Heading Out

Right now I'm packing to head out to my little dusty city of Reno, and I am going to have the most rockin trip. My sister's getting married!! She is my best friend, and I am so excited to see this union come to pass. I get to be the maid of honor, which is never something that I expected to be in a wedding. All of the plans are beautiful, and I can't wait to have to call her "Jessica Severne," although it's a little sad as well. I know I'm going to be weeping at the ceremony...

Many people are coming to the wedding that I haven't gotten to see in a long time. It's funny what praying for people does to your heart for them, and my heart has really been longing to see everyone. My mama and step-dad John are of course going to be there, which is really exciting for me.

However, one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me is to get to see my neice and nephew! Aubrey just turned 3, and Owen is not yet 2--they have stolen my heart in such a way, which I never throught would be the reality of being an aunt. In January, the whole fam is moving out to KC to go through Intro to IHOP together, and I am ecstatic to get to live with them.

To top off the trip, my daddo is taking his girls on one last road trip with just us and him (it tells you what a phenomenal guy Keith is to agree to take care of the kids so my sis can be free to do this, especially so soon after their wedding). We're going to Northern California for about 3-4 days to hang out in San Fran, go to Marine World, and finish with a football game between my dad's all-time favorite team (the Denver Broncos) and their rivals (the 49ers). Road trips are the ultimate agenda item with my family, but this is my first time I get to contribute to the drivers.

All that to say, if you couldn't tell, I am very jazzed to go, see my Renoites, and soak up the love of my family. I leave this afternoon, so keep me and my family in your prayers!

The Tenderness of Christ

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I'm back in the realm of the spoken word! Hallelujah for the time the Lord apportioned to seek His face in a more intentional and focused way. It was precious, and I am so truly grateful to have had these last 40 days.

Now talking, I am awfully struck by how wonderful and terrifying the tongue is. However, I don't want to get in to that right now, so you'll have to just call me or grab me to ask about it (verbally :)).



As I talked about a few posts ago, one of the main things the Lord gave to me during this season was the truth of the power and life of the knowledge of Christ. I have spoken about it before, prayed it before, and even believed it to be true, but having this extended time where all the talk was stripped away and I could simply behold Him in the Word and with the Spirit, I am actually beginning to experience the reality of it.

John 9:39-10:19 has been a wonderful companion and window into His heart. This is the famous portion of Scripture in which Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. He is contrasting His way of leadership with the Pharisees/spiritual leadership of that day. Jesus rebukes them because they are those who are acting like hired hands because they are not concerned about the sheep but about the pay, and in rebuking them He reveals how He Himself shepherds and feels toward His sheep.

Jesus directly addresses the Pharisees' sinful leadership over His people as being that with which He has a controversy. The famous "steal, kill and destroy" scripture we so often use to describe Satan is actually (when read in context) directed towards the leaders who attempt to lead His sheep by another way than through the faith and hope in Christ.

He then describes His own leadership, saying that He lays down His life for His sheep because He cares for them. A hired hand isn't concerned about what happens to the sheep as long as they get the job done because he's in it for the pay. But Christ cares only about the sheep. He's not taking care of us and interceeding for us to just check off His task list before the Father. He is concerned about the way we are feeling, what we are thinking, and where we are going. He willingly lays Himself down without regard to the cost, for He knows them and is concerned for them.

It is the same way with Paul and Timothy, as Paul describes in Philippians 2:20-21,

"For I have no one else [speaking of Timothy] of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus."

Although Paul had some of the most mistreated and hard-core disciples under him, there was no one other than Timothy who was doing it with the motivation of Christ's interests, which was solely for the welfare of the Church. They all had their own agenda and sought their own honor, even though they were going harder than probably most Christians of the day.

Jesus (and hence the Father) is not in any way out to kill us, steal from us, or destroy us. Rather, He is wholly consumed with concern for our well-being. Many times, we may feel like He takes this secret pleasure in seeing us suffer and squirm, but He is wholly without guile, and altogether for us (even when circumstances seem contrary). We must approach Him in faith with this posture, for if we come to Him in agreement with the accuser saying that He is harsh, cruel, or just unfeeling, there can never be true trust and love formed in our heart toward Him.

Thank You, Good Shepherd. You gave all the riches of Your house for love, and You truly, utterly scorned the cost of it.