Author: FZadmin

All of You

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June Snow & Winter Sunshine

I love water and sunshine and sand, and I live in the mountains.  My sweet friend loves rain, and big fat snow flakes and lives near the beach… we both see the beauty of our locations,  it’s just not necessarily the preferred location.  That is also not the end of our differences.  We are different in so many ways, how we relate to others, how we see the world, the things we worry about, the things we stress over.  She calls me out of my own head space often, she likes to poke holes in the justification and reasoning I often try to hide behind.  She challenges me to be a better person, a multi dimensional person, and person who won’t settle for less than all Jesus has for me.  I have watched her struggle with her differences, I have watched her adjust, battle and accept those depending on the circumstances.  I have learned a lot from her about people, myself and Jesus.

Do you ever feel out of place like a June Snow – you know, like many of us woke up to today?!?  I pray you read her words,  allow them to flow over you.  We are all beautifully different, the very things we think make us “other” are the strength and gifting that Jesus gave us.

Her Story

I’m not like anyone I know. I’m not like anyone on TV or in the movies. When God was knitting me together and counting the hairs on my head, he most definitely made me unique amongst humans. I look at other people and they fit some societal mold that I don’t seem to fit in to but I tell you there is a secret. Everyone feels weird, alone, separate at some or most times in our lives. God did make us unique. I enjoy cloudy days and watching heavy laden snowflakes fall. I love a downpour. Sunshine is optional. I have loved Jesus for as long as I can remember, and it is that relationship that has sustained me. As with any relationship, I did not take care of it in the early years. As with many young people, I thought I knew better what I should do and of course, I didn’t. The beautiful thing is when I was flat on my face begging for forgiveness and reprieve from the consequences of my actions…Jesus picked me up off the ground, wiped away my tears and comforted me.

You are you. The world will often not understand you. Be kind, don’t be angry, just keep being who God created you to be. Grow your relationship with Him, stay in constant communication with Him to ensure your path remains straight. You will make mistakes, He won’t leave you. You will be frustrated and angry and sad…take it to Him. Some may say, “I don’t know who He created me to be.” One foot in front of the other. Keep learning, keep moving, He will make clear the path. I inquire daily as to whether I’m doing as He would have me to do. I feel like I’m annoying Him; I know that I am not. Embrace your uniqueness, use it to glorify your heavenly Father, whether it fits what the world thinks it should be or not.

“I DON’T NEED A FRIEND WHO CHANGES WHEN I CHANGE AND WHO NODS WHEN I NOD; MY SHADOW DOES THAT MUCH BETTER.”  -PLUTARCH

 

Hope

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Handing Out Life-jackets of Hope in a Sea of Darkness

That’s the quote I heard the other day, I believe it was a reference from a pastor about how his church feels at this time.  The words resonated.  Isn’t that exactly what we’ve all been trying to do?  In the midst of fear, isolation, financial insecurity, health risks, supply shortages, and employment loss, haven’t we been handing out hope and encouragement as fast as we can?  Blog posts, social media posts, online church services, fb Live prayer meetings, pastoral care on Zoom, daily scripture posts, online worship sets… the list is endless.  We are throwing and going.  The next drowning person is just a few feet away and the next wave is coming.

And we are like a search and rescue team operating at night.  We hear some cries for help, some people have enough strength to come to us and ask for help, and yet we know there are so many more.  Others adrift in darkness, alone and afraid, without the strength to call out for help, or lacking faith that anyone will find them or even cares enough to be looking.  So, we continue to shine spotlights in the darkness, and blast messages of hope and pray we are able to help…  just one more.

That has been our story in the Covid season, and just last week, as we were still searching the murky waters for people in need of rescue, another wave came in…. unlike the slow and steady rising of the Covid-19 flood waters, the waves of George Floyd’s tragic death and the following waves of rage, grief, injustice, anger, violence came in like the waves of a Tsunami.  The hit was hard and fast and suddenly there were more people in need of life-jackets of hope in our sea of despair.

Even as the water level rises on us, as we are not immune to the effects of all this loss and grief, we continue to grab as many people as we can, offering them a the only thing that can truly save them; the One who knows them and loves them, our God who is mercy and grace, love and compassion, righteousness and justice, steadfast and faithful.  We have hope because He gives us hope, we have life because He breathes life in us, we have faith because He is faithful.

Today, as you take on whatever comes your way, keep handing out those life-jackets of hope.  Keep proclaiming hope, keep searching for the hurting and lost around you.  Shine light in the darkness and cry out the truth and hope of Jesus.  Love on a friend, send a message of encouragement, offer compassion and understanding and remember where your hope comes from.  You are not alone.

 

“The Kingdom of God is advancing into the kingdom of darkness, a campaign to ransom people and the earth God intended us to rule. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. All that was lost.”  “Love & War,” John & Stasi Eldredge

 

Finding Zarephath

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“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”                                    – 1 Kings 17:9

Elijah & The Widow of Zarephath

In 1 Kings 17, the profit  Elijah tells King Ahab of the coming drought and follows God’s instruction to flee the town and hide in a ravine, where he is fed by the ravens for a year.   However, as the drought continues, the brook runs dry and God instructs him to go to the town of Zarephath and the widow there.  Upon arriving and meeting the widow, he learns that she and her son have just enough flour and oil to make one final loaf of bread and have resigned themselves to their fate.  Elijah instructs her to make the bread and bring him some and promises her the flour and oil will not run dry until the drought is over. Elijah stays with the widow and her son, and they eat well every day.   Some time later, the widow’s son falls ill and dies, and Elijah performs the first recorded raising of the dead in the bible.

Promise of Zarephath

There is so much hope at Zarephath.  It is a place of safety and hiding.  It is a place of rest.  It is a place of God’s continued provision.  It is a place of life and resurrection.  It is a place of serving and being served. It is a place of miracles and a place of revelation.

Finding Zarephath

As women in ministry, aren’t we often in need of our own Zarephath? Our own rest, our own safety, our own place of provision, of fulfilled promises, even of resurrection? A time to be served and healed, a time to reclaim life and joy.  That is the significance of Zarephath, the place and story to remind us of the God who loves us, provides for us, heals us, and breathes life into us. It’s not about the place, it finding the promises of Zarephath that Jesus offers us here and now.

 

Girlfriends

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I’VE MISSED YOU

I got to see some of my friends yesterday.  I had to go on a number of errands and decided it was past time.  Some of these women I haven’t seen since before the Covid 19 lockdown.  I haven’t exactly been lonely, there are six people and 3 dogs in my home during this time, there is really no shortage of people, but there is something special about our girlfriends.   I missed them so much.  So yesterday I decided to grab some inexpensive flowers and go on a small visiting tour.   I didn’t get to all of them, but I saw four.  Four beautiful women, who have become very central in my life.  Women who truly know me, love me, and are always a call away.  Oh, how I have missed them.

We are all in different life stages.  One is home with young children trying to finish up online school, while her husband, an essential worker works 24 hour shifts several days a week.  One has grown kids and is working with her husband in their family business and they pretty much only see each other 24/7.  One who usually travels a lot for work has been home in this season, but unable to spend the time she wishes she could with her grandchildren during the lockdown.  Another is long since retired and lost her husband last year, grappling with all the firsts since her husband passed, and adding the additional isolation of this season.  All of them are beautiful women, who love people, love God, and love life.  All of them are impacted by this lockdown, and oh how we miss each other.

One of my friends actually squealed and jumped for joy when I arrived.  I visited with every one of them a little longer than intended, managed to overheat my car attempting to keep my groceries cool while we visited, it was worth it.  I had almost forgotten how refreshing and recharging their presence is.  We were created for this.  We were created to be in relationship with God and with each other, and in this season my friend tank was running pretty close to empty.

And yet, even as I write this, I can remember a time when these relationships didn’t really exist.  The days of girlfriends of my youth faded to my new marriage, my new family, work friends, church friends, mom friends.  They were still friends, but it was different, each of those only knew that side of me, our common ground was our environment or our children, not a genuine love of each other.  But in the last decade or so, God has taken me on an identity finding journey, and in that season He made clear the necessity of friends.  We have to walk through this life with others, we weren’t meant to do it alone.  So often, it is exactly the fear of being alone, that leads us to settle for lesser relationships.  In this last season, I have been incredibly blessed to have friends who have seen me at my worst and my best, they have cheered for me, cried with me, and yes, even yelled at me.  They have walked in truth and grace.  The road to that hasn’t always been easy, there has been hurt and pain and friendship lost, but staying in the fight, fighting for and with people we love, refusing to allow the accusing voice of the enemy to have the final say, and refusing to give up because it’s hard, is so absolutely worth it.

So, if today, your friendship tank is running low because of current circumstances, reach out to those women who fill your tank and allow their presence whether in person, over the phone, or through messaging to breathe life and hope and joy over you.  And if you find yourself unsure of who exactly those people might be, then invite God into that, odds are, they are already close by.

 

 

 

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But som

eone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Unplugged

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Ann Lamott

Best Laid Plans…

Oh, the irony. Finding Zarephath encourages women in ministry in a number of ways, but a primary one is the mailing of regular encouragement messages and small gifts or tokens of remembrance. In February we ordered bookmarks with this quote to be distributed in our April mailer. Those mailers have not been sent out. First, because our work parties that usually meet to assemble them haven’t been able to, and second, because suddenly it didn’t feel like the most needed message. Telling 1500 women to take a time out and unplug, when they just spent a month at home on quarantine didn’t feel like the most apt message. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

And Yet…

This morning however, as I pondered the blog post for this week, I was reminded of the bookmarks. We initially just thought we’d shelve them for another time, another season. The days when we are all too busy chasing all the details, all the needs, all the problems will return soon enough. There is almost never a time in ministry when we don’t need a reminder to unplug, the right time will avail itself.

This morning, however, I really thought about the message and our current reality. Our lives have changed dramatically in the last 2 months. Our rhythms and habits have all be tossed into a giant mixing bowl. For many of us our financial situation has gone from tight to precarious. Our social interactions have changed dramatically and our work environment now includes our kids & pets. Nothing is the same it was two months ago, and yet, for myself at least, and I suspect for many of you, the one thing we have not done is unplug.

My weekly cell phone usage report seems to be a glaring accuser. How many hours a day did I spend on my phone? How many hours on my computer? Netflix, YouTube & Hulu? My kids’ hours on Xbox or Nintendo Switch? How many hours of news feeds and the comment on them? If there is one thing I know I haven’t done, it’s unplug. I’ve disconnected from the social world around me, but those aren’t really the same thing. The noise of all the other places I’ve been plugged into is loud. Deafening at times, it serves to silence some of the losses I’ve experienced in this season, but it certainly isn’t unplugged.

A Simple Truth

So, this week, we are going to prep the mailers. We are going to move forward with the truth that all of us need a time to unplug, to silence the noise, and to make space to hear God in the silence. He waits for us there. So, whether you are beginning to return to some of your environments, or you are continuing to quarantine at home, will you take a moment and consider unplugging. Turn it all off. And breathe. Breathe in the silence, breathe in the promise of summer, breathe in the presence of God. He hasn’t been in quarantine, He’s been waiting for us to unplug.

 

Our Many Moms

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-Lisa-Jo Baker

This week we celebrate mothers.  All mothers. 

If we have eyes to see, we will recognize that we all have many mothers.  The women who influenced us, comforted us, taught us and fed us.  The women who showed up when we needed them.  They may be blood relatives, they may be friends, sometimes they were even strangers.  But the heart of a mother can be found in a million small kindnesses as well as life changing ones.  All women give life, some to their own children, some to others’.  Some to ideas and inventions and beauty.  Our world is a better place because of the life-giving beauty of other women.

To all the Moms

To the moms who treasure every hand-made gift they receive today and 

To the moms who receive no gifts.

To the moms whose children celebrate her and

To the moms whose children can’t.

To the moms of generations, who celebrate their children and grand-children and

To the those who have lost and miss them.

To the stepmoms, adoptive moms, foster moms and fill-in moms and

To the sisters, aunts, and best friend moms

To the moms who are overflowing with joy and

To the moms who are struggling.

To the moms who have lost a child and

To the moms who have never held their child

To the moms who are expecting a child and

To the moms who have never had a child

To the daughters of great moms and

To the daughters of broken moms

You are beautiful.

You are seen.

You are loved.

 

 

 

 

My God Who Knows

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It was Inevitable…

Deep down inside we all knew this wouldn’t magically end in 30 days or 45 days or even 60 days. 

Here in Colorado we are seeing the transition from the Stay at Home Order to Safer at Home policies, allowing for the beginning of some service industry re-openings, some return to work plans, and the hope of the reopening on a larger scale in the next few weeks.  However, even with the promise of an end to this first stage, the other losses trickle in.

Today, I opened my email to a list of places with travel restrictions.  I opened another email that confirmed that in addition to the cancellation of the remaining school year and with it all spring sports, the local summer youth leagues have also been cancelled.  I’ve already heard of churches making plans to not have services well into June, possibly beyond… and the sadness came.

I felt the tears welling up as I read the list of destinations we can’t travel too.  A few tears fell as it was confirmed that there would be no summer baseball. I miss my friends, the ones that, no matter how busy life gets, I know I will see in Church on Sunday.  And in the grand scheme of things, amidst job losses, and closed businesses, this is all relatively minor, but somehow right now, it’s heavy.

My God Who Knows

But my God is still on the throne and He knows the desires of my heart.  He cares about the big and small things in my life.  He cares about my employment and my small business.  He also knows how much I love to travel, that every summer, as the sun emerges, dreams of beaches call to me.  He knows that I love the beautiful mountains I live in, but also how I long for sand and water.  He also knows how much I love watching my kids play sports.  He knows that in the busyness of having two four-sport athletes, while I enjoy short respites, I would love to sit on the bleachers and cheer for them, yell about a call or too, and feel the rush of a narrow victory or even the pride of a well fought defeat. He knows.  And He cares.  Even about the little things.

So today, I do it again.  I take all my cares and fears, and hope and dreams and lay them at His feet.  My faith is not based on circumstance.  My knowledge of His faithfulness comes from a lifetime of experience and is not shaken by a momentary change of plans.  I will grieve the things I thought I would do this summer, but I celebrate that my God knows me intimately and there is nothing that I will ever surrender at His feet that He will not make something beautiful of.  I will cry out my sadness and praise His name, no matter what. 

 

So Will I

And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done
Every part designed in a work of art called love
If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

                         – Hillsong 

Of Boats and Storms

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OF BOATS AND STORMS

A friend of mine shared the following post yesterday, and it resonated with my heart. A quick google search showed that it has been making its rounds on the internet, but the original author is unknown.  It has been added to, edited and modified several times, the version I share below is the one I read.

These words arrived as the forecast was for a beautiful week of sunshine and with it a ray hope as we heard the plan for the slow reopening our the Colorado economy and a gradual ending of the stay at home order.  

There are no right or wrong feelings in this season.  No one way you should feel or act,  all of us experience this in our own way.  My prayer is that this week, you find love, empathy, and hope in the sunlight on your face. 

WE ARE NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT

I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.

For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops or pajamas, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis and you don’t know if you will survive it or where your next meal will come from.

For some that live alone they’re facing endless loneliness and depression. While for others it is a peaceful time full of rest & time to get caught up with things you’ve neglected or time with their spouse, mother, father, sons & daughters.

With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than when they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts, hours cut, or loss in sales.

Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0 and are still anxiously waiting.

Some were concerned about getting certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend.

Some want to go back to work because they don’t qualify for unemployment and are running out of money and need to pay their bills. While others (both those still earning a paycheck and those who are not) want to kill those who break the quarantine.

Some are spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday. Some are teachers trying to juggle teaching kiddos online while holding down their own home and teaching their own children all while holding a baby on their hip.

Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don’t believe this is a big deal or think it’s some kind of a conspiracy.

Some are extremely worried about the elderly. Some think because the majority of the people dying are elderly, it’s ok to go out and make the risk higher for them as if their lives don’t matter.

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come. Some don’t believe in God or believe in a different higher power and hope things will eventually get better.

So, friends we are not in the same boat. We are in the same storm but even the storm looks different for everyone. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different.

Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm, but we will all emerge different and with a new normal. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing.

We are all different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey. Let’s be kind to each other and respectful of those different journeys.

How about we love each other and extend grace, mercy, kindness, and smiles…even if they are hidden under our masks.

Choices

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Choose Wisely

We’re in a weird season.   Two months ago I could not have imagined the turn our world would take.  If I spend too many hours on social media or watching the news it can become overwhelming to think about the impact this virus is having and will continue to have on our community.  Depending on which posts I read, I can hear that this is everything from a government conspiracy to enforce control, to a plan to eliminate the aging population, to a political game to destroy a party, and the list goes on.  I could get lost in the negativity and the accusation.  It would be so easy.  I have spent much of my life battling anxiety, and it would be easy to invite that voice back in, to allow it to overshadow everything else.  But in this season, I refuse.

I refuse to be a slave to anxiety.  I refuse to allow hate to take root.  I refuse to allow fear to make me selfish.  I refuse to allow anger to spew over onto those around me. 

I also refuse stick my head in the sand and pretend everything is ok.  I refuse sit back and enjoy my family at home, and ignore the hurting around me. I refuse to think of this as someone else’s problem. I refuse to disengage.

Right now may not look like anything any of us were planning, but right now is the only guarantee we have.  We can anxiously wait for the future, or passively wait for this to end, or we can stop, and look around.  Your life, your calling, your adventure is right now.  It’s not on hold.  It’s not later. It’s not when this is over.  It is here, in this moment, in the waiting.  What is God calling you to do.  Who is He calling you to become.  God is not quarantined.  He is not waiting for this to end so we can get back to work, He is here, working, right now.

So today, I challenge you to choose joy.  To choose life.  To choose growth.  Ask God where He is leading.  Not out of busy-ness or the need to be defined by something.  Ask Him, because you are in a uniquely quiet season and have a unique ability to stop and listen.  Is He is calling you to rest? Is He is calling you to serve? To be a voice of encouragement, or a prayer warrior, or to donate all your extra toilet paper?  Is it a season of learning, or just being present?  Maybe it’s a season of listening, intentionally, to Him, to your family, to your friends?  Can you find joy in the sunshine again, in the sound of the birds returning, in the awakening of spring?  Can you find childlike joy in the dogs playing, or the kids’ making up silly songs? Can you rediscover a slower pace in trimming hedges and mowing lawns.  Can you rediscover the art of emailing letters, or the really old art of handwriting them?

Whatever it looks like for you in this season, you have a choice.  You may not like all the choices, they may not be the choices you wanted, but you have a choice.  Choose wisely.

“I Refuse” by Josh Wilson

“I don’t want to live like I don’t care, I don’t want to say another empty prayer, oh I refuse

to sit around and wait for someone else, to do what God has called me to do myself, oh I could choose, not to move, but I refuse.”

Easter

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Way maker
Miracle worker
Promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God
That is who you are

 

You are here
Touching every heart
I worship you

You are here
Healing every heart
I worship you

You are here
Turning lives around
I worship you

You are here
Mending every heart
I worship you

“Way Maker”
Sinach

 

 

Resurrection Hope

Easter week is upon us, and I think it’s safe to say it’s not exactly panning out as we had planned.  Whatever grand plans your ministry had for Easter when you began the conversations earlier this year, it couldn’t possible have looked like your new reality.  It’s easy to get lost in that, get lost is the loss.  But, this week, as we redefine our normal, and plan Easter services so very different than anything we’ve ever done before, I just want to encourage you to find the hope of Easter for yourself, and share the hope of Easter with those around you.

Ironically, if we think back to that first Easter, I think it would be safe to say things weren’t exactly panning out the way the disciples had planned either.  They had dinner with Jesus, He spent the last hours giving them advice on how to live, teaching about love, praying for them and praying for us. With the beauty of hindsight and the full picture, we also know He was preparing them for the loss that was about to come, but they didn’t know.  One moment He was with them, teaching them, and the next his body lay in a tomb. The whole world changed right before their eyes, all their plans and hopes seemed lost in a moment. 

As heartbreaking as that moment was, we know that it was necessary.  That it was part of a bigger plan.  That the very despair they felt, was the event that would provide hope & life for every generation to come.  When we celebrate Easter, we celebrate that through the crucifixion Jesus conquered sin and death.  In the darkest of days, the most beautiful work was being brought to completion.  It is the hope, joy, and promise for all of us, to carry us through our darkest days.  It is the hope, and joy and promise that Jesus told us to share with everyone.

Imagine, the opportunity we have to offer new life to the broken and hurting in our communities.  Imagine the life and freedom of Jesus reaching every ear. Imagine the hope and joy and power of resurrection being sought and found in Jesus, by a desperate and hungry world.

Resurrection is what we need. Resurrection is what our world needs. Our hope is found in the resurrection and we have a unique opportunity to share our hope, our joy, and the glory of the resurrected King with a hurting world.