Vulnerable

I must say that this morning was filled with some amazing God things. I didn't think so at first because some things didn't work out so well. I woke up from a wrestless night sleep - most likely because I have so much to get done in a few days and not enough hours in the day. I am beginning our first women's group this Saturday called Watershed so that has been on my mind and I have been wanting God to reveal to me what he wanted me to do for this. Tim left to meet with some pastors which left me with the need to accomplish some work in the basement which we are trying to get done. As I began a specific part of the work I became very frustrated because it was not working out at all. So I just quit - and decided to leave this part for when Tim got home. This putting more pressure on because it would put me behind. so...

I decided I would take the computer and do some searching online hopeing to find direction for Watershed on Saturday. I found one resource I thought would work out, spoke to the saleslady on the phone and decided to wait until this afternoon to order it. I ended up finding this resource on audio online so decided to listen to it to preview it. wow - did God ever speak to me - and clearly told me this is what I was to use. My heart felt ministered to and it didn't take long before I was on my knees talking to Jesus. People, this is what he wants - he wants to minister to us, for us to sit at his feet and just drink from him. Don't just say a quick prayer now and then but really sit down and talk to him. Open up your heart completely, cry with him, share with him, tell him how you feel and ask him to just fill you up. What I mean here is GET VULNERABLE WITH GOD!

I was thinking about how many of us do silly things when we are in the house alone. Come on, we all know we do it. Some of us talk out loud to ourself, turn on the music full blast, dance around the house singing...etc. The next time your alone in the house really seek God, however it looks, it's ok. David did, remember? 2 Samuel says "and David was dancing before the Lord with all his might." David was rebuked by his wife Michal and responded to her "...and I will make merry before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptable than this..." It didn't matter to David what she thought but he knew his heart for God. Note here that Michal had no children to the day of her death.

Just give God all your heart and hold none of it back. He loves it and will tend to it. Your alone time with God will look different than mine. Awesome - just let him lead you. To God be all the glory!!!

Come, for free!!

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Isaiah 55:1

The last couple days my husband has been gone at a conference so I decided that I would finally dealve into the project of re-doing the bathroom. It had very old wallpaper and so I just peeled a corner to see how easy it would come off, thus beginning the long project of removing wallpaper. I chose some paint, way bolder than I have ever done, picked up a few items to add some additional color and a fresh touch. Bottom line - I remodeled the bathroom for $100. Not bad huh!!!?

I was thinking about this remodel job and Jesus this morning. Don't we always need some remodeling in our own lives? God will never be done shaping us. The promises in the Isaiah passage are so awesome. This relationship that Jesus offers to us is free....FREE - and what that relationship gives to us is freedom - FREEDOM - and a remodel job in our lives.

I was not looking forward to beginning the bathroom project, but when I mustered up the energy to begin I knew that the final project would be awesome and I would be so glad that I worked so hard. Allow God to do this in your own life. Don't just look at the hard work that's involved, but see the light at the end of the tunnel. Know that when you allow him to work out stuff in your life that you will be so glad.

Are you thirsty for more in your life? Do you feel dry and empty? Drink from his waters - just ask him to fill you up, he will.

He First...

"Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more." 1 Thes. 4

Love - it's a crazy thing isn't it? Loving each other comes in so many different ways for us. Love for a spouse, love for your children, for your parents, siblings and to friends and co-workers. Each looks a little different. Notice what we are told to do with our love - "to do so more and more". What an incredible thing to think about and to do. I've prayed many times that God would grow my heart - and that his love would continually flow into me so that the love I give to others would be Christ's love flowing through me. I love the naturalness of this love. In and of ourselves we can only love as good as we can, and that will always have limits, but when we are continually filled up with Christ we will be a flowing stream of love to others. His love will never run dry.

What an awesome thing to think about. Paul is urging us to love each other more than we already do. Don't stay 'status quo', but strive for more and more love. Doesn't that just make you want to smile?! Always remembering that you cannot do this on your own but in the power of the Holy Spirit that is within you. Just ask him to fill you up - he will!!!

To love others more will look different for many of us. It may mean that you will bring dinner to someone who is sick or lonely. Maybe you will call someone up to see how they are doing, or drop them a note of encouragement, or take someone out to lunch. Whatever it is, I urge you to do something today and to allow the rivers of Christ's love flow through you.

Why do we love? BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US! That is just so great. End of story. Live it!

Marriage

Marriage with Christ at the head is just amazing!!!

Wherever you are in your marriage always remember that God is bigger than any issue that you have. WAY BIGGER!!! Our God is a God who restores and makes marriage beautiful. I have always had a good marriage - we had our issues, our baggage, as do all of us - but when you completely give your marriage over to Christ and are open to him teaching you how to be the husband or wife that God intended you to be, get ready to be blown away. Oh, you'll face some fire along the way but the refining process brings about something more beautiful that before.

I am amazed at what different people we are. Much of which comes from maturity and years behind us, but who we are today is a gift from God. When the bible says "a cord of three is not easily broken" I am reminded of the marriage relationship. If your trying to handle your marriage on your own that's what you will get - something that you can do, with all your failures. But when you are seeking Christ to shape you into the spouse that he desire of you, your marriage will grow like never before.

Right now my Tim is grilling some pork, I've got vegies in the oven and tonight we are going out to a play downtown. Our date night!!! Yea.

Marriage is a gift from God - treasure each other - pray over each other - surprise each other - speak truth and love into each other - and when you face a disagreement, stop and pray together. It's amazing how short a disagreement becomes when you bring it before Christ.

Have fun, laugh, play and pray together!!!

Life!!

How many of us have our plans for our life? We have our future all planned out - when we will retire, where we will live, what kind of house we want...etc. the list goes on. I know for me that my life has not gone AT ALL how I planned it. I had my nice family all living near each other, living in the same house till we retired...etc. God certainly had other plans. We have moved to 4 houses in 7 years and we now live in Ohio. Not at all my plans, yet God has used everything for his good - to grow me into the woman of God that he continually is shaping me into.

Jeremiah 10:23 says "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."

Until we realize this - and own it in our life - I think we will continually be frustrated at the outcome of our lives. Until we know that God has us where we are, right now, for a purpose, we will always want something else. Some may be in a life filled with trials and your wondering how in the world this is what God wants for you. Been there - yet through those times as well we must submit to Christ - daily asking him what he wants to do in you/me through theses trials and asking him to reveal to us what he wants to shape in us. It is easy to look to others around to change, thinking that will make our problems better but often we forget to look at ourselves and what God wants to do in us.

Most of us have seen the movie "Fireproof". Notice that the husband in the movie needed to face himself and God for his marriage to change. I am not saying here that others do not affect us and that we are always the issue. Just that we so often don't even ask God what it is that he wants to shape in us. We would rather put all the blame on someone else.

Then on the flip side of things is when we are living our life allowing the Lord to direct our steps. I absolutely love love love when I am living this out. There is so much freedom when we have surrendered our life to him. I was talking with some dear friends recently who shared with me that they just lost $100,000 in the last 6 months because of all the losses in the economy/stocks. He said it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Why? Because he realized that he was counting on it too much. Seriously - how many of us would take this approach? How would he have realized this except that he was inquiring of the Lord to show him. He knew that his life was not his but that the Lord is directing his steps.

So taking our next steps, with Jesus leading the way is THE ONLY WAY TO WALK! True contentment comes when we live this out.

I will close with Paul's words in Philippinans 4 - "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Daughters of the King

I have to write today and tell all of you girls/women out there that you are amazing. When you think about the fact that you are a daughter of the King I want you to really sink this deep within you. Don't allow them to just be words but for your mind and your heart to truly comprehend what this means for you. I have been watching my daughter Angela in a different way recently. I am blown away at what a beautiful daughter of the King she is. I am loving her heart more and more every day as I see Jesus all through it. Her heart is so genuine and honest. When we were checking out of Sam's Club last week she told me "mom, I don't think she got the water on the bottom of the cart." (Even though I told the cashier it was there.) We checked the receipt, and she was right. Her heart is growing up into the young woman of God that he wants her to be. When others around are making bad choices and watching movies that are not Godly, she stands her ground and will just come home. It does not matter to her what people around think, she is confident in who God has made her. I am sure she has her moments when she feels unworthy, we all do, but her beauty in Christ is shining more and more and I am so proud to be her mom.

Ladies/girls/young women - we are so incredibly beautiful daughters of the King. When other thoughts come into your mind, drive them out quickly and claim the truth of who you are in Christ. It doesn't matter your sins - Jesus didn't come to judge you, but to save you and love you. That is what he does. Remember the woman caught in adultery? When they were about to stone her Jesus told them, "you who are without sin cast the first stone." Everyone left and only she and Jesus were standing there. He said to her - "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one sir," she said "Then neither do I condemn you - now go and leave your life on sin."

You see, Jesus just loves you!!! Own the fact that you are his daughter.

This video is one of the ladies speaking in Africa. They are powerful words!

Untitled from Andrea Statzer on Vimeo.

The Source

Freedom in Christ is pretty amazing. Consider for a moment your worst days/weeks, maybe even years that you have had. Now consider for a moment what you did to come through. I was reminded by some very dear friends that our source of flowing and healing waters cannot come from other people but from the source - Jesus!! Our flesh cries out to people to fill our needs but Jesus must be our source of life. I may have posted this song before but listen anyway.



If you are in one of those times right now just close your eyes and listen to this song again. Seek him with all you are. If you need some prayer support call a trusted friend to pray you up - or message me and I will pray for/with you. Jesus is truly our source of life!!! We can try to find life and fulfillment elsewhere, maybe in other people, maybe in our jobs or maybe in whatever else comes along in life - but true fulfillment comes from Jesus himself.

I prayed this morning for an overflowing of love in my heart. I asked God to grow my heart and fill it so full with His love that it just overflows everywhere I am, with whoever I am with. But I don't want anything in me that will get in the way. So I seek him with all my heart, in prayer and in the word. I can spend time alone in worship with my creator. When I do this I am prepared for what my lie ahead. When I don't I have allowed room for the enemy to sneak in. Be aware - he will sneak in, he may even just come charging in with all he's got. But Christ has won the victory and we have that every day.

Lord, strengthen each of us to be strong in you. Empower each of us to be with you every day and to find real intimacy with you, our creator. Remind us how much you love us, despite ourselves, and equip us to be bold for the kingdom. Amen and Amen!!!

Believe

Twice today I have blogged and twice my blog got accidentally deleted. (when I was almost done) Seriously, this laptop has the lightest touch ever and if anyone knows how to "undo" delete on blogger please inform me.

I have been battling a bad cold for the past 4 days and have not felt like blogging at all. My mind has been in a fog - all cloudy and stuff. We skyped with Denise today over in Thailand and she was so funny to me. She has never ever been a late night person, but she was just getting slap happy and realized it was 2:30 am for her. Jet lag and the new time difference were an issue. I think she could have kept talking except Mike was trying to sleep next to her and she was just getting funny. I loved seeing that in her, especially after the fatigue she had so much last month. Please keep her and her team of girls in prayer this month as they have a very tough ministry ahead of them.

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Surrender is a funny thing. in our minds we want to surrender all to God, but in our hearts we are far from it. (or is it the other way around?) I remember a time not long ago when I took a bike ride on the Macomb Orchard Trail. It was wide open and I just let go of the handlebars, opened up my arms and felt like I was flying. I think surrender with God is a lot like that. At first it's kinda scary to let go, but when you do it feels so free. Yup, once in a while we may reach down and try to grab hold again, just to balance ourself, but the feeling of being so free is awesome so we let go again. I also think that surrender is a daily thing. In this world it is way too easy to pick up our life and forget to let God lead. I know I am guilty of that way too often. We think things like "but God, is this really what you want? - "but God, are you sure?" - "but God, why is this happening?" - always questioning God. "Seriously" I tell myself, this is the creator of the Universe and I am questioning him.

Jesus told Thomas "stop doubting and believe." We are so often like Thomas and God is always telling us to stop doubing and believe. Jesus says in Matthew 16 - "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Talk about surrender at it's fullest. I love how Jesus says 'whoever loses his life for me'. It is a surrender to Jesus - your whole life.

"Here God, please take all of me" - but you know what? We also have to give it all and I think he is just waiting for us to do that. We can hold on so tighly but we have to let go in order to surrender.