Today I read that You are the vine and we are the branches. Through the seasons of life the atmospheric conditions make it difficult to hold on to You.
I cling tenaciously to You, but, I fear it is not enough for:
In the spring the gentle life-sustaining rain becomes a deluge. The rain, wind and hail beat my fragile new vines leaving it impossible to withstand the tempest – It is hard to hold on during the storms of spring.
In the summer it is so hot my spirit wilts. I wither and grow weak and limp. – It is hard to hold on in the heat of summer
In the fall during times of drought when the sun beats down relentlessly I become dried out and brittle. I fear my fragile connection will snap. – It is hard to hold on in the fall.
In the winter, winds blow so cold. The earth of my existence freezes hard – It is hard to hold on in the winter.
Jesus – you are the vine you had better hold on to me – it is too hard to hold on through the seasons of life.
To My Creator
One day long age, Elisha asked for a double portion of Your Spirit.
I thought that was something only prophets did.
But, I read today that true Christians actually have within them
a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Jesus.
How awesome to think that the Creator, after creating,
Then gives a portion of Him self to the created.
But Creator – this creation is concerned with the amount of the portion.
What is a portion?
Is it a “helping?” Something “Spoon-sized?”
I’m sure that is not enough!
You see if it is a small portion of You
My humanness will overpower and Your prompting will go unheeded.
Or if there are equal portions of Creator and created – Divine and human
There will be a terrible tug of war –
Life will be miserable.
Both portions will strive to master.
Please, Please make my portion of You as big as….
As big as You.
Yes – Please give me a full portion of Yourself.
Keep back no part.
Then my life will be completely overshadowed by You
You alone will be seen.
And I will be satisfied.
“You are my portion, O Lord.” Psalm 119:57
The “Hound of Heaven”
Jesus, You relentlessly pursue me.
Each turn I take, You are there to show Your face,
Touch me with love, reveal plans.
You incessantly follow me through my days,
Trying to get my attention,
Softly whispering my name.
You compete with the press of life,
Striving to be noticed – acknowledged,
Vying for a spot in my heart – a place in my life.
The antics You attempt just to get me to notice you,
To acknowledge Your existence,
To stop in my headlong charge through the wreckage of the
Weeks long enough to hear You say,
I love you.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with Loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
School Has Started
Ready or Not School Has Started! We’ve known the date all summer. It has been on our schedules since last spring. We knew it was coming, but how did it happen so soon? No, I wasn’t ready for it to start. I’d love to have another couple of weeks of summer to get ready for school. The projects I had planned for this summer remain undone. I guess I will continue to live minute by minute doing the most important, not feeling caught up. There will be no lazy summer days, no evenings on the deck with a book. Those are dreams – not reality.
I am so excited to have the students back. It is so much fun to look out of my office window and see people coming and going on campus. I can’t help but think about heaven. God will return – it seems like a long time off. We have our weeks and months planned, we don’t know that date but God has it on His schedule. It will get here and it won’t be long. We will still have things undone, hopefully it won’t be the most important things. In life just like this summer, priorities are important. I didn’t get the study cleaned out, but I spent a few days with my family. I didn’t get to sit on the back porch and read - that pile of summer reading is still by my bed. But I got to go camping, and a couple of Sabbath’s ago I sat by a mountain river with Ron and friends. It was an awesome summer! Looking back I wouldn’t change anything. (Except maybe missing the last ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island the night before we flew home.) Even that is a memory.
I can’t wait to see what God has planned for this year.
A View of The Mountain, By: Stephanie Halvorsen
We ran up the trail, completely lost in the moment. Our lives, so full of struggles and trials, seemed a lifetime away. We were totally taken with the beauty surrounding us, and the strong mountain standing before us.
It was a family vacation taken with some of our close friends to Mount Rainier National Park. Pastor Joey and I were the only two from the group who wanted to take a quick hike up the trail. We started toward the majestic mountain with an edge of excitement and every intention of being back at the car in ten minutes. The trail drew us in, and the beauty around us was completely overwhelming. The mountain towering over us had demanded our focus.
Conversation was consumed by words describing our God. We tried to imagine the raw power it must have taken to create something so beautiful, so massive, and so dangerous. Pastor Joey paused to take a picture of the flowers by the trail as I stopped to catch my breath. “Steph, look!” I glanced back as he pointed behind us; we had gained altitude and could see below us a green valley and then straight across at the surrounding mountains. My breath caught in my throat. The view had changed so drastically in the five minutes we had spent climbing. The mountains surrounding us were the very same mountains, but the view had completely changed.
We spent the next hour excitedly running up the trail, turning around every few minutes to find, to our surprise, a completely different perspective of the mountain. Struck with awe, we hiked, lost in our thoughts. Coming to a resting place, we both knew it was time to head back. As we stopped, Pastor Joey said, “Ya know Steph, it’s so much like God.” I looked up, waiting for him to finish his thought, “You have to keep looking or you can miss something completely amazing.”
We walked back down the trail toward the car, sad to leave that mountain. We wanted to keep climbing, keep looking. We didn’t want to miss a single view. Pastor Joey’s words rang in my mind. He was right – God has so many layers, such depth, height and grandeur. Our God is so huge I have to keep looking and moving closer to Him. As I draw near to Him, an edge of excitement overtakes me. Inside I have every intention of returning to normal life in just a few minutes. But His power draws me in, and His beauty is completely overwhelming. His majesty and mystery demand my focus.
I can’t take my eyes off Him for even a few minutes or I will miss something amazing: a new perspective of God, a view from another experience, a closer look at my Creator.
Don’t look away, don’t miss Him! He is the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow but the view is constantly changing, continually growing. Keep moving closer to the Mountain of God and don’t take your eyes off Him even for a moment. There is so much more to see.
Agents of Grace
Those who serve You will become channels of grace to the world.
I will be used by You to touch humanity –
To treat others better than they deserve,
To return kindness for evil,
To show mercy in return for injustice.
My hands will be used to reach out to others
To do Your work –
To serve, to make another’s life easier,
To willingly give when there is need,
To lift up the weak.
My mouth will be used to speak good
and not evil of others –
To say a kind word, to cheerfully share another’s burden.
To leave praise in its path, not discouragement or criticism.
To lift up and not tear down.
My eyes will be used to give a tender look –
To see only good in Your children,
To overlook mistakes
To show my brother love.
My heart will reflect Your goodness –
It will cover the sins of another, forgive wrongs,
Elevate every person, give the benefit of doubt,
Believe only the very best of others,
Accept unconditionally, in spite of belief,
Personality, or station in life.
Please give me this honor.
Make me an agent of Your grace.
“All men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” John 13:35
Ask Him What He’s Thinkin’ About By: Guest Blogger Stephanie Halvorsen
It’s my favorite question to ask anyone that I care about. “What are you thinkin’ about?” I have probably asked it a million and a half times. To best friends, boyfriends, parents, siblings, acquaintances and really anyone who gives me a chance to ask it. I love this question. It gives me a momentary glimpse into the heart and mind of a fellow human being.
I have had so many different kinds of responses, some deep and intimate, others amusing, some random or out of the ordinary. Some have been important while others were completely trivial. It is the perfect question. It is absolutely my favorite way to get to know someone. To sit in a quiet place together, just long enough for our thoughts to wander, and then I pop it on them. Their answer tells me about them. Their answer shows me what is important enough to occupy their thoughts at that moment in time. It tells me what is going on in their life. It brings us closer together. It is a moment of fun, a moment to celebrate the friendship or the intimacy shared between us.
I was having a moment like this with my Jesus the other day. The two of us were just sitting there together. Sharing a quiet moment, a moment that was just long enough for our thoughts to wander, then I asked my Savior to tell me. I asked Him to let me in close and to share the amazing thoughts that He was having. I wanted to capture that momentary glimpse into His heart and mind. I wanted to know what he was feeling. I asked Him to show me His heart.
His answer amazed me. It changed me. I heard no auditory voice; no words were spoken between us after I had asked my question. No words were needed. He surrounded me with love as only He can. He told me how much He loved me without a single spoken word. He told me I was priceless, a daughter of the King. He told me that His was the only opinion that mattered, that His love was greater than any love I would find in this world. He commissioned me to live with the honor and integrity of a Christian woman. He asked me to surrender my heart to Him. He told me that life is hard, that it’s complicated. He told me that sometimes I would fail, that I would make mistakes. He told me that sometimes I would come up short. Then He promised me that He would pick me up afterwards. He promised me that He would brush off my knees, wipe away my tears and hold my hand the rest of the way. I found myself sitting in the perfect silence of His answer with tears streaming down my face, completely speechless. No one has ever answered my favorite question like He did.
The next time that you and He are sharing a quiet moment together, you know, one of those quiet moments that last just long enough for your thoughts to wander, please ask Him to tell you what he is thinking about. I promise you, His answer will change your everything.
The Blessing
Me (Buffy) and Ronnie III
We had a wedding in our family on May 24. Our oldest son, Ron Halvorsen III, got married. In the rush of family and guests, planning and preparation my mother heart felt overwhelmed with feelings, love and hope. The prayers I had prayed for this son were being answered in such a beautiful way. His father and I wanted to bless our children at their wedding. Since his dad performed the ceremony, it was my honor to bless their union. I thought I’d share that blessing with you.
Ronnie & Josie: You are both prayed-for children. Ronnie, your dad and I prayed for you before you were born. When I got pregnant we started praying for the friends you would have growing up and for the person you would marry. God has answered both of those prayers.
When you were born, Ronnie, you helped me understand God’s love better than I had ever understood it before. I understood for the first time the love of a parent for a child. Ronnie, you are so special. Your laugh is contagious. Your music, your sense of humor, your kind heart — God has given you so many gifts. Your deep longing is for love. You need to find that in God, allow Him to fill you and it will spill over onto Josie. You are a deep person. You will continue to find unlimited, infinite depth in your relationship with God. Keep that strong, continue to pursue His love and depth and you will be a blessing to Josie.
Josie, you are precious. We have grown to love you so much this last year. We couldn’t have picked anyone better suited for Ronnie than you are. Your happy spirit, your optimism, and your determination are all gifts that compliment him. You love peace and keeping people happy. Remember that true peace comes from trusting God with every detail of your life. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for loving Ronnie.
Together, from today on, you will form a new home that is uniquely yours. As we visit that home in the future, we may see some carryover from our home, or from Josie’s childhood home, but overwhelmingly it will be your home, blessed with love and peace from God, and filled with your unique gifts and style. Today we want to be the first in a long line of blessings for your new home. We want you to know that we expect and anticipate the perfection of your new home. We don’t expect it to be an exact replica of our own. We know that when God creates, he creates beauty, perfection and love. We anxiously await the formation of your new family – your togetherness.
Today we erect a hedge around your relationship protected by God’s love. A hedge that will be a defense against the world and anything that would destroy your love for each other. We want to erect the cross between you and any generational evil. We ask that God will minister grace and mercy protecting you from the effects of your ancestor’s sins. We want to place your relationship under the care of heaven and Jesus’ blood. We know that from your home love and peace will flow to bless the world. We loved you for the individuals you have grown to be. From today on, we love you for the couple you are becoming.
We have some symbolic gifts for you today. First is a book. Books are very important to both of you. This book is empty now, but the title on the spine is Moments In Life. Tonight you are starting the memories together that will fill this book. The choices you make each day, the little ones, will determine what fills this book. Your response to what life gives you will in a large measure determine the outcome of your story. We pray you will fill it with love, fun, hard work, family and God.
We also have an anchor. Ronnie, a river runs through your life. Chrystal River has been the one constant in your life. And boats, the mutt boat especially, are part of who you are. This anchor is a metaphor for a lot of your life. If you think back to stories of anchors in our family there are a few. Anchors lost and found. But as you have learned they have to be tied on to the boat. Your anchor in life is God. Be sure you are tied to Him.
So, today as your parents we bless this union and release you to live your life together with God.
*****
After the wedding I remembered a prayer I wrote when Ronnie was about three months old, I thought I’d share that will you too.
To the Author of Our Lives
Thank you for the most beautiful gift of our baby son.
He is so perfect.
My heart aches with love for him.
I hold him, hugging his warm soft body close.
His life is like a book, but most of the pages are still blank.
Right now he is just a short story.
It is full of giggles, hugs and fun, baths and naps.
Jesus, please finish the book.
Fill it with right choices,
Good friends, fun trips, camping and family.
Please put a lot of his mom and dad in it.
May the whole story reflect You.
Splash Your love over the pages.
Sprinkle it with Your Spirit.
And dip it in Calvary’s blood.
As the world turns the pages of his life,
May the free gift of Your salvation spill out.
May he be a book of epic proportions.
Two weeks ago a new section of the book of Ronnie’s life was started. Josie has joined the plot. We are so thankful for what God is doing in their lives.
Three generations of Ron Halvorsen Ronnie & Josie Halvorsen
Eve and that Garden Lie
| Did you ever wonder why Eve listened to the serpent in the first place? How could a perfect creation, who lived constantly in the presence of Love, believe a lie? If it was that easy to make her believe just the opposite of what God said – what hope do we have living thousands of years from perfection? What hope do we have with the father of lies bent on deceiving each one of us. What elements were present that set her up for the deception?
I was glancing through a book by the bestselling author David Lieberman and was shocked at how easy it is to make someone else believe something. The title of his book, How to Change Anybody – proven techniques to reshape anyone’s attitude, behavior, feelings or beliefs, caught my attention mainly because I don’t want anyone on this earth to have that power over me. I’d prefer to only allow God to shape and mold my attitude, behavior, feelings and beliefs. Of course it was presented with the idea in mind to help others change negative behaviors. But if that is possible is it also possible to influence others for evil? The obvious answer is yes, and the prime example is Eve. Lieberman basically says that the way to get someone else to believe something is to tell them what you want them to believe with conviction twice and then get them to repeat that fact to one other person. If I read my Bible right, this is exactly what the serpent did in the Garden. Many years ago Ron was speaking about this event and said. “Why did Eve believe the Lie? The answer is, because she wanted to.” I think that is why people believe a lot of things – because they want to. It is why infomercials work. Why advertisers make money. Probably why we do a lot of the things we do because we “believe” in some outcome. I want to be really sure I believe truth and the only way to do that is to stay close to Jesus and always test my beliefs against His Word. |
Dreams of Heaven By: Stephanie Halvorsen
It’s 3 a.m. on the morning before my first final, I find myself sitting with a blank word document staring back at me. My mind is everywhere but on the topic of the paper I should be writing. I feel totally helpless, completely out of control, vulnerable and unprepared. 45 minutes later, this blank document is still staring at me, I have lost track of time again. I have been lost in thoughts of greater things. Things more important than anything I will face tomorrow or in the next week. Things more important than anything that happened last week or that will happen in the weeks to come.
My thoughts have wandered up to heaven and it’s the hardest thing to bring them back down to earth. My heart is with my Savior. My mind is in a place where time does not exist, where deadlines don’t hang overhead. It is in the place where I can spend eternity living the love story of my King and I. Where I can spend forever just being in His presence. Basking in the unconditional love and acceptance from the God of the universe. He will ask for no term papers, no multiple-choice questions will stare back at me in black and white ink. All He wants to know is how much I love Him, He wants to hear how He has taken my broken life and made it whole, how he is my Superhero and has mended my every broken heart with His perfect love.
No test can compare, nothing I can write in ink is more important; nothing else will last forever except for this: He is everything. The greatest test in history is not given in a classroom, it is not a test you can cram for till the early morning hours. It is a life lived selflessly. A life lived in service to others because of Jesus; A life where every act is total surrender and worship. As final exams draw near, perspective is the gift given me. This is everything: to walk by faith, to live for His glory, and to trust ruthlessly. This entire world and everything in it, is all in His perfect hands.
“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”
Psalms 33:11 The Message
