Abide in Me. Grapevines are such a great metaphor for our lives and how we cling, depend and grow in Jesus Christ. Abiding is a three prong approach; connection with Jesus, dependence on His power and in continuous relationship with the Lord.

Our connection with Jesus is ever so life-giving. The branch (us) is connected to the vine (Jesus), just as the vine is connected to the branch. This connection, this union, is mutual. We abide in Christ as he abides in us. If there is no connection from the branch to the vine, there is no life, and no fruit is produced.

But abiding also implies dependence. Unlike connection, dependence is not reciprocal. The branch, me and you, are dependent on the vine, but the vine which is Christ, is not dependent on the branch. We derive both life and power from the vine. Without the vine, the branch is useless, lifeless, if not all out powerless. We require the vine to supply water, minerals, and nutrients to nurture our growth. We are completely dependent upon Jesus for everything that counts as spiritual fruit.

Abiding also involves continuance. The word, “abide” means to remain, stay, or continue. In the Book of John, two of the disciples who first encountered Jesus asked him “Where are you staying?” They wanted to know where Jesus made his residence. The word staying is the same word translated as abide. To abide is to continue, to stay, to remain, in God’s word.

Abiding is a beautiful analogy of who we are bound to, what we cling to and how much we mature in our faith. When we truly understand this concept of connection, dependence and continuance, then we can experience all the fruits of the spirit! And really know how great our God is!

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭

A New Prayer. This is difficult for me to grasp. The biggest key to our spiritual growth is developing healthy and holy practices that we interpret as spiritual disciplines. This can be a gamut of things from reading our Bible when we wake in the morning or maybe before we go to bed. Diving into a devotional that we read daily or praying at 1pm everyday. However, we need to be mindful of what we are doing and why! Good practices can become bad routines if we don’t change it up from time to time. It’s like going through the motions, mindlessly.

At church this morning, our Pastor Mark Clark was AWOL. Well, I’m sure it was a planned absence but needless to say, we had a different Pastor, Brandon Short. He definitely was not whom I expected but wow, did he shake things up! We are studying the Book of Acts and we learned much about being mindful of who we are worshipping. Mark Clark and Brandon Short, are a far cry from Jesus. But if we’re not careful, we can start worshipping the wrong Father. Bayside taught me a great lesson. It’s good practice to learn from others, and each pastor has a certain gifting that God blessed them with. Changing teachers opened my eyes, ears and heart to the Lord in new ways. It was a profound message and an important lesson that God is on the throne, not my pastor!

What I have been doing these past four weeks, has been a change of routine. Reading this book “Draw the Circle” has been a commitment to me, to my friends but especially to the Lord. He has opened my soul to a new way of seeing Him, to a relationship that is so real and tangible, and to a place that I want to continue pursuing.

Now when I pray, I desire to understand why I am praying and to whom I am praying! Changing your routine is something I was taught in the Highway Patrol. We can easily fall into a trap of routine, a series of actions or inactions, and become content in that. Change is hard but it is crucial, if not essential for our continuous spiritual growth. The Lord wants our worship, but with our imagination and our unique personality. He wants our heart and He wants nothing left unsaid. Maybe next time when I pray, I might sing a praise. The psalmist tells us to sing a new song, not once but six times. I betcha God may love to hear a new lyric from our lips. Just like the song bird singing outside my window.

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭

Quit Praying. And start doing something. This hit me square in my soul. God will always hear our prayers, each and every one of them. But there is a difference between pleading for the Lord to save us or being the hands and feet of Jesus! There comes a time to stop praying and start acting.

Each and every one of us have probably felt God telling us to help her or him, put money in the basket, or countless other ways He asks us to show His love to someone else. When I started leading a Kayak Ministry with my husband, I know, that doesn’t seem like a real ministry, but it was. I had been taking strangers and friends to different locations for years. We would lead monthly day paddles to God’s glorious creation, but I was asked if we could extend our kayak adventures to weekend jaunts. That would entail much more planning, more assistant leaders and a Sunday morning sermon. Lord, am I equipped to do this? And He said, “If you don’t, who will?” And so I began my journey with the Lord and started teaching.

There was a Sunday morning on Lake Tahoe where we had some 30-35 individuals who came to church. I had asked God what he wanted me to share and it was the Book of John. No, not the entire book but more about how much God loves us so, that he sent his one and only son, and brought heaven down to earth. To love us like no one else can and to know he sees us just as we are. It wasn’t my longest sermon or my best, but it was exactly what He wanted me to share that morning. Afterwards, we launched our kayaks and paddled to Emerald Bay. It was a picture perfect day and the lake was like glass. Not a ripple on the water, smooth and easy going.

The following day I received an email from one of the gals who happened to be with me the day prior. She told me how much that message of God’s love meant to her. She had been so alone and was struggling terribly. She felt it spoke directly to her, and renewed her faith that she is truly loved! I was in tears reading that message years ago and to be honest, I am crying right now as I’m blogging this. Honestly I had no idea what I said that gorgeous morning, yet it was exactly what the Holy Spirit put on my lips.

Christianity is intended to be a verb, an action word. The Book of Acts was all about the launching of the church. The disciples were following and reinforcing what Jesus started. Imagine if they only prayed but never did! When Jesus said go forth and spread my word to all nations, he meant that literally! It was an invitation to go out and bring the love of God to all people! So next time when you are praying for something, consider answering your own prayer. There are opportunities for us to stop praying and maybe, just maybe, start doing.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭23‬ ‭

Double Circle. This is my confession – I have never completed a fast! Today is all about doubling down with both prayer and fasting. If you have ever felt like you are at your wits end, when a disease is not healing or a marriage is at its brink, when you feel God is not answering or paving the way, this is the perfect time to double circle.

When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked Peter and the disciples to keep watch. The Lord knew His time was coming and had asked for one hour of prayer; yet they all fell asleep. Imagine if we prayed for one hour, along with fasting from sunrise to sunset. What windows, if not barn doors would swing open! Jesus cuts to the chase but saying undeniably, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Truer words have never been spoken.

I have all sorts of good intentions to commit to a fast, usually the first of the year or during the 40 days of Lent. My problem has never been my intention, but my lack of follow through. The reason that fasting is so important for me and you is it gives us extraordinary power to lean into prayer, grow in our faith and become more disciplined. Fasting provides us the physical and mental fortitude that is required to access spiritual power!

Next time you have a prayer session with God, consider circling it with fasting. The bigger the circumstance, the more likely that we need to be doubling down with double the circling. If you are in need of more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control, tap into your inner circle and double-up! Praying and fasting is not just something different to do, but it can actually be what moves the needle from here to there. Doubling up on prayer and fasting may just afford us a double blessing! And can’t we all use more blessings? I know I’m all for that!

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” Acts‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭

Game with Minutes. Have you ever met someone who was so in touch with the Lord? It seemed like everything they said and did was to glorify Jesus. Meet Brother Lawrence, a monk who worked at Carmelite Monastery. He exchanged his everyday chore life into a prayer. When he was washing dishes, scrubbing the floor or preparing meals, he turned all that he did into prays to God. In the words of Brother Lawrence, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.” This is how prayer becomes a way of life!

I am not Brother Lawrence, and actually, a fair distant cry from him. Years ago, I read his book “The Presence of God” and highly recommend it to all. It clearly paints a picture of what total devotion to the Lord looks like. The idea is that every moment in all that we do, there is constant thought and adoration of our Heavenly Father. Can we have constant communion with God? Of course we can, but do we? The idea of “the game of minutes” is to call on the Lord at least one second of every minute. We do not need to stop what we are doing, but rather invite Him into our minute by minute thoughts. Whether we are praising God, thanking Him, or just including Him in our minute to minute chats and conversations, that’s what really matters.

It seems a bit of an overstep to trust that I can do this, yet I desire this intimacy more than breath itself! The closer I get, the more I want to know Jesus deeper. What better way than to include him in my every thought. There was a saying that we used to prescribe to. What would Jesus do (WWJD)? People wore bracelets, had bumper stickers and truly believed in this philosophy. I feel nowadays I tend to fall in the trap, if it feels good, do it. These are two extremely different camps. This life we live is full of choices and honestly, you can go it alone or you can choose to include Jesus in everything you say, think and do. It seems like an effort at first, but the more and more you put God first, it becomes second nature.

These past few weeks, I have put God first. I read and blog daily and I pray hourly. I am surely immersed with the Holy Spirit, being I was promised this once I accepted Jesus Christ and turned my life over to Him. Now the question is, am I willing to take this deeper plunge, using a moment every minute to reflect on who He is? I want to say yes, and if I commit to this, the blessings I’ll receive will surely be abundant. Thank you Brother Lawrence for reminding me of whose I belong to. As a great scholar stated, you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. If you want God to do something new in your life, you cannot keep doing the same old thing. Give God your best and He will give you more! And that is His promise.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭ 1Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭

A Prophetic Word. Joyce Meyers speaks of the power of words. She has written numerous books, taught seminars, held conferences and shared her life experiences, with the words that were spoken to her. Luckily for her, she rebuked many of the harmful ones, but nevertheless Joyce has became one of the most influential women pastors of our time. Talk about a calling and devoted follower of Christ. She understands fully how words spoken or not, can take ahold of you, and change lives!

Some ten years ago, I attended a bible thumping conference led by no other than Joyce Meyers, at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. There must’ve been 20-30,000 people at this four-day event. I had a group of friends that came with me and we were supercharged with the Holy Spirit like never before. There was not a single person who walked away without being changed. One prophetic word after another, speaking peace, love and confirmation over us for days on end. That’s how it’s going to be when we arrive in heaven!

There are opportunities daily in which we speak into the lives of friends, family, co-workers and even complete strangers. When we speak prophetic words into someone’s life, it gives them a new lease on life. Speaking the right word at the right time over someone’s life can make a huge difference in the projectory of one’s future. It is as simple as speaking truth to a child or friend. We all have someone in our life who encourages us, who loves us and sees us as God does. When we are at our lowest, they have a way of speaking love into our heart. Other times you may have a complete stranger that comes up to you and says God told me to tell you, how much He loves you or whatever it may be. Fill in the blank. These are prophetic words that can make a life or death difference. I have heard so many stories of how someone was on their last straw ready to do something irreversible when they were rescued by a phone call or a surprise visit. These are truly, divine appointments by God!

Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. When He nudges you or puts some word on your heart, feel obligated to share that with whom He has called you to speak it over. That is the prophetic voice that the Lord has blessed us with. Lean into it and unleash the power that He has equipped His followers with. Then bless someone. It may possibly be a life-altering word.

“But Moses replied, “…I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Numbers‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬

Find Your Voice. The route to finding your voice is taping into God’s spoken word. There are many times in my life that I hear myself or others, who state they do not hear God speaking to them or through them. The first step if you fall in this category, open up your Bible.

God’s word is spoken clearly in the Bible. There are numerous times, verses and red bold type where words spoken by Jesus, our Lord and Savior, are clear and plain. At times, it can be hard to truly hear and discern His voice. We have so many distractions, white noise or possibly we are just clearly, too busy to stop and hear much of anything else, but noise! This seems to be much more frequent, than not, these days. Many times I just need to get outside. I’m fortunate enough to live next to Folsom Lake, which has countless trails that lead west to Sacramento and east to Lake Tahoe. I have no excuses. There is always a way to get away from the distractions of life.

Others tap into the Lord by fasting. Fasting is like a noise cancellation device. It allows me to rely solely on the provisions of the Lord, and the breadth of life. I have a dear friend Dee who plans weekend getaways with Jesus. She packs her bags, brings her Bible and Devotionals and rents a cabin for the two of them. Just like nourishing a loving relationship with your friends, family, or spouse, it must be prioritized. The more time you spend together, the closer and more intimate your relationship becomes. Why not give the same time and energy to our Lord? He surely is worth our attention and who knows, you may just find your voice!

Not Now. Can you remember a time in your life that you prayed to God, and the timing was not quite His timing? Sometimes the Lord may be refining the plan, the situation or possibly, renewing you! There are many reasons why we should pray, get on our knees and truly cry out to God. Interceding for others, praying for breakthroughs, hoping for a door to open or a circumstance to change. I have a laundry list of requests, but God, has a perfect time for all things.

My daughter has been in a futile battle for years. Countless times to the court only for a postponement or a delay. It has been an ongoing struggle for over five years. At times, it seems it’s leaning in her favor and then other times, the rug gets ripped out from under her feet. It is so hard as a Mother to see your child go through this endless process that seems to be non-ending. It could be so much worse such as a physical illness, but at times, I think psychological damages can be just as brutal. Talk about prayer. This has been a cycle of prayer that occurred many times more than I can count. In situations like this, it is easy to forget that I, nor my daughter, are in-charge. But the Almighty Lord, the King of Kings is on the throne and managing this ordeal. Do I get impatient? You betcha, but do I need to keep praying? You know it! There is one thing I have learned in this crazy life and that’s, I am not in control! But I know who is.

So I wait. Waiting is the part of praying, just as praying is a form of waiting. When I think of presents that I have received, or even purchases that I have saved for, the most precious ones are typically the gifts I have waited for. Why should prayer be any different? As the saying goes, Father knows best. But our Heavenly Father knows even better! Instead of trying to circumvent God, and do it ourselves, let God do what He does best!

We can’t make God do anything, but we can let God do something for us. As I was sharing this prayer request with my friends, a wise woman shared this with me. “Is there a chance that the Holy Spirit is still at work?” Maybe, just possibly, His job is not done yet. Come Holy Spirit and fill me up and my family. Then when you Holy Spirit are ready, we will be filled to completion!

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭14‬ ‭

Prayer Fleece. There are many verses that state we should not test the Lord. So I need to tread lightly when I refer to asking God to give us signs. But there are times when He does exactly that.

In 2002, Bayside participated in a church wide Bible study of Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Life.” At this point of my life, I was working as a CHP Officer in Auburn. My typical day was traffic enforcement with arrests, accident investigations and public relations, as a part-time gig. But my passion and desire was educating teens and working in the High Schools. I had an opportunity to return to a Public Affairs position but I wasn’t sure if that was exactly what I wanted or what God desired. So as I was driving to work one morning, I had asked the Lord, if you want me to take this position, let me know. Send me a sign that will make it obvious to me. Within a moment, the dome light inside my car flickered on! My dome light had never done that and since that morning, it had never turned on spontaneously again. I started laughing and so it was to be. I interviewed for the Public Affairs Officer position at my local office. Once hired, I organized over one hundred “Every 15 Minutes” educating teens on the ill-effects of drinking and driving.

There are many pathways to doing God’s work. Those years were filled with passion and joy, and countless teens were inspired to make good choices. There were families reunited, relationships mended and I must believe God touched and changed many hearts. I had asked God for a sign, a confirmation that I was doing something that He wanted me to do. And with that, He answered me in a very un-orthodox way! But did He ever answer. Prayer fleece can be used, if it glorifies the Lord. From my limited knowledge, as long as you are taking steps towards the doing or asking, then requesting confirmation can be helpful. Our God is faithful and when we are doing work that glorifies Him, prayer fleece away!

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭

Set your feet. Almost ten years ago, I had this crazy notion that the Lord was asking me to hike with Him. Not like a day hike or a short backpacking trip, but a thru-hike from Mexico to Canada. I had never imagined such a feat, a crazy endeavor including months on the trail, nor had I ever trained for an arduous expedition. I did my research, attended a 3-day PCT Kick-off with plenty of seminars, and started planning my hike with God.

There are moments in our lives when God speaks so clearly that it’s hard to misunderstand His intentions. And other times, I can barely hear His voice. Yet we are commanded to dig deep, be still and quiet, then listen. Time after time, I hear God asking me to prepare myself. To be ready when He calls me to glorify his name. I want more than ever, to be a Soldier for Christ! That can mean different things to many people. Heading out to the war-torn regions of Afghanistan or caring for homelessness in your own backyard. It can even be hiking with God on trails that lead to ones that may be searching for Lord Almighty, in His grandiose creation!

As Mark Batterson said, “There is nothing magical about physically circling something in prayer, but there is something biblical about it.” Jesus walked in the wilderness for 40 days, while the Israelites walked in the desert for 40 years. For many reasons, the Lord led me to the Pacific Crest Trail for five months. He walked with me daily, He identified other hikers that He wanted me to minister to, and I grew spiritually like I have never experienced before. I learned in the rarest ways that I had to solely depend on God and when I did, He showed up in the rarest ways! And it felt as if the Lord had circled me and many others in prayer, prior to my very existence. Set your feet and start circling, whether in your neighborhood, on local city streets, in other states or countries or maybe on a thin strip of dirt along a long dusty trail. It all starts right where you stand!

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52‬:‭7‬ ‭