Laced With Grace

I just returned from a 2 week missions trip to Ecuador. A team of 34 from our church went to help work on a Children’s Campground. In addition to doing construction, we took a team of 11 youth to do evangelism in schoolyards in Ecuador. It was indeed an amazing and life changing experience.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to church. My husband who is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, had the honor of preaching two church services. This was not our first time to travel to Ecuador, and every time we go, we are amazed at the love and the joy of these precious people.

As we sat thru the worship time, my heart jumped with joy. When the worship leader spoke, I did not understand it. When the Ecuadorian Pastor offered prayer, I did not understand the words prayed. When offering was taken up, I did not understand what was said.

There was a language barrier. They spoke Spanish, I did not.

But something happened when the music began. The words of the songs sung were still in a foreign language but there was something familiar about it. It was the spirit of God. All of sudden, I realized how beautiful the sound of worship to our Lord sounded.

At that moment, I understood that to God, worship is worship…no matter what language it is expressed in. With God there is no language barrier. He understands love. He hears love. He is love.

1 JOHN 4:16 “God is love”.

God is everywhere and He IS love!

May we all understand that God longs and yearns to hear our worship and adoration. To Him, it is truly music to His ears. No matter what language it is expressed in. So go ahead and give all of your praise to Him in whatever native tongue you speak … in the end, it all interprets the same.

You can visit my personal blog for daily devos: http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/

This is perhaps one of the most significant life changing verses in the Bible for me in recent years. I desired, no, I NEEDED revival in my life. A total transformation was needed in order to be set free from the bondage of my past.

It became necessary for me to become totally transparent with myself and others. The Lord began to work in my life. I appeared to be like an onion in the hands of a Master Chef. He peeled back layers of sin that stood in the way of intimacy with Him.

My ultimate goal in this process was to have the Lord in His proper place in my life. I needed Him to move me out of the way so He could have first place in my life. It was (is) a painful process. It will not be over until He calls me home and I am no longer in the presence of sin.

As I read John chapter 3 this morning, I thought it to be a beautiful picture of being contrite and lowly. I had never actually looked at it through that lens before. John 3:1-21 I was reminded of His finished work on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. I could do nothing to remove myself out from under this penalty. I could not ascend into heaven on my own good merits, but rather He had to humble Himself and come down to redeem me. When I received Christ as my Savior, when I believed He paid the penalty price for all my sin, I became justified in His sight. The past was reconciled. I could now have a relationship with Him.

But for years that relationship had a barrier. I wanted to be close to Him but I kept falling prey to the same traps. The daily sanctification process, the process of being freed from the power of sin in the here and now, was being hindered by someone very close to me. Someone who had (and still has) great influence in my life. This person stood in the way of me having a close relationship with the Lord.

That person is me. My will has to be broken. My will has to be humbled. My will has to be decreased so He can be increased – high and lifted up in my life. John 3:30,31 says it so clearly, “He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” I must be moved out of the way so He can be increased and seen in my life. I must decrease so He can have His way in me and be glorified.

John 3:36 sums up the ultimate reward of this process we call glorification – that moment when we will be removed from the presence of sin. “He who believes in the Son has (possesses now) eternal life.” We receive that promise of eternal life when we receive Christ as Savior. We are sealed by His Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:113,14). That promise is eternal life with Him.

During this time of sanctification, I need to be reminded daily of my need for Him in my life. More of Him and less of me. I need to daily pray:

Move Me Out of the Way, Lord

I run to the front

To take the control

But in the end

It’s harm to my soul.

I must be in charge

I think I know best

“It’s my life,” I say.

I’m leading the quest.

Who knows me better

Than I know me

Though you look

You do not see.

There’s only one

Who truly sees me

He knows who I am

And who I could be.

The author and finisher

Of my holy faith

The love of my life

He receives all my praise.

He truly sees me

The intent of my heart

He understands all

He sees not in part.

The depth of His love
For this wretched (wo)man

It boggles my mind

So I don’t understand.

Why I insist

On running my life

When in the end

It cuts like a knife.

When I look upon

The wreckage I’ve wrought

It all came to ruin

It all came to naught.

It’s come to the point

Where All I can say

Is move me, dear Lord

Move ME out of the way.

Make me decrease

Make me small

Make me, in the end

The least of all.

Subdue my ego

O’ Lord bind my pride

Have your way, Father

Just move me aside.

To you be the glory

Creator of life

The Author of peace

Moderator of strife.

Flesh cries to be seen

Pride desires to be known

But I know the glory

Is Yours alone.

So, Lord hear my plea and answer me true.

Keep me from running ahead of You.

Move me to the rear, drive me to my knees.

Lead me to the light, move me Father, please.

~ Poem by: Norris K. Oler~

Our Lord loves balloons. Big shinny, Mylar balloons. He loves them so much that one day He just might send one just to you.

Many of you know that I am married to an unbeliever. I never stop praying for his salvation. I know one day he will cross the line and meet Jesus. So, I wait and I watch as the Lord does amazing things in our home and marriage.

One of the most amazing things I remember is the day my husband received a Mylar balloon from the Lord. My husband discovered the balloon placed carefully against our back door. It was inscribed with a single word – Baptism.

I about fell over in hysterics to think God would send a balloon to my man inviting him to baptism. You can read the entire story over at Spiritually Unequal Marriage. So why does the Lord like balloons? Listen in:

I happened to be in our church office this week, talking with the Staff Director and I mentioned the balloon that Jesus sent to my husband a few years ago. My friend looked up at me from her desk and tears sparkled on her lashes.

“Lynn, the same thing happened to some people I know.”

“You have got to be kidding…. Tell me… Tell me what happened.”

“Our neighbors lost their daughter several years ago. They of course were devastated. They grieved for a long time. In fact, the father who was an avid gardener couldn’t even work in his yard for two years because it held so many memories. The yard died. It was so sad and terrible.

Well, slowly the Dad began to work in the yard after two years of slow recovery. In fact, on one particular day he decided to go out back and prune the trees to get them back into shape. It was an early morning and as he poked around the yard he spotted something shinny.”

“The balloon?” I replied.

“Yes, he slowly went over to see the balloon that was gently floating just above the ground. He approached and then froze in his tracks. On the balloon was a cute picture of a bug. A cute little ladybug. And below the picture was written, ‘Happy Birthday.’

“He started trembling. You see, his daughter’s nick name was bug and on this very day it was her birthday.”

I gulped back tears as I watched the Director tell the story. She went on to say, “He picked up the balloon and took it in to show his wife. They were both overwhelmed. Lynn, they came over to ask me about it. They asked, ‘Don’t you believe God is intimately involved in the details of our lives.’ I answered, ‘You know that I do.’”

I swallowed hard.

“Lynn, they received so much comfort from that balloon. They are convinced the Lord sent it to them.”

I whispered, “Another tiny love note from our Father.”

Our Lord loves us so much. He hurts when we hurt. He laughs when we laugh and He knows when we need a hug or a love note. So today, I ask you to be on the lookout this week and see if you find a balloon, or hear the chirping of the birds, or witness something breathtaking. It is your tiny love note from our Father.

Be blessed, Lynn
Find me daily at