Finding God's Presence ~ How Hot is The Refiner's Fire?

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

Ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to see and understand the compelling image I'm going to paint for you:

The silversmith wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his calloused hand. The flames leaped in the bowels of the furnace, licking the air for oxygen, preparing to devour anything not pure enough to withstand its sweltering fury. 

Carefully, the old gentleman filled his stone "smithing" bowl with slivers and filings of discarded silver - throwaways deliberately chosen for the vessel he would craft. He placed them "just so" into the bowl and then eased it into the center of the flames where the heat was greatest. 

This was necessary to burn away anything impure. 

Only the finest silver would do for the vessel the Master silversmith would shape after the refining fire.

The old man reached for his chair. His fingers, black with soot, grasped the chair's carved back and pulled it closer to the furnace. He sat down, never taking his eyes off the silver that was now beginning to melt and swirl in the inferno.

The silversmith knew the exact moment to remove the silver - a second too long, and it would be destroyed. He kept a careful eye - watching, waiting - looking for that moment when the impurities were gone. 

At last, the dross pulled away from the silver. The silversmith eased the stone bowl out of the flames. He peered into the liquid luster. Reflected back to him, as in a mirror, was his own image. 

The old gentleman knew the refining fire had completed its work. 

The silver was pure. It shone with the brightness of the morning star. It reflected it's Master's image. Now the vessel for which it was intended could be shaped and molded by the Master's hand.

Are you in the throes of suffering now? Is the anguish of your heart threatening to suffocate you? The Master knows. He keeps a careful watch over you, governing the trial and adjusting the flame so you won't be eternally marred or destroyed by its pain.

The Lord is honored by your willingness to endure this trial by fire for the sake of His Kingdom. 

His eyes are on you. 

His eyes are on me. 

I find great comfort in that knowledge. 

And, because David and I have suffered on behalf of the gospel, God's Kingdom on earth has been advanced. That also comforts me. You, my friend, can say the same. We're bonded to Christ because we've suffered for Him. 

Could there be any greater honor on earth than to be used by God to bring the saving  knowledge of Jesus - the extraordinary love of God - to a broken soul? 

I think not.

This is an excerpt from my book, 

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife 

releasing 

TODAY - June 30th! 

This passage is taken from chapter four, 

The Fellowship of His Sufferings: The Peril of Rose-Colored Glasses.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Are you in the throes of suffering now? @NanJonesAuthor offers insight. (Click to Tweet)

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In The Perils of a Pastor's Wife, Nan Jones offers a hand to hold, aha moments of healing, and soul-strengthening biblical insight. If you're a pastor's wife struggling with your calling, Nan presents a lifeline of hope and encouragement. As a wife and mother, she offers wisdom for the many roles the pastor's wife plays.

Be empowered to fight spiritual battles with God's grace and love, protected by His armor. Learn creative ways to stand up for yourself while standing by your man. Discover how to respond when all hell breaks loose. The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will guide you through the calamities of life and restore your confidence in God's purpose and plan for your life and ministry.

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will connect with you on many levels. My greatest desire is that you, my sister, will know that somewhere, somehow, someone knows. You are not alone.

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife

releases TODAY!

June 30th

Find Nan's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Where is God? Sunday Glimpses

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

Fill me Lord. Fill me with Your Living Water. Let it flow over and through the broken places of my life and bring healing. Surround me with Your sweet Presence and protect me from all that seeks to harm. You are my Refuge Lord. You are my strength and my joy. You are my God and I am Your child. 

I stand amazed at the knowledge that You know me by name. You know all that concerns me - my joys, my sorrows, my fears. And You respond to each. I believe You laugh when I laugh, You cry when I cry, and You hold me when I'm afraid. You are all that I need, Lord. Thank You. Thank You for Your love.

I bring my friends before Your throne of grace and I ask that You renew their joy of salvation. Many are consumed with sorrow. Many are filled with anxiety and fear as they face an uncertain tomorrow. Many just need to know that they are not alone. Touch them with Your tender love - intervene on their behalf with Your mighty power.

Lord, I love that we can come to You with all our needs and that You delight in meeting the needs of Your children. We love You Lord and we give You praise.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Where is God when I need Him? @NanJonesAuthor offers a glimpse. (Click to Tweet)

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Please don't carry your burden alone. I would be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@jubilantlight.com

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Are you searching for the nearness of God? Do you want and need to get away from the chaos for a few minutes just to focus on Him? I've created a facebook community page to help you do that. Seeing Beyond The Veil is filled with praise music, scriptures,  inspiring quotes, and  encouraging words. If you would like for the community to pray, you may direct message me and I'll place your request in the newsfeed. We need each other. And we all need time to be still and remember that He is God. Won't you join us?

Finding God's Presence ~ This Wonderfully Messy World

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

Guest blogger, Laurie Coombs   @lauriecoombs

Laurie Coombs and I met last August at the Christian Communicators Conference at Billy Graham's, The Cove. Four of us - total strangers - shared a room. After that first hug and subsequent giggles, we all became fast friends. I am delighted to introduce you to Laurie. Her testimony flows through the waters of grace and the power of forgiveness in the face of her father's murder. Laurie and I pray that you will be strengthened by her courage to share her story. To God be the Glory.

Welcome Laurie!

I had always thought the world was a wonderful place, full of beauty and love and light. Growing up, the life I imagined for myself looked more like a fairytale than I care to admit. 

I had plans for my life, big plans. But just as I was coming into my own, just as I was about to seize all life has to offer, my world unraveled when confronted by an evil I never imagined possible. My dad, who I love more than I can ever say, was murdered, and with that loss, all the lofty notions I held about life shattered.

Things like this don’t happen to people like me, I thought. I grew up in a nice, quiet small town. I came from a good, loving family. How could my dad have been murdered? I wondered.

I found myself sitting at a park after the funeral questioning just about everything I thought I knew to be true. Something my mom always said came to mind. “Everything happens for a reason,” she used to say. I pondered this familiar adage for some time, wrestling with my new reality, before crying out, “How could there be a reason for this?” through my anger and tears.

This was not my plan. This was not the path I thought my life would take. And I was angry. Mostly at Anthony, the man who murdered my dad, but it was more than that. 

I was angry at the lack of sensitivity I saw in the media. 

I was angry at the indifference of others watching the news coverage. 

I was angry at our society and its unhealthy fascination with murder. 

But I was also angry that my life was not turning out the way I thought it should.

It just didn’t seem fair. All those big plans I had for my life were upended by my new awareness of evil. Nothing good can come out of this, I thought. Nothing.

But I was wrong.

The years that followed were characterized more by trying to be okay than actually being okay. Shortly after the murder, I put on my happy mask and decided it was time to move on, and so I did. I buried my pain and went on with my life, hoping my past would stay in the past. 

But it doesn’t take much to know that unresolved pain rises to the surface at one point or another, regardless of how deep its buried.

It took nine years for my pain to resurface, and when it did, I was absolutely stunned by it. My pain showed up in the form of anxiety and depression, something I had never dealt with before. I didn’t know what to do when this monster reared its ugly head. And for the first time in my life, I was presented with something I could not fix. I was able to work through every other struggle in my life prior to this, but this time was different.

I tried everything the world tells you to do in a situation like this. I tried eating better and exercising more. I tried meditation. I tried taking a stress management class. I tried yoga. I tried self-help books. And I even tried taking medication, but it only worsened my condition. 

Nothing worked. 

And so with all other options exhausted, it seemed God was my last and only hope.

But I was not a believer. In fact, I was a skeptic. I was one of those people who thought faith was something weak-minded people relied on to get through life. All that stuff in the Bible seemed like a fairytale concocted to tickle ears and make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But at this point, I had come to the end of myself and saw no other option out of the mess. 

And so with a fearful heart and an analytical mind, I attended church, fully expecting the God-thing to be yet another rabbit trail that would lead absolutely nowhere. But it wasn’t.

As I listened to the pastor speak, my mind only semi-present due to the anxiety, God did something I never imagined possible. He showed up. He continued to do so time and time again until there was absolutely no denying it was Him, and I received faith.

But I don’t believe I would have ever gotten to that point apart from my dad’s murder, and so the very thing intended to destroy my life would be the thing that would save it. Apart from this terrible tragedy, I would have never experienced true life. God had a better plan than the one I had planned for myself. A messy plan. A plan that included tragedy and loss. A plan that included pain-filled searching. 

But also included in that plan was my salvation and the call to love and forgive my enemy which ultimately resulted in the beautiful message of hope and redemption that I have been called to share with this world.

Yes. We live in a broken world. A world that involves evil and loss and pain. But apart from the darkness, we would never fully know the light. 

Only in the darkest of dark does light shine the brightest. 

Only in a broken world can we see healing and redemption. 

Love is shown greater in the face of hate. Beauty is all the more beautiful in the face of the ugly. 

And what beauty there is to behold in this wonderfully messy world.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Where is God when I'm faced with such loss? @lauriecoombs shares via @NanJonesAuthor (Click to Tweet)

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Meet Laurie:

Laurie Coombs is a passionate writer and speaker on the issues of forgiveness, redemption, and the hope found in Jesus. She is the author of Letters from My Father’s Murderer: 

A Journey of Forgiveness, an incredible true story of grace, mercy, and the redemptive power of God. Her story was featured in Billy Graham’s film, Heaven, and she is a featured writer and blogger for iBelieve and Crosswalk. Laurie and her husband, Travis, make their home in Nevada along with their two daughters, Ella and Avery. Be sure to visit LaurieCoombs.org or connect with Laurie on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

To order Laurie's book, Letters from My Father's Murderer, please visit her page on Amazon.

 

 

Finding God's Presence ~ So Are the Days of Our Lives

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

Like Paul, I'm beginning to move forward. 

Paul wrote, Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).  

Never before have these familiar words meant so much to me. Never before have I put my hand to the plow and gripped it with such determination.

If God be for us, who can be against us?

You're going to laugh - I hope you laugh. As I was writing the previous paragraph, from deep within my memories I heard the following: "Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Are you old enough to remember that line? It's the opening line of the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives. 

Who knows why my brain triggered this response to understanding God's sovereignty , but hey, why not? Let's go with it.

I was actually thinking of a puzzle when that memory popped up: like pieces to a puzzle, so is the hand of God arranging our lives. I love the Lord's sense of humor, and I love how He gives us visuals to understand His lessons of grace. 

Our days tick away one by one, but unlike the soap opera, our days tick away with purpose. Each grain of sand and each puzzle piece is placed by His sovereign hand, right on time - a perfect fit, with a desired result.

I have a crazy quilt that my great-grandmother, Nancy Benson quilted almost one hundred years ago. Odd pieces of fabric butt against one another. Various colors of embroidery floss weave their magic, securing the scraps and creating a glorious masterpiece.

Faith is like that. Faith in a sovereign God is absolutely like that. 

When we give Him the odd pieces - the scraps - of our lives and trust Him to secure the pieces together and create a masterpiece, we're walking in the knowledge of who He is and not in the knowledge of our circumstances. 

Knowing that God is creating a masterpiece from our brokenness enables us to accept His sovereignty and His authority, to believe His promise to work everything together for our good.

Faith is like that. Faith in a sovereign God is absolutely like that.

(This is an excerpt from my book, 

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife, 

 releasing June 30th. 

This passage is taken from chapter eleven: 

If God Be For Me.)

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

What does God's sovereignty have to do with me? @NanJones shares personal stuff.(Click to Tweet)

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When pastors and their wives step out as ministry partners all hell breaks loose. When the Word of God is preached with power and boldness, the devil attacks. Nan Jones understands the frustrations and stress pastors' wives face. She's experienced the pressures and loneliness that comes from ministry burnout, social isolation, frantic schedules, and unrealistic expectations.

If you're a pastor's wife struggling with your calling, Nan presents a lifeline of hope and encouragement. The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will guide you through the calamities of life and restore your confidence in God's purpose and plan for your life and ministry.

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will connect with you on many levels. My greatest desire is that you, my sister, will know that somewhere, somehow, someone knows. You are not alone. 

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife

releases on June 30, 2015

To preorder visit Amazon

Where is God? Sunday Glimpses

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

I'm thinking of You, Lord. I'm remembering how often You have comforted me in my distress. I'm pondering Your faithfulness that amazes me. I know that I know I can depend on You to meet my needs. I know I can trust You to carry me when I'm too weary to keep pressing on. How can I ever thank You enough? I'm so grateful for Your love and Your presence in my life.

I bring my friends before Your throne of grace. Many are weary. Many are overwhelmed or hurting. Many face obstacles and circumstances that need Your miracle touch. We believe nothing is too difficult for You Lord. I ask that You show Yourself mighty in the lives of my friends. Within Your might, show them Your tenderness, Your compassion, mercy and love. 

Awaken our hearts to receive Your love. 
Awaken our hearts to know You Lord.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord! We exalt Your Name on high. We praise You for who You are and because You alone are worthy of our praise. Thank You for loving us so. You are amazing Lord.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Where is God when I need Him the most? @NanJonesAuthor offers a glimpse. (Click to Tweet)

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Please don't carry your burden alone. I'd be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@jubilantlight.com

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Are you searching for the nearness of God? Do you just want to get away from the chaos for a few minutes and focus on Him and His love for you? I've created a facebook community page to help you do that. On Seeing Beyond the Veil  you'll find praise music, inspirational quotes, scriptures, and testimonies. If you want the community to pray, you may direct message me on the page and I'll place it in the newsfeed. We need each other. And we need to learn to be still and remember that He is God.

Finding God's Presence ~ O What a Tender and Beautiful God!

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

The thunder romped across the heavens, rolling and barreling to its end. Lightning pierced the night sky bathing the trembling earth in sharp light. Wind. Hailstones. The Scripture tells us that smoke went up from God's nostrils, and a devouring fire from His mouth. 

All this because God's servant, David, cried out to God to save him from his enemies.

"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies ... In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears." ~ Psalm 18:3,6

The very. next. phrase is, "Then the Lord ..." and we begin to read line after line of God's violent, urgent response to His child's need. God showed up in all His glory and power. He threw around His might and His authority and, quite effectively, destroyed the enemy to set David free.

Oh, what a mighty God we serve!

And what a tender, beautiful God as well.

Genesis 2:6,7 reads, "but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

First, the Lord moistened the earth with a mist - a dew - as He poured out His favor on the land, much like His grace that rains down from heaven. In His mighty hand, God swept the moisture into the dust of the earth. With great intention and purpose, He swirled the droplets of grace into the dry dust creating a perfect clay. God then shaped and formed His child, Adam.

Gently, the Lord cupped Adam's head and face. He knelt over His creation and placed His lips over Adam's parched lips and breathed the breath of life. 

One breath. 

The Lord pulled back and looked at His child who lay limp in His arms. 

Again, He breathed and this time Adam's chest began to rise and fall. 

Adam opened his eyes, blinking to clear his vision. Eyes locked. Father and child met one another in the reflection of great love. Tender. Gentle. Everlasting.

Recently, I felt as though I was but the dust of the earth. No life. No joy. Just being blown around by the passing breeze. 

But, God. 

But God swirled refreshing grace into the dry dust and created the perfect clay. He repaired this broken vessel, making me strong and pliable. Then He held my face in His gentle, yet mighty hands and breathed life into His child.

Eyes locked and I found myself in the reflection of His great love.
 
As I lay resting, basking in the Truth of His love, He sent the thunder rolling and the lightning piercing to scatter my enemies. Smoke flared from His nostrils and the earth quaked at the sound of His voice. He rode upon the wings of the wind and sent out His arrows to destroy my foe.

O what a beautiful God! He is mighty to save, faithful to deliver. 

Great is His love and His tender, Father's touch.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Where is God when my enemies assail me? @NanJonesAuthor offers a glimpse. (Click to Tweet)
 



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Are you searching for the nearness the God when you need Him the most? I've created a facebook community page for folks like you and me - folks who want to step away from the chaos for a few minutes and focus on the goodness of the Lord. I'd love for you to visit  Seeing Beyond the Veil

Finding God's Presence ~ Taking Him Out of The Box

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

I used to keep God in a box. Oh, it was a beautiful box, for sure, but a box nevertheless. This box was gilded with the finest gold, lined with the purest silver, and embellished with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. Oh yes. It was a fine box. Only the best for the Lord. 

But here's the problem. God is too grand to contain. We're limited in our ability to comprehend Him; therefore, we limit God to the perimeters of our understanding. Our limitations place Him in the proverbial box. 

But if we are to understand how the Lord is to be our great reward, our exceeding joy, then we must delve into a greater understanding of Who He is. We have to take Him out of the box.

Are you ready?

Let's go back to I AM WHO I AM, which is the basic translation of Yahweh (or YHWH). When God selected Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt, Moses wasn't a happy camper, He dared to challenge the Lord: "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" The Lord responded, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:13-14).

The issue isn't who Moses is, but WHO is with him.

The issue isn't who we are, but WHO is with us.

I AM is with us. Our great reward. Our exceeding joy.

I like to think of the name, I AM WHO I AM, in terms of an umbrella. I AM WHO I AM forms the arc along the top of the umbrella. Beneath the arc are many names, each representing different attributes and character traits of the Lord. There are representative names such as Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides; Jehovah-rapha, the Lord who heals; Jeshovah-tsidkenu, the Lord my righteousness. One of my favorite names of God is El Roi, the God who sees me and know all about it.

I AM WHO I AM.

Provider.

Healer.

My Righteousness.

The God Who Sees Me.

When we take God out of the proverbial box, we can behold Him as the magnificent God that He is.

When we take Him out of the box, we realize He really is with us. He is our great reward. Our exceeding joy. When we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him.

The issue is not who we are.

The issue is who HE is. The Great I AM.

(This is an excerpt from my book,  

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife, releasing on June 30th.

You will find this passage in chapter six, 

JOY IN THE WILDERNESS: The Peril of Despair.)

 

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

How do I take God out of the box? @NanJonesAuthor offers insight. (Click to Tweet)

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Be empowered to fight spiritual battles with God's grace and love, protected by His armor. Learn creative ways to stand up for yourself while standing by your man. Feel the blessing of your calling - as a ministry helper, marriage partner, and mother. Discover how to respond when all hell breaks loose. The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will guide you through the calamities of life and restore your confidence in God's purpose and plan for your life and ministry.

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will connect with you on many levels. My greatest desire is that you, my sister, will know that somewhere, somehow, someone knows. You are not alone.

The Perils of a Pastor's Wife

releases on June 30, 2015

To preorder, visit Amazon

grace and love, protected by His armor. Learn creative ways to stand up for yourself while standing by your man. Feel the blessing of your calling ... as a ministry helper, marriage partner, and mother. Discover how to respond when all hell breaks loose. - See more at: http://morningglorylights.blogspot.com/#sthash.hLYFXVNH.dpuf

Be empowered to fight spiritual battles with God's grace and love, protected by His armor. Learn creative ways to stand up for yourself while standing by your man. Feel the blessing of your calling ... as a ministry helper, marriage partner, and mother. Discover how to respond when all hell breaks loose. The Perils of a Pastor's Wife will guide you through the calamities of life and restore your confidence in God's purpose and plan for your life and ministry. - See more at: http://morningglorylights.blogspot.com/#sthash.QHGQVqnj.dpuf