Why Do You Worship Him?

I know that it has been a while since I have blogged. We have just wrapped up the busiest 2 months of this year for us. The rest of the summer should have a slower pace and it looks like we will actually get to have a vacation! The last vacation that we had was 3 days in the Bahamas after our mission trip to Cuba. Now, if I reflect on that mission trip, it would be a blog in of itself. So, I will save that for another day. This will be the first vacation that we have taken that is not connected to some other ministry trip since 2003. So exciting!

As I said, our summer has been very hectic and busy so far. We have traveled all over the place and have met a lot of new and interesting people. Even though it can be tiring, I cannot imagine that I would do anything else with my life. The ability to travel so much and to meet so many believers is a true blessing. I love to see how others worship God and find great comfort in the fact that someone who 50, 500, or even 5000 miles away worships the same God as I do and are learning and studying the same scriptures as I am! It makes me feel connected to something that is bigger than me. It helps me to understand the Bride of Christ in a deeper and more meaningful way. Such a diverse group of people!

But even in the diversity there are challenges that transcend location, ethnicity, gender and list goes on. What the Father has been saying to my heart lately is a reminder that we need to evaluate from the time to time WHO we worship. Yes, when posed with the question, many of us are quick to say it is God whom we worship. That is what I would say and those of you who are reading this blog who are believers would most likely answer the same way. But if we are honest with ourselves, is it true?

Do we worship God for who He is? I mean, He is the Great I Am. Before anything, He was and is and will be. He is the Ancient of Days and our creator. He is worthy of our adoration and praise. After all, we were created to worship him. Do we worship Him alone? Do we worship Him no matter what? In the good and the bad? Or do we worship Him for the good times or for the blessings that He has given us? Have we forgotten to worship Him just because He is worthy?

The reason this whole issue has come up for me is in the discussions that I have had with people in our travels for Chosen People Ministries. Often people will be compelled to share a prayer request or a praise report with us. It is an awesome blessing to have people share their lives with us. But sometimes people share their disappointment with God for not meeting their needs or desires. And sometimes they share that they haven't been going to services or haven't prayed in years because of those disappointments.

Now I understand that sometimes horrible things happen. And most of us would cry out to God during these times for a solution to the problem, whether it be healing, provision, deliverance, etc. And we SHOULD cry out to Him. He is our loving Father and we should go to him with our every need and even our desires. But, if for some reason, He answers us differently than we expect and it doesn't turn out the way we had hoped, do we hold it against Him? Do we even blame Him? I know that I have in the past, have you? I think that Job said it best:

And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

For Such a Time as This

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalm 91:2-4

Neal and I were honored to attend the National Day of Prayer reception on Wednesday night and the service today at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington , D.C. The above scripture verse is the theme for this years National Day of Prayer. How poignant is this verse, especially during these times! If ever there was a time that we needed to be reminded that God is our refuge and fortress, the time is now.

We had heard about the National Day of Prayer before, but sadly it was mainly through the scarce coverage of the secular media, so you can imagine what we really knew about the event. However, it is an interesting tale to tell of how we got invited to the event in the first place! The director of the event, Faye, contacted Joel Rosenberg, (author of Epicenter) to see if he knew how to get a shofar for the event. Joel contacted Mitch Glaser, who is the president of Chosen People Ministries (and our boss!), to see if he knew of anyone who could help them out and he contacted us. He knew that we had one so he gave our contact information to the director. We were more than willing to let them use our shofar, which was to be used to open the Thursday morning event. She in turn, invited us to the private reception on Wednesday night and the prayer service on Thursday. We really did not know what to expect, but graciously accepted the offer. We were more than happy to also represent Chosen People Ministries at this event.

What an amazing night! Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley, opened the event. We were introduced to the speakers of the National Day of Prayer; Joni Eareckson Tada, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Father Jerome Magat, Ambassador Raymond Joseph, Senator Elizabeth Dole, Congressman Allen West, Chaplain Barry Black, Justice Paul Newby, Dr. Dick Eastman, Captain Ryan Voltin, Chaplain Brigadier General Howard Stendahl, Vonette Bright, Bobby Little, Dave Butts, John Bornschein and special musical guests Ginny Owen and Jared Anderson. Quite the impressive list!

So here we were, sitting in a room with pastors, national speakers, congressmen and congresswomen, Dove-award winning artists, and national ministry leaders. Many of these people we had listen to on the radio or have seen on TV. Why had God brought us there? Why us? Who were we in comparison to those who were there? Then the Lord clearly and most distinctly spoke to my heart; why not?

Were we not all gathered there to lift our prayers to our Father in Heaven? Were we not all brothers and sisters in the Lord, who felt the burden to pray for our nation? All of us, His children, gathered in His Name to pray for His guidance and protection. It did not matter who we were, what mattered was why we were there.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I think the most powerful part of this experience for me was when a chaplain that was leading us all in prayer for our judicial and legislative branches asked everyone in the room to kneel when they prayed! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, got down on their knees and bowed their heads in prayer...congressmen, congresswomen, national pastors, national speakers, ministry heads, heads of state, judges and the list goes on and on. What an awesome and humbling experience; all of us on our faces together before our God!

What an honor and privilege to lift up our petitions to our God, who loves us. We serve a God who cares deeply for us and will hear us! It doesn't matter who we are or even who we think we are...if we are called by His name and come to Him with a humble heart and pray.. HE WILL HEAR US! He sees and knows us. Praise His Name!

Whom Shall I Fear?

Passover season has come and gone. We have eaten the matzah, sang the songs, tasted the bitter herbs. Another year, another cycle of celebrating the remembrance of the freedom that we have and what price that freedom has come at. Once we were slaves, but now we are free!

I love Passover. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the preparation and planning; the anticipation of the retelling of our Exodus out of Egypt. Believe it or not, I love matzah! I know it is the "bread of our affliction", but I think it is great. I love the taste and texture, but most of all, I love the simplicity of it. Flat, plain, simple, and delicious! This is also the bread of our freedom.

The more and more I observe these times of the Lord, the more I see Him, in everything! Each year that I celebrate these times, ADONAI shows me some nugget or deeper truth about Him and these holidays. I think that is why I anticipate them so much! I feel like a child who is waiting for their parent to give them a gift. You know you are going to get something, but you have to wait!

So I waited. I knew that He was going to show me marvelous and wondrous things, just like the way He displayed His glory to Egypt and the world through the plagues. I can imagine how the children of Israel felt as they watched each display of God's power and absolute authority. With each plague, the mighty power of Pharoah was chipped away; broken down. I can only imagine the anticipation that they felt as they watched this "super power" of it's day, be brought to it's knees! The unthinkable happened! God, Himself, showed His magnificent power and dominion over the lives of the Israelites, over Egypt, over Pharoah and the world.

So the first "gift" that God has given me this season is the reminder of FREEDOM! God, Himself, set us free. He removed the shackles of slavery and lifted our burden of bondage. His deliverance is permanent and complete. What a price was paid for that freedom. What an awesome God we serve! Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!

With this reminder I was content and happy. Oh the sweet freedom we have in Messiah and the awesome price that was paid for my freedom, deliverance, redemption. He has taken us to be his people and there is no turning back.

But, as with everything, God over does it. The other revelation that He wanted me to see came through a very practical application yesterday. Neal and I were out and about doing errands for the day and had to go to the restaurant to make final plans for the rehearsal dinner for this upcoming Saturday evening. Our youngest son, Mark, is getting married on May 1st, so as you can imagine, things are pretty busy and hectic. As we pulled into the parking lot and parked the car, we watched, as a lady unloading her groceries let her unattended cart roll down the hill and into another parked car! Of course, this could happen to any of us, but she seemed to not care and kept organizing the items in the back of her car. I jumped out of the car and approached her and asked if she realized that she hit the other car with her cart. She said that she knew and that everyone knows that they park in a parking lot at their own risk. I asked if she was going to leave a note for the person who's car was damaged and she said that she wasn't and that I could leave them a note. I could not believe the lack of concern or care this woman had for the damage that she inflicted. She told me that everyone knows that insurance companies will not pay out for this type of damage, so it really was not her problem. I told her that it was her problem and the right thing to do was to notify the driver and to make restitution for the damage. She began to get into her car. I said that I was going to take down her license plate number, since she was unwilling to notify them of the damage and give it to the driver. At this, she got into her car, told me to mind my own business and said a few expletives and gave me a few hand gestures and took off.

So here I was left in the parking lot, with a license plate number and not really knowing what to do. I started to make my way back to the car to get some paper and pen to leave a note for the person whose car was damaged when a lady came running up to me and asked what happened. She had witnessed the lady cussing me out and wanted to know if I was ok. I told her what happened and she said that she knew the lady whose car was damaged. She worked at one of the local shops, so she went and got her. I gave her the license plate number and my contact information in case she decided to pursue this legally. She thanked me for caring enough to speak up.

So what is the point? Absolutely not to pat myself on the back for doing a good deed. It really has nothing to do with that. Is it about the fact that we are our brother's keeper? Yes, but there is more. We should care about what happens to one another. As the lady was driving away and she yelled out the window that I should mind my own business, and I said to her that if more people cared about each other, the world would be a better place. This is when she made the wonderful hand gestures to me. Nice, right?

But isn't this also about fear? Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? I could have easily walked away from the situation. I could have convinced myself that it wasn't my problem. I could have told myself that it could easily escalate into a dangerous situation and I could potentially get hurt. But WHOM shall I fear? If God is my refuge, my deliverer, my redeemer, then what can man do to me? And if people are unwilling to stand up for righteousness, then who will? Who will speak out against indifference, complacency, hatred, and evil? We are called to this life and bought with a price. The freedom that was given to us comes with a responsibility. If God has freed us from bondage and our oppressors, then what right do we have to not want that for others too? And not only spiritual freedom, but physical as well. We must stand in the gap. We must fight for the rights of the oppressed. We must desire to see others free, too. Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!

With all of this, my mind turns to Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance) which is on May 1st. It is literally right around the corner. It is not a coincidence that the Lord allowed me to experience this right now, at this moment. Many people stood up for the oppressed during the Holocaust. Many did so at great risk. Many lost their lives to do so. Whom did they fear? I know that taking down a license plate number is not the same as what many righteous people did during the Holocaust. But isn't it a step in the right direction?

We all need a little "Hope"

Tonight, Neal and I were asked to lead a Messiah in the Passover presentation for a church in Northeastern, MD. It struck me as odd, since we do not get many requests for a Saturday night presentation. But, I really felt the leading that God was asking me to go to this meeting with my husband, so I went.

When we got to the church, the presentation was being hosted in the multi-purpose room upstairs. We met with the coordinator and the pastor to make sure that all things were in order and got prepared to begin.

Since it was a small church, we expected about 20 or less people to come. In the end, about 12 people showed up, but it has never been about the number of people and only about those who have ears to hear. No matter the amount of people present, the Lord has given us a message to deliver and we will deliver it, no matter what.

About 10 minutes before the service began, a young girl, her mother, and her father walked in. The young girl, Hope, walked up to me and introduced herself and her parents. I asked her if she had ever been to Passover seder before, and she told me no, but that she was so excited to be there and learn about it. She said that she was excited enough to "scream" and she had been anxiously waiting for this presentation and that she had begged her parents to bring her. Right then and there I knew that there was something different about this little girl. For the next 10 minutes she proceeded to explain to me how much she enjoyed bible study and Sunday school. She also began to tell me EVERYTHING she had been taught in the last couple of weeks regarding Moses, the plagues, the Passover and anything else that she could remember. My heart was touched by the joy this 12 yr. old girl and her devotion to learning about God. As we sat down to begin, she asked if she could sit with me during the seder and her mother said that they both could sit with me, so that really made her happy. Her father sat at the neighboring table, and I could tell that she was upset by this.

To make a very long story short, about 15 minutes into the presentation, her Father asked the Mother for the keys to the car and whispered in Hope's ear that he was leaving. At this, she began to cry, but her mother quietly spoke to her to calm her down and to focus on the presentation that she wanted so badly to attend. She composed herself and focused all her attention on what Neal was saying. I was so impressed by this little girl. Her devotion and desire was amazing for anyone, much less a 12 yr. old little girl.

All throughout the presentation, she listened intently on the teaching; asking me various questions during the presentation and smiling with delight as she began to understand the meaning behind all the symbolism regarding the elements of the seder. It blessed me so much! I kept thinking about what a treasure this little girl is and what a gift the Father had given me to meet her. It was one of those "divine appointments" and I knew it. It felt like holy ground.

So what is the purpose of this story? Why did I feel it was important to share this testimony with all of you? The answer lies in the very name of this child; Hope. I could see that this little girl clung to the hope that God was real. She kept telling me that she loved studying the Bible and what excited her the most is the fact that all that she read really happened and that all the God said was true. This was her hope. I was moved by this childlike faith.

You see, after talking with the pastor at the end of the service about her and explaining to him the impact that she had made on me, he explained her life and some of the difficulties that she had been and was going through in her family. After this revelation, I understood even more why this young girl had such a passion and desire to learn and know God; she knew, even at this very young age, that He was her hope and she held onto those promises.

I rejoice that God brought her into my life. That He allowed me to apart of her story and she apart of mine. I thanked him that I was able to comfort her and provide her with a little "hope" when she was sad about her Father leaving. I am thankful that I was obedient to His voice and attended this event, because you never know what is waiting for you at the destination that God has provided for you. But most of all, I am grateful that the Lord had given me a little "Hope", literally, in this beautiful child of His. I pray that the Lord will provide you all with a little "Hope", too.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question!

Hey Ladies,

This question has been plaguing me for a while now. I personally like blogs, but know that they do require upkeep and should have time relevant posts. So I have been hesitant since time is always an issue for me, but I feel that God is leading me down this path. So here it goes!

The Lord has been speaking to me a lot lately about the body of Messiah and the need for us to encourage each other. He had given us, one to another, for this purpose. With all that is going on in the world, I know that I could use a little encouragement! How about you?

So we begin this journey, won't you join me?

Shalom and blessings,

Kim