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My name is Meredith, and I am the mother of two awesome boys; the wife of a fantastic husband; the band director for 100 students in grades 5 - 12 in a small community in Maine; and a follower of Christ. This blog is a place for me to reflect on what the Lord is teaching me.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Triumphal Entry

He was riding a colt.
People were laying their robes down for the donkey and colt to cross over.
People were breaking branches off of trees, crying out "Hosanna - Hosanna!"  Save us now!

He was treated like a conquering hero, like the LORD ALMIGHTY that He is.

But they didn't understand.
They didn't know.

How hard must it have been for him to accept their praises, their chants, and their adoration knowing that it didn't mean anything.  When push came to shove, and He revealed that his plan was of peace, and not a hostile takeover designed to oust Rome from the Holy City, the hordes fell away.

There were thousands and thousands following him.
Where were they on the walk up to Golgotha?
Where were they as he drew his last breath?
Were they camped out in front of the cave that his body was lain in?

They saw the miracles. They heard the teaching.
Where were they when THE PURPOSE of why He became flesh was accomplished?

----
Oh Father God!!!
Let my ideas of what should happen  NOT prevent me from seeing YOU WORKING.
Let my hopes and visions stay OUT of the way of Your guidance and leading.
Help me to quiet my self so that I can hear your whisper.
You have assured that your sheep KNOW your voice... so my LORD and Savior, speak to me.
I am listening.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Reflections on Jeremiah 29 : 4 - 14


 4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.
 10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Jeremiah 29: 4 - 14



I think Jeremiah 29: 11 is one of the most remembered, most comforting and most quoted books verses of the Bible.  And why not?  Who DOESN'T need to be reminded that the Lord has PLANS for us?  And not just that he isn't surprised by the bad, indifferent or disappointing things that are happening, but that they are part of a plan for a HOPE and a FUTURE.

Seeing it for the first time in the context of His people, whom he allowed to be carried into exile, just rocked my world.  To the outsider it seemed like the game was over.  "This God--- he has rejected both of his chosen nations: Judah and Israel.  What kind of God is this?"   He allowed Nebuchadnezzar to rise to power that rivaled that of David and Solomon.  And then, he tells his people (that he allowed to completely exiled) to go -- live and be happy. And that after seventy years, He would come back for them.

It is such a beautiful picture of His steadfast, unfailing and unchanging love.  And now, the song that has been resonating in my mind and heart since reading those words in Jeremiah.   "Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)"






Father God,

I will never understand the depth of your love for us.
I will never understand how magnificent you are.
Just what I DO know is enough to take my breath away.
I am in awe of your majesty, and humbled, completely wrecked in spirit, by your love.

Thank you, My Savior.

I am undone.
I am a woman of unclean lips.
How can I show myself as set apart for you, if I continue to gripe about things, and complain about others?  I am unworthy....

But I am forgiven.

And I keep on trying... and I keep on trusting, and I keep calling on Your presence.

Your love IS amazing.

Amen.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Reflections on Jeremiah 17:7-8

7  But Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.    ---   Jeremiah 17: 7- 8, NIV



Lord, your word is just slowly taking hold in my heart.  I can feeling it sinking in.  I can feel the blessing and the warning.  Help us to trust you to take care of the details and provision for our relocation into the town that we are called to.  Give us discernment to know when it is you, and when it is not of you.
Help us to trust you in the knowledge that :

A) your plan for us doesn't stop halfway through.
B) you will equip us for this enormous work before us.
C) no matter what happens, no matter who hates what we are trying to do, no matter ANYTHING, you are STILL GOD.
D) You ARE PREPARING the perfect place for us to live for the next part of our life. It may not be a dream, but it will be exactly what we need.
E) You will provide.

Let us be in your word continually that when the heat (attacks, and times of testing) come, our leaves will still be green.  Help us to bear fruit even during times when everything is going wrong.  Help us to stand, unafraid, knowing that we are right where you want us to be.

Thank you, Lord.

----

It is so overwhelming to know that the God who created the UNIVERSE, also decided BEFORE time began, not only that there would be a ME.... that there would be a Stephen, and a Jonathan entrusted to me.  And not only that I would be a mother, but that I would be a wife....  a helpmeet.  The one chosen by God to help my husband become the man (and future pastor) that he will be.

I am not up to the task.
I am impatient, and forgetful....
I am selfish and bossy.

But I am not alone.  And I am not my own.

(Thank you, Lord.)

As one who used to scoff at Christians, and Christianity, I hated the hypocrisy that I saw.  A life that was built on FAITH seemed ridiculous.  Science was right. Science was true.  (I was a product of public school education, without the grounding of the faith I now have.)

As one who has experienced RADICAL life change, and the REAL and TRUE Love of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I cannot imagine trying to live this life without Him.

I am in awe of the sinful girl/woman/child that I used to be.... that my sins, and my pain, and my shame were nailed to the cross, through the hands and feet of the one that saved me.  I wish for everyone to know this peace that I have found.  My heart pours forth praises, all of the time.  I have to STOP myself from praying/rejoicing in your name out loud in front of my students sometimes.

Thank you for the cross.
I hope that I only fall deeper and deeper in love with you in the weeks leading to Easter.

And now the song that has been ringing in my mind this whole post....

Hosanna, by Starfield

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Nursing a grudge....

Have you ever really thought about the saying "nursed a grudge?"

When you nurse a sick child, you are snuggling with them, rubbing their back, making sure they are warm enough/ cool enough.  You drop everything to make sure that they are feeling loved, supported and cared for.

When we nurse a GRUDGE, what are we doing?
Upon every remembrance of the slight that we feel has been done to us, we think on it.  We dwell on it.  We get a little bit irritated.  Soon we are all worked up about it again.

I have been dealing with frustration about an issue at the church we have been attending.
I desperately wanted to start teaching Stephen the songs that we will be singing each Sunday ahead of time.  I spoke with my dear friend, who happens to be on the worship team, and we had a plan that she would email me after their practice and let me know.

Well, I did receive an email.  It said that they weren't allowed to tell me what songs they were going to be doing.

Say What?

I was shocked.  And, in truth, I still am hurt, and could easily get angry about it.

But you know what?
The enemy would love to create a seed of bitterness in my heart regarding this church. After all, we believe that the Lord is revealing that they are to be our sending church when the time comes for us to become a full on fellowship.  Wouldn't it fall into that punks plans nicely if I got hurt, prideful, and resentful and that led to an ultimate break down of relationship with these people and this church??

I refuse.
Every time I start feeling that irritation, and confusion, I give it to God.  It is important that we, as potential outreach starters of this congregation, are submissive to the authority of this church.  I will respect their decisions, even when I don't understand them.  Even when my Mommy's heart hurts because I can't follow through with the plans that I had made.  I can still teach him songs.  And you know what??? I can pray for guidance in selecting the songs that I choose to teach him.  I believe that my God is capable of  revealing what will be sung on Sunday without anyone telling me anything.

Where is my faith???

Forgive me, Father, for making this about me.
Help me to see this as an opportunity for you to show off!

I love you, Lord.

Monday, March 7, 2011

He is Moving....

Church yesterday took my breath away.

1) During worship, I realized that Stephen might sing if he knew the words, so I started to tell him the words before each line, and he started to sing!
(I cried a little.)

2) During worship, there were songs that just spoke to my heart, and just filled me with the presence of my Father.

3) During the teaching, there were so many relevant points, and I took so many notes, and I felt so encouraged.

4) We had communion.  I saw the cups and plates when I went to check on Jonathan in the nursery, and I almost cried, just at the thought of having communion.

5) The music during the prayer time before communion -- just my friend Zach playing a little guitar, broke open my heart/soul/mind... tears were streaming down my face.  I was so in awe of God's goodness, love and grace.  The blessings just flooded my mind, and I cried more.  Then I started thinking about Jesus dying FOR ME. That before the foundation of the EARTH, He chose us to be the parents of our precious boys.  And I started sobbing.  A grateful, grateful heart.

That was just Sunday morning.
Then we were relaxing at home in the evening, and I started talking to my husband about something that I felt God was showing me about the church plant, and God had revealed the SAME thing to him a little while ago!!  Isn't that amazing?

We have been praying for greater discernment regarding the spiritual attacks of the enemy.  We have been praying for strength, and for protection.
We are committed to being a unified front before the Lord.

Friday, March 4, 2011

It has begun.

We know that we are right in the center of God's will for us.
We know because the spiritual warfare is intensifying dramatically.
We haven't even moved into the town where we will be starting the Bible study, and the enemy is already trying to undermine our faith, and our marriage.

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father, for providing the Holy Spirit who is with me all of the time to help me withstand the attacks, the distractions and the pitfalls of this life.

---
I am still going strong reading the Bible in 90 Days with my Mom and Dad.  It is awesome.

Just a random smattering of thoughts today.  More to come later!

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