Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down

Prov. 2:16-22

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,

   from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

who has left the partner of her youth

   and ignored the covenant she made before God.

Surely her house leads down to death

   and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

None who go to her return

   or attain the paths of life.

The adulterous woman represents anything that leads us away from our covenant with God. The way to her house is subtle. Each step small and seemingly harmless. Each step you take further from wisdom and into deception, self deception. You’re ok, you tell yourself. Look how much you love God with every other area of your life. Who’s perfect, right? The closer you get to her door, death’s door, the more you deceive yourself that your sin is not sin at all. And then sin grabs you and holds you in it’s death grip. It’s there in the still, cold grave that you hear wisdom calling and realize too late that the adulterous woman is a liar, her words poison, that she has lead you so far away from God that you’ve lost yourself entirely. You lay in the grave, faceless, nameless, you are gone...

And then you begin to hear the voice of love calling your name, “Child, rise up!”

Answer Him. Shake off the dust.

“Child, rise up!”

Breath in the breath of God. You can come back to life again. Cause there ain’t no grave that can hold your body down!

Live your new life empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves you so much that he gave himself for you, and dispenses his life into yours! (Galations 2:20)

Ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down!

Healed from Somatoparaphrenia With Borderline Ecclesiophobia

It took me four years of painful memories, four years trying to forgive. Days and days of tears and anger. Times I thought that the pain would mark my life forever. As I mulled over the situation, the people, the conversations in order to be free, I was actually wiring my brain to stay, to stay in the past, in a moment in time. And when we can't forgive it's sin. Then we not only carry the burden of our own sin but we carry the weight of the sins committed against us. Bit by bit, the burden grows. It's subtle; over time we gather evidence to support our pain. The original story begins to include what we're sure were the other persons thoughts and intentions and we look for character flaws to support our unforgiveness. Instead of "time heals all things", time becomes the poison our thoughts stew in. Eventually we find justification for the unforgiveness.

"Forgiveness restores the standard...When you forgive someone you give them permission to live as though they never failed." Kris Vallotton The bible mentions a few times how far God removes our sin from us, how he forgets we even sinned it's so far removed. We often stumble at this point. How is it possible to forget what happened?

It took me four years to learn I was fighting the wrong battle. I made my battle about people and my forgiveness was dependent on them saying and doing certain things.

Often, over the years I would hear God say, "Come up higher." I didn't know what he meant or how to get there. I couldn't come up higher because I had anchored myself to the earth with the weight of their "perceived" sins.

I remember telling a friend that I wished I could let it go. She responded, "You can!" I was annoyed thinking she hadn't been listening to my story, that she didn't understand. I thought it was impossible. I hoped that one day "it" would just let go of me.

One Sunday, my pastor kept asking us what it meant to be fully alive. I left there thinking, "I'm so tired of being half dead. I'm ready to be fully alive." I detached myself from the weight their wrongs by laying it at the feet of Jesus. Over the next few days, every time I would think about the people involved or the painful situation I would say, "I chose to let this go. I give it to you Jesus and I receive your peace and love (and whatever else he would bring to my mind) in return." I began to "come up higher". I found the place where sins are forgotten; at the mercy seat, the throne room, in the presence of God. Up here I can't remember their wrongs but I remember love and most importantly I remember who I am.

Recognize your true enemy, by learning that your real battle is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). Flesh and blood refers to people and furthermore if we are the body of Christ, then you and I are part of the same flesh and blood. If I cut you, I bleed, we all bleed. You actually set yourself in opposition to Jesus and to the advancing of the kingdom when you battle against his people.

Am I saying don't ever confront people? No way! But I learned that when you come up higher, you confront from a place of humility and love, and you care deeply about the other person's heart. You aren't trying to be right, you're trying to show love. I discovered that when you meditate on the situation too long, the truths you think you know aren't even truth. God is the only perfect judge, the ultimate holder of truths. Let him bring justice. You get to rest, child. Give it to him and find rest. Fight the real battle with praise and worship. Lift God high above your circumstance and you will go higher too. You will be able to forgive. No matter your situation, you can be free if you want.

Can We Linger?

My life, a novel being written. Co-written, by me and the Father. I try to let him do most of the writing but my free will dictates changes at times.

I sit in my house full of empty shelves and full boxes. Ready to move, ready for a new chapter. But can I just linger a moment before we turn the page?

Flip back to ten years ago when Dwayne and I purchased this house. I was pregnant with Lydia. Pregnant for the last time and loving every minute. Surrounded by toddlers and preshcoolers- little Destiny was 4, Faith 3 and Gracie 1. The chaos and the blessing of those days. Homeschooling, then off to work at Goodness Me, girls attend BCS, Faith plays sports, Grace's friends teach her about relationships, Lydia loves and is loved by all, Destiny blooms, Destiny has graduated!

Can we linger?

Kimberlee married, nieces born, Hannah lives with us, Jared lives with us, Christmas’s, Thanksgiving, silly times and serious times with my family. Hannah married. Memories. Good times!

Freedom House days…doing life and ministry with covenant friends: Dave and Krissy, Brian and Sharlyss, Steve and Nicki, Trevor and Sara and many more. Being challenged and stretched. Frosty Fest, Living Nativity, Fusion, Leadership team. Prayer nights with Marty and Sara, Leanne, Curtis. Life changing! Part of something bigger than myself, for the glory of God.

Flip forward a little during those days and enter the Reimer family. Can we linger? Hot tub chats, small group, worship team…friends who are like family.
Worship team, Sarah Y., Jamie, Jim, Alisha, Dallas, Nadine, Wanda, Renyck, Jeff, Sara H., Leanne and others.

A year and half now at Lakemount under the anointed teachings of Matt Tapley; healing, hope, dreams restored. Reconnecting with Jonathan and Crystal.

Can we linger?

10 years is a lot of history. 

Beloved

Memorable

Cherished

Growth

Change

Death

Life

Each chapter is labeled “More than You Could Ask or Imagine”

That’s what my life has been.

I’m excited for what’s ahead. 

But can we linger just a moment more?

Special is the New Normal

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:14-17

Talk about stating the obvious! Faith without works seems ridiculous in the context of James 2. The majority of us feel we could give clothes to someone who was naked, or make a meal for someone who was hungry. Do we also feel that we have healing to offer the sick? Do we also feel that we have deliverance to offer those who are bound? Ah! But we can offer those things as readily as a coat and a plate of food! Jesus said that those were the signs to show we believe in him. (Mark 16:17) Living that way is normal, not special.

I am convinced that there are no extra special christians. All christians have the ability to heal and deliver and show the love of the Father to people, in Jesus name. The only thing that sets one christian apart from another in terms of authority and power is their willingness; being willing to lay down reputation, money, pride, sin...; to lose the world and gain your soul (Matt. 16:24-27)

Joyce Meyer --> willing
Bill Johnson --> willing
Reinhardt Bonke --> willing
Heidi Baker --> willing
Every christian who's ever stepped out in faith and seen the miraculous --> willing

Not special...Willing...Willing to take the entire word and put their faith in it; believing it to be true and living it out.

Faith without works is dead; faith without willingness is useless.

This is basically a call to "accept Jesus" for those who already have Jesus. I know you feel it! A call to something greater. A burning feeling that there is something more than just having your personal life blessed by God. 

After 34 years of being a christian I have decided to accept Jesus. I began to observe a global movement. No longer are christians waiting around in churches to be banged with special abilities from God in order to go out and do his work. But there are christians who believe that everything they need is already in them; who decided that it's normal to look for ways to love on people with the love of the Father; meeting their needs. Who are seeing the "greater things" Jesus talked about, as part of their everyday lives. (John 14:12)

Faith with works...Willing.

10th Anniversary Thoughts

This week we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.

We had a great disagreement on the way to the restaurant we were going to . It was a much needed discussion. We talked, we yelled, I cried, we were silent and then we started again. Nobody won and no resolution was made, except a resolve to love. There's that peace and security in knowing we'll be together always; in sickness, in health, for rich, for poorer, forsaking all others until death. We sat in silence for a good twenty minutes (the cool down), each content that we had been heard, truly heard, by the other. When we got to the restaurant I sent him a text under the table. It said, "You're hot!!!" and that broke the ice and sealed the argument. He knew that was code for , "I forgive you. You forgive me. Let's make love tonight".

I'm sure that not everyone gets here within the same timeframe or in the same way, but I feel like we've come through the most selfish years and settled in for the long haul. The first couple years are spent in shock. The dating blinders come off, everyone eases out of their best behaviour and plays out every fear they developed watching their parents marriage. It's a time for establishing boundaries. It is truly hard work! and not all couples make it through. If you can make it through the spring to the summer of unconditional love it is well worth it. We still have plenty of crap to work through, but here is where we are safe to do so.

I am so blessed to have Dwayne's love and I look forward to the long journey ahead!