This Is My Seed

Written by Mary Bales:
Our family recently took a vacation to Red River, NM. We were amazed and captivated by God’s marvelous creation. I was able to spend some with God, surrounded by beauty and nature. In one of my quiet moments, God brought to my mind the words to "Desert Song" by Hillsong. (song below)


"This is my prayer in the harvest, where favor and providence flow. I know I’m filled to be emptied again. This seed I’ve received, I will sow"… (verse 4)


WOW!!! So many times, I turn to God in the desert, the fire & the battle. I pray for provision, strength & victory. I proclaim faith & hope. How do I pray in the harvest? or do I even pray in the harvest???? Do I feel that God has filled me to allow me to pour into others? Did God bless me with a harvest to love on others? So many times in the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates this very act of worship (Acts 10:45; Romans 5:5; 2Tim 4:6; John 3:16; John 19:30; Romans 8:32; Gal 1:4; Gal 2:20; Titus 2:11-14, and on & on).

As believers and followers of Christ, aren’t we called to follow the ways of Christ? Surely he has blessed us to pour into others.
But that was not enough, God was relentlessly pushing another issue…
"This seed I’ve received, I will sow"
This can be difficult to accept. Do we look at others and covet their "seed"? Did you have plans to do and have things in a certain time frame? Did God have different plans? Does your family look different than you hypothetically orchestrated? What about your career? Health? Wealth? Are we constantly wanting what others have?

I look at the example of my sweet Libby. She is 11 months old and we were told when she was 3 months old that she would be severely special needs. This is not how I pictured my 3rd child. Over the last 8 months, I have argued and wrestled with God. I have been angry & sad. I have grieved the "healthy child" that I had imagined. That day, God came through my ipod and said that this was my seed to sow. I would minister to others and love others, that I never would have been in contact with. I would have the incredible opportunity to witness daily miracles in Libby. I would see the hand of God all over my life & my marriage. I would find myself in a "harvest", that others may have considered the "desert".

It has been a daily struggle, and I still have moments of despair. However, God has a plan & a purpose for each of our lives. Psalm 139 says that He knew Libby before the foundations of the earth… He knew & gave me this seed. It is time that I stopped coveting what others have & rejoice in the blessings and miracles of my life. I am to love and pour into others. I am to sow what God has given to me. Most of all, I am called to glorify HIM, so that others may know Him.
"All of my life, in every season,
You are still God.
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship"

Written by Mary Bales

He Put a New Song In My Mouth...

I waited patiently for the Lord:
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud & mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done...
I desire to do your will, O my God;
Your law in within my heart.
Psalm 40: 1-5,8

"Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead...
Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead."

We should hardly be able to sing this song without being flooded with gratitude, arms lifted high in praise to our Savior. We ought to be a grateful people. We have been redeemed from destruction... From ourselves. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.

Unless a Kernel of Wheat Dies...

What hope, refreshing hope & relief in knowing that God's power in & through us, our strength, our sanctification into the women Christ has called us to be... happens in our death. There is no end to the list of things I need to work harder at, to accomplish, to perfect.

But this is not so with God. It is not in the striving, not in the labor, not in self.

It is in death. In weakness. In surrender that we find strength & life.

I love what Ann Voskamp says on weakness:

I sit in last light on a Thursday, comforted that it's our Publican weaknesses that unlock the God-chamber, not strength, Pharisee brawn at the door.

The God bowed in the thorns perfects power in imperfect weakness, inverted strength that dies to rise, so He takes us in, the lame and unlikely. The strong soul-limp and the weak beggars straighten and fill. Healing happens in the splintered places.Blessed are the meek and I laugh, relieved.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness"
~2 Cor. 12:19

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

~John 12:24

Prayer: Why We struggle (& How Not to)

Written by Ann Voskamp

The only reason we fail to pray is because we've made an idol out of self. I discover it on a Thursday picking up errant crayons, scattered legos, swiping up crumbs.


I can't stop. I'd like to. I keep glancing at the clock, knowing it's time to rest, to close my eyes and pause for morning prayer. Pray like Jesus and all Jews did through the centuries, like the fixed hour prayer of David , the set prayer times like Daniel, the particular hours like Peter and John and the Early Christians.

It's time to stop to pray, but I'm too busy cleaning house.

Snowball gaining ground, I'm rolling through, picking up one more stray sock, one more piece of paper, arms full and heavy with the gathering, shushing hungry soul with "soon... one more thing... soon..." and time sands keep draining away and soul withers gaunt.

Why doesn't someone grab me and tell me that a soul can shrivel up and die without prayer? That "praying is more important than eating because your soul is more important than your body." (Peter Kreeft)

I'm too busy feeding waist-swollen self, straightening dishtowels, wiping off crumbed counter.

Wipe down fridge, and then stove-top and it will just take a moment to slip in another load of laundry... and then I finally should be able to kneel down at prayer bench...

SomeOne grabs me. He shakes my mind shoulders and I'm winded, wet cloth in hand. Stopped. Hard stopped. I bow my head and wait for the inhaling.

"You okay, Mom?" Josh's washing dishes, sleeves rolled up, elbow-deep in suds.

I whisper it out the window, ashamed ... appalled... "The only thing that prevents me from praying more is me." The sparrows line the hydro wires out by the mailbox. "It's my own inflated sense of self-importance, the elevation of my work, of my agenda, that keeps me from prayer-communion." I turn to face him.

"That's called idol worship. I don't pray enough because I'm practicing idol worship."

I can hardly look him in the eye.

"You didn't know that, Mom?" He drops an enamelware bowl into sink, reaches for the scrub pad.

Really? Why didn't someone tell me that all my excuse making was nothing but a cheap cover for idolatry?

I guess He did.

I never notice it when I just pray after reading Scripture, early or late, when we pray before and after meals. Prayer's short, convenient. It's only when I began to follow the way of Jesus and the early church in fixed hour prayer, feeding my soul at certain fixed times like I eat at certain fixed times, and I was confronted with this consistent struggle to cease working and kneel in prayer, that I realized the true ugliness of my lack of prayer.

It's a startling, wrenching thing to discover that it's not time, or busyness, or pressing concerns that prevent one from prayer. The extent of prayer in one's life is a direct function of whether something else has been set up as more important than God.


Since when did I begin thinking my contribution to the world was so significant -- uncrumbed counters, unlegoed floors -- that I was so necessary, that I couldn't stop, slow, still and commune with Jesus? God's the One who keeps the world in orbit, keeps the river running, not the efforts of any human hands. It's okay to take a moment and close your eyes and pray. Just pause, and exalt God. Even if in the midst of children, if its to throw apron skirt over head to create a quieted island-moment of prayer. No one's so important that several times a day, even for a few moments, she can't become small, invisible, in prayer. I am slowly learning.

Since when did I start thinking that "it was too much to go up to Jerusalem," that idol worship in Dan was preferable --- a muttered prayer here or there while I go about the essential, real business of my day? Doesn't God's honor not only deserve, but command, that I grow still, leaf resting while river rushes on, that I may know that He's God... and I am not. I am slowly learning.

I step over swimming bags dropped in the dining room, leave scattered remains of a tea party in the living room. Just as things are, it's time. I want Jesus more than anything else.

When I bow, idols topple.


Lord God.... what keeps me from prayer with You?
It's a question I'd like to answer.
Because I'd like more communion with You.
How else does a soul live?

Written by Ann Voskamp

To Live is Christ

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death.

For to me, TO LIVE IS CHRIST & to die is gain."
(Philippians 1:20-21)

Lord this is it... This is the desire of our hearts. Make it our life's ambition & prayer: to live is Christ. You are the first, you are priority, supreme, exalted, glorified...

Despite our self-exalting flesh, despite a self-absorbed culture, and against every lie of the enemy that aims to entangle & distract- May the cry of our life resound Christ, Christ, Christ. For You alone are the only One worthy of our life's ambition. You alone are the only One who removes the futility & hollowness from life. You are worthy of our utmost desire & submission. And so today we declare: To live is Christ. Be our LIFE.

I Will Rise

The Toxicity of Grumbling

Jennifer Rothschild in her book Me, Myself & Lies had this to say on grumbling & complaining:

"Sometimes we grumble to ourselves out of habit. Maybe we have a more naturally pessimistic personality or we learned to do it. But whether it is habit, disposition, or upbringing that contributes to grumbling, the real root is selfishness.

Philippians 2:3 says 'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.'

"Complaining always reveals a lack of humility and plenty of self-centeredness...it shows our self-focus."

We were discussing this evening how many of us had never thought of the root of our grumbling being selfishness & pride. More than anything it reveals a sense of entitlement on our part. Lord cut that bitter root right out. Give us humble hearts that exalt You above all else, rather than ourselves. Replace our grumbling spirits with grateful hearts- And we praise you that through the power of God even the hardest of hearts can soften and joy begin to take root & grow. And this is possible because we pray it in the cleansing & healing name of Jesus Christ.

In Christ Alone

Where Your Treasure Is....

Making plans for this fall?? Mark your calendar for Treasured: A new women's Bible study offered for women of all ages and stages of life. Emphasis on building relationships and on personal growth in Christ as we dive into a Bible study from the Women of Faith series: Understanding Your Purpose.

Go online to http://www.fbccoppell.org/women for more details & to register.

Practicing the Presence of God

Brother Lawrence penned the following words in his book The Practice of the Presence of God:

"Brother Lawrence told how to form the habit of talking with God all the time, referring all we do to Him. The secret: Ask God in a spirit of genuine diligence. After a little care and after a little time, we will discover that His love excites us to continual conversation with God with no difficulty."

Session Four: Me, Myself & Lies

Siesta Summer Bible Study (Weeks 5 and 6) from LPV on Vimeo.

Let's Get Our Worship On...

Coming Home to the Heart of Our Desires from LWEvents on Vimeo.

An Important Message from Beth Moore from LWEvents on Vimeo.

Guess who is coming to town???? Well not really OUR town, but the great city of Green Bay, Wisconsin.... Beth Moore! And guess who is simulcasting the LIVE event but our very neighbors at First Baptist Church Grapevine. Here's the scoop:

Date: Friday & Saturday, August 28-29th

Times: Friday night 7-9:30 pm & Saturday from 8:30-noon

Theme of Weekend: Coming Home to the Heart of our Desires

Cost: $25

Register online at http://www.fbcgrapevine.com/event/2009-08-28-beth-moore-simulcast/

Are We Obsessed?

Obsession: To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic.

In Francis Chan's book Crazy Love he spends a chapter discussing the profile of the obsessed. He says:

"The idea of holding back certainly didn't come from Scripture. The Bible teaches us to be consumed with Christ and to faithfully live out His words. The Holy Spirit stirs in us a joy and peace when we are fixated on Jesus, living by faith and focused on the life to come (eternity). While (the following) descriptions combined don't necessarily answer the question of what it looks like to be wholly surrendered to God, they represent important pieces of the puzzle. Hopefully you can begin to imagine and pray about what this looks like in your own life."

*People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

*People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him. (1 John 2:4-6; Matt. 16:24-26)

*Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying "God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense to unbelievers.

*A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough", and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known.

*People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God and loving His people.

*People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world (James 2:14-26).

*A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.

*A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for god, above and before every other thing and every other being.

*People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.

*People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God's word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.

*A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character then comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment. It is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated; a gift ultimately from God (James 1:2-4).

*A person is who is obsessed with God knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to His Savior in every aspect of life, continually saying, "Thank You!" to God. An obsessed person knows that their can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as a child and friend of God.

May we cease living as the status quo and begin living the profile of the obsessed. There is only One worthy and safe enough of our obsession... May we fix our hearts and minds on you Lord.