Deny Truth and Love? 3-25-16

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” 

Heb. 11:6

Faith of the faithless says, “If God is not evident, apparent, and observable, then there must not be God.”

This Easter week we received one of the saddest phone calls ever.  After exchanging some pleasantries, it being Easter week, Betsy asked if we could send some children’s books about Jesus to this dear woman’s children. Her reply? She did not think this was a good idea.

Our seemingly joyful friend and former “on-fire-for-the-Lord-Believer”, was apparently harboring a lot of resentment, and we were now going to be the recipients of her misguided rage. ~Our phone went under a pillow (to avoid hearing all the blaspheme, and pray) as a 10-minute “response rant” full of hate ensued. We patiently waited for her to finish. After an awkward silence we asked her if we could ask her one question. She agreed. “Do you believe Jesus is who He says He is?” A long pause, then her answer: “NO”.

A popular author once said, “By God’s sovereign choice, there is no conclusive evidence to prove beyond a shadow of doubt to all mankind that God is THE God. God did this in order to force the issue of faith.”

Question:

Do you base your faith on what you “feel”, what you perceive God does/does not do, OR on Who He says He is? Faith based on who He is, is faith that is not easily moved.

“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light.” Jn. 3:21

Remember, we live amidst a cosmic war; our struggle is not against flesh and blood.  The demonic realm is very organized and comes at us using subtle, yet highly effective tactics.
“Stay alert and put on the full armor of God”! (1 Pet. 5:8 and Eph.6)  

Make no mistake; the devil is diligently studying us. Satan is identifying our vulnerable areas, amassing evidences contrary to God’s promises, and just at the right time, he will pounce like a roaring lion. “Stay alert and put on the full armor of God”! (1 Pet. 5:8 and Eph.6) 

This special Easter week, may we choose to see life through the eyes of faith, meditate upon His ultimate sacrifice of love, and allow Jesus to reveal Himself to us.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” Jn. 3:16-21

Much love and big hugs, ~Shaun and Betsy

Life Breath, What's Allowed in Mine? 2-17-16

“Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” Ps 144:4

“You have made my life no linger than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime

is just a moment to You; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Ps 39:5

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Jms. 4:14

We as humans seem to put such a premium on this earthly experience, yet God tells us our lives on this planet are but a vapor. Have you ever contemplated the temporary nature a single breath in light of all of eternity? It’s minuscule.

In recent days, we Cleary’s have been using a simple breath as a measure for the things we are allowing to affect us. One of us will demonstratively breathe in and out (a breath symbolizing our entire life on earth), then ask, “In this representative life breath, where does (my angst) fit?” …Said differently, “What space, in this breath representing my entire life, does the thing that is bugging me fit?” ~Then, just to make this point more incisive, we’ll take a LONG “Methuselah 989yr breath” and ask the same question.

More often than not, we are finding that “the thing” we are angst about, has zero room in our symbolized life breath, even in the longest of breaths! With this “ah-ha moment” close at hand, we’ll then ask ourselves, “WHY am I choosing to concern myself with ‘this thing’?!”

Try it. Think about something that is really bugging you. Now, breathe in…and breathe out. Do it again. ~And again, but this time, slowly take in a gigantic breath, and hold, then release it out at a snail's pace. (A Methuselah 989yr breath). ~Question: Where, in this HUGE breath representing your entire life, does “the thing” that’s bugging you right now fit?

Certainly, there are times, situations and relational concerns that are very much part of our life breath; lessons learned and relationships fostered will carry on to eternity. It is both wise and important to embrace these particular types of concerns. To prayerfully trust God with the processes and outcomes, allowing Him to transform us in and through these types of challenges.

God tells us:      
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petitions,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace 
which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus” Phil. 4:6

Would you like this kind of peace? Ask Jesus.

When we ask Him to forgive us of our sins and be the Lord of our “life breath”, He promises:

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.” Is. 44:22

Remember, this life is but a vapor, a mist.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Ps. 150:6

Much love and big hugs, ~Shaun and Betsy

Life from His Vantage Point 1-13-16

“The Spirit of Truth will guide you into ALL truth…All that belongs to the Father in Mine…The Spirit will take what is Mine

and make it known to you.” Jn 16:13-15

Natural man has no need of God for he is sufficient within himself. Sure, he may have earthly wisdom, but he does not possess spiritual wisdom, the kind of wisdom that sees far beyond what is “being presented”.

Tragically, in society today, most Believers choose not to arm themselves in God’s infallible Standard. Culture and our “well-meaning-world-embracing friends and family” loudly proclaim advice based on what is seen … rarely considering what may actually be going on beneath the surface of things. Spiritual discernment is neglected or abandoned for personal feelings and political correctness. Unbiblical thinking and worldly attitudes are both the result and the norm.

Oh that we may seek to understand what is taking place from God’s vantage point.

(“actual reality” vs. what is being presented) Oh that we may choose today God’s direction for our thoughts and action, rather than our feelings. As God leads, may we then acknowledge, face, change, and forgive others, and ourselves as we move forward.

Jesus won the victory; Believers navigate life from a position of VICTORY!

(Incomparably great power of the indwelling Spirit for us who believe. Eph.1:19-20)

Bear in mind, in order to see from God’s vantage point, we have to know our Savior intimately. Intimacy with Jesus creates trust, and trust allows us to step out in faith.

Remember the Red Sea crossing? 
Parting the Red Sea took a faithful first step for the Israelites. 
~What is your "Red Sea" currently? (Seeming impossible situation or relationship)

With this area or relationship in mind, just perhaps, might we be basing our perceptions and decisions on “appearance”, not discerning what is “actually going on”?

Are we willing to turn to the Lord and trust God, not our feelings? 

~Like the fleeing Israelites at the Red Sea, as we draw near to God and step out in faith, we can expectantly rely on God to supply truth, guidance and miracles!

Look forward 5-10 years. What kind of person do we want to be? What do we want life to look like? Now, determine to make choices today in line with that picture.

~Shaun and I travel a lot. It may be warm and sunny in Santa Barbara, but cold and blustery in NYC. We have to resolve to dress for where we’re going, not where we are currently.

It takes intention and discipline to walk faithfully into the unseen!

God has a will, a purpose and a plan for each of His kids…so does the devil. Living in this time, we cannot afford not to have a discerning spirit. “Don’t be conformed to the PATTERN of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is! His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Rom. 12:2

Let's be brutally honest with ourselves about ourselves. Time is short. He's coming soon. May we be a bride ready for her Groom.

Much love and hugs,  Shaun and Betsy

Who's on the Throne of my Life? 11-30-15

“The kings heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord

Who guides it wherever He pleases.” Prv. 21:1

If God has allowed “it” (the person or situation that is causing me angst), He desires to do something great with it. Nothing, absolutely not a thing, slips through God’s hands unnoticed or by accident. Rest assured, if He’s allowed “it”, though “it”, He desires to conform us more and more into His image, give us greater understanding of Himself and this world, affect other lives for His glory, and prepare us for our heavenly reign with Him.

The question is…do you and I believe this to be true?

“Control” results when I grip what I think best. ~Note: “I” think best.

Truth: I must realize, then embrace the fact that I cannot have 2 rulers on the throne of my life. Either 1) God or 2) I will reign in the particular “moment of decision” to which I find myself.

Should I choose to surrender my grip on my own life (surrender my control), take my focus off the hurtful person(s) or circumstance, place it FULLY on God, I’ll discover that it’s in this “surrendered state” that God goes to work. ~Mentally rehearsing heartache keeps me in prison. Focusing on the hurtful person(s) or circumstance, rather than focusing on God, keeps me in the bondage of anger/resentment/confusion and control. In time, these negative thought patterns destroy me physically, destroy relationship and ultimately result in misgivings for God. It’s been said, “Control is a blaring declaration of my distrust of God.”

If God’s allowed “it”, there is a reason(s). IF I choose to embrace the pain (versus nurse the pain), with God being my sole focus, He performs radical things in and through me.

(E.g. Currently, ISIS is tearing apart the Middle East. Yet, despite the atrocities, many of the surviving victims are embracing Jesus Christ on a whole new level. These survivors of unimaginable horrors are turning the world upside down with their witness…loving their enemies despite their extreme losses (physical, emotional, relational, etc.)

“For the love of Christ controls us.” 2Cor. 5:14

Although most of us reading this message are not facing ISIS today, might we be willing to take this God challenge? Are you willing to free your heart and mind, by allowing them to be controlled by the love of Christ and not self-appointed kingship?

If you’re up for the challenge, please reflect briefly on the situation or person that has your heart all knotted up. Then, release control, and place your name in the following blank:

“______’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord

Who guides it wherever He pleases.” Prov. 21:1

”Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water

 will flow from within them.” Jn. 7:38

Meditate upon these verses, wholeheartedly embracing His kingship over your life. The pain won’t totally vaporize, but indescribable freedom and peace await as we allow His kingship to guide us moment to moment. ~Remember this empowering spiritual equation: Abide in God…abiding leads to repentance…repentance leads to a deeper intimacy with God…intimacy leads to surrender…surrender allows the Spirit into the deepest crevices of our lives, which sets us free, changes us from within and brings joy to a desperate world.

May God bless us and keep us as we avail ourselves to His divine promptings this week!

Much love and hugs, ~ Shaun and Betsy

Mourning into Joyful Dancing 9-29-15

“Weeping may stay for the night,

 but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Ps. 30:5

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy. Ps 31:11

“May my heart sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” Ps. 30:12

Have you ever experienced a season of sorrow, grief or hopelessness?

Amidst the darkness, especially in the middle of the night, feel completely alone?

We understand.

God doesn’t allow things to enter our lives for no reason. If He’s allowed “it”, He desires to work beauty out of ashes in and through our lives.  Refuse to hate. Dive into Him. Seek sound counsel and solid fellowship. Fight the “good fight”. Choose to believe Him at His Word. Choose to love. Our Lord and Savior is forever faithful.

Below is a link to a miracle the Lord chose to give us Sept. 12, 2015.

We share this short video with longing to give hope to the downtrodden, and praise to our Jesus.

We felt the breath of our Lord’s presence as He moved amongst us as the angels sang, this blessed day.

Much love and big hugs.

He’s coming for us soon.

Shaun and Betsy

Our SB Celebration: https://youtu.be/S65SVo4nwiE

Child to Adult Transitions 8-19-15

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”    
Prv. 22:6

Effectively raising a child to adulthood is no easy task. Moment to moment purposeful intention and wisdom that comes from utter dependence on God is required to navigate ones own personal life, let alone raise another human being to maturity.

Remember the odd feeling when taking your baby home from the hospital the first time? Remember how inadequate you felt? Remember thinking, “They’re just going to let me walk out of here with this baby? More training was required to earn my drivers license! …How do I change a diaper much less raise a child?!”

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1), including raising children to adulthood. For it’s just when we as parents personally mature in the area of “raising” a child, it’s time to “let go” of our young adult.

It was difficult to watch our young independent 3 yr old fall and scuff his knee. It’s equally as hard to watch our now 20 something yr old fall and get scrapped. Internally, our response remains fairly unchanged, but eternally, we cant’ simply run over, pick him up, dust him off, and doctor his boo boos. He’s now an adult. He has to learn to pick himself up, dust himself off, learn from his fall, and mature.  (Our parental role has evolved, but has not been eliminated. We now offer advice only when asked…yet we can still pray like crazy!)

Thank goodness life is a learning process, sandwiched in grace. We’ve told our 3 adult kids something like this: “We did the best with what we had, but inevitably we’ve said/done things to cause you pain. We are so very sorry. Will you please forgive us?

This said, you ________, now have the choice to never live under pains of your childhood. With forgiveness and fortitude, you now have the opportunity to ‘better upon’ things said/done to you. Walk tightly with Jesus and grow up in your salvation!”

Father God tells us similar things as we grow in Him.

As newborn babies, He nurtured us and protected us, but as we grew, He intentionally allowed us to fall and scrape our knees so that we could learn and mature.

Never causing us pain because of erroneous action, our perfect Lord tells us:

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Pet.2:2

“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Heb. 5:14

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you maybe mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Jas 1:4

While there’s no human manual directing our moment-to-moment actions, we do have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Through constant prayer whilst immersing ourselves in God’s breathed pages, we find direction to guide our steps, wisdom for the wise and knowledge for the discerning (Dan. 2:20-23). Amen.

Much love this week as we live our utmost for His highest. ~Shaun and Betsy

Honest Communication, without Coercion 7-21-15

Honest Communication, without Coercion

“Only God can convince him.” Job 32:13

Honestly communicating our “heart desires” without the other person feeling manipulated is a delicate art. Most of us either shy away from honest communication for fear of consequence, fear of feeling uncomfortable, seeking “political correctness”. ~Or we do the opposite… too forceful in our communications, we become bullies of sorts. Both styles stink.

Question: Which non-optimal way/style do you tend to lean? (Unsure? Ask a close friend.)

Good news: God Himself leads us in optimal communication style. From Genesis to Revelation, without the use of coercive tactics, God pursues and woos us with His truths.

Using biblical examples let’s briefly explore and differentiate constructive and productive communications from destructive and counterproductive ones.

Two constructive and productive examples:

§  Ester before her king/husband (Est. 5-7)

§  Abigail protecting her husband, and King David (1Sam. 25)

Please read Ester 5-7 and 1Samuel 25. Amidst these verses, we’ll observe two women who do not shy away from honest communication, nor do they use coercive tactics in their highly effective interactions. A great read!

Next, let’s explore the definitions of more negative forms of communication.

(Note: The actual words coerce, bully, and browbeat are not used in the Bible, but their corresponding illustrations are numerous.)

Coerce

Dictionary: Cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means

E.g.: Matt. 14:6-12: Herod’s wife uses her daughter, demanding John the Baptists head

Bully

Dictionary: Attempt to force another to do what one wants by use of intimidation

E.g.: Exodus 1: Pharaoh’s “power trip” over the Hebrew people/slaves

Browbeat

Dictionary: Intimidate someone into doing something with seductive, stern or abusive words

E.g.: Jdgs 16:6-21 Delilah with Samson  “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”…  “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? … With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything….Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza.

Coercing, bullying and browbeating may end with the appearance of one effectively communicating one’s thoughts and achieving desired results, but the proverbial reality is this: “You can lead this horse to the party, but you can’t make him have fun.”

Let’s conclude with 2 similar definitions of words actually used by God and His followers:

Convince 

   “nadaph” means to drive to and fro

   E.g.: Job 32:13 “He is too wise for us, only God can convince him.”

Persuade  

   “peitho” means to make friends of, to win one's favor, gain one's good will, or to seek to win one

   E.g.: 2Cor. 5:11: “We know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others.”

Wrapping up: Ultimately, we each have responsibility to effectively communicate truths, but God alone holds the responsibility to convince and persuade the “free will” choices of His people. ~May we neither “shy away” nor “be too forceful” in our communications this week!

Living in Jesus’ glorious guidance and strength.          
Big hugs xo   ~Shaun and Betsy