Holding Onto Acorns

My morning run was interrupted mid-stride with a view that sent a twinge of sadness through my heart.

Blood stained the pavement. Flesh was ripped apart. A little chipmunk, bloody and battered, lay motionless on the roadside. As I bent down to pick him up and move him to a more peaceful resting place, my gaze was directed to his tiny paws. There he was, lying dead, with a crushed acorn against his crushed chest. He was still holding onto his treasure. 

I resumed my run, but not my thoughts. I couldn't get the picture of that acorn-holding chipmunk out of my head. I wondered: had he been willing to let go of his perceived treasure, would he have made it to safety? Ashley, you are that chipmunk. What? Me? A chipmunk? Yes, me. Us. Chipmunks. How many times do we hold onto things, thinking they will do us good, thinking we are better off with them firmly in grasp, only to find out that they are the death of us. The devil whispers, "I know you're trying to run this race, this battle for life, but doesn't this acorn look good?" And when we needlessly burden ourselves, clinging to earthly treasures, the devil laughs to drive headlong into us, leaving us bruised and battered by the side of the road.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

Good Morning, Winter!

The "Rubber Boots" of Christianity

These are the dress shoes of Christianity-

-The times when one is called to stand for Christ before kings, before the rich, 

before the well-known.

These are the hiking boots of Christianity-

-The times when one is called to traverse rugged terrain, climb steep mountain paths, navigate slippery slopes,
all to reach a handful of people with the Good News about Jesus.

These are the rubber boots of Christianity-

-The times when one humbles himself to do a task nobody else wanted

-The times one must be "in the mud, but not of the mud"

These are the flip-flops of Christianity-

-The times when one is called to immediate action

-The times when one is racing outdoors on a quick mission for Christ

These are the slippers of Christianity-

-The times of treading softly in the presence of our Lord

-The times of quiet communion with Him, resting peacefully in His arms 

Gifts From God

Your Voice, your influence, your time-- all these are gifts from God and are to be used in winning souls to Christ.

-9T, 38

Amazing Love

"Shall we not regard the mercy of God? What more could He do?

Let us place ourselves in right relation to Him who has loved us with 
amazing love. 

Let us avail ourselves of the means provided for us 
that we may be transformed into His likeness, 

and be restored to fellowship with the ministering angels, 
to harmony and communion with the Father and the Son."

(Steps to Christ, p. 22)

Unfaithful Israel, Faithful God

Sometimes I, like the prophet Hosea*, shake my head over the spiritual prostitutes I'm connected with. 
How can they leave a God who loves them and has never done them wrong? 
How can they treat His grace as if it didn't matter? as if it didn't cost Him His life? 

And then a startling realization punches me in the chest: I am that prostitute. I have a faithful God who loves me, cherishes me, begs me to come. Despite His undeniable love for me-- a love beyond my wildest dreams!-- I often choose other lovers, such as love of pleasure, love of self, love of the things of this world. Yet God does not give up on me. 

He is ready and waiting for me to come back. 

I am just like Israel. Loudly exclaiming, "All that you say we will do!" Then, when a moment of decision comes, I falter. I fail. It is not God who fails. He is Love. 

And Love NEVER fails.

But in my pride to "do it myself," I refuse the privilege of His freely-offered strength. 

Though oftentimes I deny Him of the ability to help me, He still wants to.
That fact alone never ceases to amaze me. 

Praise God, He sees the motives of our hearts. He knows whether we accidentally fell or whether we purposely jumped off a cliff. He knows whether we failed when slipping into the habits of the "old man" of sin, or whether we sinned intentionally, boasting a "bet-you-won't-still-love-me-now" attitude. He recognizes the intentions, the design, of the heart.

God knows we can't do it on our own, but He knows that He can do it-- with our cooperation.


"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
II Thessalonians 5:23-24

* For more information, see the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet of ancient Israel whom God called to marry a prostitute named Gomer. This experience brought him to a better realization of what God was going through with HIS unfaithful bride, Israel. Though God loved His people, they left His side for others countless times. He still remained faithful. No matter how many times we have left God's side, or how many years we've wasted, He remains faithful.
He desperately wants us back.

Beautiful Death

It never ceases to amaze me how death can bring forth such beauty...

What appears to be death is actually the secret to LIFE!

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
"He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
(John 12:24-26)

"By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." (Hebrews 11:4)

As we allow self to be consumed by Jesus, He will bring forth beauty from ashes.

Death to self-- why do we shun the very thought?! Oh, if only we would see the beauty of the life of Christ, the life He desires to live in us! A life of surrender to and dependence on God, a life of death to self, is a beautiful thing. The prayer of my heart is that I can truthfully say every moment of my life "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"Amazing Love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?"

Christ Himself has died for me, I will die to self for Him...