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Jericho

September 27, 2011 in Jesus, light of the world, missions, prayer walking with 2 Comments

My sweetie rescheduled worship team practice last week. Normally a Thursday night affair, we met up in the sanctuary around lunchtime on Saturday.

Since we normally practice after dark, it was a change of pace to be able to see the happenings going on beyond the doors of the sanctuary.

As we ran through the worship music, a family on a bike ride caught my eye.

Our church campus is somewhat unique in that we have a fellowship hall that’s perfectly round. We call it the “round building.” Isn’t that creative of us?

I don’t know who came up with the idea of the round building, but whoever it was must have been a little on the quirky side. It’s one quirky building. The rooms are shaped all funky, and the roof is flat and covered with gray gravel. It’s just a weird building all the way around, but we use the living daylights out of it.

Anyway…back to the family on the bike ride.

It was a dad and three or four kids of various ages and biking abilities. Since the round building is surrounded by a sidewalk, the family took a loop around.

And then another.

And another.

And one more.

I thought to myself, I wonder if they’ll make seven loops and then give a mighty shout so the round building will come crashing down?

You know that story from Joshua 6? I’m surprised they haven’t made a Disney movie about it. Here’s the general gist.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”  (Joshua 6:2-5)

I love it when the Lord does things in such a way that no one can take credit for His work but Him.

How unconventional for the army to just march and shout.

Watching that family loop around our round building time-after-time reminded me of something God whispered in my heart weeks before. Something God whispered, but I ignored.

For a while now, I’ve felt the Lord telling me to represent Him well on my own little cul-de-sac in Gilbert, Arizona.

Through World Vision, our family sponsors a little girl named Nenisha from Mozambique.

Through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, our family supports international missions.

Through Operation Christmas Child, our family shares the gift of Jesus to children in the uttermost parts of the earth.

Through FaceBook and Twitter, I pray for friends in their times of need.

But on my own street? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I don’t pray for them consistently. I don’t serve them in tangible and eternal ways. I don’t share my faith or my time. My neighbors get nothing from the Merrill family but some excess weeds from our front yard and the occasional renegade shihtzu.

That’s just wrong, and it doesn’t make me feel any better to suspect that I’m not the only one who neglects the ones in my own backyard.

Here’s what I feel the Lord telling me to do.

1. PREPARE

Just like Joshua and his forces, I hear the Lord telling me to do some marching. I hear Him telling me to prayer march around my cul-de-sac pouring my heart out for my neighbors.

I’m ashamed to say, I don’t know many of my neighbors by name. I smile and wave when we pass on the street, but I know nothing about them. Their joys. Their heartaches. Their needs.

2. TAKE ACTION

I hear the Lord telling me to get to know my neighbors. Maybe a block party. Maybe inviting each family, one-by-one, into our home. Maybe a picnic at the park. I’m not quite sure what God wants just yet. I just know He wants me to do something. He wants me to love. I suspect He’ll show me what to do while I’m prayer marching.

3. WATCH HIM WORK

The Israelites did exactly what God told them to do, and He did more than they ever dreamed He would do!

I want to see my cul-de-sac in love with Jesus! I want to see families whole and strong in Jesus’ name. I want to see the entire street bound together to be a big, fat floodlight for Jesus Christ!

4. GIVE HIM ALL THE GLORY

For weeks, the Lord has been whispering to my soul about prayer walking through my neighborhood. I’ve been putting it off and making excuses.

Seeing that family circling our round building on their bikes was God’s gentle reminder to me. Get after it, Birdie!

For some crazy reason, God chooses to use me (and you) to bring about His plans. I choose to heed His instructions and start prayer marching around my cul-de-sac.

The next steps are up to Him.

Lord, in obedience and out of love for my neighbors, I will march and pray. I claim my cul-de-sac for You…all for Your glory. AMEN

Jesus Got a Haircut

August 20, 2011 in Christian life, Jesus, on mission with 3 Comments

After a trying week that almost drained me dry, I went to bed early last night and slept long and hard.

I woke up to a cheery text from my own personal Jillian Michaels, Jen. “Good morning! Did you walk last night?”

Well, I didn’t walk last night. By the time Jacob and I picked Mom up from the airport, fed her dinner, and drove her home, it was 9:00, and I was done.

So…at noon today, I finally slipped on my tennis shoes and hit the pavement. It. Was. Hot.

I decided to walk to the Fantastic Sam’s down the road for a much-needed haircut.

By the time I got there, my face was as red as a crawfish fresh from the pot.

I was pleased to see no customer cars littering the parking lot.

The hair stylists were taking advantage of the lull to eat a bite of lunch. At the sound of the door’s jingle, Marissa hopped up to wait on me.

“Please, finish your lunch,” I urged. “I walked here and I need a few minutes to cool off.”

“You sure?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” I huffed, gulping down my tepid water bottle.

I perused the hair style books while my face returned to its normal paleness.

Have you ever looked at those things? Some of those hair styles are just plain ugly! One lady looked like she had a wad of cobwebs on her head. Another lady looked like a skunk with a perm.

Finally, I found a picture in the “over 40″ book that looked somewhat acceptable. Marissa took me back for a shampoo. She took her time massaging my scalp. I’m not gonna lie…it felt soo sweet to be pampered just a little bit.

As I stood up from the shampoo chair, I noticed one of the other hair stylists sitting across the way from me. Immediately, I sensed something was not right.

Before I could ask her if she was ok, Marissa said, “What’s wrong?”

The woman shifted nervously in the swivel chair, glancing at her cell phone. “My boyfriend is on his way to the E.R. He thinks he’s having a heart attack.” By that time, tears were threatening to spill from her striking blue eyes.

With my hair wrapped in a wet towel, I glanced at Marissa and said, “I’ll be right there.”

I slipped over to the teary stylist and cooed, “What’s your name?”

“Melissa.”

“What’s your boyfriend’s name?”

“Bill.”

“That’s my daddy’s name. Melissa, can I pray for you and Bill?”

“Of course,” she replied with a shy smile.

I laid my hand on her shoulder and prayed for peace, safety, wisdom for the doctors, and for the situation to point them to God’s love.

I gave her one last pat and settled in for my hair cut. My heart filled with the warmth of knowing I’d just been Jesus to a stranger.

After being so wrapped up in my own worries all week, it sure felt good.

Marissa put the plastic cape around my neck and started trimming my scraggly hair. I noticed she had a couple cute frog figurines flanking her cosmetologist’s licence.

“Cute froggies,” I grinned.

“I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved frogs,” Marissa admitted.

“Well….you know what the word F.R.O.G. means, don’t you? It means ‘Fully Rely on God,’” I informed.

“I’ve never heard that before!”

Sweeping up a customer’s hair, a third stylist chirped, “I just read that somewhere the other day.”

“Well, Marissa, now you can remember that truth every time you look at your little frogs,” I challenged.

Marissa and I chatted through the rest of my hair cut. I paid up and went on my way. Don’t tell Jen, but I called Cliff and asked him to come pick me up. No more crawfish face for me!

So, why am I blogging about this random trip to the Fantastic Sam’s?

I’m certainly not doing it to come across all spiritual…trust me…I’ve given up on trying to fool anyone about that.

Just Thursday, I got so perturbed that when my friend Lisa reminded me to go to Jesus, I actually texted her, “Jesus moved out of town.” How’s that for spiritual?

When I walked through the door of Fantastic Sam’s, I was aiming for a cheap haircut.

I walked through the door a worn-out woman with too-long bangs.

And then I became Jesus. I didn’t mean to, honest.

When Jesus saw women in distress, He loved them. He blessed them. He healed them.

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well. Matthew 9:22

Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once. Matthew 15:28

When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” Luke 13:12

Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” John 8:22

Jesus saw his mother there. He also saw the disciple he loved standing nearby. Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27



Jesus didn’t just go for a walk.

He didn’t just visit the marketplace.

He touched lives everywhere He went.

He noticed the hurting, aimless humanity around Him, and His compassion compelled Him to action.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” Matthew 15:32

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:34

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:34)

The Spirit of Christ lives in me. My soul is most satisfied when I step back and let Jesus do His thing. When I yield control to Him, even a simple trip to the Fantastic Sam’s can be an opportunity for me to let Him BE through ME.

Lord,

It was a terrible, no good, very bad week. Please forgive me for being so focused on my troubles that I forgot Your faithfulness. I’m so thankful that You let me be Your hands, feet, and heart even though I fall so short so often.

“Praise [You, Lord Jesus], the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from [You]. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)



Letting Him BE through ME,

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