Is God Calling YOU?

From the blog archives...









Moses was 80 years old when God called him out of a foreign land as a lonely, rejected shepherd, and on to bigger and better things. God revealed to Moses that he was sending him back to Canaan, but only after Moses spear-headed the charge rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Odd story, I know, but God made a decision to appear to Moses in a burning bush.

Let me stop right there. A burning bush?

How scared do you think Moses was? There he was - tending his flock of sheep. Minding his own business. Satisfied with his life. Content. Perhaps even peaceful about where he was in his life. He was 80 years old. He was probably settled into his lifestyle. And then... one afternoon... everything changed. Everything changed.

The bible says that Moses was amazed (love that word) because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn't burn up.

I don't know about you - but if I went out to my backyard to tend to my dog and I witnessed a bush engulfed with flames but not burning up... I'd probably run for my life. I mean - I ask God for clarity and wisdom all the time... and to show me clearly His will for my life - but I've got to be honest with you here... I'm not sure I'd have stuck around long enough to discern if this sign was from God or not. I'd have been scared.

But thankfully Moses didn't run. Oh he might have been scared - but he didn't run. Instead the bible says in Exodus 3:4, "When the Lord saw that He had caught Moses' attention, God called to him from the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' 'Here I am!' Moses replied.'

Here I am! Don't miss that!

God goes on to explain to Moses that he's called him to a big task. Perhaps this was the opportunity of a lifetime. God saw the misery of the Israelites in Egypt. He heard their cries and was going to rescue them from slavery in this foreign land. And he was calling on Moses to go to Pharaoh to release God's people from suffering.

A big job. Why? A little back story (the cliffs notes version)...

Israelites were trapped in Egypt and were created as slaves.
Pharaoh was the king of Egypt.
Pharaoh instructed that all Hebrew sons born in Egypt be thrown into the Nile - only allowing the girls to live.
Moses was born as a Hebrew, hidden by his mother for 3 months.
She put Moses into the Nile in a basket - attempting to spare his life.
A daughter of Pharaoh found him and raised him as her own.
Moses lived a life of privilege with the Egyptians.
When Moses grew up he had a real heart for the Israelites and their mistreatment.
He witnessed an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew slave and he killed the Egyptian, burying his body in the sand.
Feeling badly for what he had done, and being threatened by the Pharaoh to be killed, he fled to Midian, built a new life with a wife and son.

And now God was appearing to Moses from a burning bush to ask him to do what? Quite possibly - the unthinkable. Go back to the land he fled, to fight with a new Pharaoh to release God's people from slavery.

I can just hear the confusion in Moses' voice when he says in Exodus 3:11, "But who am I to appear before Pharaoh? How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out?"

I like how Max Lucado describes this in his book, Cast of Characters... "Moses at 40 we like. But Moses at 80? No way. Too old. Too tired. Smells like a shepherd. Speaks like a foreigner. What impact could he have on Pharaoh? He's the wrong man for the job."

And I bet he thought so too.

As often times in the bible - the person God calls is first reluctant. But I like how God responds to Moses through Moses' uncertainty and doubt. He tells him, "I will be with you."

The story continues in Exodus, chapter 4, where we see Moses pleading with God, "Oh Lord, I'm not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now. I'm clumsy with words." In verse 13 Moses begs, "Lord, please! Send someone else."

My commentary suggests that perhaps the reason Moses didn't want this particular assignment was because he had a speech impediment or that maybe all of his years in Midan made his Egyptian rusty. At any rate, he doubted his speaking ability - but God didn't. And as my commentary reads, "Perhaps what God desired was not eloquence or cleverness, but simplicity and directness - not the oily, false-compliment-dripping speech of a courtier, but the bluntness of a working man who hated oppression."

Have you ever been asked to do something that scares you to death? Takes you out (FAR out) of your comfort zone? Have you ever been asked to give your testimony or speak about something in front of a group of people and the idea of sitting in a dentist chair having your teeth drilled sounded far more enticing to you?

I've got to tell you that some of the BEST speeches I've heard in my life have come from unsuspecting speakers. Some of the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, life-altering stories have come from ordinary people filled with God's passion and purpose.

I was sitting in church a few Sunday's ago when a young man was invited to stand before the congregation to give his testimony. I could tell from the minute the boy arrived on the stage that he was nervous. Scared. Afraid. I can imagine the thoughts that were going through his mind when he began to tell his story, "Lord, why did I get up here to tell this story? I'm nobody special. I have no real gift in speaking." But as he left that podium that morning, there wasn't a dry-eye in the place. Was it his eloquence? No. Was it his well-crafted biography? No. Was it the music or the way the soft lighting hit the cross behind him on the stage or who his parents were or how much good he had done in his life? No, no, no and no. It was his sincerity. It was his authenticity. It was his willingness to step out of his comfort zone for the benefit of others who's lives might be touched by his transparency and openness.

I've heard a lot of speeches in my life. I've watched a lot of podcasts and I've been privy to a lot of rich talent, but I will NOT forget the audacity of a young man who didn't let fear of rejection, reputation or inadequacies stop him from answering the call of God.

When God called Moses to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt, He knew what He was doing. He called on Moses because he saw in Moses something Moses didn't even see! He saw a man who was faithful. Brave. Strong. Honest. He saw a man of integrity, who feared the Lord. Where Moses only saw PART of the picture (the HUGE request too big for one man to do alone), God saw the WHOLE picture.

I believe what Moses struggled with - we struggle with. Don't we?

It's that little voice inside our heads saying things like:

You'll never be good enough.
You're not smart enough.
They really could care less about you.
You don't have what it takes.

But I believe with all my heart that if God is calling you to do something - He's already equipped you with everything you need to make that something happen! Period. Our only job is to obey Him. Even if we don't understand it all. Even if we don't feel good. Even if we're scared. Even if we think someone else should go instead of us. Our only job is to obey. If (and when) He says to go, we must go.

The choice of obedience is up to us. Will our answer be, "Here I am Lord, send me."? I'm praying every day that I will continue to yield to Him and respond in obedience to His calling on my life.

Philippians 1:6 says, "God began a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes back again."

Here I am, send me!

Giveaway: Winner!

A couple days ago I announced a book giveaway here on The Journey.

... and the winner of the book is....

MARTHA!

I will be contacting you soon about the details of getting your book to you!

Thanks for those who entered to win! And stay tuned for more giveaways here on the blog!

Happy Reading!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

A Giveaway!

Well - it's that time again! Time for another GIVEAWAY here on The Journey.

Our next Women of Thanks study will be on the book, A Perfect Mess, by Lisa Harper. In this beautiful book, Lisa takes her readers through the Psalms in a very honest and fun way. She teaches us in very practical ways how we can apply some honest truth mixed with God's graces as we seek to unpack the way God sees us... as His precious daughters in need of His perfect love.













Taken from the back cover...

"In this liberating look at how God adores and transform imperfect people, Bible teacher Lisa Harper weaves poignant stories of her own personal foibles with a fresh take on selected psalms to reveal a loving Father who remains your greatest champion, even when you don't feel anywhere close to Holy. Join Lisa in discovering what happens when we stop trying to hide our inadequacies and doubts and instead trust God with our anger, frustrations, flaws, and regrets. As you accept God's loving invitation to exchange your junk for His joy, you'll find the imperfect pieces of your life shaped into a glorious pattern of divine grace."

Beginning on Thursday, January 12, a group of women and I will begin our 12-week journey through this book together. In addition, I will sharing our insights and some highlights from our group discussions with YOU here online at The Journey.

I am so looking forward to diving in after the first of the year! And I believe this book is going to knock you socks off!

Okay... on to the GIVEAWAY info!

Here at The Journey, I will be giving away ONE copy of A Perfect Mess by Lisa Harper (a $13.99 value). The following are the rules for participation:

1.) Comment HERE on the blog (bottom of this post - click on comments). Provide your first name, contact information (email address), and a little bit about yourself and why you think this book is a MUST READ for you. :)

2.) Submit your entries no later than Friday, December 16, at midnight.

3.) Check back on the blog as I reveal the random winner on Saturday, December 17.

That's it! Simple stuff! One lucky blog reader will win... and it could be YOU!

Ready... set... enter!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Weeks 10 & 11: One Thousand Gifts

I was SO sad to see our study of One Thousand Gifts come to an end!! But I am SO grateful to have shared this journey with all of the women who fulfilled their commitment to stick it out with us in our study on Thursday night and SO thankful for those of you who have endured these weeks with us online! As I said in the beginning, this was a project that was MANY months in the making. I did a lot of praying over this particular study and spent literally months praying for the women God was going to bring to this study. I hope this book challenged your thinking on gratitude and thankfulness. I pray that this book has been a blessing to you and that you've been encouraged to share the principles found in this book with those closest to you.

I'm going to do something a little different with these last two chapters and simply jot down a few quotes within the chapters that really struck a chord with me personally. And then, as always, I will add the video sessions at the bottom.

Chapter 10, Empty To Fill

"A life contemplating the blessings of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ."

"Jesus is about to let flesh be broken with nail, heart be broken with rejection, the chains be broken with bleeding love. And in His last hours before His earthly end, He doesn't run out to buy something or catch a flight to go see something, but He wraps a towel around His waist and kneels low to take the feet of His forsakers gently in hand and wash away the grime between their toes."

"I am blessed. I can bless. Imagine! I could let Him make me the gift!"

"Christian hands never clasp and He doesn't give the gifts for gain because a gift can never stop being a gift - it is always meant to be given."

"He calls us to serve, and it is Him whom we serve, but He, very God, kneels down to serve us as we serve. The servant-hearted ever serve alone. Spend the whole of your one wild and beautiful life investing in many lives, and God simply will not be outdone. God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we year for: Joy in Him."

"The way through the pain is to reach out to others in theirs."

"I give happy thanks for the daily mess with a smile a mile wide, because this is again my chance to wholeheartedly serve God, to do full-bodied eucharisteo with the hands and the heart and the lips. I can count each task a gift, pure eucharisteo. Grace! This work - the thousand endless jobs - they each give the opportunity for one to become the gift, a thousand times over! Because with every one of the thousand, endless jobs, I become the gift to God and to others because this work is the public God serving, the daily liturgy of thanks, the completing of the Communion service with my service."

Here is the video session with Ann Voskamp for Chapter 10. Don't forget to go to the bottom of this page first and pause the music from my playlist on the blog so that you can hear the audio. :)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 10 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Chapter 11, The Joy of Intimacy

"He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." (Zephaniah 3:17)

"It really is like C.S. Lewis argued that the most fundamental thing is no HOW we think of God, but rather WHAT God thinks of us. 'How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important.' Years of Christian discipleship, Bible study, churchgoing had been about me thinking about God; practicing eucharisteo was the very first I had really considered at length what God thought of me - this ridiculous and relentlessly pursuing love, so bold. Everywhere, everything, LOVE!"

"Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are... a divine choice." (Perhaps one of my FAVORITE lines in the entire book!) ;)

"Nothing I am counts for anything, but all that I count of Him counts for everything - seeing eyes might illuminate the glory of Christ in all."

"... we're called to do more than believe in God; we're called to live in God. To enter into Christ and Christ enter into us - to cohabit."

Here is the video session with Ann Voskamp for Chapter 11. Don't forget to go to the bottom of this page first and pause the music from my playlist on the blog so that you can hear the audio. :)

One Thousand Gifts Chapter 11 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Blessings my friend! Again - thank you for journeying with us!! We have LOVED every minute of our time with you!!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Lessons On Gratitude

It was a cool spring day. I remember it well. And it had been raining. An ordinary Tuesday morning. Or was it?

We had been to a series of doctor appointments for my husband. And each one harder than the next. I remember how tired I was of hearing the statistics. Each one revealing truth to us that my ears were not prepared to hear.

"You realize, Mr. and Mrs. Bender, this is a risky surgery, don't you?" One doctor had said. So cold. So.... matter-of-fact.

"Doesn't all surgery come with some sort of risk associated with it?" I'd asked. Frozen in fear and retaliating against what I already knew would be his answer.

"Yes. Yes you are right about that. But this one is... well... more risky."

And hadn't it been just 18 months ago that we underwent the same risk? Didn't he know what we had been through? His first surgery was risky. It was on on a business trip in Arizona just before Christmas of 2009. What was supposed to be a routine 4-day trip turned into a 21 day ordeal. A high fever... a severely elevated white blood cell count... a grim prognosis... diverticulitis... doctors preparing for the worst...thousands of miles from his home... a call to a wife with hard news... a ruptured bowel... inevitable surgery...surgeons... complications... respiratory failure... re-intibation... 50% chance of survival...a flight to Arizona... a scared daughter... a frightened wife and mother... a long recovery... painful restoration.

I wanted to run out of that doctors office. I wanted to run and hide and remember a more happier time. A cold, crisp day in March, some 15 years before when we had exchanged wedding vows in the First Presbyterian Church. Weren't we so beautiful then? So alive? So in love? So... whole?

I had known sad days before. I had known bad news before. Like the call we received on a cold snowy day in February that his friend from high school had been killed. Tragically. A car accident had taken the life of this 27 year-old man in front of his own daughter!

Or like the day we lost my sweet grandma. She was seventy year's young when God called her home. And we weren't ready. We weren't prepared. A visit to her bedside as she lay in a white, sterile hospital room were the memories I had of my last words with this sweet lady who had practically raised me!

But this time it was different.

He was my husband. And I wasn't ready to make such big decisions concerning life... and death.

But life is like that, isn't it? Some things sort of sneak up on you when you're not looking.

And I remember clearly the words of a pastor who once said, "You're in one of three stages in this life. You're either just coming out of a tough season, you're in one now or you're getting ready to go through one soon." And it's true. We all land in one of those 3 categories.

And I had already been counting gifts at this time. Knee-deep in a gratitude project I'd started months before. Inspired by a book and based on a dare, I had committed to listing 1,000 things I was grateful for.

Seemed simple really. Who can't find one thousand things they are grateful for? And it's so easy to find the things you are grateful for when you are paying attention...

Your children's laughter
The smell of a freshly baked apple pie
A cool afternoon breeze in the spring
The crackling of a fireplace
A smile
A hug
The birds
The trees

It's all beauty. All around us. And it's when we choose to SEE these things with eyes wide open that we can truly give thanks to the God who created this vast universe with all it's pleasures.

But what do you do when you're counting gifts and the joy doesn't come because all you hear is noise? When the reality of your world is doubting doctors and grim prognosis's and you can't see past today because today is littered with uncertainty and pain and sadness and tears? What then?

And I dig deep into the word to find it and I desperately call on God for help because this journey - it's not easy. And the road is sometimes curvy and the valleys sometimes run too deep and too wide. And we get tired and we loose sight of why we're here.

This... this is reality.

It's reality for cancer patients.
It's reality for parent's who've lost a child.
It's reality for victims of rape.
It's reality for those who've been imprisoned or impoverished.

It's reality... we all hurt sometimes. And I search for what to call it... maybe it's this "fight for joy" that's so hard sometimes.

But we have a word that we can hold tightly too. It's a word I've only recently discovered. The word is Eucharisteo.

The Greek word, Eucharisteo can be found in Luke 22:19... "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them..."

Gave thanks reads as Eucharisteo.

And isn't that a beautiful word?

Eucharisteo.

The root word for eucharisteo is 'charis', meaning, "grace". Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and grave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be a gift and He gave thanks.

But there's more!

Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, 'charis'. But it also holds it's derivative, the Greek word 'chara', meaning "joy".

So consider this word... Eucharisteo... like a braid of three cords...

Grace - that which God gives us.
Thanksgiving - that which we can offer back to Him.
Joy - that which can be found in the midst of thankfulness.

And isn't that PRECISELY what Jesus did before He endured the cross.

He "took the bread and gave THANKS."

He gave thanks.

And still... even still... knowing what sort of pain and suffering He would endure... He shared a meal with his beloved disciples and gave thanks.

I find these words breathtaking.

But it's what Jesus came to do. He came to save mankind from their own sin and suffering. He endured the pain that should have been for you and for me. He erased the debt. He went to the cross doing what? Giving thanks.

It was in pure gratitude that He became the least to become the greatest story ever told.

And doesn't God expect the same from me?

Jesus offered thanksgiving for even that which would break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yet yield a bounty of Joy. So that you and I can experience the life filled with joy which is found on the mountain of gratitude.

Gratitude, I believe, can save us from all the pain this world has to offer. And we have REAL pains. REAL problems. REAL sickness and disease and suffering.

Gratitude, according to Psalm 50:23 is directly linked to our salvation... "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."

And isn't that it? Isn't expressing gratitude often times a sacrifice?

It was for me. On that cool spring day in early 2011.

I will admit the gratitude that had once poured from my lips before that spring day now came to a screeching halt. The words... they wouldn't come. My reality was overwhelming and the mountain was too big. Gratitude would not come easy and this gratitude journal seemed to have become another unfulfilled commitment.

But on that drive home it hit me. On that drive home in that early morning in April God spoke to me as audibly as I have ever heard Him before. In my spirit I heard these words... "Wendy - Trevor is not yours, He's mine. He belongs to Me. And I love him more."

"I love him more."

I can't explain the calm that came over me on that crisp spring morning. The peace was incredible. And now it began making sense.

You see - God doesn't promise us days without rain. He doesn't promise us a life without pain. But when we can take the pain, the suffering, the ugly in this world and turn it in to praise before a Father who's grace is freely given, He can use it and make it something beautiful.

Phil 4:11-12, "I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

It was Martin Luther King Jr. that said, "If you want to change the world, you've got to pick up a pen." And wasn't that what I was doing - counting gifts... blessings... before I allowed fear and bitterness to settle in and make it's home within me?

"Life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change."

I had found myself continuing to ask God - why me? Why him? Why now?
But "God wants our questioning of Him to be smaller and or desire for Him to be bigger."

We were created by God - for God. To bring honor and glory to Him. Period. That's it. Why are we so trying to complicate it? Everything we do should bring honor and glory to Him. And how can we do that when we're questioning His goodness? I am reminded of a song that really got me through those few rough weeks before Trevor's surgery this past June... Maybe you've heard it - it's called Blessings by Laura Story. Here's a portion of those lyrics...

"We pray for blessings. We pray for peace. Comfort for families, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. We pray for wisdom, your voice to hear. We cry in anger when we cannot feel you near. We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love. As if every promise from your word was not enough. But what if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know your here? And what if trials of this life - are your mercies in disguise?"

When we fail to give thanks... when we fail to extend gratitude - we are basically saying we doubt God's goodness and we don't believe in His sovereignty.

You see I have been abundantly blessed in this life.

I've been blessed by parents who adore me.
Blessed by a wonderful husband whom I don't deserve.
Blessed by a daughter who is smart and respectable and who loves the Lord.
I have a nice house, have had some wonderful jobs, great friends, wise mentors, good health, reliable transportation, and a deep relationship with my Heavenly Father.

But it is only when we are completely emptied that we become most full. Because it's through the cracks that we can see the most light.

I have a pitcher at my house that was broken some years ago. A family heirloom that was shattered into pieces when it fell from the top of our refrigerator some years ago. Not wanting to part with this precious pitcher that had been used to pour drinks from by my grandma and my grandma's grandma, I decided to attempt to put the pieces back together. It was a long process and it took a lot of time and patience. But I was able to restore MOST of the pieces to their original location, forming together once again... a whole pitcher. The one thing it is lacking in it's wholeness is the ability to be used for holding liquids. There are too many hairline fractures that would not be able to withstand a heaviness of water or juice or milk. But that is okay. I can use it for other things. I can use it to remind me that God uses us... in all of our brokenness... in all of our failures... even when we've messed up... even when the joy is gone... even when there are too many cracks in us. God can still use us. I am convinced that that pitcher is more beautiful now than it was before it was cracked - because now it allows the sunlight to penetrate it's porcelain walls. A life's lesson was birthed through that cracked pitcher. And I am thankful for the story I can now share with others who need to hear about restoration and reconciliation. And gratitude.

Because what I have learned is that Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives.

Whatever He chooses to give.

Eucharisteo... the Greek word with the hard meaning.

I don't want to live in the darkness. I long to live in the light. I long to find the joy that Christ died on a cross for me to have. And so I must learn to accept every gift He gives and receive it with gratitude in my heart and thanksgiving on my lips.

And so my gratitude project continues. And I realize it's not just about keeping a list. It's about making thanksgiving a habit in my daily living. In order to honor Him I must learn how to be thankful with everything and in everything. And so I press forward in my fight for joy. Because pleasing the Father is what is most important... to me! It's the discipline this weary soul needs because though the world is ugly, it is beautiful. And I can slow and I can trust and I can receive each moment as a gift. Eucharisteo. Eucharisteo. Eucharisteo.

And again I read... "Life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change."

My list continues. Those things I am thankful for? I'm past 700 now in my journaling. Still practicing. Still building the discipline that will draw me closer to my creator.

# 604 Smiles from strangers
# 618 Wind through my hair
# 638 Early morning quiet times with God
# 692 A full tank of gas
# 699 Lazy Sunday afternoons
# 711 A cracked pitcher
# 723 Good... no great doctors
# 740 A husband's restoration of health
# 749 God's mercy
# 754 A second chance

I choose gratitude. Habakkuk 3:18 says, "I will take joy." And I believe it starts with a heart of gratitude.

I choose gratitude. Will you?

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Weeks 8 & 9: One Thousand Gifts

I am couple weeks behind and I hope that you can forgive me! I decided to go ahead and post both for chapters 8 & 9 and in 2 weeks I will post for chapters 10 & 11 since December 1 will be our last (boo-hoo) week for this study together.

It is my sincere prayer that you have enjoyed each of these weeks as we dove headlong into this idea of gratitude. I pray that we will each find our own way of living out Eucharisteo every single day of our lives!

Chapter 8, How Will He Not Also, is a very honest chapter about Ann's life. What she would describe as "messy".

Stories. We all have them. Some of them as messy. Most of them contain a balance of joy and pain... but each one containing a single common ingredient... GRACE!

The big question... Can we learn how to be grateful through situations we don't understand? Can we trust when we don't know what's coming ahead?

If you are ANYTHING like me - you might be a bit familiar with a need to control everything. But God asks that we TRUST. And that means leaning back and letting God take over. And taking over EVERY aspect of our daily lives.

"Stress brings no joy." Ann says on page 147. We can say we are joyful... but when we live in stress... we cannot possibly be living in joy. Joy comes from trust. "Stress isn't only a joy stealer. The way we respond to it can be sin." (page 146) Ouch! What are we saying when we are stressed? That we can't TRUST in our wonderful Creator?

How do we slow ourselves? Because remember it... LIFE is NOT an EMERGENCY!

My favorite part of this entire chapter rests on page 156. She says this...

"Wasn't that too His way with Moses? 'When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back.' (Ex 33:22-23 NIV). Is that it? When it gets dark, it's only because God had tucked me in a cleft of the rock and covered me, protected with His hand? In the pitch, I feel like I'm falling, sense the bridge giving way, God long absent." She goes on... "God is in the tremors. Dark is the holiest ground, the glory passing by."

SUCH a beautiful analogy!!

When the way is dark... and all of us will encounter that darkness sometime or another... it is only then when God is covering us... protecting us from falling. He is our rock. He hides us to protect with His very hand. Oh praise God!!!

Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus!

We are called to live a life of YES! To THANK HIM in the midst of whatever He gives.

Thank you Jesus!

Below is the video from week eight. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter Eight from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Chapter 9, Go Lower, is a beautiful chapter of perspective. Ann talks about the perspective of her sweet little girl taking pictures... and how much different things look when you're only 3 feet tall. The looking up at everything. Just the way God desires for His children to look UP to Him!

We learn through this amazing chapter that my perspective changes when I see everything as something I don't deserve. Only THEN does it truly become a gift!

"The joy" Ann says, "makes life large." (page 167)

Oh how I want that!

Ann talks about expectations that we have. She says on page 169, "Expectations kill relationships - especially with God." And what happens when we expect the blessings to come and they don't? How does faith play a role in that then? Or does it?

Because all gifts... ALL gifts Ann says... are "unmerited luxuries".

On page 170 she says it beautifully... "Is it only when our lives are emptied that we're surprised how truly full our lives were?"

So how do we live a life of gratitude... being thankful with ALL we have... NOW... so that we don't miss the beauty of how full our lives are and risk looking back with regret?

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30.

"The FEELING of joy begins in the ACTION of thanksgiving." (page 176).

And I love what she says on the top of page 178... "And what do I really deserve? Thankfully, God never gives what is deserved, but instead, God graciously, passionately offers gifts - our bodies, our time, our very lives. God does not give rights but imparts responsibilities - response-abilities - inviting us to respond to His love-gifts."

She ends with this on page 181... "I can't be receptive to God unless I receive what He gives."

Let's receive what He gives. With palms up... let's allow Him to pour out to us the blessings we don't deserve. And together - let's respond with THANKSGIVING!

Below is the video from week nine. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter Nine from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Scripture Memory: November 1

Better late than never I suppose... Again. ;)

I can't believe we are on scripture # 21 already!! WOW! Where has the year gone??? It's overwhelming to me how quickly the time passes.

Here is my scripture memorization for November 1...

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
"Don't copy the behavior of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is."

God's will is good, pleasing and perfect!

AMEN for that!

Happy November friends!! Press on with your scripture memory! I am praying for you!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Week Seven: One Thousand Gifts

"You have said, 'Seek My face.' My heart says to You, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'" Psalm 27:8 (ESV)






I can't help but remind myself through each of these chapters... "Hammer to the nail... building the wall of joy... so that we have somewhere to land, something to lean against... something to help us to stand when the crises comes." And they will come. "Hammer to the nail. Hammer to the nail."

Chapter 7 was all about being broken. The chapter about... toast. And brothers. And the ugly that can creep so quickly into our broken messes. Even in the midst of counting gifts. The beautiful blessings. The ugly can creep in so easily if we allow it an entry point.

And for Ann, this entry point for the ugly was the morning when brothers broke into battle over.. toast.

And isn't it always the small things that get the best of us? The insignificant? And why is that? How and WHY do we allow the small things to get at us the most? Could it be that it's not really about toast at all? Could it really be that there is something more going on?

Ann longs on page 124, to return to the moon.

Remember the moon?

Ah - the beauty of the moon.

"Why?" She asks. "Can I just go back to the moon and the brazen glory?"

And it's a reminder of the story of The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). The story of where Jesus went up to a mountain and took with him Peter, James and John. It would be a time of prayer. "And as Jesus was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothing became dazzling white." (vs 29). Moses and Elijah appear before them and my bible records this event as being a "glorious sight to see." (vs 31). And then it was Peter who blurted out what I find myself relating to well, "Master this is wonderful!" (vs 33).

Oh - if we could only stay on the mountaintop with Jesus!

If we could only live in the blessing every second of every day!

If we could only feel this much joy all the time!

But we can't. The mountaintop isn't where the real life is lived out. And Ann knows it. She says on page 124, "But there's always the decent from the mount. The meeting of the crowd, the complaining, the cursing. Obvious and immediate transfigurations exhilarate the faith, but the faithful can forget transfigurations, faces that once changed appearances. We betray Who we know. Didn't Peter?"

WOW.

Didn't Peter?

Oh that's right. He really did.

... "I don't even know this Man." (Luke 22:57)
... "No I'm not [one of them]." (Luke 22:58)
... "I don't know what you're talking about." (Luke 22:60)

Three times. He denied. And He betrayed. Don't we too? There' ugly stuff - but there are also ugly people. And sometimes aren't we?

There's always the decent from the mount.
There's always a time when we have to get back to the real world.

And she asks the question that my heart longs to know the answer to, "How do I see grace, give thanks, find joy in this sin-stinking place?" (page 125).

That's the question we desire to have an answer for.

HOW?

Is it possible?

It's driving the hammer. Hammer to nail. Discipline. Practice. "The discipline of thanks only comes with practice." (page 135)

And it's hard. It's really hard. A daily struggle. But VITAL to our survival in this sin-stinking place. VITAL!

Ann chooses in the moment... albeit not immediately... to choose joy. To find out what the REAL problem is.

Because it's never just about toast. There's always more going on. Something else.

Ann so eloquently tells the story of Jacob and his wrestle with God as depicted in Genesis, chapter 32. The story of Jacob wrestling with a man... an unknown man... the day before making peace with his brother, Esau. The wrestle with this man left Jacob with a hip joint out of place. The sinew of the thigh. (Sinew means tendon, but also means the source of strength and power.)

The man... "breaks Jacob." (page 137) But Jacob refuses to let go. And he doesn't even know who this man is whom he's wrestling. "Just a man in the dark, a man he couldn't see. And in the black, all that night, it was the face of God over him that he was struggling against." (page 137)

"God is behind the face."

And there's always the wrestle before we can see God.

"The Lord has to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have His own way of blessing with us." (page 138)

Glass to God. Can we really see Him behind the faces?

Behind the faces of those we are angry with?
Behind the faces of those who are ugly with ingratitude?

It's a challenge that's for sure! And I know the struggle well.

Resentment or gratitude. Which will you chose?

Because it's not just the recording of gifts that's going to change us. It's the LIVING IT OUT.

We were created to bring honor and glory to the Father. HOW will we intentionally CHOOSE joy? Because we were created to point to Him!

Keep your gaze on heaven friends! Keep your gaze on heaven!

Below is the video from week seven. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts Chapter 7 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Week Six: One Thousand Gifts

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."
Psalm 27:4 (NIV)

We had another amazing night at book club last night! I have to admit I am sad that we are already half way through the book. As one of our participants said, it feels as though we have to do the book over again to really get this discipline deep down in our souls. And it's true. There is so much to this book that I would encourage you to take the time to read it through again if you get a chance. I found that I got SO much more out of it when I took the time to read it again and I even found sometimes that reading ALOUD was very helpful as well. Ann's writing style can be a little hard at times... to fully comprehend, so that is just a way I found works really well to really absorb what's she's trying to communicate.

Please know that we are PRAYING for each and every one of you all the time! We are SUPER excited for this book club - and too, for those of you who are joining us online - we are THRILLED to have you! We are praying that God would reveal Himself to you through the pages of this brilliant book, One Thousand Gifts.

This week we reviewed Chapter six, What Do You Want? The Place of Seeing God. This was the story about the moon! On page 102, Ann's sweet husband, who understands her souls desire for finding beauty... for counting gifts (she had already been naming gifts for many months at this point and had passed 1,000), tells her, "You will want to see this."

In the rushing and chaos of her day - he interrupts her softly, inviting her to see something he KNOWS she won't want to miss. THE MOON. But for a moment, in her rush to put food for 8 on the table, she finds herself slightly irritated. Not at him, so much, as the disturbance of the rushing.

And for a moment I am Ann. And I can feel the irritation. I've been distracted... disturbed... momentarily by something that takes me away from the concentration that "the thing" is begging from me... and I can feel the same frustrations in myself.

But he... the husband... who knows the woman counting graces would be so hurt to have missed the opportunity to SEE this... THE MOON! "The moon rounds immense, incandescent globe grazing ours." (page 105)

But then again, it's just a moon. We'll see another. Or will we?
But then again, it's just a moon. We've seen one before. Or have we?

SEEING the moon THAT night was as if she were FINALLY seeing with eyes wide open.

Surely there had been another moon so... so magnificant before... but where had she been? Sleeping the whole time? And HOW had she missed such beauty... beauty that was RIGHT in front of her?

And yet aren't we that way?

Don't we notice beauty around us - but truly fail to SEE the beauty in it? The God-beauty?

On page 107 she speaks of Jacob, waking from sleep before full moon rising, "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!'" (Genesis 28:16-17).

Isn't Jacob's words, our words? SURELY the Lord is in THIS place, and I wasn't even AWARE of it!

Surely I have been a witness to some beautiful sun rises... but did I fail to notice that the Lord was in it?
Surely I have seen the birth of my child... but did I fail to SEE that the Lord was there too?

And what about in the trees, or in rain, or in the falling leaves or the sunset or the ocean?

Are we really, truly choosing to SEE with eyes wide open?

"The only place we have to come before we die is the place of seeing God." (page 108)

Of SEEING God.

That's it!

I want to SEE God. In everything.

In the good. In the ordinary. In the spectacular. In the pain. In the suffering. In the light. And the dark.

I want to SEE God.

Because God is good and I am always loved.

Always.

I want to be paying attention.

On page 111 Ann writes, "I pay tribute to God by paying attention."

I want to be paying attention. I don't want to MISS it!

Because what if THIS is the last moon I will be able to SEE with these human eyes?

What if?

And Ann beckons us to ask the question of ourselves. The one she's wrestled with herself...

If I can see God in the beauty, can I, too, then, go back into the chaos of my life and find beauty THERE?

Can I see God HERE? And in turn can I find JOY here too?

Because joy can be found where God is found... so can I find God here? In the mess I've made? In the pain I've suffered? In my frailty and weakness?

God CAN be there too!

She closes the chapter with this on pages 120 and 121...

"The world I live in is loud and blurring and toilets plug and I get speeding tickets and the dog gets sick all over the back step and I forget everything and these six kids lean hard into me all day to teach and raise and lead and I fail hard and there are real souls that are at stake and how long do I really have to figure out how to live full of grace, full of joy - before these six beautiful children fly the coop and my mothering days fold up quiet? How do you open the eyes to see how to take the daily, domestic, workday vortex and invert it into the dome of an everyday cathedral? Could I go back to my life and pray with eyes wide open? Praying with eyes wide open is the only way to pray without ceasing."

Can we see... and count gifts (praying)... with eyes wide open?

Will you choose to SEE the amazing gifts He gives?

Because, truly, they are ALL around us!

Let's choose to SEE them together!

Praying for you!

Below is the video from week six. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 6 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Balance

It is no longer just a good idea to develop a habit of spending time in prayer and preparation for our days... it is CRITICAL to the success of lives.





The following is my speech today at a women's luncheon. I was asked to share my vision for women of this county...



For seven years I served on staff at a local church full time. It was a dream come true for me as I was finally in a position where I was getting paid to do work that I REALLY REALLY loved to do. You see, I am a lover of people and I genuinely care about seeing people reach their highest potential. And what better place to use my gifts and talents in combination with my natural desire to help others grow. I was serving God. I was doing some great things. I was involved in the high calling of making a difference in the hearts and lives of other people. I was invested at a very deep level with Kingdom business, and it was fantastic. But I remember being asked a question in my 7th year of ministry by one of my office volunteers that would alter the course of my life in a pretty profound way. The question she asked me was this..

"When do you find time to do your quiet time with God?"

I have to admit that I was stopped right there in my tracks. How did she know? How could she possibly have known that it had been MONTHS... and I do mean MONTHS... since I could honestly say I was committed to a regular quiet time with God. Here I was fully immersed into full-time ministry working the hardest I had ever worked at anything in my entire life. I was working a minimum of 55 hours a week - not including the events I was serving in as a volunteer. I was attending meetings, facilitating meetings, organizing classes, conducting orientations and trainings, meeting with volunteers, managing an office, hosting events and providing direction for scores of volunteers serving in multiple areas of the church all while being a mom, wife and homemaker. To say I was busy is an understatement. I needed a calendar to keep track of my calendar.

And I'm not complaining. I truly loved every minute of it. I thrive on the busyness. I get the most accomplished when I am rushing headlong into a deadline. I enjoy the stress of the last minute race to fulfill a 3-page to do list. But what I didn't notice was that my life was WAY out of balance.

Oh the meetings and the community events and the classes... they were all really good things. I was RICHLY BLESSED to have been able to be a part of some amazing work with some pretty amazing people. But somewhere in the rushing and the hectic-ness of ministry, I had forgotten the most important aspect to the growth and success of the work I was doing. In my passion to serve God... I had... in essence, left Him out. This was His show... His production... and I had unknowingly and unpurposely left Him out. And it wasn't until my sweet friend asked me that question that I realized that some serious changes needed to happen in my life.

I think that many of you would agree with me when I say that balance in life is a hard thing. And let's face it - we, women, carry a heavy load these days. Many of us work full-time jobs outside of the home, we're involved in our communities, we serve in our churches, we volunteer at our local schools, we cook meals, we manage household finances, we clean toilets, we grocery shop, we organize the home calendar, we do dishes, we do laundry, we run errands, we remember birthdays, anniversaries, shop for Christmas presents, iron, vacuum, and take care of the pets... not to mention the other hats we wear - taxi cab driver, nurse, pharmacist, counselor, teacher... and somewhere in that chaos we're supposed to have time to be a loving wife, good friend and honorable, contributing society member.

I don't know about you - but even glancing over the list of the responsibilities us women have makes me exhausted! It's no wonder we're burned out... wasted... depleted of physical strength and stressed out to the point of seeking medical attention. It's no wonder divorce is on the rise, that anti-depression medication is being sought after by 1 in every 10 Americans... (having grown 400 percent between 1988 and 2008). It's no wonder we are tired and unbalanced. This is quite the juggling act we've become accustomed to.

But in all my experience of dealing with a full schedule, I've come to the understanding that I can NOT be the person God has called me to be without making time with Him the first and most important priority of my day. You see - I believe that somewhere in our translation of success and victory, we've become confused. In our evaluation of priorities we've become unbalanced. And as much as we desire to WIN in our professional life and in our home life, we have GOT to come to a place where we recognize our complete dependency on the Giver of life... the One in Whom all success is possible and graciously provided.

I truly believe that God's desire for us in regard to balance and priorities is more simple than we've made it out to be. I believe God's order of priorities for Christ-followers is this:

God first
then spouse, children, parents, extended family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and then the rest of the world.

But haven't we complicated this method? Haven't we made it all about us? Our children? The calendar? The next thing "to do"? The next race to the finish line?

And yet that is not what was intended for us.

Balance and priorities go hand and hand and so when I was asked to speak at this luncheon on my vision for women of Lenawee County it made best sense for me to speak on the one thing I have personally struggled with the most... balance and priorities.

And I wish I had a 3-step formula that would help all of us in our pursuit of order and balance - but I don't. I wish I could tell you that it's as simple as A-B-C... but that would not be accurate.

What I do know is that to obtain balance we must be willing to come to the end of ourselves... empty and prepared to be filled daily by God's power and strength.

I told someone recently that I would be quite pleased if I could simply add ONE more day to my current week - giving me just ONE extra day to get accomplished all that I need to get accomplished. Can you even imagine that? Asking for ONE MORE week day to an already jam-packed week? How insane does this sound? And it was in my complaining of needing one more day in my week that the thought crossed my mind... "And just WHAT would you do with that one more day?" Would I fill it up with more STUFF? Probably. Would I waste it worrying about the things I can't control? Perhaps. Just one more day. Just one more day.

John 10:10 says this, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice that we might have a FULL life. Not a mediocre life. Not a life consisting of just getting by... but a FULL life. Some versions say an ABUNDANT life.

And "full" is not racing to the next thing. Attending the next meeting. Volunteering at one more sporting event. Full, in my opinion, is living the balanced life where God is the central component. Living the full, abundant life is yielding to God's order of priorities for His children. Living the full life is beginning each day with a confession of dependency to the one who grants us this one more day.

I read something recently that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

WOW. Sadly, for some of us that wouldn't leave us with much.

I believe we are living in an amazing age where women are making a dynamic difference in the world. We are doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, marine biologists, chemists, bible study leaders, counselors, business owners, homemakers, nurses, interior decorators, pastors, web designers, chefs and accountants. And it doesn't matter which category you fall under - we have tremendous responsibility.

It is no longer just a good idea to develop a habit of spending time in prayer and preparation for our days... it is CRITICAL to the success of lives.

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. The thief can be the thing that takes us away from our alone time with God. The thief can be the schedule that owns us. The thief can be those things that keep us from living the full life... the abundant life... that God desires for each of us to have. But Christ... He came to give us the full life... and I don't know about you - but that's the life that I want. The full life. The balanced life. The life centered around His goodness... and His mercy and His grace.

It has been said that we give the most attention to the things that we consider to be the most importance in our lives. And I believe that in order to live in the fullness and participate in the most important things of our lives, we must be willing to give our primary attention to the One from Whom all blessings flow from. To me - it is the KEY to living the balanced life.

And so I ask you the same question I was asked... ""When do you find time to do your quiet time with God?"

Maybe it's getting up an extra few minutes early in the morning.
Maybe it's turning the television off a half hour sooner at night.
Maybe it's sitting alone in your car on your lunch hour.
Maybe it's locking yourself in the bathroom with a sign taped to the door - Mom is unavailable for 15 minutes... do not disturb!

It is my prayer... my vision... for women of Lenawee County to recognize their full-potential in Christ. We CAN live the full life. We CAN make a difference in our community. We CAN change lives and we CAN leave a lasting legacy when God calls us home. We can do all things... only because it is Christ who gives us strength.

I urge you to call on Him. He is crazy about you and He longs to hear what You have to say! He's waiting to be the only strength you need to do all the amazing things you're going to do!

Press on women!! Press on!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Week Five: One Thousand Gifts

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21 (NKJV)

Chapter 5, What in the World, in all the World, is Grace, was a difficult chapter. This was the chapter about the hard eucharisteo. Ann tells us the story of her sweet 7-year-old boy, Levi, who when working in the barn doing chores, puts his hand through a fan blade. As she runs to her son, unsure of what she'll see when she gets there, fear fills her body. And she knows... that THIS might be it. "The hard eucharisteo." As she describes on page 80. And she admits, "Now I know that I don't want to know it yet... Ever."

We pick back up on the bottom of page 80, top of page 81, when Ann and Levi return to the house following a three-hour hospital visit. "He has a hand." Ann says to her mom who knows the loss of a child. Who has lived the hardest eucharisteo. "He's cut up bad. But only the index is broken. They're booking us for a surgeon."

And in that moment... relief.
In that moment... praise.

But she wrestles with the tough question of this word... grace.

"And if his hand had been right sheared off?" She asks. "What of God's grace then? Can I ask that question?"

It's one thing to be thankful and to praise God in the good times. When things are going well. When we are in good health, when we are surrounded with the ones we love. When we get good grades. When our marriage is flourishing. When it's sunny. When bills get paid.

But what happens in those hard moments when God's grace is more difficult to see? What then?

Perspective is found on page 82 when Ann reflects back on what she hears on the radio on their way home from the hospital. "The obituaries after the noon farm news. A 13-year-old Mennonite boy, just down the road from the red-roofed dairy farm my husband grew up on. A farm boy, an accident. Date of death. Siblings. Funeral details. No mention of the state of his mama's heart, delta fractures slitting her through."

A boy. Only 13-years-old. Death. Tragic. Sudden. No warning.

Isn't THIS this hard stuff we've feared?

We're all faced with these hard days.

Maybe it was a call from a doctor... bad test results.
Maybe it was a call from a sibling... death of a parent.
Maybe it was a call from the school... a hurt child.

Maybe, like me, it was a call from a friend. A call that would rattle me to the core when I was only 18. Nothing up to that point had been harder. A call that came from a classmate in the middle of the afternoon. "Are you alone?" He asked. WHY was he asking this? Why in the world would it matter? "Yes." I said. "What happened?" And then I felt it. Maybe it's what I heard in his silence. Maybe it was the peircing sound of the silence that followed that gave way for fear to seep in. But I knew something bad had happened. Nothing could have prepared me. I hadn't rehearsed this part. And then it came, "Robbie's been in an accident, Wendy. And he didn't make it."

"He didn't make it."

In that single moment I couldn't define these words. I could not make them out. I heard him... but I didn't know what that meant. Didn't make it?

And then the whole world went black.

A shooting accident that claimed the life of my friend was a turning point in my life. It's amazing how these things change us. For me it was as if the life I had known up to that point ended. And a new one began. The old me was no longer. I was now looking through the lens of grief. Pain. Sadness. The hard eucharisteo.

And I had known Jesus. I had known about this love. This forgiveness. This grace?

But where was grace the day my sweet friend was ripped away, violently, from this world?

And I read it again on the pages of this book and I am reminded... "God is always good and I am always loved." (page 100)

Always.

And isn't that what life is? A balance of the grace moments and curse moments? And then what about thanksgiving? If in the grace moments we are thankful... what are we to do in the curse moments?

Perspective.

I love how her eyes are opened to the perspective.

"I hang up the phone" she says, "and I stand for a long while, just watching Levi breathe. Watching Levi live. He had an extra serving of ice cream on his plate last night and licked the mint right off his plate. He might not have. He slept in a bed last night, on clean sheets, and beside his brother. What if he hadn't? He woke and walked out across the dew grass this morning, the blades all sewed up in dangled gossamer of spiders. Why him? He worked alongside his dad in the barn, swept the broom hard; and when his dad said he was growing quite the muscles, he had laughed. He might not have. Who deserves any grace?" (page 93)

"Why are we allowed two?" Ann asks. "Why lavished with three? A whole string of days? Isn't even one grace enough?" (page 93)

Perspective. How we see.

And how can these pain moments lead to gratitude? CAN we be thankful through the pain? In the midst of pain?

How can we possibly be thankful for the death of a child? For the ominous diagnosis? For the accidents and the senseless crimes and the pure heartbreak? How?

Because the pain will come. For each and every one of us. One day. Maybe today. Maybe next month. Maybe 12 years from now. But it will come. And there's no warning. It will. Just. Come.

In chapter five's video I am reminded of the resurrection.

The resurrection was bloody. It was painful. It was messy. It was the hardest eucharisteo the world has ever seen.

And yet THROUGH the nail-pierced hands we can find hope.
THROUGH the blood-soaked rags we can find strength.
THROUGH the brutal beating we can find refuge.

Not IN this pain... but THROUGH this pain.

Because God wastes nothing. He "makes everything work out according to His plan." (Eph 1:11).

He wastes nothing. Not even your pain. Because God's grace... really is enough.

In the video Ann so appropriately illustrates how gratitude NOW paves the way for dealing with the darkness LATER. She says there's no warning for darkness, but we can prepare ourselves by practicing the discipline of gratitude so that when the days come we have a foundation to stand on.

It's what she calls the ugly-beautiful. "That which is perceived as ugly transfigures into beautiful." And she continues, "The ugly can be beautiful. The dark can give birth to life; suffering can deliver." (page 99)

God is always good and I am always loved. There it is again.

She closes the chapter... "Because eucharisteo is how Jesus, at the Last Supper, showed us how to transfigure all things - take the pain that is given, give thanks for it, and transform it into a joy that fulfills all emptiness."

God wants our questioning of Him to be smaller and our desire for Him to be bigger. Because I am convinced that He is using the pain in our lives to transfigure it and redeem it into something beautiful that only He can use for His glory! The question now is will we allow Him full access to transfigure our ugly into beautiful?

I am praying for each and every one of you.

Thank you for continuing on this journey with us!

Below is the video from week five. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 5 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

We would LOVE to hear your story of redemption! How has God taken the ugly in your life and made it beautiful? In class on Thursday nights we are each participating in a challenge... To reflect on and record 3 evidences of God's grace towards you. And if you are willing - we'd LOVE for you to use this place to share with us how God is transfiguring the pain you've experienced. Simply click on the COMMENTS link just below this post.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Scripture Memory: October 15

I am in the middle of an amazing bible study on the life of David in the Old Testament. And what an amazing study this has been! I am learning so much about this man, David, who was beautifully called A Man After God's Own Heart. Oh how I LONG to have the virtues of David!

Just after David began his 40-year reign over Israel, he penned the words written in 2 Samuel 7:18-29, offering thanks to God for His grace and for bringing him THIS FAR. In his quite time with God he sits before Him and says these beautiful words that will be my verse for October 15...

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)
"Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, 'Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?'""

I, like King David, beg of my Savior, "WHO AM I... that You would choose to bring me this far? WHO AM I... that You would choose to bless me in all these ways? WHO AM I? WHO AM I?

Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness to your lowly servant!

What's YOUR verse for October 15?

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Week Four: One Thousand Gifts

"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it." Psalm 39:6 (NLT)



Chapter 4, A Sanctuary Of Time, was a PACKED chapter. I will admit that when I first read this chapter I said to myself, "Could this really be ALL about a bubble? A soap sud? Really?" But as we discussed last night - it is SO much more than that. This chapter really challenges readers to slow down. To discover what it means to live this one life well. To experience the full life in the midst of the hurry and the running and the getting to.. the... next... thing.

How do we slow time down?

How do we stop living life as if it were an emergency? Because life is NOT an emergency!

And what does it mean to have not MORE time... but ENOUGH time?

Ann begins this chapter with her observation of a another gift to add to her list... #362, Suds... all color in sun.

And it's this sud that opens her eyes wide to the gift of time. Making time. As she says on page 64, "I only see it because I'm looking..."

I only see it because I'm looking.

What other things do we miss because we are in such a hurry? What other beautiful gifts have we allowed to pass us by simply because we were not paying attention?

Could it be that this hunt for gifts... for all things beautiful... is JUST the thing that will allow us to slow time down?

Hurry makes us hurt... (isn't that called stress? And don't we do that to ourselves... unnecessarily?)

Hurry empties a soul.

Think about it. I was just saying last week that all would be right in the world if I could just have ONE more day in the week to get accomplished the things I need to get accomplished. Just one more day I begged for. But is it really MORE time I need? Or is it ENOUGH time that I need? Because wouldn't I just fill that ONE MORE day with even MORE unnecessary things? Who really wants more time for worry? Guilt? Shame? More running of errands. More spending money we don't have. More schedules. More crises. Really? Is that what I want?

I love the beautiful way Ann writes it on the top of page 68... "I just want time to do my one life well."

That's it!

My hearts desire is to take this one life I have been given and live it... well! Oh how I long to hear the words of my Savior... "Well done good and faithful servant." (Matt 25:21)

Receiving gifts... naming them... and thanking God for them... is our only hope for slowing time down because it begs for our full attention NOW. One page 69 Ann remembers the words of her sister, "Where you are, be all there." She continues, "I have lived the runner, panting ahead in worry, pounding back in regrets, terrified to live in the present, because here-time asks me to do the hardest of all: just open wide and receive."

And isn't that harder to do?

But "This"... Ann writes, "is where God is."

And I WANT to be where God is.

So could it be as easy as one simple formula... Giving thanks = more time.

I LOVE her analogy on pages 71 and 72.

In John, chapter 6, the story so many of us are familiar with, is the story of Jesus feeding 5,000. Jesus and His disciples had just crossed over the Sea of Galilee, when a huge crowd began following them. It was nearing time for the annual Passover celebration and they were in need of some food to feed themselves and the large crowd that had gathered. And there was nothing. The only thing that was available was a young boy's lunch which consisted of five barley loaves and two fish. "But what good is this with a huge crowd?" Andrew asked. (verse 9) (Oh I can SO see myself in that boy Andrew, can't you? Doubting the very One who had just come from performing all kinds of miracles. Don't we KNOW the miracle worker and still doubt His amazing abilities?)

After gathering the loaves of bread and the fish, Jesus "took the loaves and gave thanks to God and passed them out to the people." (verse 11). John goes on to write, "And they ate until they were full." Jesus even responds to His disciples, "'Now gather up the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.'" (verse 12)

Stop!

What just happened?

Jesus had only FIVE loaves of bread. BARELY enough to feed the 13 of them... let alone FIVE THOUSAND!

Jesus had five loaves of bread and what did He do?

He gave thanks. Those two words. The "bridge words" as Ann calls them. "The crossing over that took the not enough and made it enough."

He gave thanks. There it is again... Eucharisteo.

"Jesus embraces His not enough... He gives thanks... And there is more than enough."

That's it. Again. The miracle of thanks.

Oh what being grateful does. It multiplies the blessing!

So... Jesus gives thanks for the five loaves of bread and it multiplies.
Could we give thanks, then, for the moments so that those, too, can multiply?

Is that the secret to getting more time?

Ann says it best on page 72, "The real problem of life is never a lack of time. The real problem of life - in my life - is lack of thanksgiving."

"Life is a dessert." Ann says, "You don't wolf it down." (page 77)

Wherever you are... be all there.
Life is not an emergency.
Giving thanks = more time.
Slow down long enough to see the miracles.

Because I'm with Ann... "I want to savor long whatever time holds."

And it IS fleeting.

Below is the video from week four. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 4 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Scripture Memory: October 1

Once again... the date for the Scripture Memory snuck up on me and I totally forgot to post my verse. ALTHOUGH I must say I was thinking about it... I just failed to post it. So - here it is. Almost a week late. Forgive me?

This month's verse has been SUCH an inspiration to me this year. It comes from the Apostle Paul and in his letter to the church in Philippi he pens the words of my October 1st memory verse:

Phil 4:11-12
"I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

I pray that we can ALL be inspired to live like Paul did. Content with what we have. Grateful for everything... little or small. Satisfied.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com

Week Three: One thousand Gifts

"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30 (KJV)




Can I just say how BLESSED I am to be doing life alongside of some amazing women?? Last night we wrapped up chapter three of our study on Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts.

Chapter three, First Flight, was an uplifting and encouraging chapter. Unlike the first two chapters, which were a little more difficult to get through, this chapter felt like we FINALLY arrived at the meat of the book.

What started out as a DARE from a friend to list 1,000 things she was grateful for, truly turned into her life's mission... a "hunt" as described by Ann herself, to find all things beautiful in a messy, messy world.

We were all encouraged by the words Ann quotes on page 44 from Pierre de Caussade, "When one is thirsty one quenches one's thirst by drinking, not by reading books which treat of this condition." "If we are dying of thirst", Ann says, "passively reading books about water quenches little; the only way to quench the parched mouth is to close the book and dip the hand into water and bring it to the lips. If we thirst, we'll have to drink. I would have to DO SOMETHING."

Kind of like reading God's word. We can read the book all day long. We can memorize scripture. We can be filled with knowledge of His truths, His grace and His love... but if we want it to change us... to REALLY change us from the inside out... we have to DO something. Reading about how to walk in His love will do little for us. We have to take the first steps of obedience and faith.

And so we see Ann's list begin. This naming of 1,000 things she is grateful for:

1.) Morning shadows across the old floor.
2.) Jam piled high on toast.
3.) Cry of blue jay from high in the spruce.

And she says as she begins, "This writing it down - it is sort of like... unwrapping love."

Philippians 4:11-12 is such an inspiring piece of scripture, "I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

That boy Paul... oh he got it! I want to learn how to live this out too... don't you?

Ann says, "Gratitude in the midst of death and divorce and debt - that's the language I've got to learn to speak - because that's the kind of life I'm living, the kind I have to solve." (page 47)

And so as Martin Luther King once said, "If you want to change the world, pick up your pen."

Can it really be that simple? Perhaps!

Questions for discussion:

1.) Ann accepts a dare from a friend to begin a list, not of gifts she wants, but of gifts she already has. A gratitude list.

Have you ever made a gratitude list? If so, what prompted you to do so? How did the experience impact your relationship with God?

I can say from personal experience that starting my list of gratitude changed my life in MORE ways than I can ever tell you! I think for me, it was in the discovery of the little things I had always taken for granted. Here's some of those from my own personal journal...

11.) Smiles from a friend.
34.) Date night with the hubs.
59.) S'mores at summer bonfires.
75.) The smell of cinnamon.
93.) Air condition.
141.) Bowl full of beautiful red, ripe strawberries.

And so, too, began my list. Could I make it to 1,000? I will see. I'm on my way... 527 to be exact. And still counting.

Is it difficult? Not really. Why? Because beauty is really all around us. Every day. The question shouldn't be can we do it... instead the question ought to be, can we SLOW DOWN long enough to SEE what's been there all along?

2.) Among the first gifts on Ann's list are these:

~ Morning shadows across the old floor.
~ Jam piled high on toast.
~ Cry of blue jay from high in the spruce.
~ Leafy life scent of the florist shop.
~ Wind flying cold wild in hair.

Each gift appeals to one of the five senses - something Ann can see, taste, hear, smell or feel. Thinking back on the last 24 hours, use your senses to name five things for which you are grateful - your own mini gratitude list.

3.) In reading Philippians 4:11-12 (above), Ann discovers, "the secret to living joy in every situation, the full life of eucharisteo." It is in the apostle Paul's statement, "I have learned" (page 47). Take a moment to think of a few things that have brought joy or a feeling of contentment to your life recently. Did you have to learn these things or work at them, or did they just happen, like happy coincidences? How do you understand the relationship between learning or practicing gratitude and experiencing joy?

4.) "This dare to write down one thousand things I love... is a dare to name all the ways that God loves me." (page 59) How does gratitude open the door to ever-increasing awareness of God's love for you? How might you take up the dare to name the ways God loves you?

Did you ever think of it that way before? By naming all the gifts is like naming all the ways God loves YOU?

Think about that the next time you see a beautiful sunrise. When you thank God - be specific in your thankfulness. "Thank you God for giving ME this beautiful sunrise this morning!"

Or what about the next time you hear a beautiful song on the radio. When you thank God - be specific. "Thank you God for giving ME this beautiful song today. The words are so encouraging... it was JUST what I needed!"

I believe NOTHING makes God more pleased with us than when we receive each gift He gives with an offer of Thanksgiving. Pure Eucharisteo. THIS is receiving His grace. THIS is FULL living. Joy-filled living.

And so it is with hammer that we drive the nails... to "rebuild a life - eucharisteo precedes the miracle." And it's not the blanket thanksgiving that changes lives. It is the specificity of each gift. "Life-changing gratitude", Ann says, "does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time."

It's "when I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, that I make a place for God to grow within me." If I am serious about changing... for bettering my life... for making a difference... than it has to start with my thankfulness for even the seemingly microscopic.

Ann closes the chapter with a statement... a powerful statement... "... life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change." (page 61)

Thank you for joining us on our journey to joy through gratitude!

Below is the video from week three. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts- Chapter Three from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,



www.wendybender.blogspot.com