on purpose. He gave us a model of how to live this way in Jesus. We are to be engaged and pay attention - just as Jesus was. Always on the lookout for what can be created, received, or rescued. He shows us how - how not to be a Moment Taker, but to be a Moment Maker. We are put here with a purpose, and that plays out in what we do with each and every moment we draw breath. Moment Making is all about using time to create a story worth reading. Not everyone is going to write a book about their lives and sell it on bookshelves. But we all write a story through our lives that will be read by tho...

You and I know what it is like to endure a moment of temptation or an hour of temptation, even a day of temptation. But forty days? That is what Jesus faced. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days. — Luke 4:1–2 We imagine the wilderness temptation as three isolated events scattered over a forty-day period. Would that it had been. In reality, Jesus’ time of testing was nonstop; “the devil tempted Jesus for forty days.” Satan got on Jesus like a shirt and refused to leave. Every step, whispering in His ear. Every turn of the path, sowing doubt. Was Jesus impacted by the devil? Apparently so. Luke doesn’t say that Satan tried to tempt Jesus. No, the passage is clear: “the devil tempted Jesus.” Jesus was tempted; He was tested. Tempted to change sides? Tempted to go home? Tempted to settle for a kingdom on earth? I don’t know, but I know He was tempted. A war raged within. Stress stormed without. Like Je...

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. — Ephesians 3:20-21 I walked into the kitchen of Zion House, a home I rented for Hopelifter’s annual writer’s retreat. The room buzzed with laughter and conversation. I recalled my early years as an aspiring writer attending a similar weekend in Colorado hosted by my friend Judith. Now many years later, it was my season to invest in others. I was energized to help them grow. To enhance the festive mood, I plopped a bag of popcorn inside the microwave and punched in the cook time. I waited, but nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing. Finally, after multiple failed attempts, a friend came to my aid. She simply pushed “power” first. Seconds later I heard pop, pop, pop. Likewise when we rely on our own strength and effort to help hur...

I am fascinated by the way lions hunt. I’ve read that it’s the lionesses that actually do the “lion’s share” of the work. The males are obviously incredibly intimidating, with their manes and their ferocious roars, but it’s the chicks you really have to watch out for. The fact that lionesses do not have a big, recognizable mane actually helps them sneak up on whatever they are hunting. They lie in wait, hidden in the tall grass, motionless like statues. I listened to a sermon by Pastor Brian Houston in which he said that the males do play an important, albeit small, role. While the females stalk their prey from behind, the king of the jungle will come from the front and let loose one of those roars that gives him his spot at the top of the food chain. This sound is so powerful it can be heard for up to five miles away. Hearing that terrifying noise causes the gazelle or antelope to run as far as they can away from whatever made that sound. What they don’t know is tha...

Look at the birds of the air. Consider the lilies in the field. Are you not much more valuable to your true Father than they? — Matthew 6:26, 28 Are you not much more valuable to your true Father than they? Hmmm. I’m not sure how to answer. I mean, of course, there’s the “right” answer. And then there is the wound in our hearts toward fatherhood, and there is also the way our lives have gone. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” (Matthew 18:12). Yet another question, pressing into the submerged fears in our hearts, another question wanting another answer. Well? Wouldn’t he? “And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost” (Matthew 18:13–14). ...

A Prayer for Our Nation The Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you. — Deuteronomy 15:6 Born in a poor Russian Jewish ghetto, Irving Berlin immigrated to America with his parents when he was five, settling in New York’s Lower East Side. He became one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. In 1918 he originally wrote “God Bless America,” and he revised it in 1938 as war and the Nazis were threatening Europe. The lyric takes the form of a prayer for God’s blessing and peace for the nation. Singer Kate Smith introduced the revised “God Bless America” during her radio broadcast on Armistice Day (now called Veteran’s Day) 1938, and the song was an immediate hit. Even now it is considered an unofficial national anthem of the United States. While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. ...

Coaches work hard with players to develop in them the skills needed to protect the ball at all costs. Most NFL teams conduct a regular drill in which the runner scampers past a group of heavy-handed linemen who attempt to knock the ball away. Fumbles, failures, goofs — whatever you call them — do strange things to a team’s confidence. They can be momentum breakers and can produce lost games — both in sports and in life. On the flip side, however, when too much attention is placed upon these occasional failures, it can cost a good player his confidence and his composure. What do Michael Vick, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Matt Cassel, Mark Sanchez, and Phillip Rivers have in common? Yes, they are all NFL quarterbacks, and after only 5 games into the 2012 season they all have had 5 or more fumbles. Michael Vick had 8 fumbles in this period of time. It is curious that quarterbacks, whom we think of as having gifted hands, have lost the ball more than running backs. How often have you d...

Let me tell you a story about Ronnie and Anita Smith. Ronnie, a young husband and father, had been out for a morning jog when gunmen in a black jeep targeted and killed him. The news reported that Ronnie had graduated from the University of Texas with a master’s degree and was teaching chemistry in Benghazi. My ears pricked up: Benghazi was a highly unstable, war-torn city where militias held more power than the government. Why would anyone go there to teach? I had a hunch, but I wanted to investigate and find out more. My suspicions were confirmed. Ronnie Smith was a Christian who wanted to serve the Libyan people. Because Jesus was willing to die for those who sinned against Him, Ronnie believed that following Jesus meant being willing to risk even his life to serve those who may even be his enemies. The gift that God had given him was to teach chemistry, so he decided to serve the Libyans as a teacher. Fully aware of the danger, he and his wife moved their family ...

We must respond in faith at all times, irrespective of the situation. Our faith response is the victory we have and the ability to change adverse situation. It is our testimony and confession of faith that puts a demand on the anointing.  “ But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is ...." (‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7-8‬ MSG) Jesus demonstrated this principle in the book of John chapter 11. In verse 41 and 42 He said, ".... Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou headrest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me ". John 11:41-42 Now let's examine the things Jesus said prior to this but remember also that He just received a message that a loved one is sick.  Reading through the entire book of John, chapter 11 with emphasis on verses;...

... He gave His one and only Son . Two of our three daughters were born in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We lived in the North Zone, separated from our doctor’s office and hospital by a tunnel-pierced mountain range. During Denalyn’s many months of pregnancy, we made the drive often. We didn’t complain. Signs of life do a samba on every street corner. Copacabana and her bathers. Ipanema and her coffee bars. Gavea and her glamour. We never begrudged the South Zone forays. But they sure did bewilder me. I kept getting lost. I’m directionally challenged anyway, prone to take a wrong turn between the bedroom and bathroom. Complicate my disorientation with randomly mapped three-hundred-year-old streets, and I don’t stand a chance. I had one salvation. Jesus. Literally, Jesus. The Christ the Redeemer statue. The figure stands guard over the city, one hundred and twenty-five feet tall with an arm span of nearly a hundred feet. More than a thousand tons of reinfo...

I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. so I can make a cup of tea and sit in our dining room and read and pray before the house awakens. We have finally transitioned into a time when all three children usually sleep through the night. We are starting to feel settled. I am starting to regain a rhythm to my days. This morning, I begin my prayer requests by writing, For help paying attention to Marilee. I worry that she gets less of us than she deserves.   Approximately two minutes later, I hear crying from upstairs. Two-year-old Marilee is awake, an hour earlier than usual. My first response is irritation. She’s interrupting my contemplative moment! She’s getting in the way of my plan! And then I laugh out loud. She is also an answer to prayer. A few days later, Marilee has a fever and is rubbing her right ear. So I take her to the doctor and discover she has a double ear infection, which may, come to think of it, have been what woke her up so early. She takes antibiotics for ten days...

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life . — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 Beloved! This is our spirit’s deepest need. It is thus that we can learn to know God. It is thus that we receive spiritual refreshment and nutriment. It is thus that we are nourished and fed. It is thus that we receive the Living Bread. It is thus that our very bodies are healed, and our spirits drink in the life of our risen Lord, and we go forth to life’s conflicts and duties like the flower that has drunk in, through the shades of the night, the cool and crystal drops of dew. But the dew never falls on a stormy night, so the dews of His Grace never come to the restless soul. We cannot go through life strong and fresh on constant express trains with ten minutes for lunch. We must have quiet hours, secret places of the Most High, times of waiting upon the Lord, when we renew our strength and learn to mount up on wings as eagles, and then come back to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint. ...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. — Psalm 19:1 ESV If you only study your immediate surroundings, it may seem that you’re in control of your life. You pay your bills and care for your family. You maintain the lawn and protect your home. If something needs to be done, you do it. If something is broken, you fix it. So when sitting on your front porch on a random Tuesday afternoon, you may feel like the ruler of your little corner of the world. Or perhaps when you look around, you feel as though you aren’t in control at all. Your world may seem to be spinning out of control because of illness, job loss, or family drama. It could be that fear and anxiety have crept in until you’ve completely lost perspective. You may sit on your front porch on a random Tuesday afternoon and wonder who is in control of your little corner of the world. If you sit on that same porch late at night, however, the truth is revealed. When the distra...

Occupy a Fortress God is our refuge and strength . — Psalm 46:1 "Victoria and the girls have been in a wreck,” my son-in-law, Ethan, told me over the phone. He said their van had veered off the road, slid down a hill, burst through a fence, and slammed against a tree. One of the kids found a cell phone on the floorboard and called him, saying, “We’ve had a wreck and Mommy’s asleep.” Paramedics were on the way, and so was Ethan, who suggested I head to the hospital. It’s hard to describe the fear one feels in such moments. I struggled to stay calm enough to think, to tell Katrina, to find my keys and billfold and to pull out of the driveway. But just as the worst scenarios were stampeding through my mind, a passage of Scripture came to me. It was a chapter I’d been re-memorizing — Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear... (NKJV) Those words became my lifeline, and by the time I got to the hospital I...