Ah... The Joys of Waiting on the Lord

A friend of mine told me recently, "God is rarely early, but HE'S NEVER LATE!"

I thanked her for that remarkable reminder. The seasons of my life when I was waiting on the Lord to move and to work have been some of my darkest seasons... and, in hindsight, my brightest. There's no doubt about it - waiting can be painful. It's an art, a science, and a spiritual discipline. It's a time when we feel like God is at the Potter's wheel, crushing us, smoothing us out, and making something new out of us. But we don't know yet what.

When we see God working in others' lives, blessing them with a burgeoning ministry, a wonderful mate, gifted children, great success in their work, a promotion, a new home, and incredible talents and abilities - and it seems like they didn't have to wait for those things from the hand of the Lord - we may feel slighted in comparison. While we are deeply entrenched in a season of waiting, we can't see the light at the end of our tunnel. But I promise, it's there!

In my recent seasons of waiting, the Lord has used several people in my life to remind me of this passage: "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). The preceding verse is one of my favorites in Scripture, reminding us of where to place our trust: "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (27:13).

Waiting forces us to depend wholly, desperately, upon the Lord. It causes a crisis of faith when we must fall before the Lord in prayer and decide with our minds and hearts to trust in His love and His goodness, even if our emotions are telling us that we've been forsaken. Psalm 138:8 reminds us: "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

The Lord WILL ACCOMPLISH His good and loving plan for you. You can't outwait God - His lovingkindness is EVERLASTING!!! He will be faithful to move in your life. He will not forsake you. And you'll be blessed and transformed by the lessons you have learned through your seasons of waiting on Him.

Exciting Interviews on Intercultural Marriage!

This week, I wrapped up two interviews on the topic of my book, Your Intercultural Marriage: A Guide to a Healthy, Happy Relationship. One interview was with Dr. Gary Chapman on his show "Building Relationships with Gary Chapman," and the other was with Tracy Haney for PrimeTime America on the Moody stations. I'd like to thank both hosts for their excellent facilitation and feedback! I'm excited to hear the interviews on air. The PrimeTime America interview will air on Moody radio next week sometime-stay posted for an update! The interview with Gary Chapman will air on Nov. 14th. Thanks so much, friends! Blessings!

Revamp Your Marriage!

A few days ago, while I was driving to the gym after Catalin and I had had a "discussion" about our finances, I saw this bumper sticker: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I was so glad for that reminder. Though we follow Christ, it's so easy for the world's attitudes and actions to seep into our minds and hearts. And what we allow to seep in is what tends to ooze back out when we are "squeezed" by the pressures of life. Jesus said, "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'... But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:38, 44).

Remember that your husband or your wife, the one person you love most on this earth, the one person you pledged to honor and cherish until death, is not your enemy. You are on the same team! You need each other. Don't be fooled into thinking that your spouse is your enemy. Satan is our enemy! 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The devil wants us to be so consumed with fighting against each other that we forget to do spiritual battle against him.

Our job---through love, prayer and self-control---is to GUARD OURSELVES against false and negative thinking toward our spouses. An eye for an eye is not the answer. Responding to a hurtful comment or act with another hurtful word or action just makes the situation worse! That means you may have to step up and BE THE ONE to end the cycle and respond with grace.

Pastor Paul Basden of our new church, Preston Trail Community Church, has been leading a fantastic new marriage series called "Hug of War." Catalin and I have enjoyed it so much and have learned volumes about how to communicate better and love each other more selflessly in our marriage. Check out the podcasts and videos of this inspiring series here: prestontrail.org/podcast/index.htm. Just scroll down until you see the "Hug of War" icon and you can listen to the podcasts or watch videos of the messages. Enjoy!

Inspiring Quotes about Writing Poetry

Here are some inspiring quotes about poetry by great writers:

Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them.
Charles Simic




Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.
Leonard Cohen

Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.
Rita Dove

Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.
Plato

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.
T. S. Eliot

Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words.
Paul Engle


Thanks to BrainyQuote for these!