Category Archives: Faith

Faith is what spurs us to reach higher, stretch further, dig deeper, and press our natural boundaries in hopes that we can exceed all expectations.

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There Is Life Beyond The Cross

Many of us start our day at the cross and never actually leave the foot of it, but I’m here to share hope that there is life beyond the cross that promises freedom!

Does this story sound familiar? We come to the cross and surrender our burdens, asking God to free us from the bondage that slaves us to a behavior, lifestyle or sin that we’re not particularly proud of. We pick ourselves up, dust off the remnants on our knees and move forward trying to get over the past. But we never actually get beyond the cross to experience His power in our life. Before the sun can rise, we find ourselves answering ‘yes please’ to the same decisions, inviting strongholds to tighten a grip on our lives.

The power of Christ is found when we receive His love and discover the freedom, confidence and liberty to say ‘no more’.  There are a couple stories in the book of John that illustrate this when Jesus tells two sinners “go and sin no more”. Some may ask, well how can Jesus say that when he knows we are not perfect and will sin; Romans 3:23 reminds us “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? And unfortunately, there are those who are quick to remind themselves and others “we’re all sinners” to excuse a lifestyle they’ve been leading. Sadly, it’s these folks who have given themselves an identity as a ‘sinner’ instead of a ‘conqueror through Christ’. And that’s what I mean about moving beyond the cross and living to the full potential Christ came to give us!

Many times, we want to stop at the cross, equipped with theology that Christ came so I’m forgiven and can move on. HOWEVER, we forget that we cannot be sinners and continue in it, and expect to go to heaven. With forgiveness comes the expectation that we will not continue in the same path of rebelliousness. Those who know God’s love will want to obey Him (John 14:15).

In saying, “Go and sin no more,” Jesus was not speaking of sinless perfection. He was warning against a return to sinful lifestyle choices. His words both extended mercy and demanded holiness. Jesus was always the perfect balance of grace and truth. The woman caught in adultery was forever changed. Her eyes had been opened to the depravity of what she was doing. Sin no longer held the appeal it once did. When we meet Jesus, sin no longer holds its fatal attraction. Grace changes things. Paul asks “shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2)
When we turn to Christ and receive His forgiveness, we experience a heart change (Luke 9:23; Acts 1:8). Once we lived only to please ourselves, but when we have been forgiven, our motivation changes. We now live to please God (Galatians 2:20). Forgiveness is not cheap, and it does not excuse the sin that separated us from God. It cost God everything to offer us the cleansing that declares us righteous before Him. Rather than continue in the self-centered path that led us astray from Him to begin with, the forgiven can walk in God’s path in His love. A move toward God is a move toward righteousness, purity, and holy living. We cannot experience the transforming power of forgiveness and the freedom offered beyond the cross without being forever changed.

It should be our goal to “sin no more,” although we recognize that, while we are in the flesh, we will still stumble. God’s desire for each of us is to be holy as He is holy. We still sin, but sin is no longer a lifestyle choice. When we fail, we can come to God and ask forgiveness and make a choice to ‘sin no more’ in that manner. We are empowered by Christ to move beyond the cross- beyond our sin- and experience the freedom to say ‘no’ to unpleasing lifestyles and ‘yes’ to liberty and confidence that God will light a better, holy way.

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Answering The Call

It struck me in the middle of a citywide meeting in a fancy shmancy restaurant, ‘ask for the leftovers’. That’s tacky… I can’t ask. The meeting ended and I walked out the door,maggianos only to see waiters had already boxed up leftovers and set them out for the taking. Okay. I’ll grab a couple. ‘Grab three’. I live alone, I do not need three. ‘There are three of them’. As I walked to my car, the Lord revealed there were three people He wanted to feed. I thought perhaps they would appear on my way back to the office but as I approached the interstate exit I heard Him say ‘keep driving’. So I continued on. I saw a woman walking and thought, that’s probably one. I stopped and asked if she needed help. She did not. So I continued on and on and on and I heard, ‘you’re going the wrong direction’. 30 minutes into my trek and I’m going the wrong direction. So I turned around.

Any other day, I find homeless people on nearly every street corner, but not today. Not one in sight. I started praying, Lord, reveal who these people are. I have to get back to work. And He told me that I couldn’t do his work under the world’s standard of time. A peace calmed my heart. But I started to become anxious soon again. Where are these people? I saw a man standing on a corner. Yes, that could be one, I thought. I parked in a lot, walked up to him and asked “Are you hungry?” “No,” he said, “But I get that alot.” Argh. Okay. So I got back into my car and drove further benchdown the road. I turned into a logical place, a park. I thought since there were three boxed meals, then it must be a family of three I’m looking for. But then I see one… sleeping on a park bench and I knew. So I hopped out of my car (in heels) and trekked through the grass. I nudged him awake, “Are you hungry,” I asked. “YES!”, he exclaimed. “Okay, well God told me you were out here and wanted me to bring you this. God bless you man,” I said and walked back to my car. Alright, one down… two more to go.

A few circles in the park and I saw a man sitting on a swing with a garbage bag sitting next to him, but he’s wearing a pair of Nike’s and has on three gold watches. That can NOT be someone in need. ‘That’s all he has, Trisha. Feed him’. I found parking down the street and journeyed up some paths and through the grass, back to the man on a swing. “Are you swinghungry?” I asked. “Yes, I am,” he said. “Okay. Well, God wanted me to give you this meal,” I remarked. “Why? Why are you doing this,” he asked. “Because God told me you were here and hungry. May God bless you brother,” and I walked away. Side note: I started to feel like maybe I should stay and have a conversation but sadly I didn’t turn back around. I think next time I will stay and listen to his story. That may mean more than a meal at the end of the day.

It’s now an hour later and I have one more meal left. I heard God say ‘start heading back’. So I started the drive and just before the interstate exit, there he was! He must have been late getting to the corner because I had already passed by it once and didn’t see him. luckOr perhaps God had other things for me and I was just early the first time around. Nonetheless, I pulled off the side of the road. He had his dog with him and a sign that read DOWN ON OUR LUCK. I approached him from side and said “I know you are hungry. I’ve been searching all over you. God sees you. He knows you. And He loves you. He wanted me to find you and give you this. Be blessed brother.” Usually someone will chime back ‘oh, God bless you.’ But not this guy. He didn’t say a word. He just looked at me in shock and that’s when I knew… he doesn’t know Jesus and you just introduced him to that love. 

Words cannot express the way my heart is touched by the way God uses us. My lack of patience at times will try to get the best of me, but I have learned that when we ‘answer the call’, it rarely ever happens on our time. In fact, if we’re not careful, God’s call can come across as more of an interruption according to the world’s standards. And it reminds me of the old saying ‘leave room in your life for God’s interruptions. They are really blessings in disguise.’ I am truly blessed and left without sufficient words for how great our God really is. I look forward to that day we meet face to face.

My hope as you’re reading this is that if you’ve ever been unsure about whether God sees you in the mess you’re in, I’m here to tell you He sees, He knows you and help is on the way. Don’t give up hope yet! For others, I’m here to ask ‘Are you ready to answer the call when it comes? What if it looked tacky and took up an hour and a half of your day? I think God is calling out to us every single day to do things like this because that’s what He created us to do. But sadly, I don’t respond to a lot of them because my own agenda gets in the way. I wanted to encourage you with this story today, of what answering the call could look like. I cannot describe the humility on my heart or the power of Jesus exuding in my soul, but maybe it’s not for me to tell you. Perhaps you’ll have to answer the call and experience it for yourself.

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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You’re Not Alone

My heart had been coveting a friend’s marriage and how wonderful it would be to have such a life. And in that very moment, my Abba Father chased me down with His merciful love. I was prompted to open up His word. It landed on 1 Corinthians 7. It was as if God had lifted a veil, fresh eyes danced across the page and a new light was cast on Paul’s carefully crafted words.

26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 

32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

I learned there’s no use in wishing we were in a place other than where God has us. In fact, we should be glad that we are not consumed with the anxieties of the world, but only with the things that please the Lord. Men and women in relationships have divided interests, but those set aside have been given a privilege… of undivided devotion to God. The aim is to be firmly established in our hearts, under no necessity and having desire under control. In fact, Paul says it will be these who do ‘even better’.

Before you go thinking that I have concluded to never get married, let me say that I think it would be wonderful to have a God-appointed helpmate to wake up to and fall asleep with, as well as all the incredible parts in between. I’m a very passionate person and touch is my love language, of course I look forward to that day! But what I’ve learned is that there’s no use in seeking out a place God does not have for me right now. Paul reminds me that ‘right now’ is even better.

Under this conclusion, I carried on with my day and made a comment to a friend “I’ve accepted that God has me alone and I’m okay with it.” And just as I clipped the last syllable, words from the heavens reached down and cradled my heart. It was as if He was saying I see you. I understand. My love is here, forever and always.

I search for love, when the night came,
And it closed in, I was alone,
But you found me, where I was hiding,
And now I’ll never ever be the same,
It was the sweetest voice,
That called my name saying

You’re not alone, For I am here,
Let me wipe away your every fear,
My love I’ve never left your side,
I have seen you through the darkest night,
And I’m the one who’s loved you all your life,
All of your life

You cry your self to sleep, cause the hurt is real,
And the pain cuts deep, all hope seems lost,
With heartache your closest friend,
And everyone else long gone,
You’ve had to face the music on your own,
But there is a sweeter song that calls you home saying

You’re not alone, For I am here,
Let me wipe away your every tear,
My love I’ve never left your side,
I have seen you through the darkest night,
And I’m the one who’s loved you all your life,
All your life

Faithful and true, Forever,
Oh my love will carry you

You’re not alone, For I, I am here,
Let me wipe away your every fear
Oh yeah, My love I’ve never left your side,
I have seen you through the darkest night,
Your darkest night,
And I’m the one who’s loved you all your life,
All of your life.

(You’re Not Alone – Meredith Andrews)

I’ve never been closer to the Lord than right now, right here. And I don’t ever want to see that day where I’m further from Him than where we’re at today. If you find yourself thinking you’re ‘alone’, I pray God uses these words to speak a new message of love and hope to an aching soul.

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What’s So Wrong With Being High Maintenance?

I’m re-posting this article because honestly, the husband’s response softened my heart at the thought that God would create a man who would say ‘go ahead… I dare you’ in such conviction to love and give all that he’s got to his wife. He didn’t back down when she was feeling ‘needy’ and wasn’t trying to shy away from the hard stuff… but actually pressed in deeper. It gave me butterflies. I dare God to give me someone like that!

This is a post by Allison Vesterfelt. Pick up a copy of her latest book, Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage on her website and make sure to follow along on Twitter (@allyvest) for regular updates. To read more of her posts on the Storyline Blog, click here.

For most of my life, I prided myself on being relatively low maintenance. I was always more likely to go camping than shopping, hated the idea of asking for help (especially if it meant playing the “damsel in distress”), and tried to be the kind of person who never needed too much of anything from anyone.

I thought this made me the best kind of friend, sister, daughter and even girlfriend anyone could ever ask for. I was so easy to be around, I thought. I never took more than I gave. I never took much of anything.

Who wouldn’t want to be friends with me?

• • •

Then, one day during my first year of marriage I got into an argument with my husband.

It was the same argument we’d rehearsed a hundred times before (isn’t this how it happens? We could almost read from a script). I admitted I’d been feeling a little bit neglected and invisible. He asked me why I hadn’t said something earlier, and I blubbered something like, “I just don’t want to be a burden to you!”

This time, when I said that, something clicked for him, and he told me something different than he’d ever told me before.

“Go ahead,” he insisted. “Be a burden to me. I dare you.”

Suddenly, in that moment, I realized my tendency to pretend like I didn’t need anything from him, or from anyone else, wasn’t healthy. It didn’t make me low-maintenance. It made me a liar. Because I did need something from him.

I needed him to love him and care for me as much as I loved and cared for him.
And in order for him to do that, I had to admit I needed something.

That morning, for the first time in our marriage, my husband made me pancakes. And you know what I learned? I learned my husband knows how to make really good pancakes. Pancakes with lots of chocolate chips, just the way I like them. And also, perhaps more importantly, I learned that he really liked making them for me.

I’m not a burden just because I need something. That’s what I’m learning.

• • •

We all need things, want things, and are hungry for things (like pancakes). Relationships take maintenance. People take maintenance. And when we try to act like we don’t, one of two things happens to our relationships: The first option is that we grow resentful. The second is that we become invisible.

In both of these scenarios, our relationships wither and die.

A relationship requires two people to function — two people who want things, need things, feel things and think things. If one disappears, the relationship ends.

So go ahead, be high maintenance. Hopefully while eating pancakes.

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A Journey With Jesus

My heart has been downtrodden for some days and the weight of it has worn heavily on my body. The doctor diagnosed my physical ailments as tendonitis. I shed tears of joy and ones of sadness. I’ve been chasing my God day and night for relief, but His brief silence has been unsettling.

In the middle of my grief, I heard His voice, ‘let’s take a journey’. How? My muscles are in pain. ‘Come’. So I grabbed my tennis shoes and keys. As I was walking out the door, I noticed my hand, in an unusual way, felt no pain in its grasp. I walked to the trails and felt His nudge, ‘it is time’. I started a steady jog. A mile down, I wanted to walk again and it was as if His hand reached down and held my head high, ‘look to me’. The trail in front of me faded, the passersby blurred, and everything else dimmed. My gaze fixed steadily on the clouds, I counted all the ways of His goodness. I don’t recall the breaths I breathed, only the air He supplied. I couldn’t remember the trail I had traveled, only the place He had brought me. I should come down from the clouds to get clarity on where I’m at. ‘Don’t look down. Don’t look back now. There’s time for that when it’s all over. Just keep your eyes on me… trust me… we will get there.’

My mind started to think about how far I had yet to go and a heaviness weighed down my strength. Once again I felt His touch holding my chin high, ‘it’s only me and you Trisha, just me and you, that’s all you have to worry about’. A plane flew in my line of sight and He said ‘they fly close to me and can even get in the way sometimes, but be not mistaken. Do not get distracted. They are not Me.’

The awning of a bridge overhead reminded me that we had a little more than a mile left, and then the music stopped. And He said, ‘keep looking at me. Don’t stop, don’t get distracted, keep your eyes and mind on me and I will sustain you.’ I kept running but in the quietness thoughts weaved in and out, if you stop now, no one will know… your body is tired, just let up a little and run the rest later… you’re not going to make it. ‘Look at me Trisha, I will sustain you, trust me. I am the air that you breath. I am the supplier of life. Just keep your mind on my me, it will be over before you know it.’

Another awning said we only had a quarter mile left and He said ‘give it all you got’. That seems impossible, I am tired and I can’t see anything with my eyes in the clouds. ‘Trust me, trust me’. So I raised my step higher and propelled my body faster with everything I had. My mind wanted to visualize a 400 meter dash and how long that was, but I shook it off I trust you! I trust you! I trust you!

I crossed the final post… and let out a deep breath. I didn’t look back. This journey wasn’t about how many steps I took or what I passed up. This was about my journey with Jesus.

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Raised From The Dead

I thank God every day for his healing and grace! More magnificent than the mountains, deeper than the valleys is His amazing love for us. Abba Father, you are so good to us.

Since my cousin Jesse’s accident, he hasn’t been able to move his left side with much success. If you look back on pictures, you’ll notice the left side of his mouth wouldn’t lift much in a smile. But in the last week, the left side has started to raise from the ‘dead’. Praise you Lord! We believed it, we claimed it and now completion is becoming near! Smh… God, you are so wonderful.

Jesse in Therapy

Jesse in Therapy

Jesse learning to walk, carving pumpkins with his kids, and smiling with his wife.
Jesse learning to walk, carving pumpkins with his kids, and smiling with his wife.

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Hearing From God

Lots of people question whether what they’ve heard is from God or another source. I even question from time to time. There’s many ways to test the spirit speaking to your heart, but one piece of scripture I hold dear to when discerning the will of God is Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Following this verse it says “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Just proceeding verse 15, Paul talks about throwing off your ‘earthly nature’ of evil desires and greed, and ridding yourselves of filthy language, anger, slander, lying… etc.

I share these verses because what’s been taught to me about these scriptures is that if you’re still clinging to those fleshly things (it can even be stress or getting caught up in this world), it’s difficult to determine the will of God. But if you throw off the sin that so easily entangles, you are more vulnerable to hear God’s whisper. And that’s an important word there, it’s a ‘whisper’. I was once told ‘God whispers and the devil shouts, are you close enough to Him to hear that whisper?’ If you’re wrapped up in the distractions of this world, all you can hear is the shouting and it’s hard to decipher the source, but when you let all that go and lean into God, you can hear His whispers. God’s “peace” will be the ruling measure to determine His will.

Things are getting very busy in my life recently so I picked up the discipline of Yoga. I take those 90 minutes to quiet my mind from the “to do’s” and my desires and just ‘be still’ in God’s presence with a listening ear for whatever He wants to communicate. By no means is this the only time I take in my day to hear from Him, but it’s simply a purposeful 90 minutes. Sometimes He ‘reveals’ nothing to me during that time, but I think it’s in those times He’s actually working on me and through me, instead of ‘to’ me. Have you ever noticed some of the most special times we share with loved ones is when we’re just sitting in silence. One day when I’m further down this journey, I think I’ll look back and see where He was kneeling in a child’s pose over me in those moments, calming this ever wandering, ever searching soul for His spirit. ‘I’m right here, sweet child. It’s okay to rest your heart, I am here.’

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Overcome By His Great Love

I saw my cousin today! Via Google Hangouts, we shared a video chat. At first sight of him, tears of joy overwhelmed my soul; I was at a loss for words. It was surreal to see with my eyes this great miracle we have been praying for. I had believed, I had heard, but now I had witnessed. The Holy Spirit has just consumed me… He’s captured my heart with such stunning awe… I am overcome by His great love and pure joy. The work of the Father’s hand is so radiant!

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Psalm 139:17-18

Isn’t it amazing that God is so strong that even in our tremendous suffering, He will make us glad? Our God is so good, He can make the hurt worth it! That’s one amazing God!!

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Until Completion

Today my cousin Jesse’s wife and children were able to take him outside… Wow! The Lord isn’t letting up until completion! Rest assured your prayers are healing a little more each day. Thank you for praying!!! And thank you Jesus for the gift of life and miracles!

Sometimes we will stew for hours and days wondering what God is trying to show us through tragedies like this and quite possibly we may go this entire lifetime not knowing until we meet with Him one day. But this weekend, one of  my pastors reminded me of this truth: God is working for the good… His good. Not for our good, our comfort, our finances, or happiness. He works through sickness if that brings us closer to Him. He works through hardship if that causes us to hold on to Him even closer. God will use these challenges and sufferings to do the things we cannot do on our own. That’s when He is most glorified; not by our strength but by His alone.

Today is exactly 1 month from the day my cousin was in a ‘tragic’ accident. Two neurosurgeons said Jesse wouldn’t live; his injuries to the brain stem were too severe. I flew home to be with my family as we faced a difficult decision to take him off ventilation. Today, my cousin took his first steps in therapy. If you have been looking for God to do a miracle on this earth… a sign that He’s The Living God, here is one. I’m so thankful many of you played a part in praying for the Lord to show up with healing. And in that, I hope your faith has been strengthened as you joined me to witness the powerful hand of our Magnificent God Almighty! Thank you friends and family… And a very merciful, loving Father in Heaven.

Amen!

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A Voice For The Children

Tonight I begin 5 weeks of intense training to become a “Court Appointed Special Advocate” for children coming from abusive/neglected homes. Its a volunteer opportunity that requires hours/week of investigation, court reporting and testimony to recommend the best interest for a child, whether it includes returning to their parents or another permanent home. It’s a nationwide initiative meant to relieve overburdened social workers who have too many cases and cannot give the necessary attention to each case. The result of this stretched-too-thin social work often times means children are released into homes where they are abused a second time… or third… or sometimes end in death.

This is my chance to pour out my heart in loving on children in ways they’ve maybe never received. I expect to graduate in six weeks and be sworn in by a judge to become a legal member of juvenile court, with a voice for children.