Zebra Ministries

Kind

2012-01-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 2:7 (ESV)

so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is kindness, which is a perfect follow up to sovereign. Knowing that God is kind is absolutely necessary once you realize He is in charge. At least it was for me, because if God is unkind and in charge then we have reason to be afraid. You only have to look at the destruction caused by evil men with limited power to understand it would be horribly frightening if God was unkind. But He isn’t. God clearly demonstrated His kindness towards us when He sent Christ.

And I think that is where we need to focus.

I could write about God’s kindness towards our family at this particular time. I could point to the fact that we’re all healthy and Gary has a job, but what happens if one of us falls sick or Gary becomes unemployed? Does God suddenly become unkind because my circumstances have changed? Of course not, but unfortunately that’s how we think sometimes.

Christians often say “God is good” when things are going their way. And I understand what they mean. They are grateful things have worked out like they wanted them to and they are thanking God for His goodness. But for me, it makes the goodness of God too small because I need to remember God’s goodness is the Cross. I spent too many years thinking God was unkind because my life was less than ideal.

This brings me to another point, which I had never really thought about before. What is the difference between good and kind? Aren’t they the same thing? Why would they put “good” on one ornament and “kind” on another? Did they run out of attributes?

Fifty-four different Greek words are translated into English as “kind.” Of the approximately 200 verses that contain the word “kind,” only six are from the same Greek word as today’s verse. (The other five, for those who are interested, are Romans 2:4, 11:22; 2 Cor 6:7; Gal 5:22 and Col 3:12) However Galatians 5:22, the list of the Fruit of the Spirit, contains both “good” and “kind.”

So I guess there is a difference, but what is it?
The Louw-Nida Lexicon, which is a dictionary of Greek words, defines them as:
kindness: to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness
goodness: the act of generous giving.

Obviously, God is both.

God gave us Christ for our benefit, and Christ generously gave us His life.

Love,
Jill

Sovereign

2012-01-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 55:9 (ESV)

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Good morning Zebras,

When I started writing about the attribute ornaments back in December I purposefully started with faithful because I said that it was my favorite. But this morning when Gary pulled out “Sovereign” I realized that might have changed. Knowing God is in charge is one of my favorite things to think about and the attribute I currently find most comforting.

I didn’t use to think too much about the sovereignty of God. To be honest it was irrelevant to my life. I had concerns and problems, things that needed to be done and I needed to do them. God seemed rather distant and useless. Sure, He was going to get me into heaven, but the day-to-day stuff? That was up to me.

Then, somewhere along the way someone told me about the sovereignty of God. They told me that nothing happens that God does not allow, that every hair of our head is numbered and that God is the one who is really running the show.

Well, that caused a new problem for me. How did I reconcile a sovereign, loving God with my life’s experiences? Because up to that point my experiences with God had not been so great. If God was really in charge then He had purposefully allowed some pretty rotten stuff to happen to me and knowing He was in charge didn’t make it any better. In fact it made it worse. If God did all that-what would He do next?

But this morning I realized how much knowing God has changed all that.

Knowing that God is holy, righteous, loving, gracious, merciful and all-powerful; that He is sovereign and in charge and that He loves me and has promised to work everything out for my good, allows me to live my life without the constant companions of fear and worry. Of course they stop by now and then for a visit, but they are no longer allowed to be permanent residents in my life.

And knowing God is sovereign has given me a childlike faith I’ve never had before.

Because now I can walk in obedience to God confidently knowing that if I am accidently going the wrong way He will change the situation and get me back on track.

Love,

Jill

That Makes Sense

2012-01-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday in church my pastor cleared up a question I’ve had for a long time. And he reinforced a few things God has taught me. He is doing a series on getting “Unstuck” and yesterday‘s topic was on getting unstuck in your family.

The key to getting unstuck in your family is, of course, giving God first place and he had a few suggestions on how to do that.

First, if you want to give God first place in your family, you need to make sure your family has daily prayer and Bible study. But then he said something that really encouraged me. He said the goal of family prayer and Bible study is that each person in the family will develop the habit of going to God for themselves.

I have struggled with the fact that my family did not do family devotions. We went to Bible Study Fellowship together, we went to Awana together, we talked about God and the Bible and we would intermittently pray together. But I always felt we could have done better. I would hear people talk about what they did and I knew we were falling short. Yesterday I realized that it wasn’t the method that was important it was the heart.

Prayer and Bible study is not a “check the box” type of activity. It’s something you want to model; it’s something you have to believe in; it’s something that should be a foundation of your family. But it doesn’t have to be done every Tuesday at 5 p.m.

His second point was that you need to make sure your family is in church. It is in church that children learn to worship and serve the Lord and they learn because they are watching you. If you want your children to learn to worship, you need to worship. If you want your children to learn to serve, you need to serve. Modeling is true in all aspects of life. But it isn’t a guarantee. And that was what I learned.

Christian parents hold on to today’s verse as if it is a promise written in stone by God. If they will only do this…then their children will turn out perfect. But I have always struggled with that. If this is a promise from God then it should always work. Parents who do A, B and C should always have children who love and serve the Lord. But it doesn’t always work that way. And yesterday I learned why.

This verse is in Proverbs, which the Bible dictionary defines as: a collection of moral and philosophical maxims of a wide range of subjects presented in a poetic form. This book sets forth the “philosophy of practical life.” It is the book on how we should live, not a book of God’s promises. Proverbs usually prove true, but they’re not guarantees. That’s when the light bulb went on because that made sense.

If you raise your child up in the Lord, there is a good chance they will follow Him, and if they walk away, that they will return, but it can’t be an A+B=C type of result because that leaves out free will and the sovereignty of God.

Love,
Jill

No Fear!!!!

2012-01-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

2Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

For Godhas not given us a spirit of fear

Goodmorning Zebras,

Fear isa destructive thing and I‘ve decided it’s one of the best weapons in Satan’sarsenal. Ever since God showed me thatthis would be the key verse for the next retreat, He has opened my eyes to howfearful His people are, including me.

We areafraid to witness at work because we might lose our job; afraid to share thegospel because people might think we’re strange; afraid to get involved andlove people as Jesus commanded because they may take up too much of our lives;and we are afraid that if we fully commit our lives to Jesus Christ, totally throwingcaution to the wind, resolving to do whatever He asks of us, He is going to takeeverything away from us and make us do something terrible.

Last weekend,Gary and I watched Moneyball. It was agood movie but the scene that’s stuck in my head really has nothing to do withthe main plot. It is a video clip of a frightened ballplayer.

Thisplayer is overweight and because it he’s afraid to run past first base. I guess he is afraid because he runs so slowlythat he won’t make it and he’ll be out, but on this particular day he decidesto “go for it.” He decides to be braveand try to get to second base.

Well,he hits the ball and starts running but as soon as he rounds first base heslips and falls. It’s his worstnightmare come true and as he crawls back to clutch first base you can see theother players laughing at him. However they weren’t laughing because he fell,they were laughing because he’d hit a homerun and didn’t even notice.

He iscrawling around in the dirt clutching at first base when he should be uprunning his victory lap.

And Godrevealed to me, “That is my people. I have hit the ball out of the park; I havegiven you the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Christ fromthe dead, but your fear keeps you from even trying to get to second base.”

Ouch.

I don’tknow about you but personally I am tired of being afraid, I am tired of sittingon first base and I am REALLY tired of hearing Satan laugh at God’s People. Andthe only antidote to that is to be brave, trust God and walk in faithconquering one little fear at a time.

Love,

Jill

Trustworthy

2012-01-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

Psalm 19:7 (NIV)

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise thesimple.

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday when I drew trustworthy out of theornament box it was like water to a dying man, it was exactly what I needed tohear. Being reminded that God wastrustworthy made my whole day.

Then this morning I looked up the referenceverse. I expected it to say ‘God istrustworthy.” So I was surprised to seethat it said God’s Word was trustworthy. “That’s odd,” I thought, “ I bet I canfind a better verse than this.”

But what I found is that all the verses sayGod’s Word is trustworthy. And thatstarted me thinking: God is trustworthy because what He says is trustworthy. Thereason that people are not trustworthy is because they don’t always tell the truth.

Sometimes people lie because they have evilintent. They are manipulative andvicious. They want what they want andthey will do anything to get it. Even if it means telling the biggest liepossible. But that it not most people. Most people end up telling lies without really meaning to.

For example, I told Nick I would take himsomewhere today, but circumstances have changed and I am not going to be ableto go. I didn’t mean to tell a lie, butit became one because I don’t have the ability to control circumstances. That never happens with God. When God says something is going to happen,you can bet it will happen because no change of circumstance can prevent Godfrom doing it.

Another reason people lie is because they areswayed by their sinful nature. I once toldsomeone I would come to dinner, but when the day came I was too tired and selfishto make myself go. Instead I called and told them I was sick, which was a lie.I hadn’t intended to lie when I promised to go. I had planned on going, but when push came to shove, I lied rather than inconveniencemyself.

But again that never happens with God. Goddoes not have an old sinful nature. Goddoes not have an internal battle between good and evil because God is all good.

And sometimes people lie because it’s easy.

Originally I was going to use someone elsefor this example. I was going toself-righteously point out how “others,” who shall remain nameless, say theyare going to do something but they don’t follow through. Obviously they are just big fat furry liars!

But God had other plans. He needed to humbledme a little and show me that I too am a big fat flurry liar when it suits myneeds because he had me type and eat at the same time. And just like every othermorning, my dogs showed up for their share.

My husband wants me to quit feeding mymoodles (poodle mixed mutt dogs) people food. He thinks it is bad for them, which it probably is, but I don’t think afew cereal flakes is going to hurt. Whenhe talks to me about it I halfheartedly agree to stop, but I have no intentionof doing so. I want to share my cerealwith my dogs and I want Gary to leave me alone about it. A “white lie” accomplishesboth.

But God never does that. He doesn’t tell you something just to makeyou happy. He tells you the truth; whetheror not it is what you want to hear. And that is good. Because in this world of half-truths and biglies, it is wonderful to know what God says is true.

John 17:17b: Thy Word is truth.

Love,
Jill

2012-01-11T08:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas may be over-but the joy of Christ never ends. The rest of the decorations are packed away but the attribute tree has a new home in my living room to help me stay focused on the wonder of our God. Plus I still have eleven attributes to go and perseverance requires that I finish what I have started. The next one is Trustworthy.

Impartial

2012-01-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

1 Peter 1:17 (NLT)

And remember that the heavenly Father to whomyou pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what youdo. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners inthe land.”

Good morning Zebras,

Last month my herd pondered on the impartialnature of God which is an attribute I haven’t given much thought to.

To be honest my first thought was “I don’twant God to be impartial; I want Him to like me best!” But the more I thoughtabout it, the more I realized it really is a good thing God is impartial becauseif God was not impartial, He could like me best, but He could also like meleast.

My daughter had a teacher once who wasanything but impartial. If he liked you,you got good grades, if he didn’t…well… The first semester Katherine didn’t play the game. She did her work and she did it well, but shedidn’t suck up. She got a “C”. The second semester she changed hertactics. She did the same quality ofwork but she went out of her way to make the teacher like her, this time itearned her an “A.”

God is not like that. Verses out of Romans, Galatians, Ephesiansand Colossians testify to the fact that God doesn’t show favoritism. He judges each man’s work impartially and Herewards and punishes accordingly. Youcan’t get away with doing something wrong just because He likes you.

God offers salvation, through the cross ofChrist, to everyone regardless of their race, age, or economic status and Herewards everyone who accepts. And Hecontinues to reward those people who do His will and work here on earth,storing up for them treasure in heaven and giving them a peace which surpassesall understanding.

Which is great and it should motivate us todo more for the kingdom knowing at some point we will have to give an accountto an impartial judge of what we have done with the blessings He has givenus. Like the story of the talents, Godwill reward those people who have used His gifts for His glory.

But it is also a little scary for the verysame reason. Who of us really wants to standbefore an impartial God and defend how we have spent our lives? Only Christ can stand before God having liveda life totally devoted to His service. Everyone else is going to fall short.

Pondering the impartial nature of God hasbeen a roller coaster of emotions: sad not to be God’s favorite, happy to knowI would be rewarded for my good works, motivated to go out and do more, depressedto realize how little I’ve done, and finally grateful that I have been saved bygrace, which is a gift of God, and not as result of my works.

Love,

Jill

Looking Forward

2011-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Good morning Zebras,

Each year it seems God gives me a verse that becomes the focus of my life for the following year. It isn’t something I choose, but something God chooses for me and it usually builds on the verses He has given me before.

When I first started teaching women at the Awana conferences a few years ago the passage I used most often was Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble…think on these things and the peace of God will be with you.” My focus was to encourage women to learn God’s word and apply it to their lives, to quit taking their value from the things of the world but from God Himself who has created them in His image for His purpose. And also that women needed to learn to get along and support one other because Satan is tearing us apart. It was the beginning of Zebras.

The next year I taught what I considered to be my first women’s retreat. The retreat was centered on Psalm 46:10a, which tells us to be still and know God. I learned so much as I prepared for that retreat about what it means to be still before the Lord and even more about who God really is. It became the foundation for my life.

The next retreat was on pursuing God, God promises in Psalm 34:10b that those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. It was eye opening and very challenging to study the lives of men like Abraham, Moses, David and Paul and to see what it really looked like to live a life totally dedicated to honoring God. I learned, among other things that God’s work must be done God’s way; that God does ask us to sacrifice those things we love most to Him; and that real faith means believing what God says and acting on it.

For the last year my passion has been on resting in Christ and the promise found in Matthew 11:28. This year I didn’t do just one retreat but a series of mini retreats at various churches. I think God had me to do mini-retreats because every time I did one I learned more. I still don’t think I know everything there is to know about who Jesus is, but I know A WHOLE lot more than when I started.

So this coming year, in preparation for the Walking in the Spirit retreat scheduled for next September, it’s time to focus on the Holy Spirit. I can’t teach what I don’t practice and recently God has allowed me to see how often fear keeps me from doing what I am supposed to do. But God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-discipline and I am VERY excited to learn what that really means.

Love,
Jill

Omnipresent

2011-12-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

Psalm 139:7–12 (NLT)

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is omnipresent; the attribute that means God is all-present. He is with me while I am writing this and He is with you while you are reading it. He is not limited by time or space so only God has the ability to be EVERYWHERE all the time. And it’s an attribute God had to help me to understand.

Some Christians use God’s omnipresence like parents use Santa. “Don’t do anything you don’t want God to see because He is right there with you.” So, for me God became a police officer in the sky, the enforcer whose presence keeps you under control, which made God’s presence oppressive and unpleasant.

The first time I read today’s verses I thought David agreed. Poor David, I knew exactly how he felt, no matter where you go you can’t get away from God. But obviously that isn’t what David is saying at all. David isn’t complaining because he was trying to hide from God and couldn’t. He was praising God because David understood that everywhere he went God’s guidance and strength went with him.

The other thing Christians do sometimes is to pray for God’s presence. So I started doing the same thing. It was a case of “Monkey see, monkey do,” until recently. About a year ago I was praying for my son during my morning quiet time. Nick was on a mission trip so I was praying what every mother prays when their child is on a mission trip “that God would be with Nick and the rest of the kids on the trip."

And God stopped me for a little clarification.

“Jill,” He said, “you do not need to pray for me to be with Nick and the others, I am already there. My presence does not depend upon your prayers. Pray instead that Nick and the others would be aware I am there.”

It was one of those light bulb moments where your understanding of God grows. So now I no longer pray for God’s presence. Not because it is a bad prayer, but because it seems to shrink God and could be a stumbling block to others.

Dear Heavenly Father, I do thank you for Your omnipresence, Your ability to be everywhere at the same time and I pray each of us would have an increased awareness today of Your presence not only in our lives but in the lives of those we love.

Love,

Jill

Infinite

2011-12-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

1 Kings 8:27 (NLT)

“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is infinite.

I know I have written about this before but I couldn’t find it. I went through the older postings on the zebra website but when I couldn’t easily locate it I decided God wanted me to write it again.

Infinite is the very first attribute Tozer covers in his The Attributes of God books. When I first read them I thought that was a very odd place to start. If we were explaining God to someone we would start with His love, or maybe His holiness, but we would never start with that fact that He is infinite.

But knowing that God is infinite, that He exists beyond space and time is important if you are trying to understand how great God is. Because God is infinite He cannot be measured. We talk about endless wealth or boundless energy but there is really no such thing. Everything we have and do is finite and can be measured except for God.

Which means every time we try to explain God, we limit His greatness.

Recently I have felt the strain of trying to explain God with mere words. Words cannot do justice to something that is beyond our understanding, but since it is all we have, they will have to do.

The fact that God is infinite also means that every attribute He possesses, He possesses infinitely. Therefore there is no end to His wisdom, His love or His power. They go on and on, into infinity, never reaching an end. That too is beyond our understanding. We have a limit on our knowledge, abilities, and love. God because He is infinite does not.

But still sometimes we don’t realize how great God is until we put it into perspective.

Think about an ant. It is a great little insect, one which I hope we can all agree is inferior to man. Yet an ant is a finite creature, it can be measured. There is a limit to physical characteristics and abilities. As humans, we too are finite creatures who have limits and can be measured. But God, because He is infinite, does not.

This means, God, in His infinitude, is more superior to humans than humans are to ants. For, although the distant between us and an ant can be measured the distance between us and God cannot. We were created in the image of God, and we have many of His characteristics but the difference between us and He is infinite.

Which when you think about it is very, very comforting. Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a God who I can fully explain or understand. Nor do I want a god whose powers and abilities are as limited as my own. I want my God to be the infinite, perfect, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, infinitely boundless, perfect God that is found in the Bible. Don’t you?

Love,

Jill

Omnipotent

2011-12-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Matthew 28:18 (NLT)

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute, omnipotent, dovetails so nicely with yesterday’s attribute of goodness that I know God planned it that way. The fact God has all power is one of the reasons why Christians have to understand that God is good. If God was good and didn’t have all power He would be like Santa, a nice guy but rather useless in the crunch. And if He had all power and was mean, that would just be scary. Men like Hitler and Stalin had limited power but evil hearts and they wreaked havoc in the world. Can you imagine what an evil all-powerful God could do?

God is good and God has all power and the combination is something that every Christian can rejoice over.

The Bible Dictionary says there are four aspects to power as explained in the Bible. There is the unlimited power of God, the limited power that God gives to His creatures, the power of God as displayed through Jesus and the power of God working in the lives of His people.

A beautiful summation of the unlimited power of God is found in 1Chronicles 29:11-12. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”

And from that power God grants limited power to His creation. Since all power comes from God no one can have power unless God gives it to them He is the one who sets up rulers and brings them down. No government exists unless God has allowed it.

Jesus knew that. He knew that everything that was happening to Him was under the power of God. Look at His response to Pilate as recorded in John 19:11a (NLT) Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” Understanding that all power is given by God can give you peace in even the worst situations.

Then there is the power God gives to believers through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Bible Dictionary explains it like this: The gospel itself is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” In that life, as children of God, power is received from the Holy Spirit, inner strength to live in his service, power to be his witnesses, power to endure suffering, power that enables for ministry, power in the face of weakness, power through prayer, and power to be kept from evil. Pretty much all the power we need to accomplish what God has called us to do but too often we don’t utilize it.

The power of God is like a present that remains unwrapped under the tree, useless unless you open it, understand it, and put it to work.

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. Mark 12:24 (NLT)

Love,

Jill

Good

2011-12-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

John 10:11 (NLT)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is good.

Whether or not God is good is a question every Christian needs to settle for themselves and one I have written about before. Because of my own personal experiences reconciling the goodness of God with the reality of my life was a necessary task before I could begin to grow spiritually.

Reconciling Psalm 119:68 (NLT) “You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees,” with the realities of life is sometimes difficult but absolutely necessary. It’s imperative as Christians that we understand God is good because the Bible says so, not because of the circumstances of our life. If God is good only because our life is good then what happens when things turn bad?

In the beginning God made everything good. Adam and Eve messed it up. They introduced sin into God’s perfect world. But God in His goodness did not destroy them. He punished them for their sin by sending them from the Garden but He did not kill them as they deserved.

Instead He continued on with His plan.

In His goodness He sent His son to pay the penalty for our sins and to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus is the ultimate expression of the goodness of God. And yet people still accuse Him of being unkind or unfair when He doesn’t do exactly what they want.

It is rather silly when you think about it.

What we want is a “happy” life. But God has bigger plans. He wants us to have a “holy” life. He wants us to be transformed into the image of His son so that we can reach the world for Christ. Christians who blame God and whine when their circumstances are unpleasant do not advance the kingdom.

I know because I’ve been there.

God has us on a journey. He has told us the destination, He has paid the price of our admittance but He hasn’t told us everything that is going to happen along the way. He has reassured us that He is in charge and He has asked us to trust Him. He has even warned us the road will be difficult but He has promised us it is worth it.

But sometimes, like spoiled kids whose father is taking them to Disneyland, we complain and malign the goodness of God because He won’t stop and get us a soda.

Love,

Jill

Fah Who Foraze! Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day!

2011-12-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

James 1:17 (NIV)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

Good morning Zebras,

As Christmas approaches it gets harder and harder not to focus on what is going to be under the tree on Christmas morning, at least for me.

What I want for Christmas is something that can’t be bought. It is the privilege of continuing to do ministry, especially Zebras. I love going out and encouraging God’s women to grow in their relationship with God and with one another.

Obviously, that isn’t something that can be wrapped up and put under the tree. It is something that I have to wait upon God to provide. He has to open the doors and provide the opportunities for me to speak.

Though the more I thought about it, the more I realized there are a lot of people who want things for Christmas that can’t be bought. People who are ill want their health, infertile women want children, unemployed people just want a job and grieving people want their loved one back.

Then I realized even those people who want things that can go under the tree are dependent upon God. God is the one who provides the money to buy the presents that sit under the tree on Christmas morning. Which is easy to forget when you have enough money or credit to buy whatever you want, but it is painfully clear when you don’t.

And in all of this the meaning of Christmas can easily get lost. And self-pity can set in.

When Dorothy and her friends appeared before the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, he pulled from his black bag things that helped everyone but Dorothy. They each received a worldly token that gave them what they needed. The lion felt brave, the scarecrow felt smart and the tin man began to cry. But Dorothy knew there was nothing in the little black bag for her because all she wanted was to go home.

Lately I have been feeling like Dorothy but when I shared my feelings with my daughter she threw cold water on my pity party and reminded me of something I’d forgotten.

The reason the wizard didn’t have anything for Dorothy in his black bag was because she already had everything she needed. The ruby slippers she had worked so hard to protect had the power to take her home. She just didn’t know it.

So after a rough few days, I think God has me refocused. God has already given me so very much that if He never gave me another thing it would still be more than I deserved. And the focus of Christmas should not be the excitement of what is to come, but the gratitude for what has already been done.

Love,

Jill

Stop and Chew

2011-12-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Good morning Zebras,

I wasn’t going to write a z-mail this morning because my brain is starting to hurt. Thinking a lot about God’s attributes, as revealed in scripture, is putting me into information overload and I decided I need a day or two to process what I have already learned. But then I realized that should be the subject of the z-mail.

When I was little my mom used to tell me to chew my food thirty-two times before swallowing. Personally, I think chewing your food that much turns it into disgusting goo, but it is probably better for my digestive system than the chew, chew, swallow I normally do.

So today I need to slow down and chew on God’s word thoroughly before I swallow and move on to the next bite.

Let’s start with patience. I used to think I was being patient when I could endure, without complaining, rush hour traffic or a long line at the grocery store. But after studying the Biblical definition of patience I realized I am so far from God’s goal it isn’t even funny.

The type of patience that Jesus displayed was not silent suffering through situations He could not change, but an active choice not to change a situation that He could. He didn’t have to be patient, He wasn’t “forced” to wait, He chose to wait knowing that God’s will would prevail.

And He waited knowing that what the people were doing was wrong and evil.

Then there is gentle, the attribute we talked about yesterday. The Bible says to “let your gentleness be evident to all.’ To ALL, not just your family not to just a select few friends but to everyone you meet or interact with though out the day.

Wow! That is a lot of gentleness!

But what is gentleness. It is not something we are born with. It is not a quiet nature or a soft voice. It is a way of interacting with others we have to cultivate because it is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit and a character displayed by Christ. It is an attitude which allows us to deal with others in a way that benefits them.

It means I have to think more of you than I think of me. And it means that I have to deal kindly with everyone, even those people who I sinfully judge to be inferior, because that is what Christ did for me.

Love,

Jill

Gentle

2011-12-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Matthew 21:5 (NIV)

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is Gentle.

My first reaction when Nick picked “gentle” from the Christmas tree ornament box was, “Well, that explains it. Gentleness combined with patience explains a lot about how God deals with me. If God was a violent, impatient person things would be a lot different.”

But then I started thinking. Is gentleness really an attribute of God? It isn’t listed in any of my attributes of God books and just because it is written on an ornament doesn’t make it true so I decided to do a little research.

Turns out there are a few Greek and Hebrew words that get translated as gentle. And there are other closely related words which get translated humble or meek. In the ESV and ISV today’s verse is translated “‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey” But the NASB agrees with the NIV and uses the word gentle. So which is it? Is God humble or gentle or both? Are humble and gentle the same?

Obviously at this point I was in over my head so I sought the advice of my pastor.

One of the questions I asked him was could Jesus possess an attribute that God the Father did not have. It is easy for me to see the gentle nature of Jesus, but gentle is not the first thing that comes to mind when describing God.

He responded with: I would go the route that Jesus suggests - "If you know me you know the father." Therefore - if Jesus is meek, God has meekness as a quality.

But I still wanted to find a reference to the gentleness of God in the Old Testament. This morning I found two. The first is when God speaks to Elijah on Mt. Horeb in 1 Kings 19. God could have spoken through the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but He didn’t, He chose instead to speak to Elijah through what the Bible describes as a gentle whisper.

But the second one was a verse that I had never really seen before. Written by David and recorded twice, it says “your gentleness made me great.”

Isn’t that encouraging?! God’s gentleness can make us great.

My first thought was “Oh goody, through the gentle instruction of God I can become great,” but then I realized that was probably not right. What makes us great is not what we do but our faith in the gentleness of God as revealed in Jesus.

Love,

Jill

Wise

2011-12-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 11:2 (NLT)

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is Wisdom. And boy, am I glad! I didn’t realize it but my mind was getting full of the wisdom of men and needed a good washing. Spending the morning reading some great verses about the wisdom of God did the trick.

For me the quintessential passage on the wisdom of God is Proverbs 3. In my study Bible, it is titled “Further Benefits of Wisdom,” and it contains the following verses:

Proverbs 3:5–7 (NLT)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

I love that! Do not be impressed with your own wisdom. Most translations say “do not be wise in your own eyes.” Basically, do not think you are so smart, when the Bible says “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom”

But that sure isn’t how people act, even Christians sometimes get tripped up.

For example, finding balance in our life is a popular Christian topic, and it sure sounds good when we talk about it, but man’s version is figure out how much time you have and divide it up. Give so much time to God, so much time to work, and so much time to family. But that isn’t what God says. God says to pursue Him first, to love Him most, and to count everything a loss compared to knowing Him.

If you do that God will bring balance to your life. He will give you time to spend with your family, He will make you successful at your job and He will provide the opportunities to serve the kingdom. He will get your life in order if you wholeheartedly put Him first.

Or think money. Man’s wisdom says, “Be wise, save up, you need to make sure you have enough to last you through the “Golden Years.” But again I don’t see that in the Bible. What I believe God says is, “Trust ME! Trust Me to take care of you today and trust Me to take care of you tomorrow. Use what I give you to advance the kingdom and trust that I will give you more. Trust me enough to test me on this.”

Or how about how we spend our time? Man’s wisdom says, “I don’t have time to serve God, I don’t have time to study my Bible, I’m too busy. Maybe later, when the kids are grown or when I retire, then I will have time to focus on God.” But that’s not what God says. God say, “Follow me now, obey me now, you don’t even know what tomorrow holds. This very day your life might be demanded of you and it’s “Game Over.”

And the list goes on; education, our children and how we define success have all been tainted by the wisdom of men. In fact I am struggling to think of one good example where the wisdom of men agrees with the wisdom of God, which is why we so desperately need the wisdom of Christ.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you so much for Your word, Your wisdom and Your Son. Thank you for reassuring us that the world’s ways and Your ways are not the same. Thank you that you do not judge the success of a man based upon outside appearance and material wealth, but upon the heart. Thank you for sending us your Son, not only as our Savior, but as the human embodiment of Your wisdom. A flesh and blood example of what it looks like to live a life that is completely pleasing to You.

Love,
Jill

Long Suffering

2011-12-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Good morning Zebras,

I have always struggled with doing Advent-related activities. I start off really well, but after about a week I miss a day and fall behind. Then the pressure to “stay on track” takes the joy out of whatever it is I’m doing. I have resolved not to let that happen this time.

Last Thursday I fell behind. I had intended to write two on Friday to “catch up” but I didn’t get them done. Now I am faced with a few choices. I can give up, I can write two a day until I catch up, or I can accept the fact that I am not going to get through all the attribute ornaments by Christmas and keep going anyway.

I have chosen option number three because God will still be worth discussing on December 26, and because His attributes shouldn’t be gobbled down two at a time, like chocolates from an advent calendar, just to stay on track.

So, thanks for waiting, our next attribute is long suffering.

I think we can all agree that God is very patient. He puts up with a lot before He finally blows. At least that is how it appears, but as I pondered patience in light of His immutability I knew that couldn’t be the way it worked. In humans patience is something that comes and goes, something we can “lose.” But it can’t be that way with God.

The Bible Dictionary defines patience as: The ability to take a great deal of punishment from evil people or circumstances without losing one’s temper, without becoming irritated and angry, or without taking vengeance. It includes the capacity to bear pain or trials without complaint, the ability to forbear under severe provocation, and the self-control which keeps one from acting rashly even though suffering opposition or adversity.

That certainly describes Jesus. Jesus had all the power to stop what was happening to Him but He didn’t. He suffered through everything they did to Him without raising a finger. He was the perfect example of what patience looked like in human form.

But it describes God the Father also. What God showed me as I prayed over His patience for the last few days was that He doesn’t “blow” and act out of anger. He doesn’t get tired of dealing with His people and lose control. And He did not discipline the Israelites because He lost His patience and couldn’t take their nonsense anymore. He was simply doing what he had told them He was going to do.

All of which is very good for us.

Love,
Jill

Unchanging

2011-12-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 13:8 (ISV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today—and forever!

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is “Unchanging.” Actually, that was yesterday’s attribute. I struggled all day trying to write a z-mail about the unchanging nature of God but if never felt right. This morning I think I know the reason why. God’s Immutability, the big Biblical word for the unchanging nature of God is more head knowledge for me than an attribute I have pondered on and internalized.

As a woman I am anything but “unchanging.” I change from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour. I am influenced by other people and by what I eat. I can be happy one minute and mad the next. And I know I am not alone.

Things change too. Take this z-mail for example. When I wrote it this yesterday it said one thing, now it says another. Or think about life in general. Kids grow, people move, friends die, trees change. Change is the natural order of our lives. And because of that it is difficult for me to grasp the fact that God doesn’t.

God has always been and will always be exactly as He is right now. He doesn’t have bad days and good days. He doesn’t evolve. He doesn’t get better because He started out perfect. And He doesn’t get worse because then He wouldn’t be God. And that sounds simple until you really start thinking about it, then it makes your head hurt.

God does not change ever. From the beginning of time, for all of eternity God has been and will always be the same. He has always existed in the form He is right now. He has always possessed the exact same qualities and attributes that He has right now. They haven’t improved and they haven’t decreased, and they haven’t increased.

I have heard people refer to God as the “Old Testament God” and the “New Testament God,” as if God changed between books. But He didn’t. Who He was in the Old Testament is who He still is. He didn’t quit being holy and righteous when He revealed His mercy and grace through Christ. He couldn’t and still be a God worth worshipping.

If God could change, we would never know what to expect. We would not be able to approach the throne of grace with confidence because we wouldn’t be sure who was sitting there when we went.

And God’s immutability is why He can be our rock and our foundation. It is why we can confidently build a life on the truth of Jesus Christ. Because God’s immutability also means He won’t be changing His mind.

Love,

Jill

Unity

2011-12-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Good morning Zebras,

Last night Nick drew “Unity” out of the ornament box. My first reaction was “Unity? How I’m I going to write an encouraging z-mail about that?” But this morning things looked a little different.

First, obviously, unity is an attribute of God. The Father, Son and Spirit exist in perfect harmony. They never argue they never disagree. They are one united team that works together to accomplish what needs to be done.

Wouldn’t that be great if that could be said of God’s church as well?

With the exception of what I call the big three, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, God’s attributes are imparted to us as well. We are gracious because God is gracious; we love because He is love, etc. And we are to have unity because He has unity.

Read Jesus’s prayer recorded in John 17:20-23 (NLT)

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

If you look at it that way, unity becomes hugely important. We are commanded to be unified so we can reach the world. I don’t think God ever intended for there to be 38,000 different Christian denominations.

Nor do I think He intended for us to argue amongst ourselves about the best way to do ministry. Unity cannot exist unless everyone is focused on what honors God instead of what honors them. In Matthew, Jesus warned that a house divided against itself would not stand and in Galatians Paul wrote them to warn them that if they kept arguing they were going to destroy themselves.

And it cannot exist if we continue to talk behind one another’s back.

So the next time you are tempted to complain about a fellow Christian worker stop, and pray for them instead. A spirit of unity has to start somewhere. Personally I think it would be great if it started with us.Love,

Jill

Creative

2011-12-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

Colossians 1:16 (NLT)

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope yesterday’s z-mail on holiness was as encouraging to you as it was to me. All day I was thanking God that my holiness does not depend upon my actions, but upon His. Focusing on God’s work instead of mine made for a very joy filled day.

Then, this morning as I was getting dressed, I noticed a list of “I am’s” that has been hanging in my closet for a long time. It was given to me by someone who wanted to encourage me by letting me know who I am in Christ. But I never really found the list that encouraging and today I realized why. Knowing who you are in Christ doesn’t really mean a lot until you know who Christ is.

The ornament we drew out last night said “Creative.” Not Creator, but Creative. The difference sparked a lively discussion at my house.

Nick and I think creative is a different attribute than creator. One is the ability to imagine things; the other the ability to make things. Creative people can explain their ideas to others who can do the work. Or, as in the case of Michelangelo, who imagined the modern tank, they can have an idea but not have the resources to bring it about.

Gary disagreed. He thinks that creative and creator is the same thing. That to be a creator you must be creative because implicate in creator is the ability to make something from nothing. And if you are creative, you create.

All of this caused me to do a little research which I must say was incredibly unhelpful. I couldn’t find a single book that talked about the difference between creative and creator, not that it really matters because both are attributes of God.

God made everything we see, and everything we cannot see from nothing. Nothing existed before God spoke it into being. No earth, no angles, no heaven. Nothing. And nothing was made that wasn’t made for Him. We only have to look to nature to see the creative ability of God. But that is not what I wanted to talk about.

What I wanted to talk about was the creative nature of God as it applies to problem solving. When we have a problem we often try to find a “creative solution.” We brainstorm ideas with others in an effort to think “outside the box.”

But what I have seen recently in my life, and what has totally blown me away, is that if I take my concern to God in prayer and wait upon His answer He comes up with the most amazing solution, solving my problem in a way that I hadn’t even considered.

For example, last May Gary and I were trying to decide whether or not I should return to work. After two years off, Gary thought maybe it was time for me to go back. Since he wasn’t sure about God’s leading he took the stand that if God wanted me to quit work He would fire me. But I didn’t want God to fire me. I wanted to sacrifice my job up to God so I would get the blessings I knew would follow. We both prayed and waited until God provided a solution that made both of us happy.

The school district fired me and then offered me a job which I politely declined.

Love,
Jill

Omniscient

2011-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is omniscient.

According to R.A. Torrey’s book What the Bible Teaches, God’s omniscience means God’s knowledge is infinite. He sees all that occurs everywhere. He sees all the good and all the bad. He knows everything that happens in nature He knows what each of us are doing. He knows all our deeds, experiences, thoughts, words, and sorrows. He knows from eternity to eternity everything that has happened and everything that will happen. And He knows not only what each one of us will do, He also knows our part in His plan of the ages.

It is an attribute that belongs uniquely to God and it is one of my favorites because knowing God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen is incredibly comforting.

Last night Nick, my son, drew an ornament out of the box, looked at it and put it back. Instead of giving me the one he had chosen at random he threw it back in and picked a different one. When I asked him why he had done that he said he didn’t really like the one he had picked first.

But the one he had picked first was one I wanted to write about today. It was an attribute that went nicely with yesterday’s attribute of Just. So I couldn’t deciding which attribute to write about.

Nick’s input was I should write about omniscient since God, being omniscient, knew he was going to put the first ornament back and pick this one instead. This morning God confirmed that Nick was right.

God woke me up this morning at 5:00, with what I thought was my cell phone ringing downstairs. But when I got up to check my phone was turned off. I turned in on just to make sure that I hadn’t missed a call. Since I was up I went to the bathroom taking my phone with me. Sitting there half asleep I decided to check Facebook. (Let me say at this point I have NEVER checked Facebook at 5:00 in the morning on the toilet before and have NEVER had any desire to do so.)

This was what my friend Amy had just posted: It was the Holy Spirit. A very clear indication to wait after the light turned green, just to make sure other drivers saw their red. I waited. The other driver didn't even slow down. Straight through. But not into me because God had me wait. Really.

And that’s one reason I love the omniscience of God. He knows what is going to happen and sometimes, when we need to know, He tells us.

Love,
Jill

Just

2011-12-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Romans 3:25–26 (NLT)

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

A few years ago my husband told me that I didn’t know how bad I was. At the time I was offended but eventually I had to acknowledge he was right. So last night, when we chose our attribute ornament for the day and it said “Just” it was almost reassuring that my first reaction was fear. To think about a Just God giving me what I deserve, apart from Christ, is a scary thing.

God is just and therefore He cannot say one thing and do another. He cannot say the wages of sin is death and not follow through. But He also can’t say all who believe in Jesus will be saved and then change His mind. He is the one who established the rules and He will carry them out with impeccable justice.

Romans 5:1 states we have been justified by faith, and because of that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And 1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t stay angry. We confess and He forgives, that’s God’s justice for us.

But it is not God’s justice for those who reject Christ.

Some people wonder “Would a good God really condemn a person to hell?’’ The answer is yes. Not because God wants to send people to hell, in fact the Bible says that God wants everyone to be saved, but because God is just and people have free will. They have the right to accept or reject God’s free gift of salvation. But they will suffer the consequences of saying no. That’s justice for them.

Tozer in his book The Attributes of God explains it this way:

When God looks at a sinner and sees him there unatoned for… justice says he must die. And when God looks at the atoned-for sinner… justice says he must live. The unjust sinner can no more go to heaven than the justified sinner can go to hell.

The fact that God is just should give us confidence that we are saved.

Love,

Jill

Faithful

2011-12-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Good morning Zebras,

My favorite part of a herd meeting is the sharing. After a whole month of praying about and watching for an attribute of God in our lives we get together and share what we have learned. It’s very encouraging hearing woman after woman testify to what God has done in her life that month.

Doing this for the last three years has exponentially increased my knowledge of God and consequently my faith, so when Anita gave me the attribute ornaments I shared about yesterday, she knew I would love them.

Originally I had planned to take the month of December off, but after I finished writing yesterday’s z-mail God gave me a different plan. Each day I am going to write about the attribute ball that we put on our tree the night before. Just like at a herd meeting I am going to share how I have seen God work in that area of my life and hopefully you will want to join in. But even if you can’t I’ll pray you will be encouraged as I spend this month focused on the attributes of our amazing God.

Last night I cheated. I think I was supposed to pull an ornament at random from the box, but I’ve been so blown away by God’s faithfulness that I had to start there.

Three years ago I took a leave of absence from work to pursue ministry. At the time I felt like I was a crazy person but I knew God was calling me to quit working for money and start working for Him. In May I quit for good and over these last three years I have watched God faithfully provide everything my family has needed and more.

First and foremost, He has provided a job for Gary. There have been a few bumps in the road, but God was always faithful. The bills got paid and we had plenty of food. But He didn’t stop there. He has given us things that we just wanted as well

Gary, my husband, likes cars. And we have always had “nice” cars, nothing flashy but good practical dependable cars. But I know my husband, and I knew that there was a car longing inside of him that had not been satisfied. So when he let me quit work I knew he was also giving up his car. God knew that too and six months ago he gave Gary a job that came with a brand new Flex. I am almost embarrassed to drive around in it because it is so nice, but I keep reminding myself it came from God for FREEEE.

I have wanted new windows in our house for a long time. But without my income there was no way we were ever getting them, and to be honest even with my income it would have been a stretch. But we have new windows now because God provided them through my mother-in-law who graciously offered to pay to have our windows replaced.

Then yesterday my sister called. She was shopping and she wanted to know if I needed anything. I can’t really go into details because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for my husband, but I started crying when I was talking to her because I knew although the present was coming from my sister, the idea had come from God.

Worrying used to be a full-time occupation. I grew up with very little money and because of it I’ve always worried about it. But God promises in Matthew 6 that if we will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness He will provide everything we need.

And I have found God is faithful to keep His promises.

Love,

Jill

Unto Us

2011-12-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

For unto us a Child is born…

Good morning Zebras,

I have a few friends who are very particular about words. They think how you say something is almost as important as what you say. Or maybe I should say they think how you say something reflects how you really think.

For example if you refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it” do you really believe he is an “it” or do you know He is a person with characteristics and attributes and have just gotten into the habit of referring to Him as an “it.”

Now for a lady whose favorite descriptive word is “thing,” that has been a challenge. But I have found that becoming aware of the words I use has made me look more closely at what I believe to be true.

A few weeks ago at Awana one of the clubbers was sharing with me their excitement about Christmas. Joyfully they told me “It is almost Jesus’ birthday!” And for the first time in my life I realized that it was not doctrinally accurate.

Jesus, like God is eternal. He was here from the beginning. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Jesus does not have a birthday because He has always existed. He just revealed Himself to us in human form at Christmas.

Now, you may ask “Why does that matter. Aren’t you just splitting hairs?” Maybe, but to be honest, I don’t think so. I think my surprise at realizing it wasn’t really Jesus’ birthday may just be another indication that we’ve accidentally shrunk God.

Today starts the Advent season and Monday I got the best gift from a friend. It is a box of Christmas ornaments each one inscribed with an attribute of God and a supporting scripture. The accompanying instructions say: “Each night of the advent, choose one of the ornaments to add to your tree. Before you hang it on a limb, talk about the ways God displays that quality. Look up Bible verses and talk about them. Then pray together, praising God for that aspect of His character."

Personally, I can’t think of any better thing to do this Christmas than increase my knowledge of God. Because after this little revelation I know it is still needed.

I pray that you too have a wonderful Christmas season pondering on the mystery and majesty of God because it may not officially be Jesus’ birthday but “He is definitely the reason for the season!”

Love,
Jill

Attributes Ornaments

Faithful: 1 Corinthians 1:9
Righteous: 1 John 2:1
Holy: 1 Peter 1:15
Forgiving: Psalm 86:5
Loving: Romans 8:35-39
Merciful: Titus 3:5
All-Knowing (Omniscient) John 16:30
All-Present (Omnipresent) Psalm 139:7-12
All-Powerful (Omnipotent) Matthew 28:18
Eternal: Genesis 21:33
Full of Truth: John 14:6
Full of Wisdom: Isaiah 11:2
Compassionate: Mark 1:41
Just: Acts 17:31
Long-Suffering: 1 Timothy 1:16
Kind: Ephesians 2:7
Gentle: Matthew 21:5
Immutable (Unchanging): Hebrews 13:8
Creative: Genesis 1:26
Infinite: 1 Kings 8:27
Sovereign (Supreme Ruler): Jude 4
Unity: Deuteronomy 6:4
Full of Goodness: John 10:11
Trustworthy: Psalm 19:7
Generous: 2 Corinthians 8:7-9

We Rest, He Works

2011-11-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Psalm 127:1 (ESV)

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Good morning Zebras,

At the Colusa retreat God gave me today’s verse, which has quickly become one of my favorites. Debra, one of the women organizing the event shared it with me and she said that it had become her current life verse.

I liked the verse so much I came home and looked it up in context. The entire passage reads:

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

God gives us rest because He loves us. He does not want us anxiously toiling night and day. He wants us to rest and trust that He will provide for us like He has promised.

But when I read it in the NASB the promise got even better. Although the first verse is the same the second verse reads:

Psalm 127:2 (NASB95)

It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Isn’t that cool? God gives us rest because He loves us and He continues to provide for us even while we sleep. Of course, if we’d thought about it, we would know it is true. We know God doesn’t go to sleep when we do and he doesn’t quit watching over us just because we go to bed.

But do we act like it?

Do we act like rest is a gift from God given to those He loves and that He is perfectly capable of accomplishing whatever needs to get done while we rest? Or have we elevated ourselves to such a place of importance that we think everything depends on us? Unintentionally acting like God can’t get anything done unless we assist Him.

God says He gives rest to those He loves and He promises to keep working while we rest, in faith we need to take Him up on it.

Love,

Jill

The Great and Powerful Oz

2011-11-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 12:28–29 (ESV)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Good morning Zebras,

This month my herd, what I call the gathering of the zebras at our church, is studying the holiness of God. And I am once again reminded that if you need to get your life back on track the best attribute to study is God’s holiness.

As I was reading Hosea this morning I was struck by all the horrible things God told the Israelites would soon be happening to them, they were going to be taken into captivity and their cities would be destroyed. Only a remnant of what was once God’s mighty people would remain. And why? Because they had turned away from God and forgotten all that He had done for them. They had offered sacrifices but not obedience.

They had toyed with a holy God and they were about to lose.

Then I go to Revelation and I read God’s warning to the churches and it reads pretty much the same way. God warns His people not to tolerate false teachings, grow lukewarm in their passion for Him or forget their first love. He tells them that works done in their own power is useless and He warns them not to become superficial.

Basically, He tells them not to toy with a Holy God because if they do they will lose.

Jesus said He was coming again. He said He was coming to judge the earth and if I read the book of the Revelation correctly the judgment is starting with us.

I remember watching the Wizard of Oz as a young child. For those of you old enough to remember life without DVDs the Wizard of Oz would only come on once a year and it was a BIG deal. Everyone would be in front of their TV that night watching.

Near the end of the movie, Dorothy and the others finally get what they have been working so hard for-an audience with the Great and Powerful Oz. As they stand shaking before a screen depicting a large head accompanied by a huge voice and booming thunder Dorothy notices something that makes her go and look behind the curtain. What she finds is not the great and powerful god she was expecting but just a man with a lot of fancy gadgets. She was really disappointed.

Fortunately, this is not going to be our experience when we finally stand before God. Unfortunately, for some people, it may be just the opposite.

Love,

Jill

Us, God, and Others

2011-11-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

2 Peter 1:3-8 (NIV 84)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…so that you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world…For this reason add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measures, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s passage is of my favorites. I have shortened it down so that you can digest the main parts, but if you have time I recommend you find your Bible and read the entire passage yourself.

I still remember vividly when God showed me these verses and told me He had given me everything I needed for life and godliness. We had quite the discussion at Bible study because I sure didn’t feel like I had everything I needed. And of course we all know if it doesn’t “feel” true… I mean I felt like I had one or two things, but certainly not everything.

However, the thought of being unproductive and ineffective in my knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ struck fear in my heart and got me motivated to do my part.

The qualities are not listed in order of importance and we are told to develop them all in increasing measure so I started with the one I liked best: knowledge. Since God had already given me a great love of His Word making myself spend more time studying the Bible was not a hardship at all.

Perseverance came next, “to keep on keeping on” as they would say, to get up every day and choose for myself who I would serve. I learned serving God really is a daily decision and perseverance requires that I consciously choose Him every day.

Self-control was a little more difficult. I kept trying to control the wrong things. Finally, God showed me that I needed to start by controlling my tongue and then controlling other things would get easier. He was right.

Then two weeks ago I taught on this passage at Colusa. At the time I noticed I only emphasized three items on God’s list of important qualities to work on but I wasn’t sure why. I told the ladies it was because those were the only ones I knew about and that I was finding godliness, goodness, brotherly kindness, and love came as a result of knowledge, perseverance and self-control.

Which, I still believe is true, but only half right because yesterday God showed me the other half.

The reason I focus on knowledge, self-control and perseverance is because I can work on those qualities alone. The other qualities; goodness, brotherly kindness, love, and godliness require that I interact with others. I can be as loving as I want when it is just me and God, but the real test is when someone else gets involved. Which is confirmation for me that God never intended for us JUST to have a wonderful relationship with Him, He also wanted us to have wonderful relationships with others.

Remember it is the lone Zebra who gets eaten.

Love,

Jill

Narrow Road

2011-11-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

Today's post was written by Nalatie McAlpin, the herd facilitator for Colusa. She wrote this to encourage her women and with her permission I am passing it on to you. Enjoy!

Love,
Jill

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

Last weekend my husband and I decided to take a much needed break from our family’s hectic schedule in order to reconnect and regroup. We packed up the travel trailer, grabbed the three boys after school and headed to the hills with our beagle, bikes, motorcycles and plenty of food. Destination Lower Letts Lake!!

We love to camp at Letts Lake for a few different reasons. It is beautiful, quiet, secluded and most importantly, we can ride our dirt bikes there. For our family, it’s a little piece of heaven on earth. But, the road to Letts Lake is truly the most frightening road I have ever traveled in my entire life. It is an extremely narrow, dirt road with ninety degree turns and sheer cliffs that drop hundreds of feet down. I’m not talking “Oops we went off the road and dented our car.” It would be more like “Oops we went off the cliff and now we’re dead!”

I really, really hate certain parts of the two hour drive to Letts Lake but other parts of the drive are beautifully magnificent. In the fall, the mountains are painted the warm colors of rust, gold and green. At certain points you can look back and see hundreds of miles across the valley. We always see the same herd of Elk grazing on the rolling hills and turkeys crossing at one particular turn in the road. But most importantly, it’s what is at the end of the journey that is simply amazing. I can think of many roads I would rather travel, but the final destination just wouldn’t be as spectacular.

Needless to say, our trips to Letts Lake are filled with much prayer, and I must confess, a lot of worry. I worry about meeting a truck and trailer on the one lane road and having to back up until we find a spot wide enough to pass. I worry about my husband going too fast and losing control. I worry the brakes will suddenly go out and send us plummeting over a cliff. Obviously, I haven’t quite learned to let go of worry and trust God completely in these situations! Yet I continue to go on the road willingly again and again, because I know that it is the only way to get where we want to go.

The above verses in Matthew where Jesus talks about the narrow road that leads to life remind me of the road to Lett’s Lake. Sure, the broad road might seem more appealing, easier to travel or the popular choice by the world’s standards. But, what is at the end? What does the final destination hold for those that chose the broad road? Jesus said it leads to destruction. It is a road where one chooses to live their life apart from Christ and ultimately an eternity separated from the loving mercy, grace and forgiveness of our Savior. Would anyone ever willingly choose a road knowing without a doubt that it headed straight for death and destruction? I would think not, yet so many people are doing just that. When we chose to live our lives apart from the saving grace of Jesus’ death and resurrection we are choosing the broad road that leads to destruction. So the choice seems obvious, choose the narrow road that leads to life!

Jesus never said the Christian life was an easy life. In fact he said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” John 16:33 God has not promised a pain free journey but he has promised to travel the road with us and that he will never leave us or forsake us. As Christians, we are not left to wander aimlessly about on our own. We have the Holy Spirit living within us guiding us in truth and directing us along the way. And don’t forget, we have God’s word, the very best GPS system available at our fingertips each and every day.

As I was thinking about the road to Letts Lake again, I realized that the road itself is really not scary or dangerous at all. The road is actually quite comforting. You see, the road is not the problem. The frightening part, the deadly part is being off the road. As long as you stay focused on the road there really isn’t anything to be afraid of. The edges are obvious, road signs are posted and directions are clear. The driver’s responsibility is to choose the correct road and then stay on it and remained focused no matter what. Jesus said in John 14:6 , “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“ Jesus is the narrow road. Choose Him and choose life. Better yet, let him have the driver’s seat!

My Dog Has Fleas

2011-11-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

Psalm 127:1a (NIV84)

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain

Good morning Zebras,

Thank you to all who prayed for Saturday. It went really well. God’s hand was amazingly evident, but unfortunately stories about found CDs, lost names tags, booklets, zebra cups, and fuzzy pants do not translate well to the written word. But everyone who was there benefited from your prayers. Even in what went “wrong” I saw God’s hand and it doesn’t’ get any better than that.

But what I want to talk about is Friday. Friday, as I was getting ready to leave for Colusa I was overtaken by an overwhelming sense of my inadequacy. To be honest it had been coming on for a few days, but Friday morning it was in full swing.

When I woke up on Friday and my dog, Joshua, was obviously not himself, it was enough to send me to the couch. I laid there waiting to take Joshua to the vet thinking, “Who are you, what do you have to say, why should anyone listen to you, you really should just stay home.”

And the longer I laid there the worse it got.

At noon I drug myself off the couch and took Joshua to the vet only to find out he had pulled a back muscle scratching at fleas. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was grateful it was only fleas, but at that moment in time fleas seemed like a big deal. I felt like I needed to wash the beds and treat the dogs before I left for Colusa.

While I was in the midst of this, Ellen, my pastor’s wife, called. She asked if I was on the road yet because she wanted to pray for me. When I told her that I was still at home because the dog had fleas, she did the best thing possible. She laughed.

She didn’t sound shocked, she didn’t feel sorry for me, and she didn’t tell me I was under spiritual attack, she just laughed. And somehow that made everything better.

In her laughter I heard God say “Don’t take yourself so seriously my friend. I’ve got this under control. You are just along for the ride.”

And of course He was right.

The success of any venture is not dependent upon me, or us, but is entirely dependent upon Him. Her laughter was just what I needed to put things back in their proper perspective and remember: The only thing I should take seriously in life is God.

Love,

Jill

Still Learning

2011-10-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

John 14:1 (NIV84)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Good morning Zebras,

God continues to grow my understanding of how He wants this ministry done.

First, He showed me it needed to be free. Matthew 10:8b says: Freely you have received, freely give. And although that does not apply to everyone, I know it applies to me. So I am thrilled that this Saturday’s event in Colusa is being offered free of charge.

Second, He taught me not to worry about the numbers. God does not care about numbers. They are not an indication of our obedience. He is the one who causes people to come and He is the one who prompts them to stay home. All my efforts in that direction are a waste of time.

Third, He showed me that this ministry is not about me, but it is also not about you. It is about Him. Like Paul I must resolve to nothing but Christ crucified and the power of His resurrection so that your faith does not rest upon the wisdom of men but on the power of God. Learning that was one of my more painful lessons.

Next, He showed me that this is HIS ministry and it is to be done HIS way. Even small details matter. If He prompts me to build a Power Point, I better build a Power Point.  At least I’d better if I want His blessings on the presentation.

And the most recent lesson is that requesting an RSVP is my subtle attempt to control the Spirit of God. It is my way of trying to dictate when God speaks to His people. If God hasn’t spoken to you by Tuesday at 5:00-I guess He doesn’t want you to come.

How arrogant is that?

Did Noah ask for reservations?   Nope. The offer was open until the doors closed and it started to rain. Does Jesus need an RSVP?   Nope. Salvation and grace are offered every day, 24-7. You are welcome to come at any time.

So this Saturday no RSVP is required.   We will prepare for the number of Zebras God has told us to prepare for and then we will see what happens. If you want to RSVP just to help Natalie know how much food to prepare great-but if you don’t know that you are coming until God wakes you up Friday night and tells you to go that’s great too.

Trusting God is way more exciting than trying to control Him.

Love,
Jill and Natalie
nbell76@hotmail.com

Just Some Info

2011-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Good morning Zebras,

Just wanted to let the Northern California Zebras know about a gathering of the herd Saturday, November 5th from 9-4 at Colusa Presbyterian Church, 326 Jay Street, Colusa.

Everyone is welcome!

Topic:
Matthew 11:28-30
... Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus promised us rest.

Are you feeling it?

If not come spend the day with us.

Cost: FREE

For more information contact
Natalie McAlpin at
nbell76@hotmail.com

530-401-8262

RSVP's are appreciated but not necessary.

A light lunch will be served.

Love,
Jill

Praying for Revival

2011-10-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

James 5:16 (NIV84)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Good morning Zebras,

As I prepare for the one day Zebra event in Colusa, God has stepped up the learning curve. He has shown me a few new things and reminded me of truths I often forget.

For example, no matter what we think, the real work in ministry and life is prayer.

We like to think it’s what we do, the events we plan, the ministries we run, but it isn’t. The real work, the changing of hearts and lives, is only something God can do. And the only part we can play in that is to pray.

Last week I watched Facing the Giants again. My kids tease me that I watch that movie once a month, which isn’t true, but I do watch it a lot. I love the main message which is we need to live lives that are honoring to God but there are so many other truths in the movie that when God prompts me to watch it He always shows me something else.

This time He reminded me about the importance of prayer.

In the movie the school undergoes a revival. Emotional images of students praying and hugging each other on the school lawn are intended to pull at our hearts strings. But it was the interruption of those images by a short segment of an older man walking through the halls of the school praying over each locker that made me cry.

According to the storyline, the man had been coming every week for years praying over those lockers. Praying God would raise up, for Himself, a generation that loved Him.

The school’s revival, it’s implied, is a direct result of his prayers.

The Bible tells us the prayers of a righteous man, a man who desires only to do the will of God are powerful and effective. Especially if like Elijah, they pray fervently, not half-heartedly, not when they have time, but fervently like lives depended upon the answer.

Love,
Jill

Wearing Jesus

2011-10-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Good evening Zebras,

My husband told me this morning that today is Dress Like Steve Jobs Day. Obviously this is not something I am going to participate in. But laughingly I told him if there was ever a Dress Like Jesus Day he could count me in.

Of course, that is when God reminded me that every day is a dress like Jesus day.

Those of us who claim Christ as Savior are supposed to clothe ourselves with the nature and character of Jesus so that we can represent Him accurately to the world.

But do we?

So today, just for fun, I decided I would watch for people dressed like Steve Jobs, wearing a black mock turtle neck and jeans. And I would watch for people dressed like Jesus wearing kindness, compassion humility and patience.

After working at home all day I went to Office Max this afternoon to run some copies.

I was the only one there at first, which was good, but because I had so many copies to make. But soon a line began to form behind me. I knew I was taking too long and that like a slow truck going up a mountain, I should “pull over” and let people pass. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I NEEDED to finish.

So I did what any guilt-ridden Christian would do…I acted like I didn’t see them.

When I was finally finished, three hundred copies later, I apologized for taking so long and a gentleman in the back of the line said. “No problem, are you sure you are done? Because if you aren’t you can cut in front of me.”

What??! I had just made him wait fifteen minutes and he was going to let me cut in front of him again? Who was this guy?

Turns out he was a Christian. A Christian named David who was wearing Jesus.

So David, if you are reading this. Thank you. Thank you for dressing like Jesus today and showing kindness to a stranger who was hogging the copy machine.

Love,
Jill

There is a Difference

2011-10-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday my pastor started a sermon series on the Twenty-Third Psalm.

To be honest I have never really understood why everyone loved this psalm so much. Nor could I understand why we always read it at funerals.

David writes about The Valley of the Shadow of Death, but to me a person who has died has already passed through that valley to the other side. And although I have often heard it read at funerals I have never heard it explained. Or maybe they explained it and I didn’t understand.

Yesterday I realized the reason I have never understood it was because I didn’t have a heart like David’s.

David knew his God.

He knew his God was good and powerful. He knew he could trust Him to take care of him. He knew that God would protect him and guide him. He knew that no matter what happened God was in charge and watching over Him. And it gave him great comfort.

But that never comforted me.

Knowing God is in charge and taking care of me was not comforting because it was only head knowledge. David had lived it, I had only heard about it.

And there is a huge difference.

When you know about God you worry, when you know God you can relax. Because when you really know who God is and what He is capable of doing, worrying is unnecessary because God, the creator of the universe who holds everything in His hand, has promised to take care of you.

And that is incredibly comforting.

Love,
Jill

Thoughts

2011-10-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

John 17:17b

Thy Word is truth...

Good afternoon Zebras,

I was at the gym working out and watching the clock. I didn't have very long because I needed to pick up Nick, my son, from school.

I was cutting it close and as I glanced at clock one more time I thought "I wonder if that thing is even right."

And I was immediately grateful that I never have to wonder that about God's Word.

Rejoice!

2011-10-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Psalm 118:24 (NIV84)

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Good morning Zebras,

I woke up this morning with a slight case of the blues, nothing big just a nagging feeling of blah.

As I was doing my quiet time I realized part of the problem was that I wasn’t “living in the moment.” I was thinking about things that are going to happen in the future. I wasn’t focusing on today.

So I went to reread Matthew 6:25-34. But the problem really isn’t worry. It is excitement, plus worry. I am excited about what God has me doing the next few weeks and worried that He is going to bench me again.

Then I thought of today’s verse. That was the answer I needed. I needed to make myself rejoice in this day because the Lord has made it. Period.

But when I looked the verse up in the new NIV translation and read it in context of the surrounding verses I found that an old favorite had a new meaning.

Psalm 118:22–24

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

I am still commanded to rejoice but not because of this day, but because of the day that God sent Jesus to lay the foundation of our faith.

That made a lot more sense to me.

I can always rejoice in the cross and what God has done for us by sending His son, I can’t always rejoice in the day of ahead of me.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this new meaning fit in much better with the whole theme of Scripture.

Jesus said in this world we would have trouble; the joy comes from knowing He has overcome it. And He told the disciples not to rejoice in their successful service but in the fact that their names are written in the Book of Life.

Rejoicing is based upon the cross, not our circumstances, because that never changes.

Love,

Jill

First Things First

2011-09-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Good morning Zebras,

This weekend God had me show a time-lapse video of a radish seed growing. It was incredible to watch and once again I was amazed what God teaches from the smallest thing.

For example, even though it is not obvious to us, a plant first grows roots before it grows leaves. Every single seed that sprouted grew a huge bundle of roots before one leaf popped through the soil. But that wasn’t even what I was trying to illustrate.

We were discussing the parable of the seed from the Gospel of Mark. In this parable unlike the other parables about seeds, there is no emphasis placed on the farmer. He simply throws out good seed and it grows. He doesn’t know why.

In the video, right in the middle where they couldn’t be missed, three seeds did not grow. No obvious reason, they just stayed seeds. And we all noticed.

It was the perfect illustration of a simple truth. We are called to throw out good seed, which is the truth of the Gospel, but the growth is really in the hands of God.

We can water and disciple and encourage, we can tear out our hair and scream, but ultimately whether or not a person grows in their relationship with God does not depend upon us. It depends upon God and them.

And in a strange way that should encourage us, because it isn’t about me and what I can do better. It is about God.

But that doesn’t mean we are off the hook. We are just on a different one. I am not in charge of your spiritual growth; I am in charge of my own.

This week as I ponder on Matthew 22:37-39, where we are commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself, I am once again reminded that the relationship is vertical first.

I can’t give what I don’t have, and I don’t have anything without Christ.

Developing my own personal relationship with Jesus through Bible study and prayer must be my highest priority if I am to influence others for the kingdom.

Love,
Jill
Growing Radish

Everyday Miracles

2011-09-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

John 2:11b
He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him

Good Morning Zebras,

The book of John was written to prove Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. And to that end John chose seven miracles to prove Jesus’ deity.

The first of these miracles was a "small" one. Jesus, while attending a wedding, was approached by His mother to solve the problem of not enough wine. We all know what Jesus did. He miraculously took regular water and transformed it into wine.

In the overall scheme of miracles this is not a big one, it is hardly on the scale of parting the Red Sea, but it was enough for His disciples to put their faith in Him.

Because for those of us who believe the in sovereign power of Jesus it does not take much to confirm what we already know to be true.

For example, this weekend I was teaching on the passage in Matthew about worry. I was pointing out that the Bible says we are to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, trusting that when we do God will provide everything we need. We are not to be concerned with the worries of the world. Pagans run after these things.

Then I used an example I have used many times before. I pointed out that God gave us two eyes that both face forward. It is difficult if not impossible to look in two different directions at the same time. Which should be a great reminder to us that if we are looking at God, we have to look away from the world. And if we are looking at the world we have turned our eyes from God.

I went on to point out that if God had wanted us to look in two directions at the same time He would have given us eyes like the gecko. Then I dramatically pressed the button to show my beautiful picture of a gecko sitting in the “not symbol.”

But all that came up was the red circle with the line through it.

Afterward, I went back to the sound booth and was laughing about my missing gecko graphic. That’s when I found out I’d made an error, it is chameleons not geckos that can move their eyes in two different directions. Somehow I’d gotten confused.

Now to the unbeliever that would be just a computer glitch, but to those of us who believe in Jesus and had prayed over that weekend it was proof of His presence and protection.

Because one thing we had prayed was that everything I said would be truth.

Losing the gecko’s picture was God’s way of answering our prayer.

Love,

Jill

Making Mistakes

2011-09-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew 26:75 (ESV)

And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Good morning Zebras,

This morning I’m grateful God put Peter in the Bible.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to train Awana leaders at the fall conference in Fountain Valley. I was really excited about going and spent time preparing what I was going to say. But I made one fatal error.

I figured I knew Zebras so well that I didn’t really need to prepare for that workshop. Heck, I’ve been encouraging women for a couple of years now. I had just gone to Oroville and the presentation went great. I was confident I knew what I was doing. I was wrong.

I am now convinced that “I’ve got this one Lord,” is probably one of the stupidest things a Christian can think.

Saturday after conference I felt horrible, on Sunday God and I had a little talk.

First, every time I do ministry work I need to remember I am going into battle with Satan and act accordingly. God may have me repeat a presentation I’ve already done, or He may want me to prepare a new one. But I have to ask. Battle plans change based upon the circumstances and only God knows what is going to work.

And, secondly, it is not about Zebras. It is about Him.

Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ crucified and the power of His resurrection. He never promoted a program or himself. It was always about Jesus and what he had done. And I knew that, but I forgot.

I was just so excited about getting the opportunity to share Zebras with a new group of women that I lost my focus. I promoted Zebras instead of Christ and it wasn’t good

Last night when I shared my experience with my daughter her response was “But you learned.” Then she told me about an assignment she had just done in her Spiritual Growth class. They’d made a chart tracking the ups and downs of Peter’s life to illustrate the point that Jesus used Peter’s mistakes to teach him something.

So little Zebras, if you have recently made a mistake and you are beating yourself up over it--stop. Learn what God wants you to learn and move on. Allowing us to make mistakes is one way God makes us stronger.

Love,
Jill

I Don't Know...

2011-09-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Good morning Zebras,

I have struggled all morning with this Z-mail. It has been a while since I have written so I was thinking maybe I was out of practice. Then I thought maybe I was writing about the wrong thing, but God confirmed the topic was correct. Eventually, he showed me the problem was my tone, because God cares about what I say and how I say it.

All of us have probably said “I don’t know what God wants me to do.” But is that true? Do we as Bible reading Christians really not know what God wants us to do?

Do we really not know God wants us to trust Him and live a life that honors Him? Or that He wants us to love Him with our whole heart, mind, body and soul and show it by loving others?

Of course we do. So why do we say it?

I think we say it because we don’t know what God wants us to do tomorrow or because we don’t know “specifically” what we are supposed to do.

But, as my friend Janet often reminds me, God works on a need to know basis. Everything we need to know is written in His Word. Obey that and when He needs to tell you more He will. Specifics eventually make themselves clear.

Other times we don’t know what God wants us to do because we are trying to do something He did not intend us to do. For the last few months I have been struggling with a new ministry opportunity. Over and over again I found myself saying “I don’t know what God wants me to do.”

Just yesterday I figured out His silence was His way of telling me He didn’t want me to pursue that ministry. When God wants me to do something He makes it very clear. The Bible shows us walls fall and seas part when God is running the show.

And sometimes I think we say we don’t know what God wants us to do when we want others to reassure us that we are on the right track, or when we are reluctant to do what God is asking of us and we are hoping someone else will let us off the hook.

Really, the more I think about it, saying “I don’t know what God wants from me.” may be one of those Christian clichés that we need to quit saying. Maybe what we should say instead is “I am obeying God today and trusting that He will make tomorrow clear.”

Love,

Jill

Just a Note

2011-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

I love being a Zebra. I was making dinner this morning, tossing some porkchops in the crockpot, and noticed I had four. Could have been a moment of sadness realizing Katherine was no longer at home, but I immediately thought about my mother-in-law who LOVES to come to dinner, so I called and invited her over. Later a Zebra sister told me God had prompted her to pray for me today and to pray specifically that I wouldn't miss Katherine. Amazing! So Zebras, when God brings someone to mind, pray for them, and pray as God leads, because even if you don't know what they need God does, and even if you can't fix it, He can. Love, Jill

Letting Down My Hair

2011-08-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Good morning Zebras,

I have always struggled with my hair. It is too straight to really be curly and too curly to be straight. It doesn’t seem to want to behave and I do not have the talent necessary to make it. My hair and I have lived in an uneasy truce for most of my life.

A few years ago, when I was preparing for my first retreat, I decided that I needed to change my appearance to mirror the inner transformation of God. God may look at the heart, but women look at clothes and hair. So I lost weight, bought new clothes and went to a really expensive place to have my hair cut.

At first it was fun, sort of. I was not raised with money and I find that people who have it can be very intimidating. But the lady who cut my hair was really talented, so talented that she goes to Europe and styles hair for the runway models, so I kept going.

But slowly it started to get stressful.

I was spending a ton of money on my hair and it wasn’t working anymore. Try as I might I could not make my hair behave. And I felt like a failure. I dreaded getting my hair cut, because I felt like I was letting it down.

I could no longer live up to my hair.

That’s when God said “Trust me.” Quit spending a fortune on your hair and trust me. Go to the nice lady that I told you about and trust that it will be okay. So I did. And you know what, my hair looks fine.

And then I realized that is how some people feel about God. They feel like they can’t live up to His standards. They feel like they are constantly letting Him down. Instead of living a life of joy, they are living a life of stress. And eventually they walk away. Who wants to be around someone they can never please?

But that is not the heart of God that is the heart of man.

God knows we will never live up to His perfection and He loves us. He does not want us feeling bad about ourselves and hiding from Him. He wants us to bring our broken lives and pathetic attempts at perfection to Him so that He can make us whole and perfect in Christ. He wants us to relax and learn who He is.

He wants to give us rest-not stress.

Love,

Jill

Petty Heart

2011-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning Zebras,

I have been having a rough morning this morning. I couldn’t get my mind focused on God because I was so frustrated about something someone did. What they did was wrong and I am really struggling with the fact that they got away with it.

I kept reciting verses from Psalm 37 in my head but it wasn’t helping.

Psalm 37:1-4
Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
I mean I know I am not supposed to worry when evil men succeed, and I know that God will bless me and keep me if I delight in Him, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of “not right.” What they did was “not right” and they need to be punished.

Then my friend Max posted this on his Facebook page.
"The deepest revelation of our character is what we choose to dwell on in thought”
(Dallas Willard)

And God showed me I had a choice. I could continue to dwell on what this person had done which would show that I had a petty, unforgiving heart or I could dwell on God, who is perfect and holy and in control.

I decided to refocus on God.

The truth of the matter is what someone else does really is no concern of mine. God has forgiven me much worse plus it is His job to deal with them. And deal with them He will, just as He will deal with me when I am out of line. My only responsibility is to make sure that I am behaving in a way that is pleasing to God.

And focusing on what others did wrong and hoping that something awful will happen to them is not exactly fulfilling Christ’s command to love others.

So have a great day little Zebras looking up at our Father and remember- no matter what is going on-God is still in control!

Love,
Jill

Grateful, Deligent and Faithful

2011-08-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

2 Timothy 1:6–7 (ESV)

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Good morning Zebras,

This week I had the privilege of taking my daughter Katherine to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and dropping her off. It was a wonderful experience.

On Wednesday night they had a dedication ceremony for the incoming class and the president of Moody gave a short welcoming speech. During his speech he made three points.

First he said studying at Moody was a privilege. For every person who got in, he reminded the students, there were two or three others who did not so the students needed to be grateful.

Second, studying at Moody was an opportunity. Because of its location and single minded focus on ministry, the students have lots of opportunities to grow in not only their faith, but in their knowledge of ministry so they need to be diligent. They only have four years and they were encouraged not to waste any of it.

And finally he said studying at Moody was a calling. Students who come to this college are called there because they want to devote their lives to full-time ministry and they need to remember to be faithful to that calling, not to lose focus or get discouraged.

I thought it was a wonderful speech. But I thought it also applied to every Christian not just Moody Bible Institute students.

First, knowing Christ is a privilege. The Bible says that God revealed Himself to us. It wasn’t anything we did. We were lost sinners whose eyes and ears were closed to the truth until God chose to open them. For that we need to be grateful.

Second, God has given each one of us an opportunity to glorify Him with our lives. Unlike the Moody students, who only have four years to complete their task, we have our whole lives. I, personally have wasted far too many of them. But I can’t go backwards; I can only go forward, resolving not to live any more years, weeks, or days following the desires of world instead of the will of God.

And finally all of us are called by God to do something. He has gifted each one of us with talents and abilities and He expects us to use them. He wants us to be diligent in our pursuit of Him which includes working to understand His Word. He wants us to be faithful to our calling and not forget the gift that He has given us.

Love,
Jill

The Cost of Obedience

2011-08-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

John 12:26a (ESV)

If anyone serves me, he must follow me

Good morning Zebras,

Last time I shared with you that I had to stand by and watch God shut a door in my life. Today I want to share a couple of the lessons I learned along the way.

First, obedience costs. My decision to step down as commander affected more than just me. It affected my family because we have served together in Awana for ten years and it affected the church. It’s not that they wanted to close Awana; they just didn’t have anyone who was called to step up and run it. I know they would’ve been happy to let me continue on as commander. But I couldn’t.

And because of that decision, sixty kids don’t have an Awana program to attend and our family had to find a new church home. (As members of the Northern California-Northern Nevada Ministry Team it’s important we attend a church that offers Awana.)

We know our sin can affect others, but the truth of the matter is that our obedience can too. But, like Abraham who left his home to follow God dragging his family along with him, we need to obey God and leave the results to Him.

The second thing I learned is that I wanted someone to be “wrong.” As I was watching the door on Awana slowly shut, I wanted it to be someone’s fault, but God graciously gave me a great story about a couple of birds to reassure me that wasn’t the case.

The cuckoo bird is a large bird and it lays its egg in an English sparrow’s nest and flies away. The sparrow hatches the egg as if it is one of her own. When the egg hatches, the large cuckoo bird pushes the smaller sparrows out of the nest or starves them out by hogging up all the food. The book said “You can always tell when there is a cuckoo bird in an English sparrow’s nest because the ground is littered with dead sparrows.”

What God showed me from that story is that neither of the birds is “wrong.” Each one is just doing what God has designed them to do. They just shouldn’t be doing it together.

And somehow that stupid story set me free. I knew I was doing what God was calling me to do and I had to trust that everyone else was doing the same. It was just time for us to go our separate ways. Maybe the greatest thing we can do for the kingdom is to obey God and give others the freedom to do the same.

Love,

Jill

Closed Door

2011-08-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV84)

However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”

Good morning Zebras,

Waiting on God is a completely underrated discipline. We think of waiting as wasting time, but in reality it is giving God time to work. We think we are so clever and necessary to God’s plans when the actual truth is we often get in His way.

Recently I have had the unpleasant experience of watching God shut a door in my life. It wasn’t a quick slam; it was a slow, creaking closure that I think I could’ve prevented. But God didn’t want me to.

He told me if I stuck my foot in the door to prevent it from closing, either my foot would get crushed or I would be trapped doing something that He no longer wanted me to do.

After much prayer, I officially resigned as commander of our church’s Awana program, and I prayed someone else would step up. No one did. This Sunday my home church, of fourteen years, announced they wouldn’t be offering the Awana program for this school year. And the door was shut.

Christians often say in these situations “When one door closes another opens” but that isn’t found in the Bible. God does not promise an open door, He promises to make our paths straight, He promises knowledge and wisdom, and He promises never to leave us or forsake us. He does not promise to immediately open another door. Sometimes He does, but sometimes He wants you to sit in the room for a while and wait.

But waiting is hard. It is much easier to squeeze out the first open window we see rather than wait upon God’s revealed will. Yet everyone who has waited on God has experienced the blessings that come from it.

Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” And I think that’s too often true.

Like Lot’s wife we look back at what God has “taken” away instead of looking forward to what He has for us.

So have a great day little Zebras,waiting on God and looking forward with expectation to the blessings He has in store for you.

Love,

Jill

Major Changes

2011-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22–26 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope you all are doing well.

I am having a repeat summer, and trying not to make the same mistakes. Last summer I used the blog to vent some frustrations under the guise of teaching God’s Word. What I’d said was true but it wasn’t kind or respectful and a few months later God had a small chat with me and I had to delete quite a few of my posts.

It was an unpleasant experience and one I don’t want to repeat, so this summer I am following the advice of Thumper…”If you can't say something nice... don't say nothin’ at all.” Of course that is found in the Bible as well.

James chapter three has a very disturbing discourse on the use of our tongues which starts with, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” It goes on to call the tongue a fire, a restless evil that can set the course of our life, an untamable evil that is full of deadly poison with which we praise God but curse people who are made in His image. But, James says IF you can learn to control your tongue, you can learn to control your whole body as well.

So that is what I have been doing, learning to control my tongue. And what I have learned is the best way to control my tongue is to let Christ change my heart.

Out of anger, jealousy, and self-centeredness come unkind words and thoughts. They are simply a symptom of an ugliness that lives inside. And controlling the symptoms is never as good as curing the disease.

Acting patient is not the same as being patient, acting loving is not the same as being loving, and acting humble is not the same as being humble. One takes a lot of work, the other takes Christ. For only God can impart to us the gifts of the Spirit. But if we act patient, loving and humble and pray for God to make us that way, He will.

To be honest, I’m not sure how it works. I just know that it does.

Love,

Jill

God's Training

2011-07-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Good morning Zebras,

Katherine, my daughter, is on her summer mission trip to South Korea, but before she could go to South Korea, she had to spend a week Washington where she and the other students who were going underwent some training.

Since I was at camp during her training week, I didn’t get to talk to her until I got home. At that point she had a whole week’s worth of stories to tell me about what Youth Missions International had been doing to get them ready for their trip. After she finished with her “training” stories, she started sharing about what was going on with her. Her own personal struggles completely unrelated to the training that YMI had developed.

Maybe it was because she was immersed in a training situation but as I listened to her I could tell the situations she was experiencing were also training. They were God’s personal hand-picked training for Katherine. Only God knows what Katherine needs to learn to be able to do the job He has called her to do. And He was training her accordingly.

As I was talking to her a thought crossed my mind- “Maybe”, I thought, “that’s how we are supposed to look at all the situations in life. As training from God”

A week later I watched Secretariat.

Secretariat is considered the greatest race horse ever. He won the Triple Crown in 1973 and his time in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes are still the fastest on record. But what caught my attention was the training Secretariat went through to win.

While the other horses were resting between races, or training at a leisurely pace, Secretariat’s trainers continued to train him hard. According to the movie, people thought they were training him too hard, they thought that they were going to “ruin” the horse. But they knew Secretariat loved to run so they let him run.

The last scene in the movie where Secretariat is flying down the track and heading for the finish line is inspirational. He was obviously crafted by God to be a runner, but the hard training paid off and he won the last race by a record-shattering thirty-one lengths.

It was so spectacular for a minute it made me wish I was a horse. But then I thought…no, I’d rather be a well-trained Zebra.

Love,

Jill

Under Repair

2011-07-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Daniel 2:21–22 (ESV)
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Good morning Zebras,

I’ve got a friend who bought a mobile home she knew was a “fixer-upper,” but it has turned out to be a little more than she or her husband had bargained for. Everything they do seems to reveal something else that needs to be done. But she never complains, in fact her prayer is that God will bring to light everything that is wrong so they can fix it.

Since this is currently her life prayer, it is not a surprise that God would use her to uncover a “dark and hidden thing” in my own life.

Tuesday, as planned, I headed off to the school district office to resign and although I KNEW it was what I was supposed to do, I still was a little nervous. I didn’t want to do something that made me look foolish and I didn’t want to do something that was “crazy.”

I really wanted to talk to someone before I went, but it seemed rather wimpy.

But God was gracious and my friend came out of her house just as I was driving by.

After I shared with her my concerns and she reassured me that I was doing the right thing she prayed for me. Part of her prayer included a request that God would reveal whatever it was inside of me that made me afraid of resigning. Something in me was at war with my desire to obey God and she prayed God would bring it to light.

Later that day God answered her prayer. Not only did He show me what it was, He fixed it.

I think we all have things inside that no one really knows about, things that happened in the past, things that we may or may not even think about anymore. And those things, if left hidden can prevent us from being all that God would have us to be.

Remember little Zebras God is not defined by our circumstances, past or present, He is defined by His Word and His Word says He is completely worthy of our trust.

Love,

Jill

Nothing to Give

2011-07-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Good morning Zebras,
As I continue to contemplate the privilege God has given me of sacrificing something to Him, I am struck by the thought that IF we could really grasp that obedience and sacrifice are privileges our lives would be transformed.

God does not need anything. He created everything and all of it belongs to Him and He is pleased when we give something back.

When my kids were little and I would buy them a treat, they were always quite excited until I asked for a little bite. Then they would clutch it to their chest and say that it was "theirs." Heck, I'd just bought it for them two seconds ago, how could they already be so possessive of it? Didn't they know I could buy them more if they needed it?

But isn't that what we do with God?

He gives us everything and when He asks for a little back we clutch it tightly and say it is "ours." Why do we want to limit God's blessings by holding on to what He gives us? Giving freely to God allows Him to give freely to us. It is not a hardship it is a blessing and a privilege.

But it is actually even more than that. It is the very least we can do.

Last week at camp the middle school students studied Romans. On Thursday, after three days of learning about God's grace they were challenged with the question "What is a reasonable act of service for the great gift God has given us?"

The answer of of course is, we have the privileging of giving our lives.

Love,
Jill

Privilege of Sacrifice

2011-07-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Genesis 22:14 (ESV)

So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Good afternoon Zebras,

I love God’s word. I think one of the reasons I love it is that I can always find a person or situation to encourage me in my own walk. Never do I go “where no man has gone before,” instead I try to walk in the footsteps of those faithful men and women who have gone before me.

And no one was more faithful than Abraham.

When I was preparing for retreat I was struck by the account of Abraham’s offer to sacrifice Isaac. We have all heard the story a bunch of times, yet when you really stop and think about it you can’t help but be inspired.

For the last two years, I’ve been toying with my work situation. In June 2009, after much prayer, I asked for and received a year’s leave of absence from my job. Last June my leave was extended. This year was the year I had to decide. No more extensions were available. I have only two options quit or go back to work.

So Gary and I prayed.

Gary wanted a clear sign from God that writing e-mails and encouraging women was indeed the path God wanted me on. I wanted to be like Abraham and sacrifice my job to God and trust Him to provide something else. Because we all know Abraham wasn’t given the ram until he was willing to sacrifice Isaac and I didn’t want to miss my ram.

Only God could provide both.

In March I received my lay-off notice. Like many teachers around the state “My services were no longer required.” But that’s not that unusual, lots of teachers receive pink slips in March only to have them rescinded in May

But this year was different. I actually got fired. I lost all of my seniority and my position at the school. It was a very strange feeling to no longer have the option to go back to work but it was a very clear answer to Gary’s prayers. God wanted me to quit.

Yesterday I received an e-mail saying they have a job for me. Tuesday I am heading to the district office to sacrifice the opportunity.

Love,
Jill

Powerful Whisper

2011-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Good morning Zebras,

This morning right before I woke up I had the strangest dream. I was speaking before a large group of Christians saying something they obviously didn’t want to hear because they were getting angry with me. I think I was telling them that lukewarm wasn’t good enough. That having the world in one hand and God in the other was not pleasing to God. That it was time for Christians to step up and step out and quit amusing ourselves and focus on pleasing Christ.

I woke up when they started to throw me down the stairs.

At camp I taught high school girls about the importance of having a Biblical Worldview. As I prepared for the lessons there were two truths that God made clear to me. First, having a Biblical Worldview is a privilege. Looking at the world through the eyes of God is a gift He gives to His people. The ability to love others as we love ourselves only happens when we look at them through the eyes of God.

And second, having a Biblical Worldview is something worth working for. Looking at the world through God’s eyes does not happen overnight and it requires work. But it is so worth it. God gave us the Bible for our protection and encouragement. It is so much more than a list of “dos and don’ts” it is the guide book to life and to God. And it is the knowledge of who God really is, that changes everything.

God revealed Himself to Moses through a burning bush, to Isaiah in a vision, and to Paul in a personal encounter on the road to Damascus. Different circumstances, same reaction. Moses hid his face, Isaiah realized he was ruined and Paul fell to the ground. When they got up they did what God told them to regardless of the consequences.

Then we have Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah fled in fear to Mount Horeb. According to the passage after listening to Elijah’s fears the LORD encouraged him by passing by. He sent a powerful wind, an earthquake and a fire. But He was not in any of them. His presence was in the gentle whisper that came at the end.

That whisper was what Elijah hid from. He did not run or hide from a tornado, an earthquake or a fire. But he hid his face before he went out to speak with God. And after talking to Him he too got back to work.

Love,
Jill

Reset

2011-06-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:17–18 (HCSB)

But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Good morning Zebras,

Books about fasting usually reference today’s verses. They point out that Jesus said “when you fast” not “if you fast” which implies Jesus expected His disciples to fast. And they also point out that verse eighteen says “your Father …will reward you,” a gentle reminder that fasting, when done to draw closer to God, carries a reward.

About three years ago God blessed our family with two goofy little dogs that we call Moodles. One reason I know they’re from God is because I have learned so many Godly lessons from watching them that is almost embarrassing.

Even though I walk almost every day I don’t always walk the dogs. My normal walk is too far for them and I am often too lazy to take a short walk and a long one.

But Joshua, who is the most devoted creature I have ever seen, always wants to go with me. He loves his walks and he loves me and it’s his devotion and excitement that makes me give in and do both the walks.

Abbey on the other hand enjoys her pillow far more than she enjoys the great outdoors and although she doesn’t dislike walking she would be perfectly happy staying home. She starts out strong, but about halfway through she is “done” and ready to quit.

The other day Katherine and I were walking the moodles together and Abbey started lagging behind. Without saying anything Katherine stopped, scooped her up, kissed her on her head, cuddled her for a few minutes and then set her back down.

When I asked her what she was doing she told me she was “resetting” Abbey.

She went on to explain that Abbey gets tired of walking but that if you pick her up and love on her, when you set her back down she is ready to go again. And it was true. When Katherine had picked Abbey up she had been dragging her little paws and walking with her head down, basically just enduring, but when she put her back down Abbey was rejuvenated. She was all excited again and the spring had returned to her step.

Yesterday I realized that was one reason why God prompted me to fast. He knew I was getting tired and He wanted to reset me. Fasting is His version of picking us up and cuddling us on the head so that we can joyfully get back to work.

Love,

Jill

What Lurks Inside?

2011-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Psalm 73:25 (RSV)

Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee.

Good morning Zebras,

Sorry, I haven’t written but I was fasting and I didn’t want to talk about it. I couldn’t really think of anything else to discuss, so I thought it was best not to post at all.

A few months ago I felt God prompting me towards fasting. At first I wasn’t sure it was from God. I thought maybe it was just me trying to figure out a quick way to lose a few pounds, but He kept bringing it up so I decided it was His idea and I obeyed.

In his chapter on fasting in Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, “More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside of us with food and other things.”

The first thing that came out of me was anger. My poor son took the brunt of it and as he and his sister left to go to out with their grandmother they both agreed “Mom really needs to eat something.”

The second thing was the sobering realization that although I love God, I love His blessings just as much--maybe more. As I was getting into bed after surviving the first day of fasting I started thinking about my quiet time in the morning. No matter how bad today was, tomorrow I could get up and have a cup of coffee with God. Then I realized there would be no coffee and I was disappointed. The excitement I had felt deflated a little because even though God would still be there the coffee wouldn’t. Ouch! (Even I knew that wasn’t good.)

The third thing I learned was that I had some pockets of unforgiveness that needed to be dealt with.

When Jesus was on the cross He looked down at the crowd and said “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Can’t you just imagine Him looking down and seeing the screaming, jeering people all around Him and then looking beyond their behavior to the ignorant heart inside and feeling pity for them because they didn’t know what the consequences of their actions would be?

I don’t know about you, but I have a few things I would have done differently if I had known what the consequences were going to be, but at the time, just like the crowd who crucified Jesus, I thought what I was doing was right. It is only in hindsight I realize I was wrong. And I am grateful for God's forgiveness.

Being able to forgive others involves giving them the same grace.

Love,

Jill

Thoughts on Elijah

2011-06-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

2 Timothy 2:15 (HCSB)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

Good morning Zebras,

Every morning I start my quiet time with Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest. It is a great devotional but I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten into the habit of skipping the verse at the top and going straight to the “good part.” And although Chambers has wonderful insights I need to remember God’s Word is the good part and everything else is just words, even if it’s written in the margins of my own Bible.

2Timothy 2:15 is a verse referenced by many Christian organizations who place emphasis on learning and teaching the Word of God and it is one of my life verses. When I first memorized it I had no idea what Paul was talking about, but fourteen years later I understand what it means to labor to understand the Bible and the importance of teaching it correctly.

Yesterday I was rereading the ministry of Elijah. To be honest I was looking for some clue as to what Elijah did while he was sitting by the stream. Did he read, did he pray, how exactly did Elijah fill his time? Unfortunately the Bible doesn’t say.

So I turned to man’s interpretation to see if I’d missed something and I read the one page profile of Elijah in my Life Application Study Bible.

In addition to a few paragraphs about the person’s life, each profile contains a list of what the author perceives as their “Strengths and Accomplishments” and “Weaknesses and Mistakes.” Under the Mistakes list the author wrote: (Elijah) chose to work alone and paid for it with isolation and loneliness.

What? He chose to work alone? That’s not how I read the text. I don’t see anywhere that God told Elijah to take a friend and he refused. What I see is a man listening to God and doing what he was told, even if it meant he had to go alone.

We are used to doing things by committee; it’s how we were raised. And sometimes that is what God wants, but not always; God didn’t always send a group.

Sometimes He just sent one man who was willing to listen and obey.

Love,

Jill

Read the Instructions

2011-06-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 3:10–13 (HCSB)

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it... for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

Good morning Zebras,

A few weeks ago my daughter had a bridge project in physics where she had to build a bridge out of toothpicks. She was absent when the instruction sheet was given out so she relied upon information from friends to complete the project.

Her dad helped her with the design and she and her friend spent a lot of time gluing and cutting toothpicks. When they were finished they had made an amazing looking bridge.

Unfortunately, when she took it in to be graded she found out it was too tall, too heavy and that she had built the loading plane in the wrong place. Because she hadn’t read the instructions carefully herself, she got a “D” on a project she could have easily aced.

And a very similar thing happened to me the other night.

My son, Nick, got a Blendtec blender for his sixteenth birthday. I’d never seen one of these machines in action, so I was totally impressed when Nick started obliterating things with it. When he went off the living room to read the instructions I decided I’d try to clean it.

I quickly glanced at the instructions, filled the blender with water, dumped in some soap and pressed a button. It was an I Love Lucy moment. Everything started out fine, then the blender kicked itself into high gear and a geyser of soapy water erupted into my kitchen.

When I finally quit laughing I had a bit of cleaning up to do.

Katherine and I had both made the same mistake-we disregarded the instructions we had been given. Katherine did not read the instructions herself; she based her whole project on information given to her by someone else. And I didn’t read them thoroughly. I figured I knew what I was doing and foolishly plowed ahead.

God too has given us instructions, in a book we call the Bible, and a wise woman reads it for herself and builds her life accordingly.

Love,
Jill

Cleans or Prunes?

2011-05-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

John 15:1–2 (NIV)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Good morning Zebras,

I recently heard a pastor say the easiest thing you can do to improve your understanding of the Bible is to read multiple translations. If you are like me you have your favorite version and that is what you tend to read but his point was that even if you don’t know Hebrew or Greek you can gain greater insight into God’s Word by reading the work of others who do.

Today’s verse, John 15:2, is the perfect example.

This is a pretty popular verse and one most of us have learned, but to be honest it is one I have always struggled with. Because of my own inability to garden the words “cut” and “prune” strike fear in my heart.

I remember one particularly horrible incident where I not only butchered the poor bush I was “pruning” I also sliced through the cord of the electric trimmer.

The idea of God coming after me with an electric bush trimmer cutting and hacking away at everything that does not bear fruit is disturbing.

But look how another translation says it:

John 15:2 (ISV)
He removes every branch in me that does not produce fruit, and he cleanses every branch that does produce fruit so that it might produce more fruit.

The Greek word that been translated “prunes” means, according the Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, to cause something to become clean; to make clean

Now that I like. Cleaning involves soft cloths and nice smelling products. Cleaning involves gently removing the dirt from items that we cherish. Occasionally we may have to use a scrub brush on a particularly difficult stain, but for the most part cleaning is a gentle activity. And that fits with the context of the passage.

Jesus, as we abide in Him cleans and prunes us, not in a violent hostile manner but with loving care so that we will bear more fruit (NOT do more work) which brings glory not only to Him but to our Heavenly Father.

Love,
Jill

Not In Charge

2011-05-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:5b–7 (ESV)

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

I am having the most pleasant volunteer experience. I signed up to help with Grad Night at the high school. In theory, Alicia and I are in charge of setting up, but since I don’t really know what I am doing it is hard to feel in charge of anything.

Instead I just go where I’m told and do what I’m told, and I love it. No responsibilities, no worries, just the joy of working with others to accomplish a worthwhile goal.

This morning, as I was reveling in the joy of not being in charge of something, I realized God has allowed me to have this experience so I can fully appreciate what life is supposed to feel like.

Jesus promised us a light burden, but when I look around that isn’t what I see. I see people burdened not only with the cares of the world, but the cares of church as well. And I know that isn’t what God intended

We know the Bible says that we do nothing in our own strength, instead it is God working through us that accomplishes the task. But is that how we act? Do we act like we are carefree helpers of God, or do we act like the weight of the world is on our shoulders?

And I’m not just talking about ministry work. I am talking about everything we do.

If we believe that the very hairs of our head are numbered; that every day we will live has already been written in the Book of Life; that God has promised to work everything for the good of those who love Him; that no plans of His can be thwarted; that He will equip us to do whatever He has called us to do; and all the rest of the amazing promises in the Bible, including that Jesus has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Shouldn’t we live that way?

The reality is we are not in charge of anything-God is. And that is GREAT, because it means we can live day-to-day in joyful obedience just doing what we are told, leaving the results up to God.

Love,

Jill

Don't Interfere

2011-05-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

1 Kings 17:2–4 (NIV)

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

Good morning Zebras,

After the retreat in January I shared with you that I thought God was asking me to stand down, to rest and to wait upon His direction. And I wondered at the time if that was Biblical. Does God really ask a faithful servant to stand-down?

Ever since then I have been looking for someone in the Bible who was asked by God to stand down and wait. Not punished and sent to the desert like Moses, or forced to run and hide like David, but someone who had been faithfully serving God and then asked to stop.

Last week I found my example.

Elijah was faithfully serving God as a prophet to the Nation of Israel. Ahab, an evil king was on the throne. To punish Israel for their disobedience to God and idol worship, Elijah went to Ahab and said “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” Right after that God told Elijah to go and hide by the stream.

According to commentaries, there are at least two reasons God told Elijah to leave.

The first is obvious, God was physically protecting Elijah. If Ahab could capture Elijah he most certainly would’ve killed him.

But it is the second reason I found really interesting.

If Elijah had remained, not only would he have suffered along with the people of Israel, he might have been moved by human sympathy to pray for the end of the drought, (which according to the text was within his power,) before God wanted him to. Rather than tempting Elijah to “rescue” Israel, God just sent him away.

It is never easy to watch anything suffer, whether it is a person or a ministry. Our natural tendency is to jump in and help. But sometimes our help is not what is needed. What is needed is for us to sit by the stream and wait, so that God can work.

Love,
Jill

Lessons from a Camel

2011-05-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 53:5–6 (NIV)

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Good morning Zebras,

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a zebra striped camel on the Facebook page. Gary and I had been driving around doing some errands for his work when we saw this camel in someone’s driveway.

I didn’t want Gary to stop and take a picture but now I am glad he did because I keet thinking about it.

Just a few months ago a zebra painted camel would have inspired me to write about the false prophets in the world. How we need to be careful who we believe because Jesus said there are wolves in sheep’s clothing who pretend to be Christians but aren’t.

But this time that isn’t what I thought at all.

Recently, I have had the privilege of meeting women from different churches and different cities and what I have been struck with is how little and yet how much we have in common. We may look different and go to different churches, but our love for Jesus Christ gives us an instant bond.

In Ephesians, Paul writes there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. One and because of that, all of us who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are united.

I have more in common with a Christian sister from another church or country who is madly in love with Jesus and desires to live a life honoring to Him than I do with the lukewarm Christian I see every day.

It is our passion for Christ that makes us Zebras.

And perhaps because this camel was in a very wealthy area where I was already feeling uncomfortable and out of place, the impact of seeing a zebra striped camel was intensified, I’m not sure the effect would have been the same had it been a cow or a pig, but since the camel is not an animal I associate with the United States, the other thought I had was that Christ came for all people, not just for people like me

Love,
Jill

Lost and Found

2011-05-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Matthew 16:24–25

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "

Good morning Zebras,

A few weeks ago I lost my car keys. I had given them to my daughter and she thought she had given them to her dad. Nobody seemed to know where they had gone.

Normally, I would have gotten upset and started tearing around looking for them yelling at everyone who had been involved but I had just finished organizing, decorating, and cleaning up the Awana Grand Prix. The night had been wonderful, God had been honored and my lost keys seemed so insignificant.

We looked around the church and in the car, but we had thrown out so much garbage I figured my keys had just gotten tossed out with the trash. I counted them as lost and decided I would replace the important ones when I had time.

A week later my son walked into my office carrying my keys.

And I heard God say “See, when you give things up I can give them back.”

Last night my son went to Scandia, a local arcade, with the youth group. I had found a bag of tokens earlier in the week and it was one of the reasons I knew Nick was supposed to go. God had given me the tokens and I knew Nick was supposed to go and share them with the other youth.

But when he came home he had more tokens then when he left.

When it was time to go the other kids saw that Nick had a bag and they gave him all their extra tokens. He laughingly returned them to me knowing he had failed at his task of giving them all away.

We both agreed it is not possible to out give God.

Jesus told the disciples to give up their lives, to walk away from everything they knew, their families, their jobs, their homes, and follow Him. A radical teaching, but because they did He gave them a life that changed the world.

Love,

Jill

Last Dying Breath

2011-05-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Good morning Zebras,

This morning during my quiet time I was reflecting upon the last few months and the spiritual battles I have been facing as I tried to obey God and “finish well” the tasks He had given me to do.

It seems like Satan has been constantly nipping at my heels trying to get me off track or discourage me. Like Paul I have found that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. So I retreated into God’s Word for strength.

Every year for the last five years my daughter has had a murder mystery party for her birthday. Each guest is assigned a character and a set of goals they need to accomplish to win the game.

There is no script and because not everyone can win, people goals often overlap.

Because of that it is sometimes necessary to kill another player. When that happens the dying character is given a “With Your Last Dying Breath” card which says: You may attempt one last heroic valiant action before your body falls lifelessly to the floor.

And I realized this morning that is what has been going on.

Jesus and Satan have conflicting goals and Satan knows Jesus has already won.

He knows that he is a defeated foe, he knows Jesus is going to return and toss him in to the lake of fire, he knows his time of causing havoc is eventually going to end and he is trying, with his last dying breath, to cause as much trouble as he can.

It is our job not to let him.

It is our job not to give the devil a foothold into our lives by our actions or our thoughts, to practice self-control by taking every thought captive unto Christ, to use the Word of God as the offensive weapon it was designed to be, and to always remember and focus on the fact that He who lives in us is WAY stronger than he who lives in the world.

Love,

Jill

Glorious Uncertainty

2011-04-29T10:43:00.001-07:00

1 John 3:2a (NIV)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.

Good morning Zebras,

Last night at Awana I was sad. After fourteen years in this ministry I feel God is telling me step down. I know it is the right thing to do but I feel like I have been “benched.”

This morning as I read My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers’ amazing devotional, God gave me a new perspective.

The entry is titled Gracious Uncertainty and it says in part:

To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. This is generally expressed with a sight of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God,

And I realized I had been looking at this all wrong.

The fact that I am uncertain of the future is probably a good thing. It means that I am releasing my hold on my life and giving it over to God.

After fourteen years of knowing exactly what I would be doing in September, starting up another Awana year, I now have to wait upon God to reveal something new.

Not many people like change. We get comfortable in our routines and patterns and even if God has something better for us it is difficult to let go. But we can’t get the new thing until we let go of the old.

I still have no idea what the future holds, none of us do, but we do know who holds the future. And maybe that is even better.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

So have a wonderful day little Zebras joyfully waiting on God to reveal the wonders He has in store for you.

Love,

Jill

One Thing

2011-04-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Luke 10:41–42 (ESV)

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Good morning Zebras,

I love you and I pray that you are all doing well.

I have really been struggling lately with trying to decide what God wants me to do and what others want me to do. And honestly I would be willing to do it all, but I can tell God doesn’t want me to because He is not giving me peace about it. So I continue to pray.

Yesterday God brought a line from a song to mind. “I can’t do what ten people tell me to do.” I didn’t know what song the line came from so I looked it up on the internet.

It is from Otis Redding’s (Sitting’ On) The Dock of the Bay and the entire stanza is:

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

And I felt God say: “That’s the problem with trying to do what everyone is telling you to do. Nothing gets done because you are totally overwhelmed and since you don’t have any time left to spend with Me you don’t change. If you want to do something that is a joy to do and has eternal significance you need to do what I am telling you to.”

Jesus told the people to do one thing: To love the Lord with all their heart, mind and strength and then to love others as themselves.

He didn’t tell them they needed to be on ten committees, belong to five Bile studies, and two small groups. He just told them they needed to love.

I think we have accidentally made our faith too complicated, and in doing so we have lost the most important thing, which is Christ.

The world doesn’t need another program, they have plenty of programs. What they need is love, and so do we.

Have a wonderful day little Zebras because God loves you just as you are. Pass it on.

Love,

Jill

Giving Directions

2011-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV)

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday I ran to the gym for a quick workout. I didn’t have much time before I needed to be somewhere but I figured I could squeeze in at least a little cardio.

As I was signing in, I overheard an older gentleman with a thick accent asking the staff for directions to “the 80 freeway.” He wasn’t getting a very warm response because I think his age, accent and appearance made the young girls uncomfortable. They told him they didn’t know how to get there and were about to send him on his way.

So I stepped in. First I verbally told him how to get there, but I could see he didn’t really understand me. Then I grabbed a piece of paper and drew him a quick map, But I could tell by his questions that he was still confused and that there was a good chance he would walk out the door and get lost again. And I realized the only way to make sure he got there was to take him myself so I motioned for him to follow me.

As we drove out of the parking lot I thought about a time that I too had been lost. I had rented a sand buggy on the Oregon Dunes and had taken my young daughter out for a ride. I have a rather poor sense of direction and the dunes all look the same so it was probably inevitable that I would get lost. And I did. I was so scared because it felt like I was in the middle of nowhere with no hope of getting back.

When some sand buggies came over the far hill, I jumped and yelled until they saw me.

I was never so grateful to see and follow someone I didn’t even know. I felt like they had been sent by God to rescue me and I still feel that way.

Yesterday, I felt like I was the angel and I realized helping the lost was what God has called me to do

We live in a world of lost people, people who don’t know Christ and Christians who don’t realize what they have. They think Christianity is a list of rules and regulations instead of a love relationship with the Creator of the world. They think they have to do everything themselves, instead of realizing Christ has done it all and all we need to do is walk it out. They think following Jesus is a burden not a joy.

And all of us who know the truth have the privilege of helping others find their way.

Love,

Jill