Day 224

Today was the 224th day of  The Red Shoe Project.  All day I could be found sporting my RED sandals and a smile from ear to ear.  My impromptu visit to the Orlando area to visit with old friends was just short of 24 hours.  Of course, that was not as much time as I would have liked, but God has been faithful to fill my heart with joy!

Last night was a night to remember.  There I was sitting in my friend's home with five Eagles for God:  My pastor for years;  his lovely wife, who's my dearest friend;  the couple who mentored me as a new Believer;  and one of the most brilliant Biblical scholars and professors in the country... well, at least I think of him that way.  Believe it or not,  I sat back and did a lot more listening than usual.  I was honored and thankful to sit amongst them, soaking up all they had to offer.

Each one of them has known the Lord for well over thirty years.  Put together all their degrees,  ministry experience, soul-winning efforts, counseling hours, missionary endeavors, church planting, worship leading, Bible knowledge, not to mention preaching, teaching and presenting for God... and we haven't even scratched the surface yet.  I've yet to mention their personal prayer lives, consistency in Christ, and over-coming capabilities with God... all the late nights they've put in over the years, times of going above and beyond again and again, dying to self, pushing aside their wants and maybe even their needs for God's perfect will.  Yup, they're some of the greatest people I personally know, who are "all in" for God's Kingdom!

Are they flawless?  No way!  They would tell you that themselves.  They'd probably be embarrassed if they read this.  I can picture them now rolling their eyes at me and shaking their heads, in disbelief.  Not one of them is a seeker of acclamation.  They are humble servants -- mere lovers of God, whose hearts are sold out for the kingdom -- willing vessels, no less, always on call for God to move through them, any time, anywhere.   In fact, it was this very pastor, that taught each one of us to...

"Preach the word;  

be ready in season and out of season; 

correct, rebuke and encourage -- 

with great patience and careful instruction."

2 Timothy 4:2

As we sat around the living room, well into the night... yes, we talked about spiritual things.  Wisdom, from much study and experience poured forth, and I was sure to take mental note of the contributions they all shared.  But we also laughed a lot, reminisced, told some stories, and just enjoyed one another's company.  Thirty years of ministry and more has tempered them all significantly.  I saw lots of warmth and love, patience and kindness, gentleness and peace.  

  There I was... sitting in the middle 

of an abundant harvest of spiritual fruit.

Early this afternoon, I said my goodbyes, so happy for such a blessed time, and drove away in my little car.  I wasn't on the highway long, when I connected by phone with Bonnie -- my dear friend, ministry colleague, prayer partner and spiritual mentor. She's been traveling herself, these last few days,  ministering at a conference in Ohio.  It was a joy catching up with her, as we both headed home from different directions.  We'll connect tomorrow to prepare for The Bonfire. 

 I'm really enjoying this God-given friendship with Bonnie.  I can't quite describe it.  

I will say this though...  I don't think that I would have made it so far on this Red Shoe Project  had she not been walking with me the entire time. Just as Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses, during Joshua's battle with the Amalekites,  she has undergirded me!  

(See  Exodus 17: 10-13).  She is a Master Eagle, herself!

The ride home from my friend's house is about two hours.  As I headed into the second hour of the trip, I gave my friends, The Marinos,  a call to see how they were doing.  

"Come on over!" 

 they exclaimed.  

When I arrived, they had invited a couple others from our Bible group.  What a wonderful afternoon we had!  Wendy cooked up a storm, while Jim barbecued on the lanai.  We talked,  laughed,  even played a board game -- Guys against the Gals.  Fun time!

As the sun set, and stars covered the night sky, I headed home thinking, 

"I am blessed beyond measure!"  God has given me many wonderful new friends in these last couple years.  Together, we are in the process of building great memories together.  Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind...

One day, this group 

will be sitting around, 

with decades of ministry 

experience under their 

belts, telling stories and

offering divine wisdom 

to a group of "newbies" 

who are hungry for God!

As for today...  I'm wearing RED shoes and looking for God, 

and they're all following suit.

For God's Glory!

Gail

Day 223

 It's Day 223 of  The Red Shoe Project.  After visiting my mom, I was heading home, in my RED shoes, and just about to get on the highway, when my cell phone rang.

"I want you to come visit this weekend!"  

my best girlfriend cried out.  

"Some people are here, I know you'd love to see."  

Right at that moment I found myself
at a literal crossroads.
If  I went left, I'd get onto the highway
heading west, towards home.
If  I went right,  I'd be heading east for Orlando.
I could be at my friend's house in less than an hour.
I turned sharply and shouted,

"I'm on my way!"  


I merged onto Route 4, heading west towards Orlando, and within moments, panic struck.  I only had the clothes on my back.  Did I even have make up on?  Oh gosh... these visitors were old friends I hadn't seen in years.  All of a sudden I felt, unkempt, unfashionable and somewhat undone.  I know I shouldn't think about such trivial things... but I do.  I picked up my phone and dialed up a friend of mine.  Her words of advice...

"Sounds like it's destined to be!   

Go for it!"  

As she hung up, I burst into tears. 

"Pull it together, Gail!"  

I told myself.  

"Lord... What is going on here?" 

My flesh was rearing it's ugly head in great magnitude.  That's always a sign that God must be getting ready to bless.  Yup...  I've noticed a pattern.  Whenever it becomes  "All about me"  -- when confusion  and anxiety set in -- when I sense fear pushing its way to the surface... the enemy is at work.  He's trying to turn me around in the other direction.  When that happens,  I now default to letting the Spirit of God intercede on my behalf.  It would be so easy for me to pray in error -- to pray out of a fearful heart -- to respond in the flesh.  The Holy Spirit, however, will pray through me and for me, according to God's will.

God did have a few words for me as I wiped my tears and drove on.  He reminded me of a time, not so long ago, when He told me that I needed to get naked.  He said that I had clothed myself in a way that I thought was palatable to others, in hope of winning them to Christ...  But that way didn't work.  It never produced any fruit.    He said there were people desperately wanting to hear the message I had, but that they couldn't find me.   I was too covered up.

With each month of  The Red Shoe Project I have found myself shedding more and more of that very covering.  Yes,  I am getting naked.  I'm showing who I really am in Christ.  I' don't blend in so much anymore.  It can feel awkward at times.  But mostly it just feels great.  I'm living for Jesus... Out loud! -- Out in the open! --  No holds barred! --Without reservation!  Maybe not 100%, but almost...  I'm getting there, slowly but surely.    That's one of the things that God has been unwinding me from.

The Lord confided in me:  My appearance could tend to be a a bit of a distraction.  When I focus so much on how I look...

 Isn't that:   

More of me and less of Him? 

When it should be:   

Less of me and more of Him?  

Now... I'm not saying that I should look my worst.  But He's showing me that striving so hard, putting so much of my energy, attention and resources towards how I look to others is not as important as I think.  In fact, it merely shows my personal insecurity and disregard for who I am in Christ.

I'm a vessel. 

 An EMPTY vessel...

Clean and clear 

of any debris. 

A vessel empty of me! 

A vessel that God 

can flow through easily.  

People don't need to be wondering,  What color is the vessel?  What material is the vessel made of?  How is the vessel unique?  NO!  NO!  NO!  Optimally, people shouldn't even notice the vessel.  They should be merely awestruck by God and what He's doing.  Nothing more!  The vessel needs never to be mentioned.  When that's the case.  God is in the forefront.  He's center stage.  He gets ALL the glory. That's the most excellent way!

Right before arriving, I pulled into a parking lot, put on a little make up, fixed my hair, and spent some time in prayer.  I wasn't sure what God had in store for me, but I had just received a powerful lesson from Him and now it was time to apply it to my life.  What can I say?  My heart and mind came into agreement with God in that little white car. A confidence came over me, a smile appeared on my face, and I believed that I didn't need to worry about the minuscule details concerning myself and how wonderful I might appear to others.  I think that might be referred to as a "Divine Adjustment." 

Naked, except for RED shoes,
Gail

Day 222

It's Day 222 of  The Red Shoe Project.  My Red sneaks are on, and I've already started my day with some solid spiritual intake.  Prayer Walking is the perfect opportunity for me to get away from distractions and focus completely on God.  I speak to Him, and He speaks to me.  It's not unusual for me to sing a song or two...  or three, for that matter.  Good old worship choruses pop in my head all the time.  Some are scriptures, right out of the Bible, word for word.  That's how I memorized a lot of scripture over the years.

 Many times, I've found that the choruses that pop in my head are actually answers to questions that I've presented to the Lord in prayer.  He has this incredible way of giving me the exact chorus I need.  Now I don't think to myself, "What chorus could I sing that would answer that question?"  If I knew that, I wouldn't have to ask the question."

 I just talk to God, and  BOOM!  the chorus immediately pops into my mind. What's really funny is when He gives me the chorus before I even ask the question.  Sometimes it's mid-day before I realize that He's already answered me.  I'll think, "Why does this same chorus keep popping in my mind?"  And then it comes to me... "That's it!  That's the answer I've been looking for!  Thank you, Jesus!"

I want to continue talking a little more today about  the cycle of Spiritual Fueling, Digestion and Giving Out for God.  After I wrote yesterday, some specific examples came to my mind that I thought might be helpful.

There are 3 primary bakeries 

in which God offers unlimited, daily bread.

 1.  The House of Prayer
 2.  The House of Worship 
 3.  The House of His Word

The House of Prayer  

is anywhere you can close in with God for some one-on-one conversation.  

You can be in your seat at church.  You can be on your knees by your bed.  You can worship as you drive your car.  You might find it delightful, sitting on your back porch, strumming a guitar while you chat.  Personally,  I love prayer-walking.  That happens to be one of the things that's working for me these days!  Mind you, you're never limited to one way.  Try them all and do whatever works best for you in your present circumstances.

Over the years, I've found God to be quite chatty in the most unexpected places.  One time, I had a God encounter while folding laundry in the basement of my house, late at night.  Another time, I was apprehended by The Spirit on God while on my knees, scrubbing the bathroom floor.  (Actually, He's met me there many times.)  Many years ago, (before Pauly), I was dog-sitting a big black lab and a little jack russell for several months.  Every night I'd bring them out into the back yard to do there business.  It was dark out there.  I used to put on these big rubber boots just in case I stepped in anything unfavorable.  There I was walking around in the dark, in the middle of the night, in the muck...  and God would come talk with me.  How funny is that?   That was a very difficult time in my life, but nevertheless, God would come fellowship with me.  Yes... God will often show up when and where you least expect him.  If you're hungry, He'll be there!

Of course the sky's the limit on all the diverse opportunities that can be found to talk with God.  Even still, sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with distractions.  Personally, I've learned the power of  "closing my eyes!"   I can be almost anywhere, and closing my eyes blocks out just about everything.  Sometimes I'll push my fingertips against my ears or pop in some ear buds to shut out any distracting and disturbing sounds.  Suzanna Wesley, mother of the well known Wesley brothers of old, was known to sit in her chair at prayer time and pull her apron over her head.  That signified to her children,
"DO NOT DISTURB,  MOM IS PRAYING!"

The House of Worship

 is anywhere you can close in with God to Worship Him.  

It can be singing music, playing music, listening to music.  It may be live music.  It may be recorded.  You can find music on t.v., on Pandora, on a cd, or on the radio.  You can hear it out in the open, or you can hear it through your ear buds.  It's all good!  There's a lot of Christian music.  But which music is it, that brings you into that Secret Place with Him?  Which songs are immediate access points to God for you?  Some music is very celebratory.  Some music is nice to listen to... it's peaceful and calming.  On the other hand, some music gets me on my feet, shouting praises to God!

And then...  there's "THAT" music.  

The kind that somehow compels me to drop on my face and weep before the King.  I must admit, I love them all, including some that I haven't mentioned.  But the music I try to focus on most these days, is the kind that leads me to the Father's Heart.  I don't want to be outside.  I want to be in His Presence, at His feet, close enough to rest my head on His heart if I can.

You'll  find that many people love to dance when they worship.  Some wave flags.  Some stand.  Some sit.  Some kneel.  Some weep.  Some shout praises to God, while others sing softly in unknown languages.  Need more ideas?  Just open up the book of Psalms.  You'll find more examples than you know what to do with.  God loves variety!

The House of His Word.  

Speaking of variety, never before has there been such an 

"All You Can Eat Buffet"   when it comes to God's Word.  

Years ago, there was primarily one translation used by most Believers... The King James Bible.  Today, there are numerous versions, and all are pretty much acceptable.  The Bible is not just in book form anymore either.  More and more Believers are using Bible Aps on their electronic devices.

Scripture is everywhere.  It can be found in songs, in devotionals, in inspirational articles, blogs, down loads, pod casts, electronic archives and webcasts.  If you missed church, tune in any day of the week, at any time -- day or night -- to hear a sermon from people and places all around the world.  You'll find messages from men, women, and young folk -- some well known ministers and some not so well known.  You'll hear powerful poetic messages with a beat, called Spoken Word.  The list goes on and on.

With all that's available, I still believe that 

if a Christian consistently  took one minute 

and read "The Daily Bread" every morning, 

without fail, we'd have some 

Powerhouses for God!  

Okay, I'm going to stop here for today.
Tomorrow, we'll talk more.

Eat!

in RED shoes,
Gail

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