Love Interlude: He was breath-taking to her.  Moments in his presence often left her limp and longing for more of him.  She day-dreamed him into her life, wished him into her future.  She danced when she thought of him and something on the inside leaped every time.  All she knew was that she wanted him.  He could make her life wonderful, exciting, better than it was. Here’s a thought: “what did she think of before he came?”  Now, all she seemed to think or imagine was this strange kind of love talk.  He made her a little crazy, a little off balance, a little out of control.  Words rattled in her spirit, “I love you. Yes, I believe I do.”

It’s been said that love is a four letter word, yes, a little dirty, a little risky.  In it’s purest form LOVE is God (1 John 4:8).  In the English language, however, it can be a little confusing as we use the word love to describe our favorite movie and our favorite person in the same breath.  All the while meaning two different kinds of love.  In fact, the Greek language has at least 14 different words to exemplify the various forms of love, and English has one.  That is interesting.  Love is interesting.   That’s easy to see as it is the ready topic of every other movie and ready thought of every other single, unmarried individual over the age of 30.  We want love, this captivating all encompassing, us against the world kind of love with another individual. Some of us have spent a life time dreaming of it, hunting for it, being destroyed by misinterpretations of it, devastating others with our confusion about love.  And it’s still an amazing attention getter.  But I was taught that in all my getting to get understanding (PRO 4:7).  And that leads me to Tina Turner.  Remember her song from the 80s, What’s Love Got To Do With It?

It was one of my favorites growing up.  Her big hair, sassy walk and captivating voice had me singing and wondering, “Why is she saying this?”  One of her lyrics always grabbed my attention more than the rest: who needs a heart, when a heart can be broken? “I do“ I used to whisper to myself, ”I need a heart.“  Then, I learned more about her story of  violence in her marriage and I lived a story of my own and today her words make a lot more sense.  That’s where the risk and the dirt comes in – hearts can get broken, BUT I still whisper to myself, ”I need my heart.  Even though she can be broken, I need her.“  To live our best lives, risk will be required, but the cool thing about God is this: He gives us plenty of guidelines to help us avoid a mess again and again, if we simply pay attention (and believe me, I know it’s easier said than done sometimes).

I have learned something though.  People have been mishandled by other four letter words that they have masqueraded as love and people have been mistreated by others who heard the word on love but never finished the book.  In the next post, we’ll talk about these other four letter words and a little secret that makes this whole thing a little easier.

MizJAI…pondering the meaning of real love

CLUB FITNESS (that’s my gym)
We pay all this money to join these health clubs. We make these plans to work our way into a bikini (or whatever you’re trying to wear with your Christian-self) and oftentimes after the excitement of the first month our commitment to the “almighty” gym begins to fade. So we tell ourselves the excuses that we can live with–
“there’s not enough time”
“I still look good though”
“the instructors ‘suck’ anyway ”
Well,
maybe they do, but where there’s a will there is always a way. And surely we meant to frequent the gym far more than the New Year workouts that we spring into in an effort to keep our new resolutions. How long does that last anyway? a month!?!

You know, the gym doesn’t care about you showing up, because they get the check anyway. So, if the gym doesn’t care, then who will–oh, that’s right, that leaves YOU. And speaking of you, I wonder how many of us have raggedy, seasonal, jacked-up relationships with our faith.

CLUB FAITH (that’s my lifestyle)
Faith in action is like a workout for sure. Without some form of pressure faith has no expression. I look at it this way, upon arrival to heaven love is what dominates, not faith, because we will see God face to face & will know the things that we did not and could not know here. And there will be no need for faith because we will have “it” all, finally seeing, touching, feeling, smelling and truly knowing all the righteous & beautiful things that we have believed and sought after. Our new home will be a place designed by Love (1 John 4:8, ) with rooms set aside for us.
But here
on this side of heaven
faith
is fundamental.
And learning how to exercise that faith is key to breaking down the junk in our lives and building up the best of “we (me & you).”

Take me for example (the resident Gospel Nerve guinea pig for now–and I know I am not the only person with a jacked up pass, but anyway) I married the wrong man once. I know, because he tried to take me out on the honey moon & violence is a good indicator to get the heck out of dodge (in case you where wondering) while you still can. That incident of abuse has created pressure in my life, in my heart, in my head. And that pressure has caused me to take the faith that I have and PUSH against the drama that I feel until I am free of nightmares and fears and foolishness. To push and believe until I am so real with myself that the only thing left is the beauty that the Spirit of Truth brings. AND I am certain that I am not the only one going through. As a matter of fact, after we quit medicating our stupidity with excuses and crutch relationships the only options for us are
(1) to fall apart or
(2) to faith our way through.

I choose number 2, club Faith all the way. And the price, the BEST & the WORST of me from my heart to God’s hands, is not to steep.
Sign me up!
What about you?

MizJAI . . . finally learning to “work-out” like a champion

You used to be so strong, so focused, so sure. Remember that, remember when you were fearless and unafraid of your future and your dreams, no matter how big they were. It was before:
1). It was before your heart was broken more than you could handle.
2). It was before you came up with this plan about being perfect and saving face.
3). It was before you closed your ears to heartache not realizing that somehow, you had closed your heart to real love instead.
4). It was before we came up with all these questionable solutions and ideas about how to “make it” in life.
We were just a little bit younger, a lot more fearless, definitely more clueless and knew we needed God a whole lot more. The beauty of the helplessness of childhood is we know we cannot make it on our own. We know we need help and that creates the atmosphere for a heart of faith that is ready to rely on something bigger than ourselves: God.

I am going back to that place in my heart when I trusted more.

I am going back to the parts of me that laughed like a child, free of worry.

I am going back to reintroduce myself to the me that took pleasure in the simple things, like a butterfly in motion or the smell of a flower in bloom.

I am going back to remember the best parts of me.

And don’t worry, I know that I am grown and that bees sting and that everyone can’t be trusted. I am simply choosing to hold on to “whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report (Phil. 4:8).” I choose to trust God with my heart and my dreams and my hurts and my aches because this bitterness and fear doesn’t suite my life, nor my right to joy. And this fear doesn’t honor this life of faith and hope that I vow to live. What about you? What have you forgotten from your childhood that would serve you well today?

MizJAI . . . rediscovering her childhood moments of faith and wonder and amazement

What is your dream-speak? that of nightmares or hope? What is the conversation that your heart exposes? Are you talking HOPE or Hell? Which of these “Hs” are you talking?!

And here is the last one. The “H” in faith has a meaning too = HOPE in & HEAR the Word

Keep the promises in your ears.
1) Go where the Word is . . . Sermons, Bible Studies, and Television shows are just the beginning, but they are necessary.
2) Bring the Word with you . . . audio cds, dvds, and mp3 recordings of your favorite scriptures are the next level. You need to walk with the Word in your ear, so that you can hear and hear and hear. Faith only comes this way (Romans 10:17).
3) Put your word on it . . . record yourself saying your scripture of the day, your pocket scripture, your birthday scripture and keep the recording with you. This step changes you because you take the time to say and hear. Your Pastor cannot live for you. You have to do some things yourself; like your secret time with God, your personal Bible study, doing ‘homework’ so that what you hear at church sticks with you.

So there it is. Are you talking HOPE or Hell?

That’s it. Thanks for sticking with me and as usual feel free to leave your comments as you see fit. But remember this, consider each step of the process to be a part of a whole that limps when one of the key areas is missing. You want to have “it” all, then take the time to do “it” all. An exceptional life requires exceptional action . . .

MizJAI
Things to use the faith process for: exceptional joy, exceptional travel, exceptional impact on your industry, exceptional relationships, exceptional service, exceptional dreaming, exceptional living, (you add the rest). . .

First, let me recap the process (so far):

F-Find & Study the promise
God has a-lot to say about your life. Take the time to discover his thoughts and plans for you. Find & Study the promise, discover His word on the matter of you

A-Ask & Confess the promise
Once you know then start talking like a new man, start conversing like a new woman. Request the life you want, confess the life you desire. It’s dream-speak

I-Internalize the promise for the long haul
We are exposed to so much daily and most of it just rubs off and never becomes a real part of us. Do something to ensure that the best things stick with you, change you, elevate you. Check the original post for some simple tips and reminders.

T-Train and Take action for the reality of the promise
Truth has to be applied in order to change us. Take action, prepare yourself to live the life of faith, of a dancer, of a writer, of a lawyer, of a doctor, of a horse whisperer . . . (you know your dreams better than I do)

. . . and finally . . .

MizJAI
I remember . . .

Faith is not a secret. You can see it if you want. You can touch it if you choose. You can live in it and it in you. It is up to you. Faith is not an outfit that you save for special occasions. It’s your heart, the way that you live, and it becomes your style. What do you do? You faith.

Faith is the thing that changes the dream into a tangible form. You faith that fire right out your chest and into reality. Faith is the truth taking shape in your heart in such a real way that you can’t help but live your heart’s desire out loud. Faith allows you to see things that others cannot. To know things that others do not. To find things that others have yet to discover. On this side of heaven F-A-I-T-H is.

My personal goal is to make sure that it never becomes a catch word for me. That I live the kind of dynamic life that God wants me to live, that I never hold back the hand of God in my life, and that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit be more than just a Sunday morning thing, but a pulsating part of my life. That being said, I know that there is at least one more action required in order to keep the process of faith alive and kicking . . .

MizJAI

You hear the thunder long before you feel the rain. You know that there’s a storm coming. It’s just beyond that last white cloud. You see the weight of rain in the bellies of full skies and you get ready for it.

You move the party to the inside. You grab your umbrella and for some country girls who wait for this, you take your shoes off so you can feel every drop between your toes. Yes, there is a storm on the horizon. And you may not be able to change that reality, but what you do in the face of that storm is all you.

You hear it in the wind. The skies tell. Your mother whispers . . . faith

MizJAI

Tracy Arm, Alaska

Do you remember your dreams? The ones you had when you where little and bold and free to say just about anything? The dreams you had when the slightest thing you did was cute? Do you remember those dreams, when you said you wanted to be president, when you said you wanted to be an astronaut? I am not about to suggest that you quit your job and join space camp (well, maybe some of you should, for real), but I am suggesting that you (we) recapture that passion and that freedom and that idea that you could actually be whatever you set your mind to.

Set your mind to be happy, set your mind to be fulfilled, set your mind to be free, set your mind to dream and set your will to live your best life (I say this a-lot).

Faith doesn’t work without action. What does it matter that you dream of being an architect but you never complete the studies. It’s OK to make changes as long as you make them for the right reasons. Did you change your dream because your heart changed or did you change your dream because you where afraid of the cost to get there? Do you still want it for the right reasons? Is there someone you need to find? Where have you been? Where is that passionate version of you who thinks he can change the world one child at a time, one patient at a time, one case at a time? Where is the fire that used to drive you and inspire the people around you? Where have you been?

Find her. Find him. They have work to do.

Faith dies when there is no action. Once you figure out what you (think you) want to do, then begin to walk it through the faith process of:

F-Finding and Studying it in the Word to build more faith and awareness
A-Asking and Confessing it to build more confidence and certainty
I-Internalizing it to anchor it on the inside of you, and
T-Training and Taking Action in order to develop skill and build momentum.
Yes, it’s time to do the work that will give your dream legs and prepare you to live it out loud.

It doesn’t cost anything to research (well time, but you have to invest something into designing the life that you want). Find out what you need to know how to do in order to be a _____________, in order to create a _______________, in order to ________________. Get started on your research today while it’s fresh on your mind. If you want to be an entrepreneur and you don ‘t want to quit your job, there is a way. If you want to be a writer and a lawyer, then do it. If you want to be a doctor and a dancer, then have at it. There is room for ALL your dreams, when you train, plan, and take action.

Where have you been?

MizJAI
I’ve been in Alaska and had a terrible time getting internet connection, but I’m back now.

I have noticed that a lot people use the word faith loosely. Some throw it around like a toy and regard it only as a last resort, “Well this didn’t work, so I think I’ll try faith.”

That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about taking the effort to ensure that faith is central in your life. Taking the steps to be focused on it without being spooky. Taking the time to Internalize your F-A-I-T-H.

The I in F-A-I-T-H is INTERNALIZE. Last post the tools came up. Let’s start back with Tool #1: Pocket Scriptures.

By now you have been Finding & Studying Scriptures as well as Asking & Confessing. A pocket scripture is simply taking the scripture that truly speaks to you and putting it on a notecard and placing that notecard in your wallet, back pocket, on the visor in your car, the mirror in your back room or whatever works for you. This is not magic, this is simply you keeping the word on who you say you are in your face, so that you remember to act like who you say you are. I started doing this when I was college.

I always wore blue jeans, never carried a purse, so everything that I needed was in my jean pockets. My back pockets however, where always empty, because I think it’s too easy for people to pick your back pocket (nobodies watching it). Anyway, I did alot of walking then, 15 minutes to this class, 15 minutes to that class, waiting in line to buy lunch, waiting in line to buy school books, you get the picture. I could leave my dorm room happy and sure of myself. But by the time I arrive at class I could be nervous, frustrated and afraid to speak. I had some hard nosed professors and a lot of small classes where I could not hide. I didn’t want to anyway, but I don’t want to make a fool of myself either and I didn’t want to be afraid to speak up. So I started keeping my favorite scripture in my back pocket (I would switch out once I knew it by heart). And when the fear would grip me I would grab that pocket scripture and do battle in my mind. You see, I want to enjoy my life and fear and foolishness are not a part of my pleasure. Feeling good in my own skin and having the guts to go for the dream is. So I ask you, what’s in your back pocket, wallet, purse, whatever? You know what I mean.

A scripture to start with,
“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind (2Tim 1:7).” Are you acting crazy? because you don’t have to . . .

-MizJAI-

He knew what she wanted, but he was waiting for her. She smiled at him and looked down. She laughed at his jokes and danced around the real issue. This is how she was. Certain and exact about what she wanted from people. Slow and unclear about asking. People usually just covered her. They often read her mind and gave her what she wanted. After all, she was pretty and nice enough and this just seemed to work for her.

He found his pleasure in the voices and the texture of the words. He could hear the weight of convictions when people spoke and because of that he often knew when they where being real. And Miran was holding something back and he knew what it was and he could help her, but he would not if she did not ask. “I hope she asks,” he thought to himself, never wanting to keep a good thing from anybody.

Are you like that with God, you never take the time to speak up and ask Him for what you really want. So you kick at the rocks and hold your hopes and heartaches to yourself. When they simply need to be spoken to the One in your life who knows just what to do with you.

“Father don’t let me be a fool.”

“Help me to make my business work. Teach me new things.”

“Show me how to use this ‘power to get wealth.’”

“I keep choosing the wrong men, show me how to love, show me how to live. Don’t let me get me jacked up.”

God made you, surely He is strong enough to deal with you, the real you. Oftentimes we pray these big grandiose prayers, when all we need to do in order to be heard by God is speak to Him honestly, listen for the answers consistently and our lives will change dynamically. He is not like everyone else that you have been dealing with–you must ask for “it”. If you ask for any promise that he has already spoken to you through the Word, then you can trust that you will receive it.

Try it and see what happens . . . and in the next post we’ll uncover the second even more life changing part of this prayer thing. It’s the kind of information that can make or break your faith. And when your faith falls apart, so does all your dreams.

MizJAI