with us – KARLA LEES

without words

September 29, 2014September 29, 2014 Karla Lees

There are times when words fail me.

And I am learning that that is okay.

This weekend, I went away with a few of my closes friends up north a few hours from our homes.

I was overwhelmed at God’s handiwork around us, and my eyes could hardly drink it all in quickly enough.

Words failed me.

I picked up my camera, and captured what I could not put into words…

It is rare for me not to have a word to write, sing or speak.

This weekend I learned accepting the quiet is vital to keeping myself at peace within.

Learning to hear what is being said in each moment.

Living in the now, not waiting for the future to start happening.

God was just as present in the familiar as the new.

For He is my home, wherever I may be.

May you also find Him today, and every day!

signs

September 26, 2014September 26, 2014 Karla Lees

There will always be signs telling you the way in which to go or how things are.

This way, that way, even signs leading to harm, or death.

There are signs the earth leaves behind as it groans for relief from the stress we placed upon it:
natural disasters & their aftermath
habitat changes
animal extinction
environmental shifts in weather & seasons

The signs that humanity is not satisfied with what it has, and wants more:
wars
slavery
debt
markets crashes
pillaging
theft
rape
slaughter
exodus to a new land

Signs closer to home, reminding us of the chaos outside, and sometimes inside our homes, communities, cities:

Sale signs
Traffic signs
Construction signs
Street signs
Voting signs
Signs of broken homes
Looking for work signs
Signs looking for help
Ads for the newest flavored need to own

Just because we see the signs doesn’t mean we are to follow them.

We may be like sheep, but we have a shepherd who is leading us on a straight and narrow path with confidence and purpose.

The signs there is a hurting world out there needing a loving hand to bind its hurt, and a living Savior to heal its brokenness, is part of our mandate.

Helping the orphans, feeding the poor, praying for the sick, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, loving the lonely. (Matthew 25:31-46)

This is the sign that Jesus is in us, in our midst:

Our appearance will never shine anywhere near the voltage of Jesus shining through our actions.

The signs we are to look for?

Not the ones the world is shouting out to our ears & eyes, but the still small voice we need to press close to hear, who will prompt us to see the signs He wants us to minister to, as His hands and feet.

So if like me, you are in voting season, looking for work or hiring staff, remember to look for these signs in your candidates/potential workers/bosses:
1. who they are listening to
2. how they speak about others
3. what they stand for

If the answers to these questions reveal selfish, power hungry or disrespectful signs, they are not a person you should be signing over the position to or working under.

Signs to look for:
servanthood
long term commitment
integrity
teachable
humility
investment in the team & community

These are the signs of the Kingdom, whether people know the King over them or not.

These are the signs Jesus wants us to look for, to coax out from within one another, to shine with as He did while He was here in earth.

There will always be chaos, disaster cries, hurting hearts, and loud voices clamoring for attention.

The sign we are His?

Showing His glory through His handiwork to those who don’t yet know Him, but long for His touch inside.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Isaiah 30:21

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

presence

September 21, 2014September 21, 2014 Karla Lees

Presence.

What do we really mean when we use the word “presence”?

Presence
noun

The Google Dictionary:

1) the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing. (“her presence still comforts me”)

synonyms: existence, being there

2) a person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen.

synonyms: ghost, spirit, specter, phantom,apparition, supernatural being

3) a group of people, especially soldiers or police, stationed in a particular place.

Dictionary Reference.com:

1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

2.
attendance or company:
Your presence is requested.

Presence:
Where God is, eternally, visible in heaven & sensed on earth.

Who God is, His being, God with us, God within us, God present, supernatural being, almighty God, Spirit, everywhere present.

Invited by His people to reveal more of Himself to us, to come and be present with us in a deeper life altering way, especially when we are gathered seeking Him.

I know I need His Presence more and more as I get to know just how wrecked and broken I am within.

His Presence restores what sin batters.

His Presence binds up what remains in tatters.

His Presence brings hope & comfort to inner shatter.

His Presence is where we find what truly matters.

You don’t need to be in a large group of fellow believers, a trained minister, or doing anything in particular apart from seeking Him to sense His Presence.

He just requires us to tune in and seek His frequency.

Did you know that everything has a frequency?

I believe that as Jesus walked the earth, the atmosphere around Him literally changed because of the Holy frequency He was emitting.

And those around Him were not only attracted to Him, but changed in the encounter. Eternity meet humanity and radically changed the present forever.

God invites us to tune in.
Seek His Presence.
Be present in His company.

In fact, He delights in us, and longs to spend more time with us. He wants to be our soft place to land, our cover when the battle rages, our shelter in the storm:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…

Psalm 46:1

Like the father waiting day after day for his beloved son to return home, God is always present in His wait.

He is all in.

His heart is to reassure us with His love, restore us as only our designer can, equip us for daily living out our faith, and enjoy spending time together.

His Presence
in our present
fully present.

What a present, indeed!