A Sister's Love

When my daughter was old enough, she begged me to have another girl because she wanted a sister. My sister and I were not really very close at the time. We had lived in other states since I was 16 and had gotten busy in our own little worlds. Remembering our sibling rivalries, I advised my daughter against having a sister. But every once in awhile, my sister and I would seem to be "in sync" with each other even if it only lasted a short time. She approved my "For List" when I got married, took a Sacred Path journey with me, and we even took our daughters to horseback riding lessons where we enjoyed riding as much as they did. And in between these adventures we both wondered how we could actually have been born into the same family, we felt we were so different. We would drift away from each other and get sucked back into our little worlds.
You have probably heard about friendships, that there are three types: the one that lasts a lifetime, the one that lasts a season, and the one that is only there for a reason. The great thing about a sister's love is that it is a friendship that has the opportunity to be all three. Even if you try to emancipate yourself, a sisters' love binds you together. And when family stuff always brings you back together even for a brief encounter like in a hospital waiting room, it's all you need to sync up again.
When I was in junior high, I had a good friend who was best friends with her little sister. I wanted that so much but every time I tried to bring my big teenage sister around it didn't work out. Either her friends talked her out of it or my friends talked me out of it and we went back to our sibling rivalry. Eventually, my friend from junior high school had drifted apart from her sister. Fortunately, for us my sister and I came to a point as mature women where we both realized we had become each others' best friend. A sister's love is like that-- it ebbs and flows but like an ocean wave it always come back in to wash over you. And I know that my friends from Junior High will always have opportunities to sync up again and if they are lucky, they will reignite their friendship. Sadly, my daughter will not have the chance to do this since she was the only girl in a family of four boys. But I imagine that will have its perks, too, as family stuff brings them back together over a lifetime.
In the meantime, I will treasure my sister's love for the reasons we are there for each other, for the seasons we came in and out of each other's bond, and for a lifetime of friendship.

Discernment & Hope

Friday night I got to see Joel Osteen live at Kemper Arena, and it was great. Joel and his family preached about Hope and living through the eyes of faith. I had been praying about how to be an encouragement to someone dear to me and I really connected with the Victoria's talk about "abounding love." Saturday I was able to share this with my loved one. I learned that Friday night while I was praying for wisdom on how to encourage my loved one's troubled relationship, God was already at work patching it up. What I shared was a confirmation of that for both of us. I knew what I heard during this "Night of Hope" was annointed and I even got the Holy Goosebumps to go with it. Praise God!
What was a shock was Sunday morning at my own bible-based church listening to one of the teaching pastors criticize (although he did not name names) Joel's message of Hope and Victorious Life In Christ. Aware of the criticisms of Joel's ministry, I prayed for discernment. Who is right?
As always, if there is a conflict in teaching we must revert to the source and so I picked up my bible and prayed for discernment. Lord, who is right? Whose teaching do I follow, Joel's or my teaching pastor?
I began to read Philipians 1 and was amazed to find the very scripture that Victoria had preached on that gave me guidance to encourage my loved one:
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight," and following that with a comma not a period was the answer to my prayer for discernment, "so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
Okay, so that quickly confirmed that I should trust the peace the Spirit was giving me about Friday night's teachings. Does this then mean I should dismiss my pastor's comments or even more drastically find a new bible based church? Probably not. My answer became clear as I continued to read Philipians 1:
"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."
This just reiterates the importance that each one of us remain in God's word. Why do you think the bible is the world's bestselling book of all times? So we can each have our own copy. We each need to be reading it so that we can become discerning and wise and be filled with the Hope that is God's word. And God's word walked among us when Christ was on earth and Christ walks among us now in God's word. We are not sponges meant to sit on pews and soak up preaching after preaching without considering it or evaluating it. We are to grow in the knowledge and depth of insight so that we will be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
I believe that many of Joel's critics are missing the point-- Jesus is Good News! The slam on the doctrine of "positive Christianity" is an oxymoron. Christ is good news-- that is positive!! Christ came to bring Hope into the world, He embodies Hope, He came to set us free from our sin, to give us life in the Full. This is the message--- this is the good news.
But I am not upset with my pastor for criticizing Joel's message, as Paul says, "What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Winter Wisdom

Winter does this to me, makes me feel lost. I become reclusive and dream of Spring. I don't know if it is the cold or lack of vitamin D or less contact with people or less activity at the ranch or the ache in my joints. I feel farther from God and start questioning everything. I think drastic thoughts about change-- moving, taking a new job, doing something different... it's almost like a desparate attempt to elude the winter desolation. I do this every year so this year I decided to remember the years past, what can I learn from them, how can I get through this winter by the Wisdom those years have shown me. The conclusion: Don't make any rational decision until Spring!! Spring changes everything.

So I turned back to God's word-- which by the way I had been avoiding along with everything else. Not because of intentional avoidance just neglect as I recoiled into my winter fetal position awaiting Spring's strike out to face the world again.

I love reading God's word so I don't understand what keeps me from reading it everyday. Today's gem was no disappointment, it reminded me that Christ did not come to the earth to make us all best friends but to draw a clear line between his followers and his enemies. Amazing how that is becoming so clear in the headlines as well as in our own homes. Jesus says, "God blesses those who do not turn away because of me."

God's word brings Wisdom to desparate hearts even in the desolation of winter, in the midst of this battle we wage toward peace and harmony for heaven's sake. In a perpetual seperation that can not be stopped, can not be reasoned, can not be persuaded, we cling to our Prince of Peace for Winter's Wisdom.

"Wisdom offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly." Proverbs 3:16-18. She is found in the Word of Our God, the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac.

It's Finally Here!!-- The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings!

After a long anticipated wait-- your leadership package has finally arrived. The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings is finally complete. I want to thank all of you who have been patiently waiting for us to get the kinks out and deliver you a quality product. Some of you have been waiting since August when our package was scheduled to come back from the printer and on behalf of R4C Ranch Productions I hope you know how much we appreciate you hanging in there with us.

We hope you enjoy your new training and motivational package. We have packed it full of powerful tools and ideas to help you transform your weekly meetings into life-changing small groups. The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings covers skills in relationship building, leadership development, facilitating empowering discussions, and group member management. Your feedback is vital to our continuing desire to create quality leader materials and training. Let us know what you think of your new Leadership Package by commenting to this blog or emailing us directly at r4cr.productions@yahoo.com

If you haven't ordered your Leadership Package yet, you can do so at www.theleadinglife.com

Dream Ranch Journey

R4C Ranch Productions presents

--"The Dream Ranch Journey"--

This new blog at http://dreamranchjourney.blogspot.com is dedicated to reviewing and sifting through the billions of books out there to find and bring straight to you the "How Tos" and "Great Ideas" as well as the "Intellectual Stimulation" and "Spiritual Inspiration" to help keep you going on your Dream Ranch Journey.

Remember: The dream is the passion God put in your heart to lead you closer to him but the Journey is everything. . . no destination on earth is worth stopping at. . . so keep dreaming until God brings you home.

Welcome to the Country-- city girl!

What a blessing to have my children spending a Sunday afternoon working in the fields with me! While my 10 year old helped me with the new fence, his main chore to ride the ATV back and forth to the house and get us refreshments and tools we forgot, my 20 year old daughter born and raised in the city, was learning how to pick up round bales with the tractor. After she got her first bale set, she got a ride from my son on the ATV to come talk to me.

"Is something wrong with the tractor?" I asked.
"This just isn't working," she explained. "We are going to have to go get the truck and the flat bed. I was thinking we could stack several bales on the flat bed and move them like that. You can't seriously think we are going to be able to move all of these bales one at a time that is going to take forever."
After I regained my composure from chuckling so hard I said, "Welcome to the Country, city girl." After we exchanged a few more ideas and truths about tractors, lifts, and money, I suggested all she needed was some suntan lotion and patience.
"This isn't the internet, girl, it's farming. Relax and enjoy the sunshine-- one bale at a time."

It's Finally Here~ The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings

After a long anticipated wait-- your leadership package has finally arrived. The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings is finally complete. I want to thank all of you who have been patiently waiting for us to get the kinks out and deliver you a quality product. Some of you have been waiting since August when our package was scheduled to come back from the printer and on behalf of R4C Ranch Productions I hope you know how much we appreciate you hanging in there with us.

We hope you enjoy your new training and motivational package. We have packed it full of powerful tools and ideas to help you transform your weekly meetings into life-changing small groups. The Essence of Leading Prolific Small Group Meetings covers skills in relationship building, leadership development, facilitating empowering discussions, and group member management. Your feedback is vital to our continuing desire to create quality leader materials and training. Let us know what you think of your new Leadership Package by commenting to this blog or emailing us directly at r4cr.productions@yahoo.com

If you haven't ordered your Leadership Package yet, you can do so at www.theleadinglife.com

R4C Ranch Trail Ride Beginnings

Our first small group trail ride set out Friday, 9/14/2007. They opted out of the traveling through the herd and the woods but instead took the trails out to the hay field where they could let the horses go on a loose rein and enjoy some high speed adventures around the hay bales. We followed up with a second ride on Sunday and it was absolutely beautiful. We dodged the thunder and rain-- remaining mostly dry. The weather was absolutely wonderful. Not as chilly as the Friday night lifegroup on the deck. I just think we are not used to the sudden drop in temperatures of over a 40 degree spread from 105 degrees down to the low 60's.

The R4C Ranch Trail Ride Prayer:

Lord,
As we saddle up our horses and prepare to ride
We ask that you would be our guide
Not just on this trail but all trails of life
Lead us out of darkness and into your light

We thankyou for our equine friends
and Your majesty revealed through them
Let them carry us safely as we ride today
Reveal more of you, Lord, along the way

Prepare us for you, Lord, renew our minds
As we venture out, new treasures to find
Following our leader, Faithful and True
Every where we go, Lord, we'll follow you

In Jesus name, Amen.

Train Yourself up to be Godly

"When we are ambushed, survival kicks in and we revert to our training," Major O. explained, "that is why discipline and training is so important." Not all attacks are military and not all are physical. We are constantly fighting off spiritual attacks that strike at our greatest areas of weakness physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. If you have strengthened your faith and disciplined your mind in God's word, then you have a firm foundation to fall back on. "When we are ambused, survival kicks in and we revert to our training."

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance; and to perserverance godliness (God-Likeness); and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing meausre they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:5).
And this discipline will prepare you for when you are ambushed and help you prevail when you must stand on your training.

"So then brothers stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed to you..." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

"Have nothing to do with godless myths, but train yourself up to be godly. 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." 1Tim 4:8

Hope and Faith

Sometimes I think, it would be a cruel trick for the Creator to have opened our eyes to life and death and then let us live only to die into an abyss of nothingness. That is why I put my Hope* into the God of Creation that has made so much of humans that he came to us in Spirit and in Flesh to teach us about the plans he has made for our eternity after our dance on earth.

*Hope--> Archaic. Trust and Confidence

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

So what is that we do here?-- what is the point, you might ask. I love what Cat Stevens asks in his song, O Very Young. "Oh Very Young, What will you leave us this time?" It's not about what you had when you were here and you can't take it with you when you go, but what will you leave behind: An invention, an unfulfilled promise, a bit of wisdom in the heart of young person? No it's not about your loving will-- you can leave money and they will spend it, property and they will sell it, things and they will rust and depreciate-- all these things seem valuable to us but true value can not be left in a will. True value sews Hope and Faith into the hearts of those you leave behind.

Teenage Wisdom

I am always perplexed by the insights I gain from my teenage children. I was thinking about how hyper-sensitive they are to what other people think about them. If a teenager, and I am not naming names, doesn't have the proper attire that is a cause to skip school. You can not go to class if your new. You can't go to class if you've worn your only clean shirt already once this year unless its your absolute favorite and then you can wear that up to three times a week but not four or five. You can't go to class unless you drive a cool car or truck and if you have to have a ride from your parent-- you can only go if you get to drive up to the school or are dropped off at a friends so you can ride the rest of the way with them.

As I contemplated how to offer wisdom to my teenager about learning not to be so hyper-sensitive about what others thought something that took me two decades to get over, I realized the hypersensitivity did not seem to carry over onto what I thought about him. Okay, so maybe if you could take a little bit of the "I don't care what you think, mom" and apply that to your peers maybe you could reach a healthy balance.

Teenagers also have a strange sense of math. You can tell them how great they are for five days in a row with little response but if one day after school you ask them to pick up their mess they equate, "You never have anything good to say. All you do is yell at me when I mess up."

You would have thought I was never a teenager. But I was and that is why I probably act like I do now. Somehow I think every parent wants to protect their adolescents from going through what they did, if only they just did what we did right without doing what we did wrong--- then maybe they would be better adults than we are or at least better quicker. My daughter once yelled at me, "You just want me to be like you were as a teenager--- well I am not you, mom." The dilemna-- do I tell her? The last thing I wanted was for her to be like I was as a teenager but unfortunately I saw so much of me in her it was scarey. Well, I think she might turn out okay afterall!!

God's Glory

I just learned that the Hebrew word for "Glory" has a more fine-tuned translation than what we commonly consider splendor or greatness. The word is kavodh and means inclusively weight (or more modernly great treasure), abundance, and wealth.

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory (the great treasure, abundance, and wealth) of God the Father."

Interesting isn't it. Jesus brought Glory to God the Father. In otherwords, he was a great treasure to him. Jesus was God's wealth and abundance. That is why we want to be like Jesus to be a great treasure and of great wealth to God. "So whatever you do , do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31)." Do it all to be God's abundance and wealth. In all that you do be a great treasure to God.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)." Following the logic here, if you are God's treasure--- will not God's own heart be with you also?

Meeting With God

It's a new year and I just learned that God wants to meet with me! From the very beginning of mankind, God walked with us and talked with us and even looked for us when we were hiding because of sin. He asked us to design special places to meet with us and cleansed us so that He could dwell among us.
"... Make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among you. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. " Exodus 25:8-9

I wonder: what is the pattern that God is showing us for his sanctuary today. Where does God want to meet you? What does the pattern of place, time, and furnishings look like? Will you run to this place knowing God is going to meet with you there?

Think about how you react if you hear your phone ringing-- not even knowing who it is, do you leap over small furniture and stumble over toys trying to catch the caller before they hang up? If there is a knock at the door, do you find the energy to get up out of bed, put on your robe, to see who is there? God is waiting for you at your special meeting place will you not find the energy to get up and to leap over small furniture to meet with him before he leaves. Would you miss a minute of his visit with you?

New Every Morning

Lord, I will wait for you.
You, Lord, are my portion.
Great is your faithfulness.
Your compassion is new every morning.
Your compassion never fails.
I will not be consumed.
Great is your love.

Good Fruit

"You can not change the fruit itself but you can change the root from whence the tree nourishes the fruit it produces." When I heard this a light came on in this wee little brain of mine. No wonder it seems impossible to change our bad habits or bad attitudes or bad tempers. We try to practice better habits, have better attitudes, and present more pleasant temperaments by polishing the appearance of the fruit. But bad fruit is bad fruit no matter how shiney you try to make it.
The only way to make bad fruit better is to nourish the root system that produces it. Build stronger roots that eliminates the need for improving bad fruit because wouldn't you know it the fruit it produces is good. The roots of true joy and happiness are naturally displayed in the fruit we produce. The good fruit is good habits, good attitudes, and pleasant temperments.
In Joel Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now, he encourages us to improve the root system by looking at the roots that produced the bad fruit. What is your purpose for not stopping a bad habit? What is the underlying reason you exhibit a bad temper or bad attitude? Once you know, don't hang on to that thing-- forgive a hurt, stop seeking pity, eliminate a fear--- whatever the reason deal with it and move on. Your life will begin producing good fruit as your root system becomes healthier and stops wasting nourishment on the bitterness of the past.

Hosea 14

Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord... and the Lord will say, "I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever."

He promises to be like:
a refreshing dew from heaven

That falling on us will make us:
blossom like the lilly
send deep roots into the soil
branch out like olive trees
with fragrance as the cedars
We will live:
under God's shade
and
flourish like grain
blossom like grapevines
with fragrance of the wines

God answers your prayers and cares for you.
God is a tree that is always green
All fruit comes from him.

The wise listen with discrenment
and
righteous people walk in the true and right paths of the Lord.

The Lord says,
"I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you."

To Do Life Today List!

To Do Life List:
____ Expect God's favor today... no matter your age, your health, or your circumstances.
____ Visualize your big dream and imagine living it at least twice today.
____ Write down the Top 6 things you want to accomplish today and do them.
____ Take one step toward your big dream today.
____ Read a scripture and think about it as you interact with the world today.
____ Be ready to be used by God today--- you're on-call 24/7.
____ Accumlate 30 minutes of heart-pumping activity today.
____ Think about the things you put in your fuel tank today (your body).
____ Think about the impact of the things that came out of your mouth today.
____ Work a puzzle daily to keep your mind alert (use it or lose it).
____ Read a chapter from a book today and journal what it meant to you.
____ Write down 10 Great things that happened to you today.
____ Thank God for today.

The Hard Decisions

Last evening my 17 year-old son and I watched a program on Leadership delivered by speaker, Chris Widener. He recommended that leaders make hard decisions quickly so that if you make the wrong decision you have more time to fix it and if you make the right decision you have more time to implement it. As my son and I discussed that, we realized a key contribution to our most heated conflicts-- he likes to make quick decisions which I always felt were impulsive and I like to analyze the details and make the right decision the first time which he felt was my procrastinating so I could hold him back.
During the conversation I did realize that I have a fear of making the wrong decision. I have an underlying need to be RIGHT! And so I put off a decision until it is certain to be the right one. The freedom to make the wrong decision with time to correct it may be just what I need.
The best part was the look on my son's face when he learned that he had a quality of great leadership. He loved to 'make hard decisions quickly.' We both recognized that we had a different way to approach a decision and that somewhere in middle we could come together. He could give me a little more time to gather the facts and I could make a decision a little sooner even if it was wrong.

Heart's Desires

I read a 2004 Cover Story from Time Magazine today about the discovery of the "faith gene." According to the author there is a gene sequence in our DNA that predisposes us to seek God. In Sacred Romance author John Eldredge posits that God placed in our hearts passions and desires that are designed to lead us back to him. "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4, NLT)."

We are hard-wired to seek after God and he gave us what we need, our heart's desires to find him. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD (Jeremiah 29:13-14, NLT). "

Of course we have the gift of free will and can use our hard-wire desires to pursue selfish delight and not find God. What a shame to miss out on having the desires of your heart and God too!

In Wild at Heart, Eldredge proposes that a man's heart's desires can be summed up into three categories: A battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a Beauty to rescue. Similarly he lists three essential desires in the feminine heart: to be fought for, to be swept up into an adventure, and to unveil her Beauty. What are your heart's desires? Do you agree with Eldredge? What desires has God put in your heart to help you find him? Are you pursuing them, for his delight or your own, or are you burying them?

The Car from Hell? or Heaven?

I really thought God had let me down after the same car from my God's Peace post exploded just three days after he got it and my son had to replace the entire engine not to mention hundreds of dollars of other things wrong with it. He had that replaced and then the instrument cluster quit working. A few days after getting it back from the mechanic he was stranded on the side of the road when his tire came off the rim. Is this the car from hell or what!!
I have been having conversations with God about this whole car ordeal. Did I not ask for a sign? Was that not you God that gave me a sign? The sign I testified about as your faithful witness while everyone watched and smirked and jeered, "What a peice of junk!" I prayed about this car purchase because I wanted your blessing-- what happened to your promise-- 'ask and you shall receive.' I did ask and this is what I get? I just felt stupid and publicly humiliated not to mention let down by God.
Last night my son came into my room and cheerfully told me he had fixed the tire. He was very proud of himself and happy that it wasn't going to cost him any more money to get it fixed. But he informed me that there was something wrong and the car was now making a knocking sound. Sigh! Now what? And the conversations and feelings of God letting me down again filled my head. When I walked by the garage, I heard my son and my nephew laughing. I peeked in and my son was bent over with his head in the engine compartment of his new but very old car. He was covered with dirt and grease from head to toe, wrench in hand, tinkering.
"Hey, mom," he looked up, "I think we figured it out." I smiled and left.
Could it be I just didn't get it? Was this God's plan all along? Since the car's engine exploded, my son has been at home working for me on the ranch almost every night to make up for the extra money to fix the car's engine. He has been in the garage tinkering with the engine, painting rusted parts, and affixing parts that are falling off. He's decided he really likes working on cars and is thinking about becoming a mechanic. His grades have been improving in school so he can participate in the technical college program as a senior in high school. Maybe the extra investment I had to make in the car is just what God ordered to keep him at home, safe, and tinkering in the garage.
"After I get you paid back, I am going repaint this car and redo the interior. It's gonna be a classic."
"Sure," I replied, "The car from heaven."
He smiled. "Exactly."