Day 221

I'm wearing RED shoes on this 221st day of  The Red Shoe Project.   I can't, for the life of me, stop thinking about this person I just met.
The other day, Bonnie and I were once again at Starbucks, when along came a girlfriend of ours with her husband.  We invited them to sit with us while they sipped on their drinks.  Almost immediately, we broke into a dynamic discussion about drawing closer to Christ.  This man was so hungry for God!  What a sight for sore eyes!  It was awesome!

So this is what True Hunger for God  looks like!

I know what  "HUNGRY"  feels like.  You've heard me time and time again, cry out,   "MORE OF HIM!"   I just can't get enough!   But to witness that intense desire in someone else is just as exciting!

"I want more!"  he exclaimed.  "How do I get that?  How do I get to that next level with God?  Do I just keep doing what I'm doing, only more often?"

Good questions -- followed by an informative discussion that contained solid answers.  It was a divine appointment.  God brought him right to us.   Yes... at Starbucks, of all places!

It's apparent that this

man is walking on his own 

Yellow Brick Road looking 

for all that God has to offer.  

Yahoo!  I'm excited for him!
I wished I could have fitted him
with a pair of men's RED Nike 
sneakers right then and there!  LOL.

So tonight, I met with another friend,  (Yup... at the coffee shop),  for some good conversation around  God's Word.  She's another one...  

TOTALLY HUNGRY 

for God!  

She's an empty vessel ready and waiting for God to fill her each day.  "MORE!" She wants it all!  and God is glad to give it to her.  "Where should I start in the Bible?"  she asked.  "What should I be reading?   She'd be in church or Bible study everyday if it were available.

All this has got me to thinking about the word, 

"HUNGRY"

When someone is Spiritually Hungry, they are:

• Starving
• Severely suffering or dying spiritually due to lack of spiritual nourishment.
• In desperate need of spiritual food.
• Can't survive without some sort of spiritual intake.
• Malnourished - deprived of spiritual sustenance
• Famished - ravenous, in need of daily bread.
• Empty - hollow, there's nothing left, all reserves have been exhausted
• Depleted - Down to zero,  spent, totally consumed.

Jesus declares, 

 "I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me 
will never go hungry

and whoever 
believes in me 

will never be thirsty."

John 6:35

In pondering all this, I came across something that I never noticed before.  It has to do with our Spiritual Metabolism... the process of turning spiritual food into fuel. If you do any research on healthy eating, you'll find that it's recommended that a person eats several smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to one or two big meals. This is called, "grazing."   Continual grazing keeps the furnace burning.   In the same respect, when we continually graze on spiritual food,  it keeps our fire burning.  Amen?

When our fire is continually burning like that, our metabolism rate is kicked up to high, and everything within us gets consumed.  It becomes a cycle of taking in spiritual food, digesting it and giving out to others.  Before long,  you're empty again -- you need more food! -- so back you go, into His presence.   The cycle repeats itself over and over again.
The point is... 

The more consistently you take in 

and give out, spiritually, 

the more desperate you are going to be 

for "More of Him," continually!

That's why people who are hungry for Jesus are always coming back for more!  They get in His presence. They fill up. They go into the world and share the Good News. When they near empty, they come back into His presence to fill up again.  

Being Hungry is about being Empty.

It's a weird feeling when I've given out all I have spiritually.  A realization comes to me, "I've got nothing left to give!"  People aren't looking for Gail...  they are looking for God. So when I'm empty of spiritual things, I've got to go back to The Source for more.  Gail's got nothing to offer on her own!

In years past, there were times when I gave out a little here
and a little there.  I had a spiritual metabolism, but it operated at a slower speed.  When I fueled myself less often, my body stored up much of what I had in reserves...  that's called FAT.  When we don't fuel frequently, our body thinks we're starving and stores our intake for personal emergencies.  I don't want to be a FAT Christian!  I want to be a FIT Christian... one that's
on fire for God!

There's no need for me to store up fat.  Jesus offers a never-ending,  daily supply and His bakery is open 24/7.  

I'm off to bed now and I've placed my RED sneakers by the door.  They're right there for me to pop on first thing in the morning when I head out to the "bread line."

See you there.
Gail

Day 219

Day 219 of  The Red Shoe Project turned out to be a day jam packed with goodness.  Bob and Yvonne Gerhart (Day 217) agreed to delay their trip home to Alabama just so they could swing by The Bonfire and minister to the women there.  In preparation for that gathering, I popped on my Red sandals and met up with Bonnie at Starbucks to talk things over and pray.  Between yesterday and today, God was speaking to both of us through the story found in  2 Kings 4:1-7 where Elisha the prophet says to the widow woman...

" Go around and ask all your 

neighbors for empty jars.  

And don't ask for just a few!"

This has to be one of my absolute favorite stories in the Bible!  An old time hymn summarizes it like this:

Are you longing for the fullness 

Of the blessing of the Lord

In your heart and life today?

Claim the promise of your Father;

Come according to His Word,

In the blessèd, old time way.

Refrain

He will fill your heart today to overflowing.
As the Lord commandeth you,
“Bring your vessels, not a few.”
He will fill your heart today to overflowing
With the Holy Ghost and power.

Bring your empty earthen vessels,
Clean through Jesus’ precious blood.
Come, ye needy, one and all;

And in human consecration
Wait before the throne of God
Till the Holy Ghost shall fall.

Refrain

Like the cruse of oil unfailing
Is His grace forevermore,
And His love unchanging still;

And according to His promise,
With the Holy Ghost and power
He will every vessel fill.

Refrain

When we talked about this passage of scripture, Bonnie and I decided that we needed to put out some additional invites to this week's  "Bonfire."  If God was going to wonderfully fill people, we wanted to make sure that some of our closest friends and loved ones didn't miss out.

I personally had a specific friend in mind, that I wanted to invite.  She's a new Believer... so this would be a little out of the box for her, BUT I also know that she wants EVERYTHING that God has for her, so I hate to hold back on anything like this.  If I was going to invite her, I couldn't do it through voice mail, email or texting.  I'd need to talk to her.  Well... that didn't happen, so I guess she wouldn't be there.

Then suddenly...  there she was in Starbucks, smiling from ear to ear, greeting Bonnie and I!  How crazy was that?  We never bump into each other out and about town.  Guess God wanted to make sure she got a personal invite regardless. When God wants something to happen... it's going to happen.  There's nothing I can or cannot do to prevent it.

Yes... she came to the meeting.  Yes... she got blessed, beyond measure.  It was good.  It was very good.  God filled every vessel in the place.  Not one person left empty!  Not one.

Just goes to prove that God is the same...

 "Yesterday, Today and Forever!"

Hebrews 13:8

Amen!

Gail

Day 220

Day 220 of  The Red Shoe Project had arrived!  My eyes were barely open when I glanced at my phone to check out the time.  A text was waiting for me...  "Can you meet?"  My girlfriend wrote that message hours ago, so I literally jumped out of bed, dressed, brought Pauly for his walk and headed out the door, in RED flip flops.   My pal had other errands to do first, so she didn't have a specific meeting time.  With that in mind,  I headed up to the local coffee shop where we would connect.  I ordered an iced chai, plugged in my laptop and popped in some ear buds.  I'd write while I waited.


I don't know what it is about Me, Coffee Shops and Pandora, but when shaken together, it often presents to me an easy access point to God.  I guess worship music flooding my brain while I pound out meditations on the keyboard just does it for me.  I have to be ever so careful as to not break out dancing right there in the center of all the foot traffic waiting to place their coffee orders.  Seriously... I really do have to be careful when I pop those ear buds in... especially when I close my eyes and focus on the words.  I get swept away so easily.

 Last week, it happened while I was at home.  I was sitting at my office desk, totally lost in worship and prayer when suddenly my daughter gently tapped me on the shoulder.  Yikes!  I didn't even know she was home.  She must have slipped in the front door without my even noticing.

"I love you Mom.  And it's great that you're 

worshipping God and praying, but it's really 

distracting and I'm in the other room on the 

phone."

"You can hear me?"  I asked.

I thought I was just moving my lips, singing and praying to myself.  Guess not.   How I pray and sing when I think no one is around is quite different than when I'm in the company of others.  With people, I'm conservative, considerate, and acceptable.  When it's just me and God...
I'm loose, free and without reservation.  I'm explosive, and totally unacceptable!   Not to mention, God doesn't care if I'm off key, too loud, or get the words all wrong.  He loves my reckless love and worship and I love the
liberty He extends me to do that!


As I sit here, quietly typing this blog, a song comes on: "Exalted"  by Chris Tomlin.  Oh no!  Here we go.  I feel the tugging.  Right here!  Right now!  

"Come on in!"
 shouts the Lord,

as if He were calling me to join Him.

"The water's wonderful!  

Cool!   Refreshing!    
Don't miss out on this!"   

"Here I come!"

 my soul cries out.

In my mind, I picture myself running down the deck shouting, "Cannonball!"

 

* * * SPLASH! * * *  

I'm in!  Glory to God!  Oh how I love this!   I hear myself shouting in my head... "Jesus!"  I'm  laughing and splashing as I dunk my head under the water over and over again.  I can somersault.  I can tread water.  I can float on my back.  It's all good! 

Yes... I'm doing all this in Starbucks, as I wait for my friend to arrive! LOL.  

The minutes have turned to hours.  Time flies when you're having fun.  I'm noticing the lunch crowd has come and gone.  Jesus and I are still here, enjoying one another's company like sweethearts totally smitten with each other.  I look up and here comes my friend through the door.  Time to switch gears. 

Gail

  

Day 218

It's Day 218 of  The Red Shoe Project.  I'm wearing my Ruby Reds and asking all of you to take a moment and agree with me in prayer for Charlie.  Charlie turns 18 any day now.  With that, he can walk out of rehab and go back to his old life.  That's what he's been saying he's going to do, BUT...

I'm believing God for a Miracle!

Would you intercede today, on Charlie's behalf, that God would somehow change Charlie's heart?  It will just take a moment of your time.  Just whisper these words...

"God... 

* Your will be done in Charlie's life!

  * Please make yourself known to him.

 * Deliver him from drug addiction.

* Save his soul!   Amen."

Thank you, dear friends for your prayers.

Sometimes God just puts a particular person on my heart to intercede for.  It's as if I've been assigned to that person by God, Himself and it's my job is to continually lift him/her up in prayer to God.  I could forget to pray for this one or that one... but not for the one that's been assigned to me.  Sure... I  have loved ones that I should pray for, and hopefully I do just that...  but this is different.  When God assigns someone directly to me... and it may be someone I don't even really know, (like Charlie),  I am compelled to pray for him.  The Spirit will drive me to that place of prayer if need be.  It's just one of those "God-things!'   Sometimes it's a one-time event.  Sometimes it's for a season.  And in some cases, I suppose it could be for ever.

 Intercede  means to intervene on behalf of another.

 to negotiate,  plead for,  and petition.

Did you know that The Holy Spirit intercedes for you?

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  

We do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit 

himself intercedes  for us through wordless groans. "

Romans 8:26

An Advocate  is someone that pleads the cause of another, 

who represents another, and acts in his name; 

who uses his influence in behalf of another by his request. 

Did you know that Jesus is your Advocate? 

"...But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father -- 
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."
1 John 2:1


Praying for someone is a BIG DEAL.  When you do that, you move from
the natural... doing what you can do in a particular situation, to
the super-natural... inviting God into the situation. With God, anything becomes possible.

When you come into agreement with others in prayer, now you've brought things to even another level.  Instead of one person interceding on behalf for a person or situation, several voices are calling out to God in unity.  Man... that's like turning on the loud speaker with God... don't you think?

I know God loves it when we pray...

by ourselves,  for others,  and with others.

I'm kicking off my RED shoes, 
and getting on my knees today for Charlie!
Thank you for joining with me.

Gail