No More Sippy Cups!

I woke up in the wee-hours of the morning with the word sippy cup in my brain. This is my early morning ramblings about a heart cry that I see rising not only inside me but inside those around me.

This is NOT Sippy Cup Religion

If you need reminding of what the Sippy cup is.  Inside the cup you put small doses of water, juice or milk and then attach a tight spill-proof lid that toddlers then drink from, only getting a small amount out at a time. 

   Too often once someone has gotten saved and taken some of the milk of the word – we only graduate them to the preverbal sippy cup.  Continuing to offer them milk from the word – because we are afraid they can’t handle the meat, or juice because they might not be ready for the true wine of anointing, or water because if they got too much of that it might make a mess. And of course – we ourselves are often content drinking out of our sippy cup – because it is safe.     Are we honestly content with a sippy cup experience limiting us to small doses as if there is a limited supply?!

  My God – Our God – can no longer be confined to our sippy cup religion.  He wants to give his children more – and we are THIRSTY for MORE.  More than even a ‘big gulp’ experience we once had.  We want a torrent of living water…from an ever-flowing fountain.  We are crying for the water.  Deep is calling to deep – FATHER - let us hear the ROAR of your waterfall!!!!

    There is a cry to be allowed to stand and soak in His presence – to stand under the waterfall, so that it splashes all around.  There is a cry to be cleansed and saturated and soaked so that when we walk we slosh.  When we touch or hug someone – they get wet & some of what we have gets on them!    LET IT BE EVIDENT.  In our walk, our talk, our integrity, our presence, our passion!!  

    When you’ve gone to an amusement park – remember seeing the people you know had just gotten off the big splash water ride at a park? – You didn’t see them actually on or even near the ride - but you knew by their very being that they had an experience that got them soaked!  SOAK US LORD!!!!  SOAK ME!

    I want what I experience to be so saturating that everything and everyone I touch is affected. That when I walk, I leave prints!  I don’t want to dry off!   I don’t want to live off a one—time drenching from days gone by…….because I know if I am away from your life-giving water long enough – I will dry up!  Nor do I want to receive only a doled out sampling offered in a sippy cup at a scheduled snack time.  I want MORE.  I want to play and dance and sing and run and laugh and cry in the river of My God. 

   Father – pop the lids off the sippy cups and POUR out your water on us and show us the way to MORE.   Lead us by your stream into the waterfall.    We want more not for ourselves so we can say we’ve been there but no Father – so that we can offer more to this generation and to this dying world and to this drying, dying modern church.  We want to let them know that they have access to a God that longs to cleanse and overwhelm and saturate them with his miracle working, life-changing presence. 

MORE LORD – More of YOU –

DON’T LET US SETTLE – DON’T LET ME SETTLE FOR LESS THAN ALL YOU HAVE!

(Blog originally posted in 2007 - thirst continues)

Restoration

My heart is so full at this moment, I’m not quite sure I can articulate what I sense inside.

In December of this past year, I really felt the Lord saying that in 2011 we were going to see Restoration. Another friend had heard the word Fulfillment. I believe we are seeing both!

It is no secret that restoration is a process. Whether we are talking about furniture, an old car, an old house or an individual life – there is a tedious and oftentimes long process involved. It’s not all easy or comfortable or pretty. There is so much hard work involved that most will never see or know about. Sadly, too many give up before the completion.

I am a sucker for the big reveal. I love seeing a photo of the old vs. the new or the before vs. the after. Whatever kind of makeover it is, there’s something genuinely exciting about getting a glimpse of the former state and then the amazing transformation afterwards. There’s something in most of us that are intrigued by that. Look at the final 10-15 minutes of shows like “What not to Wear,” “Divine Design,” “Clean House”, “Hoarders”, or even the grand finale of “Biggest Loser.” They give you a look at the former state of a person or home and then boom – the grand reveal. Oftentimes, the transformation is so amazing that it’s hard to believe it is the same person or house. In fact, in the case of “Extreme Home Makeover,” often it isn’t the same. They simply use the same ground, raze what was there, and start completely over.

I believe spiritual restoration is often like this too. We don’t see the hard work, the tears, the pain, the sleepless nights, the days of turmoil, the sense of despair.

However, all is not lost. Just like the story of the potter in Jeremiah. The clay was flawed even in the hand of the potter. The potter watched, he knew, he was fully aware, and yet he did not throw it into a refuse pile. Rather, the potter formed it into a vessel that was pleasing to him. One translation of this passage says that the potter “crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.”

So, what is our role as friends, as family, as members of the body of Christ?

Well, Galatians 6:1-3 (Amplified) powerfully puts it like this: “If any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another's load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself.”

God is a huge advocate of restoration! He longs to see the restoration of the nations and of people.

Maybe you are someone that is in process – going through the behind the scenes difficult threshing floor with God times. If so, it’s almost reveal time! Don’t give up!

I believe that we are about to see restoration on so many levels. Are we ready? I have already seen restoration in more than one situation. I am seeing the fruit, the result of God working the lives of individuals and circumstances.

Don’t miss it. Watch for it! When it happens – give God ALL the glory for it is His handiwork!

God is restoring sons & daughters. God is restoring families. God is restoring hope. God is restoring dreams.   And that’s just for starters!

-----May this be a precious reminder in this season of God’s heart out of Joel 2:12,13.


“Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored].
   Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].” (Amplified version)

----Can’t wait to hear more testimonies! (feel free to send me your restoration story at donnamcfisher@gmail.com)

FIRST

The word FIRST alone conjures up so many meanings and images. 

It’s a word that doesn’t need a lot of definition. However, out of sheer curiosity, I looked up its meaning.  It serves as an adjective, an adverb and a noun and the basic meanings are:  being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, in preference to something, the beginning, winning position in race or competition, product or goods of the highest quality, above all else, at the outset, immediately, before anything else.

It’s the first of the year, and naturally, many of us stop to think about the potential of the days that lie ahead.

For me, in the final days of 2010 & now at the onset of 2011, I have been feeling challenged spiritually.  This has been stirring in me for a while, but yesterday it was solidified in me as I sat in a service and the minister dealt with that very issue.  Isn’t it interesting how God uses a myriad of things and people to underscore the very things He’s saying to us? 

I had remembered the passage in Revelation 2 that talked about losing our first love & have been admittedly convicted on that issue. But, I had forgotten that the church at Ephesus was at first affirmed and commended for their perseverance, discernment, good deeds and hard work for the sake of God. They had not grown weary in well doing. All tremendous attributes, all things that earn really good brownie points…but then God announces that he has something against them.  Really?  They seemed to be doing the right stuff!  And yet, they were called out and commanded to repent for losing and abandoning their first love. In other words, I can be doing good things, even godly things, and if he isn’t FIRST in my thoughts and the purpose for my actions, then I’ve totally missed it.   He must be my obsession. My desire must be for Him above all else.  Above even the good stuff.

This is not a new thought process for me.  It is a war that battles in my heart and head more often than I am proud to admit.  It means I have to continually be laying down my agenda, my interests, my relationships, and making sure that even the good I might attain to do is not superseding the very thing that He has called me to and that is Himself.  It is making sure that Matthew 6:33 is an active part of every day, that I am seeking His kingdom that I am seeking Him.

So, what does that look like?  I can’t say what it will look like for others, but I can speculate what it should look like for me.  For starters, it is intentional time with Him. Talking to Him, sure, but sitting to listen even more.  It is choosing to focus my affection on Him.  It is making sure that He is my first thought in the morning and my last thought when I lay my head on my pillow.  It is choosing to worship rather than worry and to pray rather than try to go through a million scenarios in my head of how something should be worked out.  It is placing my worship of Him back into a place of priority as I find new ways to tell this beautiful and incredible God just how much I truly do love Him.  It is making sure that I am pliable, teachable, and open to the things that He is wanting to still form and shape inside of me. 

I am grateful today for the reminder that the call to love God with all of my mind, heart, being and strength is greater than any other calling or vision or dream.   

When I think of the word first - may my mind and heart be drawn to my love for this God who has chosen to first love me.

Love & War

   The words Love & War conjure a myriad of images in most minds.  They certainly do in mine.  So, when I saw that John and Staci Eldredge had written a book by that name, my interest peaked.  Then, I’ll admit, when I saw that it was about marriage, I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to venture in to read it.  I mean, I’ve been married a long time and have read a lot of books and articles on the topic over the years.  Not that I  believe my marriage is perfect or couldn’t use some occasional encouragement – but really – after awhile – I figured I had heard it all.  However, something just kept nudging me to just give it a shot.  If I didn’t like it – it could go into the bin of ½ read books I gave up on.

     So, the book arrived in the mail and I was semi-excited about reading it.  The biggest selling point to me was that it was written by the Eldredges.  John’s book Waking the Dead had been extremely impacting so I was open to seeing what insight they might have to offer.

     On our 26^th anniversary, just one month &; one day before our son was getting married, I began reading.  I don’t believe the timing was coincidental.  Especially when I read that they had been married 26 years when the book was written. 

     Transparency is a trait that always draws me into a book.  When the proclamation that marriage is hard and how it is embarrassing to admit that – I totally understood and opened myself up to pay attention to what was on the pages.  I was appreciative that this book solidified what those us who have been married longer than a nano-second know - marriage isn’t just about the romantic warm fuzzies that too many weddings and predictably sappy movies are made out of.   Marriage is indeed war.  Not a war with each other – but a war that we have to agree at the outset that we are willing to enter into with and for each other.  It is ordained by God and therefore disliked by satan.  Far too often, this realization doesn’t hit until well after the ceremony of bliss and the euphoria of the honeymoon has worn off and all the little annoyances you thought you could put up are larger than life.  We too often forget that each person enters into the marriage bond, not just with all their glorious – can’t live without – qualities – but with all their brokenness, too.  It is as one of the chapter subtitles stated “Romance meets Reality”.

     Yes, this book dealt with the blatant honesty of issues in hearts and marriages, it also offered some tremendous reminders:

    “We are entrusted with their hopes and dreams, their wounds, and their fears.”

    “Being married costs you everything.”

And, it offered wise counsel, from the heart of two people who admittedly went to the brink of divorce more than once.

   “  “Jesus said, “ Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  This is a love story, after all.  And what does learning to love look like?  Well, for one thing, it looks like compassion for your spouses’ brokenness while choosing to turn from your own self-protective style of relating.”

    I especially appreciated this small line, tucked somewhere mid-way through the book, “The secret of happiness is this: God is the love you are longing for.”  Well said.   Marriage – another person - was never intended to fill the places only God can.  The truth is, if we have that place filled by God, then he can lead us into a very exciting adventure with our spouse and with the family that God has ordained.

The writers admitted that if they were pressed to choose their “top three things that would help your marriage,” they would come down to the following list:

1.         Find life in God

2.         Deal with your brokenness.

3.         Learn to shut down the spiritual attacks that come against your marriage.

Wise counsel indeed.

   This book is great.  If your marriage is struggling and you are walking through hard times or know someone who is - its worth reading.  It solidified in me things I already knew and showed me somethings I hadn't seen before.  Bottom line is this -  the enemy of our souls would love to destroy the marriage that God ordained – but greater than that God is FOR us!  It is war, but it is a war worth fighting with God’s love.  After 26+ years of marriage – I am glad Cameron is the one with me on this adventure!  

   For my son, Grant and his lovely bride Nichole - with God's help this can be a tremendous and beautiful adventure through good and bad.  Know that we are there alongside you, but most important God is FOR you.

   For my daughter, Amanda and my young friends who have yet to embark on this marriage journey – I want to encourage them to truly hear God before they go down this lifelong path.  No compromise.  If there are red flags in a relationship – don’t assume they will ‘work themselves out.’ Have the courage to heed the warning signs and get out before you say  “I Do”.  You know what those checks in your spirit feel like –this is not the time to ignore them!   By the same token, when God’s mate for you comes into your life – you will both know and be willing to love unconditionally, grow a family with, be in community with, help each other reach the God-given potential inside, and fight for each other in the natural and especially in the spiritual...Just Sayin….

  

Answered Prayer

This week we witnessed the answer to a prayer that has been prayed for almost 24 years.

     On August 30, 1986, Grant Michael Fisher entered the world as our first born son.   From the time he was very young, we began praying for the young girl who would someday be his wife.  We did know that somewhere she was out there and her life was being formed and fashioned and at the right time their paths would cross and the rest would be history. We didn't know her name, or her face, or where in the world she was - but God did.

      It's been an interesting journey.  I never was one to get close to the girls that Grant dated.   I didn't want to rush the process and never wanted him to hesitate to break a relationship off that he felt was wrong just because the family had gotten too close.  One day a couple years ago, Grant came and basically asked me, "Mom, don't scare this one off."  First of all, I never saw myself as scaring anyone off -- just keeping a comfortable distance.   :-)   However - at that point - I agreed to unfold my arms  and be a bit more 'welcoming'.  Family is a big deal to us.  So, it is crucial that whomever 'signs on' to be with us - gets along with both the McCarn  and Fisher sides of the family.  Grant began bringing this young lady to holiday gatherings. Personable and fun - she fit in beautifully. Over the past two years this young lady became woven into the fabric of our family and into the fiber of our hearts.

      On July 10, 2010 in beautiful outdoor ceremony surrounded by friends and family we proudly and joyfully watched our son marry the girl of his dreams and the girl of our prayers. 

      Brandi Nichole Rose Riley Fisher - Welcome to the family. 

Heartbeat

“We heard the heartbeat today!” The excitement of the first time mom and dad was evident even through the phone.


So, this leads me to a question.

Have you heard the heartbeat of the potential that is deep within you?

The dream…..the vision…..the hope…..the promise…..

Do not be overwhelmed by the unknown.

Do not doubt. God did not make a mistake.

Rest in Him. Be still.

Listen for the heartbeat and rejoice over the stirring deep within.

I Love Living in the South

I love living in the South.   Let me quickly say, it isn't that I have anything against other parts of these beautiful United States.  I've lived in a few places like Missouri, Texas, Michigan, Indiana and I've travelled to many states and even to other nations.    However, it is Tennessee and the South that has captured me (& Israel, too, but that's another blog).  Where the South is concerned, it's often the little things that just make me sigh and smile.

Sometimes it's overhearing the slow smooth drawl of an elderly woman or a little child putting three or four syllables in a word that should only have two. 

Seasonally, it is the little Green Acres stand that sells plants, fruits and vegetables over on the road about a mile from my house.  It isn't even that I stop by that frequently, but when it's open, something just seems right in my southern world.  I often drive out of my way, just to pass by it and I smile.  Every time.

I enjoy going into a restaurant and getting to order a vegetable plate with pan-fried okra and a big tall bottomless glass of iced tea - and have to clarify if I DON'T want it sweet.  

It is the little things that grab my attention and often my heart. Like a big old slab of wood I saw propped up against a pole.  In big black sloppy hand painted letters it read "cabbage tomatoes cukes" followed by a big 'ol arrow pointing down toward the farmhouse on a road with rows of corn growing on each side.  No doubt - in days to come the word corn would wind up somewhere on that roughhewn sale sign, too. I remember saying out loud when I rode past it - "I love living in the south."  It was somehow endearing.  A sign. Go figure.

I love that we still have towns with city squares.  Not big and flashy like Times Square in New York, but quaint and welcoming.  The kind of place with locally owned speciality shops, antique stores and a fudge or ice cream spot.  It's where you walk in pleasant weather and smile and say hello to people you don't know, but who you feel a kinship to. It's a place you saunter through because for some reason fast walking doesn't quite seem appropriate. If you are really lucky, there's a little bench where you can sit and relax and just soak in the scenery - which typically is filled with big tall oak trees, beautiful flowers, children, families, and retired folks.

I enjoy driving past country churches - whether the building is clapboard or brick or aluminum siding or even block. Some people think it's crazy that we have so many churches down here.  I suppose they have a point.  Especially in my county, but I do like seeing the variety of old, new, beat up, sparkling, trucks, vans, cars, and motorcycles parked up close and side by side on a random evening.  I often wish I could just get a peek of what's happening inside.  I guess cause I know in spite of its flaws and imperfections - inside that building - there's folk gathered in there who are community - family who chose to get together.  It's especially sweet when I can put down my window and hear music and praises rolling outside of the church and floating up to heaven.  Additionally, I have to admit I get a kick out of the names of some of these little gathering places, but with so many - I guess they had to get creative after awhile.  

Just this week, flipping channels on my radio on the way to work, I stumbled upon the local award winning country music station. If I stop on this particular station, usually it's because they do have the best traffic reports and around Christmas time they do play hilariously clever songs.  This particular day I stopped because someone was praying.  I mean like seriously praying. I just wasn't used to hearing praying on this particular station. I later discovered that they were promoting a local gathering for the National Day of Prayer.  It was stirring and it was powerful.  The DJs were gracious and obviously moved.  They went from that into playing a beautiful rendition of "God Bless America".  It just made me smile all over myself.  Cause anyway you shake it up - God was using this little pastor to pray over airwaves and into cars, homes and offices and into the lives of people who were just hoping to hear some country music that morning.  Instead, tucked ever so neatly between someone like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood was this heartfelt prayer calling individuals and a nation back to God. I had to wonder if there wasn't some Betty or Bubba who was reminded of what it was like to pray and maybe their hearts were nudged and stirred. Maybe they remembered what it was like to hear their momma or daddy or grandparents pray. Just maybe that prayer made a difference.  Amazing what God can and will use to stop us and turn our eyes back to Him.

There is so much more that warms my heart around these parts. It's not perfect, the good Lord knows we have our troubles and our issues - but it is home. For the privilege of living here I consider myself blessed and grateful.
I do love God and yes,  I do love the South!