Well if you are reading this BLOG...you may be asking...where has the Blog Gone?

Well, we have changed our website and Blog feed. We still have a few other things to
finalize...but in the meantime....you can go to our NEW WEBSITE: www.daleandjena.com

Simply click on the blog at the bottom of the home page or on the blog tab at the top of the page....

we just loaded a blog on parenting...so check it out....

Canvases for a Cause

Recently, I met with a group of ladies for Bible Study and our conversation quickly turned to the concerns we all have for our children, as they are inundated with sexual perversion at every turn. While we talked in great detail about what they are facing, I was conflicted in my thoughts: "Should we not talk about it because it puts images in our heads that we don't need? Should we talk about so that we can be aware of what our children are facing so as to address it?" So i was in a real quandary about it all. I ended up airing on the side of Ephesians 6: "do not be unaware of the devil's schemes"....make no mistake about it, satan is deceiving us constantly in the area of sex and has deluded our minds to make it something that God never intended for it to be.

Yesterday I was outside working in the yard and watering my plants which were incredibly thirsty in this Summer Alabama heat! I have several rose bushes in the back of our house and my Mother, who is a wonderful gardener admonished me to "deadhead" my roses. For those of you who like me have no clue what that means, it means that the old rose heads that are left after the roses have bloomed and the petals have died and fallen off, need to be cut off. And the reason my Mother said they have to be cut off is because if they are not, nourishment continues to go to them, thus taking the nourishment away from budding roses. Sure enough, every time I "deadhead" my roses, getting rid of them, I wake up to multiple new growth and flourishing plants. It's amazing!!!

So, as I am out there "deadheading" my roses, I began to ask the Lord what I could learn through this exercise and the Lord brought this to my mind: in the Church today, there are many "deadheads"....people who go to worship, and take what the preacher gives, take from the other ministries (as a babysitting service, childcare, Sunday School teacher, etc) and never contribute one thing. They are also the first to complain when things don't scratch their itch and they rarely if ever give their tithes and additional offerings to the Church, especially during these economic times (as if God isn't aware of the strain and therefore relieves us of our obligation to tithe and thus strengthen our faith!)

Deadheads in our Churches suck all the nourishment out of the Church, yet they are not blooming, not contributing, not ministering....

So the question behooves all of us: are you a deadhead? (don't get mad at me! but if the shoe fits....) are you being poured into and not pouring out? are you being poured into and not receiving and thus have nothing to pour out? are you taking and not giving back? (I am also aware that there are times of struggle, where some need to be poured into and just receive and can't give back at that time....God knows our hearts, and He's good with that)

This is not to condemn or to shame anyone. It is however to stop and make us think. Have we taken on the mentality that it is the pastor's job, or the other staff people's job, or the certain lay leaders who seem to know what they are doing, or the more talented people, or the more beautiful people, or______________________ (you fill in the blank).
God says that He gave each of us spiritual gifts and abilities that are specifically needed to edify the Church. They were not to hoard to yourself, to use for worldly purposes, nor to only use when they benefit you. They were given to edify the body of Christ. The question then becomes: will you allow them to be used in that way? Will you allow God to take your specifically needed gifts to edify the body in your local church, community, and world?

May we be challenged that our existence is not for our own selfish pleasures, but for others......for the salvation of the lost and the edifying of the Body of Christ.

And may we no longer find deadheads in our Churches, but rather those blooming with the gifts of the Spirit, and filling our Churches with the fragrance of Christ.

Just recently, our family had a conversation regarding our favorite old T-shirts.
You know, the one that you always run to when you are just going to "veg" at home and do nothing.
Well, we all found our "old faithful".....Jorja's is her Texas Ranger T-shirt from her mission trip in Dallas, Texas last year. Dale's is his Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt from about 12 years ago (complete with several holes). Cole's is his Student Life Camp T-shirt from 10 years ago (barely fits but he loves it and yes, it has holes in both pits!!!). And mine is my Samford University Intramural Sports Champions T-shirt from college (the T-shirt says 1987-88.....that can't be right!!!)

How often we revert back to those things that are most comfortable.....not merely physically, but emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

Isaiah 43:19 says "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

God is doing so many new things in the hearts and lives of us women as we seek to become authenticated for His glory. Be aware that we will be tempted when we are tired, hungry, anxious, or stressed to revert back to our old ways of handling things. Yet God has done new things in us and wants us to live those out as He works through the power of His Spirit within.

Do not be tempted to revert to your old comfortable ways of perceiving things and then responding improperly.....walk in truth and reverse those old faithfuls.....you're a new creation!

As many of you know, we took a trip with our daughter, Jorja, to New York City a few weeks ago. Of course, we had just begun the Authentic Woman study and so as we walked the streets of new York City, I was thinking on the things I had studied that morning.....

I so desire for all of us who are walking with God through this are beginning to change our perspectives and thoughts about ourselves.....that we are beginning to think the thoughts that God thinks about our bodies, souls, and spirit.....

So I am thinking all about that, and when we crossed a street, I came face to face with this sign that was posted on a wall:
As, we go through Week 5: Depositing Soul Truths, it's all about how to overcome satan's lies.....how to remove his lies and replace them with God's truth. I loved this sign because the way to overcome satan's lies is indeed to "protect our thoughts".....and we protect our thoughts by making sure that we are thinking "God-thoughts".....

What are you allowing into your mind? Are they God-thoughts or worldly thoughts? Do they promote God's truth over your life, or not? Be careful what you fill your mind with.....for what you ponder is what you practice.....you will live out what you think on......PROTECT YOUR THOUGHTS......and thus protect your life.

Seems that many times in my life, I am truckin along and suddenly I get this "wave" of doubt....sometimes it is something so silly, but really heavy on me with doubt. Like, I know my husband loves me, but out of the blue, I will have this tinge of doubt overcome me for no apparent reason. Anybody? Am I the only one?

SO what do we do with it? What do we do to combat this doubt that seems to creep up on us?

1 John 4:16
"We have known and believed the love that God has for us."

In that short verse lies our answer: know and believe. That word "know" is "intimate familiarity with".....when I know like that, then I believe strongly; and when I believe strongly, there is no room for doubt!

If I know that Dale loves me because of the intimacy we have between us and the ways that he shows me each day, I come to truly believe he loves meand thus am confident, leaving no room for the enemy's doubts.

If I know the love that God has for me in a deep and intimate way, and I have seen it proved over and over again from salvation to answered prayers, etc. etc, then I have a firm belief that He indeed loves me and thus all doubt is cast aside. It's when I feel far from Him, due to my own choosing, that I leave the enemy an open place to sneak in with his doubt.

So, it all hinges on the "knowing" part....

Are you experiencing some doubt in your life?
Have you neglected the "knowing" of God in an intimate way?

It is in the knowing that the believing is strengthened and the doubt is demolished.

Have you ever watched somebody put a ball under a cup and then swap several cups around and then you have to pick which one the ball is under? Is it not so frustrating when you can't pick the one with the ball? So you keep watching those cups intensely until you get it right!!! If you are like me, you will not be outwitted!!!

Think about satan, the father of lies. He is much like this game we play. He lies to us and has us trapped under his cup, moving us all around by his lies that have affected our minds and thus our actions. Ever found yourself feeling like that? Because you are unaware of his schemes, you are operating in lies that you didn't even realize were there. Anybody?

Think about this: maybe you are one who realizes that satan lies and have discovered some of them and even gotten free from them, and now you stand on the outside and are alert to his games; yet sometimes, he still is able to absolutely outwit you and it so frustrates you!

How can we make the declaration that we will not be outwitted?And then, really NOT BE OUTWITTED?

"But you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." We read it, have it memorized, and sometimes apply it....but the way we are truly set free from being outwitted by the devil is to KNOW THE TRUTH! You cannot detect error without a full understanding of the truth.

Have you ever known people who push the limit? Have you ever had a child who pushed the limit? For instance: you instruct them not to go outside and talk to a stranger. Then, they go to the threshold of the door, stand within the doorway and talk to a stranger. You ask them why they disobeyed and they exclaim, "I didn't disobey! You told me not to go outside and so technically, I didn't go outside."

You know what the problem is with this? The child heard the truth....the rule. But the child missed the parent's heart that was trying to protect them. And make no mistake about it: the enemy takes full advantage of this by whispering to your child, "Well, you're not technically disobeying them".

If we are going to keep from getting outwitted by the enemy, we will have to do more than know the truth as in knowing the rules. If we are only looking at God's Word as rules, we can always find loopholes or ways to "technically not be disobeying them".....when we do that, we have totally missed God's heart in it. That word "know" in knowing the truth, is not only knowing what God said, but knowing intimately His heart about it....His full intentions for it. You miss that, and satan will outwit you every time.

Join me in a new kind of game....seeking God's heart in all that He says in His Word, so that I not only know what He desires for me, but I know the heart behind why He is desiring this for me. Then, when satan throws his error at us, trying to get us under his cup of control, we'll be able to yank that cup up and expose him for the liar he really is.

God help us to do this in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord I ask, amen and amen.

"Train yourself to be godly"

I have a sweet friend who I have watched go through rigorous training for an athletic event. I heard the struggle and the stories, and I saw her courage and tenacity. As I watched her, I realized that training takes diligence.....it takes intentionality.....it is purposeful......it takes determination.....and it takes great resolve.

When was the last time you trained yourself in anything? What did you have to do?

I heard it once said that if you want to train yourself in godliness, place yourself in situations so that the thing you are trying to learn is forced to be exercised. The truth is that as you walk with God and He begins to show you Himself, He will actually place you in situations where you can practice each new truth. Your part is to train yourself to walk with Him moment by moment so that you recognize His workings in the things going on a round you.

The best way to train in godliness is to be in God's Word and learn from Him.....learn His ways....His truth....what He has to say about things....about you.....and then begin to live in those truths and train your mind to walk in them even when you don't feel it....in doing so, you will find that you are training your mind to be able to walk confidently in that area so God can then move on to other areas in need of His truth.

I pray that we will all become deliberate in taking off this old perspective of our bodies and grasping in full and with confidence the truth that God made all of who we are to draw others to Him.....

You are loved, Jena

I hope that today brought freedom for some women just to be free to be themselves....

For so many churches, there seems to be this stigma that you have to be a certain way, look a certain way, have the same taste as everyone else, like the same music, etc. etc.....the truth is that God created us differently with different giftings for a reason! He doesn't want uniformity but unity in our diversity!

So be free to be yourself! Surrender your body to be used solely for the lifting up of Jesus and watch God draw people unto Himself through your authentic life! God made you the way you are for a reason....to try to be anything other than that would say that God didn't do a good enough job when He created you....nope....He made you with very specifics purposes in mind....so be yourself....and like who God made you.....you're a very special person!

Today always hits home to me....I never want to get over being saved. I never want to get over what Christ did for me in His indescribable sacrifice on my behalf for my sin.

There was a story I heard one time about a young pastor who feel in love with a young lady who had a sordid past. She was labeled as a sinful woman like that in the Bible. But God had saved her and changed her life and she was now seeking to live for Him. The pastor feel in love with her and announced to his congregation that he was going to marry her. Many in the congregation were shocked and very unhappy with this "sinful" woman the pastor had chosen. Yet, when shamed for his choice, his response was simply "When you say that she is not good enough for me, what you are really saying is that the blood of Jesus was not enough to cover her sin".....

My friends, wherever you are today, know this with great certainty: Jesus' death was enough to cover and cleanse you of your sin....IT WAS ENOUGH....you stand forgiven....don't let anyone on this earth nor the evil one himself tell you otherwise.

Our family has been out of town and I have so missed being with you guys! When we arrived home I found some bananas that I left hanging on my banana rack, now un-peeled and hanging onto their peeling by a thread! Those bananas peeled themselves! As we study this week's lessons, we are going to be challenged to peel ourselves....to get to the root of some of our wrong thinking.

Hebrews 4:12 says it like this: ¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Word of God cuts down to the root....if we can get the wrong root out, we can replace it with God's seed of truth.

Ephesians 4:22-24 ...."put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds"....

Have you ever thought about that for a bit? My fleshly, carnal perspective of my body (that my appearance, abilities, attributes, attitude, and assets give me my value and acceptance), my old self, is constantly being corrupted by my own deceitful desires. So, as the world we live in sends us the wrong messages, it appeals so greatly to our own fleshly desires!!!

1 John 2 says it like this: ¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

So let's do some self-un-peeling: what do you crave? what do your eyes lust after? what do you find yourself boasting about? Are they "appealing" to the life and ways of Jesus Christ or to the world?

If we are ever going to change our perspective about our body, we will have to peel back the layers of desires that drive us there and then set ourselves some boundaries to guard ourselves against those. In other words, if there are places I go, things I watch, things I listen to, that turn me toward those worldly desires, then I might need to stay away from those things. We might also need to begin finding God's truth in His word and memorizing His perspective about those things....

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you quickly when you are being drawn away to worldly desires (cravings, lusts, and boastings), and ask Him to help you have His perspective and only desire Him and His truth and only boast in Him alone. This will be so "appealing" to those around you, as they see Christ displayed in you.

Drove over to visit a friend of mine who was in town and had to drive about 30 minutes...the conversation was great as we talked about being safe in our own skins and standing firm in who God says we are and confident in what He has called and made us to be....not cocky or proud, but humbly confident....for it is no longer us but Christ who is living in and through us. Great conversations....certainly not godless chatter.

idol: "something or someone who we have excessive attachment or devotion to"

Can I really be an idol unto myself? Well, I can honestly say that there was a time in my life when I was excessively attached and devoted to my appearance above all things. But that got all cleared up when I was in a major car wreck the summer before my senior year in high school and all my friends came to see me in the hospital. I had absolutely no make-up on, and those hospital gowns were not flattering at all!!!! I quickly learned how instantly outward beauty can vanish.

The truth is that many of us have made our appearance an idol out of our own selfish choosing. Others of us have made our appearance an idol because we have succumb to the pressures of those around us, including peers and media. Still others of us have made our appearance an idol, because we were verbally wounded as a way to manipulate us to change our looks (especially when it comes to losing weight).

No matter which category you consider yourself, all are a stronghold that satan has used (and it's working really well) to detour our focus off the magnificent obsession: Jesus Christ. Satan has distracted us with ourselves, and thus from the One who deserves our "excessive attachment or devotion to".

Paul said this: "But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him."
Philippians 3:7-9

So now it bids us all the question: how do you consider yourself? A person obsessed with your looks to the point that you enter a room and look to see of there is any competition? A person so obsessed that you miss out on real relationships with others because you are so self-consumed? Or a person who wants nothing more than to know Christ? And as He works on the inside , she radiates on the outside?

"Those who look to Him are RADIANT." Psalm 34:5

My prayer is that all of us would be able to say as Paul did that all of that being consumed with our appearance is nothing to us in comparison with knowing Jesus Christ, letting Him make you beautiful.

Watch this video and listen to the song "Beautiful" by Bethany Dillon....introduced to me by my daughter, Jorja...... it says it all.



May this truth sink deep into our souls.

When I growing up, I would get all worked up about what I was wearing to church on Sunday morning. I wanted my hair and make-up to be perfect and certainly I wanted my clothes to be perfectly in, perfectly matching, and fitting perfectly on me! One day, in my frustration of "I don't have a thing to wear!" (which was so not true), I remember my Mother saying, "Church is to go and meet with God; not to see and be seen!"

I have never forgotten that phrase....I have applied it to my own life and even said that to both of my children in their "wardrobe come-aparts"! But this week, as we begin with BODY LIES, we must look long, hard, and honestly into this whole performance trap that so many of us fall prey to. We must take the time to ask ourselves, "Have I taken the perspective that my activities make me who I am?" If so, we may find ourselves not a far shot from the Pharisaical folks we cringe to never want to be!

In the Scripture from Matthew 23, the words that stuck out to me were this: "Everything they do is done for men to see." So what's the check if we are a part of activities for the right reasons and with the right perspective, or not? Ask yourself this: when I do things (i.e. display my talent, sacrificially give and serve, etc.) am I mad when no one acknowledges it? Do I find myself trying to draw attention to what I am doing so that people will throw me an "atta-boy"?

Jesus said it like this: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

My challenge to all of us is this: the next activity you are a part of and you feel that need for approval thought slip in, just whisper this little sweet comment to the Lord, "It's all for You" and let Him affirm you and tell you how much He loves and approves of you. After all, we are not redeemed by the world's thoughts and approval of you, but by what God thinks of you and your offering of yourself as a living sacrifice unto Him.

And be sure of this: He sees you.....and you are being seen by Him.....He doesn't miss a thing you do, and when your heart is right (activity that honors Him), your activity becomes something incredible beautiful to Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

²³May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Not too long ago, Dale and I were going to be interviewed in our home for a well-known marriage magazine. The editor had told us that she was also bringing with her a photographer who would take some pictures of us as well. I frantically went through our house getting everything just perfect for them to come. I wanted everything in its perfect place and certainly wanted the photographer able to find a clean, well-decorated area for pictures. I got the house complete except for three loads of laundry I hadn't had time to fold. I shoved the three baskets in my walk-in closet and ran out the door to pick up our kids before the interview team arrived.

When I got home, I saw that they had already arrived before me and Dale had let them in. I walked in ready to delightfully meet them and couldn't find them anywhere! I go from room to room looking for them and finally called out to Dale to help me locate their where-a bouts. Dale calls out to me from our bedroom, and as I walk around the corner, I see that he has lead them straight into our walk-in closet! He exclaims, "Hey, Honey! They just needed to help us pick out the color scheme for what we should wear." I was mortified as they gingerly walked around my three baskets to get to the clothes. How humiliating!

But isn't this how we treat God sometimes? I mean, really? Don't we say that we will allow Him access to every part of our hearts, but yet keep some cluttered areas secluded from His touch? And yet our loving Father longs for us to be FULLY surrendered....offering every single part of me, even the messy areas that we try to hide and keep out of sight. May we open the door to our home (lives) and let Him go wherever He wants and do whatever He needs to do to heal, break, mold, and shape us into the women He created us to be.

May we allow our God, the God of peace, access to all of who we are: body, soul, and spirit so that He can authenticate us through and through until we are completely His, and complete in Him....authentic!

Time for an Open House!

Wow....another great day....

Two things stuck out for me:
1) "If something 'deeper' were causing you vision problems...." in talking about having the wrong perceptions, something going on in the depths of us can indeed blur our vision!

Have you ever awakened to have this film covering your eyes and you can't see clearly? What if a person, a wound, a heartache, your raising, etc. caused a film to cover over your eyes and you are not seeing clearly? And what if you have gone through life and never even realized that you can't see? I'll never forget when Jorja got her glasses for the first time, she was so excited and amazed at the details she could see in leaves on the trees! She never knew what she was missing because she had grown accustomed to blurred vision.....have we become accustomed to our blurred vision too? of ourselves? of God?

2) "Seek to see beyond what your natural eye can see...." so I asked God to reveal to me of all I've done today, what did He show me with my natural eye that He wants me to get a spiritual truth from?

He reminded me of the chipmunk I saw running in the hole and I tried to get him to come out....then He reminded me about the vine that is seeking to take over my bush outside and how hard it was (and painful as it has thorns on it) to pull it out.....then, how the birdseed in our bird feeder is stuck inside and the birds can't get to it and get what they need.....and finally, how Jorja and I started a cleanse today. What do all of those things have in common?

Prowl: "to rove over stealthily"

Have you ever watched a movie where an animal or person is about to kill someone and they walk back and forth in front of them and kind of taunt them, waiting for the perfect time to make their move? This is the essence of "prowling".

The devil, our enemy, prowls around like a roaring lion....why a roaring lion? Because lions roar to communicate or scare others away....satan ever communicate lies to you and/or tried to scare you ? One of the definitions for "devour" is "to absorb or engross wholly as in 'a mind devoured by fear'".....ever had your mind absolutely absorbed with lies that have left you fearful?

So how do we overcome this?

"Be self-controlled and alert"....This is an imperative statement....YOU be self-controlled and alert. Self-controlled: "practicing restraint of one's actions, thoughts, etc". Alert: "fully aware, attentive and cautious to an unexpected attack".

So, the devil's roving around, trying to engulf you and swallow you up with lies and thoughts that are hurtful, twisted and evil to get you to act in ungodly ways? Practice restraint of what you do, where you go, and what you let into your life, being attentive to the fact that the enemy could pounce at any minute.....and when he does, just see it for what it is, blow his crafty schemes off, and walk forth in truth.

He'll have to prowl somewhere else....we're on to his games.

Disclosure: the act of exposure; to make known, reveal, or uncover.

Wow....today really hit me with how often I try to hide or tuck away or cover areas in my life that I am really not interested in God entering into. Areas I often avoid dealing with because I know it will require some effort to change. Either that, or I am afraid that if He sees the yucky-ness in that area of my life, He might be disappointed in me and I might lose His love. Anybody had those same thoughts? And even though you KNOW the Word and KNOW that God is going to help you change or is going to love you regardless, your feelings haven't quite caught up with what you know in your head....anybody?

How beautiful for God to have allowed David to pen the 139th Psalm. I read it in its entirety today and I was in awe. You know what stuck out to me for the first time in reading this a million times?
Verse 2 "You perceive my thoughts from afar".....He has full disclosure of every single thought!
Verse 3 "You discern my going out and my lying down".....He has full disclosure of the motives and choices I make
"You are familiar with all my ways".....He is intimately aware of all my actions and the reason for them
"Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely....your words are KNOWN in their completeness by Him.
Can you wrap your mind around this?

Then, David recants even more about God's ever-present-ness, and guidance in our lives. He even goes as far as saying that God made him, and all of God's works He created are wonderful, therefore, he must too be wonderfully made. And then,

Verse 17 "How precious are Your thoughts concerning me...outnumbering the grains of sand!" What wondrous love is this! WOW!

Now, if the God who created and made us perceives, discerns, is familiar, and knows completely all of who we are, in other words, if God created us and thus knows exactly what our tendencies and bents will be, thus knowing all of the yuck we have and will have, and yet loves us so desperately as to think of us all the time (there's a lot of sand, people!!!), then who better to trust all of who we are to His loving hands?

And what exhale! What freedom! What a level of trust to know that I am fully known and still fully loved, and I can freely and with all of the honesty and vulnerability I have in me say:
"Then, Lord, search me and know my heart (because You already do anyway....I am now availing it completely to you) and my worrisome ways (since You already know those too and love me still) and see deep into my soul if there is anything in me that offends You because it has become idolatrous, more important than You. And lead me on the never-ending path to the abundant life You have for me." (verse 23 & 24 paraphrased)

There is no safer One in whom to completely lay bare our lives than Jesus.

May we choose today to fully disclose ourselves to our Maker, Redeemer, and Friend.

Wow, Girls!

I am only on Day 1 of Week 1, and already the Lord is speaking to me! After dissecting this Scripture, this is how I wrote it out for me to completely get it:

"If (conditional) you (up to you) look (seek with a relentless pursuit) for it (wisdom: seeing things from God's perspective so you can respond appropriately) like silver (important) and search (to examine because it wants to be found) for it (wisdom) like hidden (mystery: truth previously hidden but now Divinely revealed) treasure (valuable), then (as a results) you will (not might but will) understand (comprehend) the fear of the Lord (the greatness of His holiness, righteousness, and justice) and find (lay hold of) the knowledge (intimate familiarity) of God. " Proverbs 2:4&5

You know what the Lord revealed to me? That right now, in the circumstances I find myself in with my family, my future, our ministry, I have not once asked God to reveal to me His perspective, His truth about them.... I have certainly had MY perspective of them and what I think should happen or what I think I need to remedy , solve, etc. them, but not once have I said, "Lord, how do you feel about them? What do you want me to see about them? How do you want me to walk in them in light of what you think about them?"...ouch!

Now couple this Scripture with Proverbs 1:7 which says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Look at the awesome progression:
As I relentlessly pursue seeing things from God's perspective so that I will then respond appropriately and authentically, I begin to see God's overwhelming perfection, holiness, justice, and righteousness which absolutely begins to humble me and cause me to bow before His authority and Lordship over my life (as He is the supreme authority, most holy and knowledgeable One who knows better than anyone what I need), and then, I find myself in a more and more intimate relationship with the One who is showing Himself real in my life....

But fools despise wisdom and discipline....fools: "arrogant, self-sufficient people who order their own lives as if there were no God." Have you acted like a fool? Have you behaved like you had all of the answers without seeking God's wisdom about them? I know I have....

Oh God, that I would relentlessly pursue You, Your wisdom and perspective in all things, so that I will know how to respond correctly to them. Thank You that as I pursue You, You promise that I will see you as Isaiah did (6:1) and humble myself before Your holiness and thus bow to Your deserving authority in my life. And as I see Your love for me and Your concern to help me, how can I not but see Your heart and grow in loving intimacy with You? God help me to get there, and stay there.....and help my authentic friends do the same. In the name of Jesus I ask, amen.