Discovering SunriseDiscovering Sunrise

mundane no longer has a place

Purpose

Living Open

by Caroline on category , , , ,

“The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.”

Is 50:4, 5

Discovering Ephphatha

Even though Open the Gate was all I knew, I had to follow the call in my heart. I knew it was unconventional, but I am learning that the deeper I go with God, the more mysterious life becomes while congruently becoming simple and joy-filled. As I continue to read John 14 daily, He is teaching me to Abide. And I’m learning that abiding is related more to being open and receiving Him, than my “doing.”

Following

Initially, as I began to feel His discoveries build, my heart heard, Write, share your story as it unfolds with Me, so I started blogging. And more recently, I felt Him pushing me further out of my comfort zone; Open the Gate. That’s all I knew.

Next, as bizarre as it may sound, God gave me October 15. I committed. With their gracious support, I shared with my family and decided something was happening here on that date. It wasn’t until a couple of days before the 15th that I read a verse that makes me smile every time, “How beautiful are the feet of them who bring the Good News…”. That’s when I saw the alignment of Romans 10:15 and the date 10-15, realizing we were to open the gate to invite others to celebrate the Good News. And as we did, I knew God was stretching me.

Growing

I’m a planner, but I handed this gathering to Him and left the invitation open without RSVPs. I am also an introvert, and I knew inviting others and sharing what I had been discovering would require me to speak to the group, which seemed terrifying. Therefore, I unknowingly began to resort to a survival technique I had developed in college.

To survive college presentations, I learned how to present my information while hiding behind what I call a “presenter persona,” disingenuous at best, but an introvert’s survival. So, once I understood the gist of what we were doing, I began composing my presentation. As I did this, I felt unsettled. The words I wrote were genuine and heartfelt, but sharing them in the manner I was planning, didn’t feel aligned. And then, the morning of our party, God laid on my heart, share your story. 

Where do I even begin? I pondered as I flipped open an old journal and read:

“January 7, 2015 ‘Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; also trust in Me.’ John 14:1” God, this feels aligned. I continued reading, “Trust is the antithesis of stress” (quoted from One Thousand Gifts) and “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow. Romans 15:13”

And then, the subsequent quote I had jotted down from the same book, “Belief is a verb something you do…The work of trusting love. Intentional and focused. Sometimes, too often, I don’t want to muster the energy. Stress and anxiety seem easier…are stress and worry evidences of a soul too lazy, too undisciplined, to keep its gaze fixed on God?… If authentic, saving belief is the act of trusting, then to choose stress is an act of disbelief…atheism. Anything less than gratitude and trust is practical atheism.” Whew. 

I then turned to another entry, written as I was acknowledging how different I was beginning to feel through being intentional with God and spending time in His Presence. He was changing me, and I was craving to authentically share it. On April 15, 2015 I wrote, “…start small. My own heart…like a ripple effect. I want Him to use me…the ‘greats’ in the Bible weren’t all preachers and priests. They were everyday people living out faith in the real world. I want this to be my story.”

As I internalized this that morning, He reminded me, just overflow. He was using this to teach me, maybe more that it did had to do with my sharing with others. He reminded me to stop trying and doing, be. Remain open, trusting, Ephphatha. 

I continue to realize, the more I think I understand what God is trying to teach me, the more He turns it upside down and says, “Now look again, in My Presence.” It’s like doing a headstand, and as the floor morphs into the ceiling, you are transported into a different place. This new perspective, I discover every time.

Celebrating

God knows I have so much growing to do, and He is stretching me again. So in faith and an overflowing of all He has done, we will open the gate again this Saturday (November 12). Providing a place to share our stories and celebrate the beauty and wonder of learning to live a more full life, Abiding in Him. 

(If you would like details, contact me at discoveringsunrise@yahoo.com)

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Good News!

by Caroline on category , , , , , , , 
"And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"

 Romans 10:15 NLT

Unsettled

I woke up solving tomorrow’s problems and re-living yesterday’s mistakes. Feeling unsettled, I listened to a meditation titled, Be Still My Anxious Heart, attempting to redirect my focus and focus my perspective as I stretched my awakening body. As the words of Jesus, recorded in John 14, filled my ears, I felt my Lord speak to my soul. “Let not your heart be troubled….” I needed this today….” Believe in God, believe also in Me.” I knew I needed more, so settling in with my blanket and coffee, I opened my Bible to John 14:1. “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in Elohim, believe also in Me.” As I read the verses, letting each sink in, I felt the weight I had picked up that morning lift. 

Connecting

For months, there have been two words that God has been establishing in my heart. Ephphatha—discovering openness (Mark 7:34) and Abide—discovering God’s Presence in our everyday lives (John 14:17). These concepts grew more profound as I realized this chapter in John brought both together. 

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.” John 14:16 KJV. The Comforter to abide with me. I love the designation Jesus uses here. Not only is Jesus teaching me to abide in Him, but I am also learning to remain open so His Spirit, His Comfort, can abide within me. This verse connects Abide to Ephphatha.

I penned my thoughts as this discovery became real that morning, “It’s all connected. Beautifully connected. Father, your freedom floods my soul in the darkness this morning. Your peace covers me like the soft pink rolling over the night sky—the words of Your Holy Son spoken to me. ‘Peace I leave with you…not as the world giveth…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ John 14:27 KJV”

 My initial contemplation of, What if I read these words daily and take them to heart? Became, I am going to begin every day with these words for a month. As I flipped back through the chapter, I noted that John 14 has 31 verses. Perfect.

Sharing

It’s been seven weeks since I began reading John 14 daily. Each day after reading the chapter, I spend time on the subsequent verse, treasure-hunting for the application for that day. Reading John 14 daily affected me so positively, that when I completed the 31 days, I added John 15 to my daily reading. I have filled pages with so many thoughts and discoveries. I want to share the realness of this discovery with everyone I know; the peace and freedom I have felt from resting at Jesus’ feet. We don’t have to do life alone!

Celebrating

Part of Ephphatha that God is planting in my heart is to open our home to be a place where others can join us in excavating life applications from God’s Word and sharing discoveries. So, we are throwing a Good News Party on October 15th beginning at 10:15am!

Weather permitting, we will gather outside under the trees, and around a campfire. We want to provide a place where we can learn from each other and encourage each other as we discover how to get into God’s presence, remain open, and abide in everyday life. With so much pressing in on all of us daily, we want to provide a respite, a place to reset and recharge. A place to discover or be reminded we have Good News to celebrate! We would love to have you join us this Saturday! Please contact me for details at discoveringsunrise@yahoo.com. 

I am learning that the best adventures begin when I step out into the unknown places where I feel Him leading. Therefore, I choose to obey when God tells my heart to throw a party with an open invitation. (John 14:31)

I look forward to sharing this adventure with all of you! 

Perspective 🎶

Making Space for Purpose

by Caroline on category , , , , , , ,

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness.

Oswald Chambers

As I began the daily devotional of My Utmost for His Highest, that opening line seized me. Oswald Chambers, goes on to write, “Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.”

Six years ago this week, my journey into minimalism began. As my husband spent the week in the boundary waters, I spent the week discovering the excess in our home. I was unaware real life was waiting for me underneath it all. I had no expectation of uncovering peace, purpose, and freedom; all I knew was something had to change. 

Reevaluating

My husband is there again, and I have spent the week remembering and analyzing. Although I have experienced so many benefits from minimalism, I have allowed one obstacle to remain. Unreviewed sentimental items. These things taunt me each time I walk through the garage. Things, taking up mental space, creating clutter, and keeping me from moving forward. Things, creating a disturbance, holding me back from the freedom I know awaits.

It’s not having sentimental items that bothers me, it is that they are un-curated. This unintentionally goes against everything I believe in. These things keeps me from beginning meaningful projects, because I feel I need to address them, before moving on. So this week I have resolved not to accommodate anything in my home without intention. Having a home completely free of clutter is not the end game. The purpose, is to free up time and space. To create a place where we can follow our passions and experience meaningful activities and contribution, unencumbered by stuff.

Digging Deeper

Determining what is worth keeping requires careful review of every card, letter, photograph, item. Reading the words and internalizing the sentiment takes time and effort. Intentionality, simple but far from easy. 

So much self discovery in determining what is worth holding onto.  Evaluating whether or not to keep something, requires knowing the purpose for keeping it. I have to ask myself,  “Is this worth my time and energy to store/scan/manage?” Finding the balance as I reflect that years have passed and those times have merged into a beautiful present.

But, as I recover those words from boxes, I remember. I don’t want to forget the words of affirmation from my parents building a strong and sturdy foundation. I don’t want to forget the nervous excitement of that first note, high-school banter, from the man who now steadily walks by my side as life unfolds. The joy, the pain, the heart swelling and overwhelmed with love and affection; the emotions associated with reading those words. I realize it’s not the words, but the person, who had an overflowing in the soul and had to express it, that I want to remember.

As life moves forward, I don’t need those written words to tell me how they feel, I have life experiences to reveal this. It’s in doing life together, roots grow deeper. Although I know I don’t need these things to connect me to my past, I chose to keep a few, the ones that still make me smile when I read them. Why? Because I have a meaningful relationship with the one who wrote them. 

Remembering

I read John 14 last week, and I’ve read it again every day since. I realize reading these words of Christ over and over are like rereading a love letter. The words an expression of love, hope and promise for the life I can build on Him, anticipation of something more. Like the words from those I love, these words of Jesus hold so much meaning because of my relationship with Him. His words are alive and relevant because I choose to experience life with Him. I believe Him when He says in verse 6, that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Reading these words again and again, to remember.

I don’t want to forget the chaos and clutter where now there is calm and peace. My life has changed so much in the last six years. Gratitude floods over me as I acknowledge my God who loved me too much to let me just exist. I am filled with praise as He keeps me stirred and restless, with a peaceful anticipation of what comes next. As I pursue living with intention, I am reminded over and over, that it’s only in letting go of the past that I can move forward and flourish.

This week I have found renewed purpose. A reminder of the importance of questioning the purpose of everything I allow to remain; allowing only things that supplement my life, not distract from it. I must ask with everything, “Does this move me toward my purpose or hold me back?”

Treasure Life.

✕