Update #102

“Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

“This is absolutely ridiculous!” Nancy exclaimed as she giggled delightedly and ran up the stairs, “This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“What’s so ridiculous?” came the reply from the office next to ours. By that time Nancy was in the garage chatting with her husband, and couldn’t answer – so I got to share the “God news”.

Tuesday morning, one of the alumni called and said that they had a timeshare reserved in downtown San Francisco but couldn’t use it…“was there anyone in the office who would like a few nights in the city?”

That was a blessing in itself, but to make the story even richer, Monday morning I had overheard Nancy chatting with a friend that she would love to spend a few nights in the city – she wanted to experience city night life, walk to Union Square, eat at a roadside vendor, pop into stores, etc.

Well, God heard and he made it happen! …And this isn’t the first time!

Two days earlier she was window shopping in the city and found a quilt in Anthropologie. She fell absolutely in love with it but, with the price way out of her budget, she petted it fondly and followed her husband out of the store.

The next day in comes the exact same quilt purchased off EBay – it didn’t fit what the buyer had in mind – “Would anyone here want it?” You bet Nancy did!

Again, God heard and he made it happen!

This is the same girl who the day she started working with us mentioned she would love a nice business suit…and one arrived the next day, complete with matching blouse and shoes…all brand names of course!

What does this say to me? God sees, God hears, and God knows the desires of our hearts. And he loves us so much he wants to give them to us – and can be extravagant in doing so!

I can hear your response. “I haven’t gotten the desire of my heart…I am still single, I don’t have that car, that house, that bag, that…I desire”.

My response back - Are you delighting yourself in the Lord? Psalms 37:4 states this is the contingency for receiving the desires of your heart. Are you aligning yourself with God; his purposes, his ways, his thoughts, his desires, his wants, his needs, his actions? Are you submitting to his will in your life – or are you living out your own desires, wants, needs, and appetites?

If yes, get ready to giggle with delight...if no, well…it’s your own fault. Align yourself with what God is doing and where he is working and your life will take on a new zing, a new zest, and it will be full of pleasant, un-petitioned surprises and delights. Get ready for the favor fountain to splash all over you!


Updates:
Living – I am moved and thank God for Loretta Wallace! She is “packer extraordinaire” – if it wasn’t nailed down or attached it went into a box. I don’t know what I would have done without her – she was an absolute God-send!
Condo – Still on the market and I changed realtors again…my last one is leaving the real estate world to work in the non-profit sphere (Go Cindy Go!)
Work – The Big Weekend retreat (my primary training responsibility) is about 3 weeks away and I am actively recruiting volunteers to make it happen.

Requests:
Condo – I recently discovered my renter hasn’t fully vacated the premises and his stuff has been “squatting” rent free for the last two months. I may have to fly up to Seattle to actually remove his belongings (including a car) to another locale. Please pray that he pays his back owed fees, moves his stuff, and that I don’t have to go to Seattle to attend to this.
Work – Lots of stuff is coming down the shute! We have three teams travelling this fall, my boss is off to Nigeria, South Africa and Ireland next month, and we are in the middle of training! Pray for supernatural time-expansion, grace, and the ability to see the important and attend to it.
Finances - If you would like to sow into what I am doing see the footer info at http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/ or the category “contribute” at http://www.repurposing.biz/ for more information.

Update #101

"Do not fret because of evildoers… " Psalm 37:1

I saw this verse in an entirely different light one morning. I always defined evildoers as the ‘bad people’ – ya know, murders, robbers, rapists; the people that should be in prison if they aren’t already. Today, for the first time, I viewed an evildoer the way God does. Are you ready for this: An evildoer, in God’s eyes, is anyone who sins. Whoa.

All of us are intrinsically evil. The Bible tells us that. In fact, we are unredeemable without Jesus’ intervention. So, if we all have the potential to be ‘evildoers,’ what does this look like in day to day life?

My new ‘evildoer’ definition includes those that hurt, demoralize, slander, wound, or disappoint. Whether they meant the action or not isn’t the issue…pain is caused and they were the source. This makes a lot of people fall into the ‘evildoer’ category. Sigh.

In all reality, the real issue isn’t what was done. Yes, hurt was inflicted and misery caused; but how we respond is the crux of the matter. We can choose to fret over the behavior and let the anger grow into bitterness (and end up in sin) or choose to follow God’s outline for handling hurt.

Psalm 37 verse 3 states “Trust in the Lord and do good.” This verse smacks in the face of what society teaches us to do when we are hurt by others. What God wants for us to do is tell him about the situation (trusting him to handle it), choose to forgive the offender, and, if we need to, tell them, in a loving, gentle manner, they upset us.

Unfortunately, God’s course of action isn’t the one most frequently used. Most often it is the volatile ‘Stuff and Blow’ strategy. It goes something like this:

Take the hurt, or multiple hurts, and deeply dwell on them. Wallow in the anger and pain of what happened. Let frustration rise, anger build, and pain deepen. Then, when the opportunity arises, decimate the offender. Let the full culmination of your anger, pain, frustration and anguish unleash.

Regrettably, the ‘Stuff and Blow’ method usually wounds both participants.

Reflecting on this scenario, the person initially hurt determines the outcome. It can be volatile and angry or resolved in an attitude of love and forgiveness. In candid terms, action determines the path - evildoer or redeemed.

Wallowing in frustration and anger, while bitterness builds, compounds hurt. And if acted upon, can destroy relationships. God is a God of reconciliation and forgiveness – not fury, rage, aggravation, and vengeance. Bluntly, in letting hurt fester – and not bringing God into the situation; which reconciliation method are you choosing to follow?

Updates:
Living – I am in the midst of packing! If you have extra time – stop by and help fill boxes! The date for the actual “move” hasn’t been set but will most likely be mid-month sometime.
Condo – Still on the market and the special assessment payments are starting this month…another $375 on top of my usual installment. Stay posted for cool “God came through” stories!
Work – Training has started and I am excited to see what God is going to do through and with our new batch of consultants. I am amazed at the caliber of people God brings to us each season! The Big Weekend retreat (my primary training responsibility) is about 6 weeks away!
Travel – lots of stuff pending; I may have a trip as early as September 1, but then again I may not go again until November – I’ll keep you posted.

Requests:
Living – For patience in the process of moving. I want to get all the stuff done “NOW” and hate chaos, mess, and dirt - and right now my life is hallmarked with it!
Condo – I really need this baby to sell – please tell any friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, grandparents, etc. about its availability…they may know someone who could be interested. Also, please continue to pray for the provision of the monthly mortgage and special assessment payment.
Work – We are still actively recruiting for another week and need more trainees to fill our teams for this fall. Pray that they come forth, pray that we call the right ones out, and pray that they feel God’s hand in the process.
Finances - If you would like to sow into what I am doing see the footer info at http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/ or the category “contribute” at http://www.repurposing.biz/ for more information.

PS - Happy Birthday Pops! Love you lots and lots - Re