The Mountaintop Looks Different These Days

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Rosalie

Our retreat cabin sat on a hill overlooking this horse ranch and the ocean beyond.

I went on a ladies retreat. It was a much needed retreat from the daily grind, and I really enjoyed the break from Susanna and house. I missed her just the right amount.

But I had high expectations for the spiritual side of the retreat. I was longing for a mountaintop experience.

Here’s what I learned: the mountaintop looks a lot different these days. When I was a teenager, every new truth I learned about God that required a change in me was a joyful experience. I want to be clear: there were many times when I realized that my beliefs did not line up with scripture, and I often joyfully repented, submitted, and changed. I walked the ways of the world, so after I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, for abundant life, my perspectives on marriage, relationships, the sanctity of life, purity, wisdom and the meaning of life all did a 180. And I loved to worship God, so I made my way to the mountaintop often, seeking those transforming moments.

But things have changed. The repentance that is required of me usually follows guilt and shame, because my sins hurt other people. God is so gracious to me, though. And I am thankful for these moments because I realized this weekend that I have the power and the desire (because of the Holy Spirit in me) to kill the sin in my life. I rarely feel the emotional highs that I did as a new believer (and a teenager), but I also didn’t have the will or ability to harness the power to conquer the little sins that the Bible warns will cause destruction.

The mountaintop is a joy today because I can choose to stay there as long as I want. To conquer perpetual sins, I must depend on God; to depend on Him, I must spend time with Him; to spend time with Him is to be on the mountaintop. Ancient Rabbis believed that losing one’s temper meant losing the shekinah, and they had a saying, “nothing is worth risking the shekinah!”* As long as I have God’s Glory resting upon me, I believe I am on the mountaintop.

*Learned that from a video session during Beth Moore’s study of James.

A Bit of Blogkeeping: If you read my blog updates via Google Reader, you’ll need to find a replacement reader soon, as Google is phasing out this application. I have tried Feedly and Bloglovin’ and can recommend both. Bloglovin’ is a bit simpler, but my starred posts didn’t come through in the sync.

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Belief.

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Rosalie

I have believed so many lies.

It is the desire of my heart that Susanna would believe Jesus. Whenever I read her little toddler Bible, I say, “listen, Susanna, this isn’t a story. This is God’s true Word!”

But I fear the thing I most desire for her is the thing I model most imperfectly for her.

This week, she has been getting up extra early. Oh how I have hated it! But a couple days ago I realized it might be that she wants to spend time with her daddy. Just as Chris finishes his morning routine, she cries out. I get her up, change her clothes, and invite her back to bed with me. That lasts a minute, but she wants to hug Daddy’s legs while he shaves, makes his lunch, pours his orange juice. He used to lean against the back of the couch to read his Bible, but now the two of them sit on the couch together. She watches cars out the window and Daddy reads, and then we all pray together before saying goodbye.

When she was sleeping later, did I get up early to spend time with my Daddy? Not usually.

The number one heart change I need is to trust God that the day has begun the way He intended it. Whether it begins with an early wake up, a grumpy, whiny, tear-stained face and immediate toy-throwing, or smiles, giggles and a calm breakfast, the day belongs to the Lord.

Great Treasure

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Rosalie

source

The summer after my junior year, I went on a mission trip to Mexico and my life changed. Although I had been a Christian for over a year, true walking with Jesus had come only very recently. For years I went to youth events and I think I sang the songs but I never heard them. At our pre-border stop at Christian Heritage College, we went to a service where we sang, “Come, Now is the Time to Worship.” I think it was at that moment that I worshiped God in song for the first time, and knew it would not be the last.

On Sunday we sang it too, and I heard the words in a new light. While the invitation to come had been the powerful mover so long ago, this time I focused on the following phrase.

But still the greatest treasure remains for those
who gladly choose You now

I have no idea what I thought that meant before yesterday. I probably didn’t think about it at all, or I thought of it in superficial terms like we are blessed because we believe… ohthankgodihavebelieved!

No.

Jesus is the greatest treasure. Jesus is what we who choose him now get now. Jesus.

Not riches, not blessings, not comfort or relief in trial. Jesus is the greatest treasure.

I don’t know about you, but this motivates me to worship Him! I do gladly choose Him now. HE CHOSE ME and I get the greatest treasure: Jesus.

It also motivates me to share. Because, as the song says, one day every tongue will confess, every knee will bow. But not every confessing tongue and every bowing knee will have chosen Jesus. Why would I keep the greatest treasure from anyone, when this is his future?

Jesus is the greatest treasure. Tell someone about Him today.

Poor, Rich and Everyone In Between {Day 26}

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Rosalie

What does it look like to love justice and mercy? Certainly it means being generous with the poor, caring for widows and orphans. The prophets and Jesus both make that abundantly clear.

Isaiah 58 is a chapter of correction and defining true worship. God says that he is not impressed with the fasting of “religious” people, who are doing it just to be seen (‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. vs 3)

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
(Isaiah 58:6-8 ESV)

A fast that pleases the Lord is one of sacrificial giving. Sharing with the hungry, being relational with people. This is the kind of fasting I want to do.

Serving and caring for people less fortunate than ourselves is not a spiritual gift. I am not exempt from these commands because my calling to the mission field is oh-so-spiritual. On the contrary, I must study these scriptures, pray for wisdom for how to minister this way in my field, and be obedient. This is the (earthly) work that frees people (the heavenly work having already been done on the cross).

When rich people meet Jesus, they see how poor they are without Him. And when poor people meet Jesus, they realize they are rich. Hungry or full, physically, is meaningless without the perfectly satisfying salvation of Jesus Christ. My burden is to see this cross-section of physically blessed people acknowledge their spiritual poverty and accept the true riches of Jesus Christ. As I endeavor to share God’s love with them, I must also show his love to the poor, the destitute. I must give feet to my faith. Sharing the Gospel and making disciples is so important. The church is God’s plan for meeting the needs of people, and I believe the church is failing in this area. Our priorities look no different than the rest of the world’s and they should stand out as a beacon on a hill. The number one need people have is for grace. God’s grace. If we can spread it by fasting the way Isaiah describes, then true freedom will follow quickly when we share that ultimate gift.

This is not just a prayer for a missionary, though I desire to remind you we struggle with the same selfishness that plagues us all this time of year. This is a prayer for the church. This is my prayer for myself. I plan to spend the next few months looking at different areas of my life and culling. I will be asking God to show me where I can cut back and fast in a way that benefits another. Then I’ll share my experience here.

This post is inspired by 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.

The Most Helpful {Parenting} Thing

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Rosalie

We have parenting philosophies, parenting books, parenting methods and parenting blogs all dictating to us how we should parent. Parent with grace, with love and logic, with respect, with discipline and training.

Chris and I have a preference for family-integrated ministry that will enable us not just to parent our children but to disciple them as well. What a responsibility we have, and what a joy it is to parent knowing that the Lord is on our side. He knows our children and loves our children better than we do!

Susanna is only 16 months old, but I have some invaluable parenting advice. I am so sure of this parenting tool that I want to share it with the world. It’s twofold, and here it is:

Don’t give unsolicited parenting advice (if advice is solicited, be specific and brief. Perceive whether it’s advice that is really being sought. See number 2.)
Constantly give unsolicited parenting affirmations.

Young, Christian parents should seek older people and their advice in parenting. But young, Christian parents should love their parenting peers by praying for them and affirming the good things they’re doing. Trust the Lord with your friends’ kids too. And if you simply must advise a friend you think is struggling, tell them to ask the Lord for wisdom.

There’s no story behind this post. It’s just my plain, humble opinion and a reminder to myself as I walk this journey with my friends.