Love - Complete and Courageous

Jesus answered, the foremost is, Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commanded greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

Via Google Images

Love God completely ~ Love others courageously! 

These are very familiar verses - they never fail to challenge, encourage, and take my breath away.

This agape love is a decision of my will. It is not a warm fuzzy affection. It is a sacrificial love which will lay down self-interest for another. It is a love that serves with loyalty. It is a choice to show favor and goodwill.  It always seeks the good of the loved. This is the kind of love God has for me. It's the kind of love I have for Him.  It is the kind of love I'm to have for my neighbors. (Side note - this is the love we have for enemies...not philieo - which is warm and fuzzy affectionate, friendship feelings). 

Who are my neighbors? I've heard so many times that this goes far beyond our neighborhoods. I believe it does. However, I believe we've lost impact in our society because we are NOT loving our physical neighbors as Jesus commanded us to do.

The most important thing I can do in my life is apply these verses. They form the basis of my life mission statement.

Do I love God with ALL my heart (center of my emotions and intellect)? Do I love God with ALL my soul? Do I love God ALL my mind? Do I love God with ALL my strength? At different times I find I need to shore up areas which are lacking. To be well-rounded in our love of God we will strive to love Him with ALL.

Is there anything dividing my affection for God and the things of God?

Is there anything distracting me? Causing anxiety? Is my soul at peace?

Do I worship God with my intellect? Am I becoming lazy or apathetic in my approach to God and the things of God?

Am I giving my strength to so many things that I have no time to love God with all my strength? Are my energies focused where God would call me to focus?

Do I love my neighbor? Those with which  I worship, attend Bible study, "meet" in Walmart, live next door?

It takes courage to love this fully.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sneak Peaks from Kamilyn Photography

Kami has posted some sneak peaks of BreZaak's wedding. So fun - we can't wait to see more.  

BreAnne gave the key to her heart to God. She told Him she would not take the key back until a man had taken it up with Him and gotten the key from God. She kept this key on her hope chest through years which tested her resolve....and gave it to Izaak at their wedding. 

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Forgiveness

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive hi, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. But if you don't forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing." Mark 11:25 - 26

I know. I know. I did NOT want to write about this topic. I get hammered every single time I do. There is simply no way to communicate on a topic this big in one blog post....but this is what I know beyond a shadow of doubt: 

God is dead serious about me being a forgiving person!  I am to be known as one who forgives because I was forgiven much!

Forgiveness is not absolving one of their sins against God. Only God can do that. I forgive the sins done against me. It is not saying what was done  is "o.k." - it often wasn't. It is not forgiving - some things leaves scars so deep they cannot be forgotten.  In it's simplest form, forgiveness is selling the debt to God....releasing "them" from accountability to me and leaving them to work through the matter with God. God will hold a person accountable for the sins done against Him....and to innocent children  as well (Mark 9:42ff). 

Forgiveness is letting go! I let the hurt go. I let the offense go from occupying space in my mind. I leave it alone. I leave it to Jesus. 

If we are praying and are thinking of a wrong done to us - we need to forgive. We cannot allow unforgiveness to distract us from wholehearted pursuit of Jesus. If we simply cannot forgive without talking to the person, we need to humbly pray through and walk through the directions in Matt 18 - noting this speaks to SIN and not personal affront.  Sometimes I need to get over myself - the other person hasn't really sinned against me, they've just ruffled me.

I'm also learning recently (as in the past six years) - it's o.k. to love and forgive another and not  offer them full access to my life. This throws me back to the feet of Jesus....I MUST walk this out while clearly listening to what the Holy Spirit is directing me to do. There are times when he says to take down the boundaries and there are times when he says to hold the boundaries strong.

Wouldn't a formula be so much easier?

But would I daily depend on Jesus if I had formulas?

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Leave, Cleave, Become One

I'm still reading the New Testament. I am committed to  listening/reading over speaking/writing when time is short. Therefore, I'm in Luke but haven't written since Mark 9. 

"...For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Mk 10:6-9

I read this in Matthew in October and God spoke to me. I read it again on Feb 13th - on the eve of our 30th anniversary and our daughter's wedding - and God spoke to me again. In a God thing I set down to do my homework on Feb 18th and this passage showed up again. 

God gave three commands about marriage to Adam and Eve in Gen 2:24.

• Leave
• Cleave - Join together
• Become one flesh

In Mark the word for man has some ambiguity - it could mean MAN or it could mean HUMAN BEING. I began to consider how important it is for both men and women to obey these three short commands.  Bad things happen in a relationship, in a family, when one or both partners fail to take these commands seriously. It is impossible to be healthily "joined," if one or both spouses have refused to leave other relationships.  Genesis 2:24 is clear  these commands were given to the MAN. Why? Is it o.k. then for a wife to remain attached to the "apron strings?" I believe it is because as a man leads, in obedience to this pattern, his wife will follow. If he does not to leave and cleave, it is likely she will follow him in THAT pattern as well. 

Leave - to forsake, abandon and leave behind

Via Google Images

Joined - to cement together - like super glue; great damage occurs when you separate that which has been joined...In the movie Fireproof a salt and pepper shaker were super glued together to illustrate this concept.

One flesh - sex yes, but more; there should be an intimate connection with my spouse, we become one, God sees us not as Michael and De'Etta  but as ONE, a NEW person. 

Is God really calling us to abandon our parents? No. This would contradict clear teaching to honor and care for our parents. 

I believe God's call is to affirm the primacy of this NEW relationship.We leave the leadership, protection and provision of our parents in exchange for our spouses. 

Judy Rossi puts it well in, Enhancing Your Marriage, "Their primary relationship was to be with God first, who commanded them to make each other their primary earthly relationship. It is no different today. A husband is to leave behind all other relationships of his youth and create a new relationship with his bride, who is to respond in kind." (p 90). 

Leaving, cleaving and becoming one is the foundation of a healthy marriage and family - for generations to come. All other relationships and activities are to come second to the marriage relationship. Nothing can be allowed to distract us from cleaving to our mates. Nothing can be allowed to divide our oneness -  not parents, extended family, hobbies, friendships, outside activities, our schedules, our selves - nothing. 

And if you've already walked through a divorce? God is a God of restoration and forgiveness. The key is to obey these commands now - in your current marriage. 

In 2004 - our 20th year of marriage, Michael and I signed a Oneness Covenant. It was witnessed by our eight (at the time) children. It  commits  us to pursue unconditional love for each other and oneness in our marriage. We will not live as married singles. Leaving, cleaving and becoming one has been a process for us... we understand the "why" behind the command clearer as time progresses. 

This command seemed brutal when read as a child.  In the past six months I have begun to evaluate from the perspective of a parent. Have we modeled well what it means to leave, cleave and become one? We've asked forgiveness where we haven't obeyed well.

Are we doing anything which would hinder our married children as they begin to leave and cleave and pursue oneness in their marriages? What does it look like for parents to encourage this leaving? What does it look like to hinder this leaving? 

Am I currently allowing anything in my life to distract from the goal of oneness in my marriage?

We are committed to obey these commands in our marriage and to encourage them in our children's marriages. 

BTW it seems to me the media may have been onto something ::snort:: in the merging of Brangelina - two become one....we're currently coming up with one name for our new family marriages. Stay tuned. 

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Listen Up

"...because he did not know what he should say, since they were terrified. A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!" Mark 9:5 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

The disciples have witnessed something totally new and unexpected.

Peter feels the need to respond. Everyone is terrified. Peter has the courage to be the spokesman.

His response? He wants to DO something. He realizes this is big. He doesn't want to forget. He wants to memorialize this moment. He wants to get busy and DO  - and I believe his heart was right. His response was not.

 God speaks, "I love this boy. He's my son. LISTEN to him!"

Listen in its simplest form is to hear. The word and tense, however, implies much more. Listen with attention, learn by being informed, obey.  (Strongs 190).

I am much like Peter. God moves in my life, begins to do a new thing, and I want to DO something. God wants me to LISTEN....not speak, not do....just listen.

Are you aware of the joy of simply sitting quietly in the presence of Jesus and listening?  Listening not to other teachers, sermons, Christian radio...but to HIM? Quieting the noise of the Internet,  your own words and simply listening? Sitting still. Being. Some call this "silent prayer" or "conversational prayer" or "listening prayer"....

I'm a busy, active person. Nearly two years ago I was asked to lead four sessions on spiritual disciplines at a retreat. Others spoke on other disciplines. I led sessions on submission, surrender, solitude and silence.  In many ways, it was a turning point in my life. God has done a work in my life and I "get" submission. That was, personally,  the "easy" one - though the word has lots of baggage and we dealt with the baggage.  Surrender, SOLITUDE and SILENCE were new works God was doing in me.....Michael sent me away for a weekend of solitude in preparation for the weekend and it terrified me. It WAS just what I needed both to prepare words to speak and to experience solitude and silence. ::grin::

 Jesus led deeper and deeper into both solitude and silence...and it's been good.  Major works of restoration have taken place in my life, new vision has been received,  as I  listened and followed Him. It all  began by listening for His word to prepare to teach....it has continued for the past two years. I have sat and  LISTENED and learned to discern His voice and act on it.....

I know the tendency to act, to be busy, to serve, to do....but God always calls us to listen and there are seasons when He calls us to stop what we are doing and simply be. To sit with Him and listen.

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10. CEASE and desist....stop....be still and you will know me intimately....we must find ways for quality time with Jesus. This is pleasing to God. This is our response to His work in our lives.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

You are the Christ

...Who do people say that I am?.....John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets. And He continued by questioning them...But who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said to Him, You are the Christ. Mark 8:27-29


Whom does my daily life declare Jesus to be? 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

The Day After - Or Family Lunch

Whew - we are tired today! 

The girls, Michael and I took  the Texan Gherkins to the airport at 0615.  That left all of us girls going out to breakfast with Michael. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did. It's rare we get breakfast with Michael.


 Michael and I had a meeting in the a.m. with our endorser. It was a good time to recount how God has worked and how we think He may lead in the future.

Will and Sherri hosted a family dinner at their home (right next door to Drew and Krista's).  It was fun to sit and relax with family. We wished we could have worked out a time for everyone to get together before the Texans left - but there was really only so much time and we did our best with the brunch. ::grin::

Sherri and Will (D's brother)

We were happy to pick Mom G up at Rebecca's and bring her over! 

Dakota is a champ! 

Cousin Lorri and Me

My Mom 

My Dad

 Drew - one of Will and Sherri's 3 kids

Stacia and Harmony are best cousins - Harmony is Will & Sherri's granddaughter. The love the bounce house in the basement. 

Layla is a sweetie. Drew was a bit worried how she would react with so many people in the house.She did great. At first her and Zander didn't hit it off - but by the end of the week she was fine with him too. 

Harmony managed to get everyone playing play dough with her.

Layla runs and jumps into Drew's arms when he calls her. 

Gracie (Will's Dog) is a beautiful dog too. 

It was a great way to unwind and enjoy the company of family after our busy week. Tomorrow, we will head back to CA. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...