Hello faithful bloggers and followers...
I'd like to announce the arrival of my latest pursuit - a new space to write!
You can now find me and everything God is doing in my life at: www.michellejoyeby.wordpress.com
Time for something new. :)
See you there!
Epicphany
We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring. - Oswald Chambers.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Despite Fear
Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. (Ezra 3:3 NIV)
Picture this...
A generation that only knew the feeling of being in exile.
A tribe of young passionate people who the only thing that had defined their childhood had been the feeling of being looked down upon. The fear, you see, did not start in Jerusalem that day with hundreds of neighbouring peoples looking on in disgust and rage as these outcasts came to reclaim the land of their ancestors. A land God had prophesied would be theres even as far back as Abraham.
No... The fear they felt was evident even from before they could remember.
But God has not given us a spirit of fear...
As they reached out to claim their inheritance, they completely left their lives as exiles in the rear view mirror.
The first thing they did, before even the walls were built around the city to protect them, was build an altar.
They craved WORSHIP!
And so... Despite their fear... They built their foundation on worship to the God who proved himself faithful for generations.
This is the same God then, as He is today... Only more accessible thru Jesus and not a crazy ritual involving sheep blood. The blood of Jesus, once and for all, is all we need to be able to worship despite our fear.
So what's stopping us?
His love for us is so passionate... His love is tangible, faithful, incomprehensible.
Let go of the past... Of the land that called you an exile. An outcast. The land that broke you down.
Worship Jesus - despite the fear of who is around you.
Build your foundation on the Love that never quits or gives up on you.
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3 NIV)
Picture this...
A generation that only knew the feeling of being in exile.
A tribe of young passionate people who the only thing that had defined their childhood had been the feeling of being looked down upon. The fear, you see, did not start in Jerusalem that day with hundreds of neighbouring peoples looking on in disgust and rage as these outcasts came to reclaim the land of their ancestors. A land God had prophesied would be theres even as far back as Abraham.
No... The fear they felt was evident even from before they could remember.
But God has not given us a spirit of fear...
As they reached out to claim their inheritance, they completely left their lives as exiles in the rear view mirror.
The first thing they did, before even the walls were built around the city to protect them, was build an altar.
They craved WORSHIP!
And so... Despite their fear... They built their foundation on worship to the God who proved himself faithful for generations.
This is the same God then, as He is today... Only more accessible thru Jesus and not a crazy ritual involving sheep blood. The blood of Jesus, once and for all, is all we need to be able to worship despite our fear.
So what's stopping us?
His love for us is so passionate... His love is tangible, faithful, incomprehensible.
Let go of the past... Of the land that called you an exile. An outcast. The land that broke you down.
Worship Jesus - despite the fear of who is around you.
Build your foundation on the Love that never quits or gives up on you.
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3 NIV)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Real. Love. Jesus.
Tonight is Valentines...
The day celebrating love.
My heart craves love... yet tonight, as I turn my thoughts towards the one who created both love and my heart, my heart beats to a different tune.
Can you hear it?
The hurting are out there.
There's a world of darkness in their eyes. And light will never come unless they know it exists.
Can you see them?
You're the only one holding the light of the world in your heart. One that can shine into the darkest of dark and make a pathway to a home their heart craves.
It only takes a little light to dispel the darkness.
Like a darkened stadium with a child holding the only flashlight.
Love is not love unless it is shown the way.
In a selfless moment of giving to one who cannot repay the giver.
Tonight I think of love...
The Love of One who laid His life down for all. To show us a light out of the darkness we know all too well. We only ever knew darkness until His light shone in our hearts.
Now I challenge you, plead with you, charge you... Don't HIDE the light!
The world needs the light of the world, and YOU HAVE HIM INSIDE YOU!
It's Love Month... what better time to start?
What if there was some way you could reach into someone's world and show them love, even for a moment. That could very well be the light that pulls them through the darkness.
What are you waiting for?
I pray often... but tonight is different.
Tonight I feel like the prayers we pray for Love would ignite the world.
That a sin-saturated world could be consumed by one small flame igniting another and another and another... until the whole world burns with the LOVE OF JESUS!
It's an upside-down Kingdom... you must die to live. You must give to get.
You must give love in order to be able to receive this true Love.
I want to leave you with three last little things...
1. My biggest heart prayer of the night (both the girls talked of and the amazing ones who teamed up and made this video)
Click here to see my girls stand up for justice in their generation.
2. Make Jesus your obsession... you can't miss His love. It's always there. You just need to pass it on.
and 3...
Matthew 25:37-40
The day celebrating love.
My heart craves love... yet tonight, as I turn my thoughts towards the one who created both love and my heart, my heart beats to a different tune.
Can you hear it?
The hurting are out there.
There's a world of darkness in their eyes. And light will never come unless they know it exists.
Can you see them?
You're the only one holding the light of the world in your heart. One that can shine into the darkest of dark and make a pathway to a home their heart craves.
It only takes a little light to dispel the darkness.
Like a darkened stadium with a child holding the only flashlight.
Love is not love unless it is shown the way.
In a selfless moment of giving to one who cannot repay the giver.
Tonight I think of love...
The Love of One who laid His life down for all. To show us a light out of the darkness we know all too well. We only ever knew darkness until His light shone in our hearts.
Now I challenge you, plead with you, charge you... Don't HIDE the light!
The world needs the light of the world, and YOU HAVE HIM INSIDE YOU!
It's Love Month... what better time to start?
What if there was some way you could reach into someone's world and show them love, even for a moment. That could very well be the light that pulls them through the darkness.
What are you waiting for?
I pray often... but tonight is different.
Tonight I feel like the prayers we pray for Love would ignite the world.
That a sin-saturated world could be consumed by one small flame igniting another and another and another... until the whole world burns with the LOVE OF JESUS!
It's an upside-down Kingdom... you must die to live. You must give to get.
You must give love in order to be able to receive this true Love.
I want to leave you with three last little things...
1. My biggest heart prayer of the night (both the girls talked of and the amazing ones who teamed up and made this video)
Click here to see my girls stand up for justice in their generation.
2. Make Jesus your obsession... you can't miss His love. It's always there. You just need to pass it on.
and 3...
Matthew 25:37-40
Then these righteous ones will
reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give
you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and
give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Unfinished...
(technically day 29 of 40... it took me this long to absorb this concept to be able to get my thoughts out. ;-)
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed
are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and
confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that
reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried
by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop
producing fruit.
Colossians 2:7
New Living
Translation (NLT)
Let your roots
grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will
grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with
thankfulness.
Have you ever
seen a tree with all the roots pulled up?
An intertwined
mess… but solid enough that its next to impossible to tear down completely.
Only when the
tree is dead can the roots be pulled up and revealed.
That tree knew
who it was. What place it belonged to and there was no moving it until it died.
The knowledge
of who it was caused its roots to grow down deep into the earth to portray a
stability.
Because that is
what a tree is created to do.
To be stable
and provide shelter and fruit…
The same is
true for us as Christians.
We need to be
SO grounded in the word of God.
Know WHO we are
and what we are created to do.
We need to be
SO firm and set in the place where God has us – and this does not change with
ever wind and whim – and be exactly who He has meant us to be.
When we know
who we are and let our roots grow down deep into the truth and the word of God,
we will know who we are in Jesus. We will be a picture of the stability and
shelter of who God really is as our Father. We will reach out and shelter those
in need.
And we will
bear fruit.
John 15:4-5
Abide in Me,
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine,
you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing.
So let me ask
you this question.
Where are you
in this picture?
Have you let
your roots grow down deep?
Are you planted
in the place God chose for you?
It takes some
longer than others… so don’t lose heart.
Think of a
tree. It takes decades for a tree to grow into everything God created it to be.
Most of the
time you can’t even see the growth! Any roots growing down deep into the earth
are unseen… in the same way so much of our growth is unseen.
Trees are
always changing and growing and bearing fruit or being pruned…
It’s necessary
to be pruned. But if God sends a hurtful situation into our lives it is mostly
just cuz He knows we need it in order to take us to the next level of growth.
Here’s the key…
DON’T GIVE UP!
Every time you
think it’s too hard to go on…
Keep going
anyways.
Everything
takes time… His time.
We often rush
ourselves and try to get ahead of God and compare our own walk to others…
We can’t do
that.
I could go on
and on writing about this… but because I too am just a product of His grace in
my life, I’m just going to leave you with one verse. A portion of a letter from
a man whose life was radically changed by the presence of God and he spent the
rest of it travelling and telling people of God’s grace and love… and even suffered prison because of his
devotion to Jesus.
His name was
Paul… here are some words he wrote to the church in Philippi .
“Every time I
think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for
all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News
about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will
continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus
returns.”
Philippians
1:3-6
Don’t lose
heart because you are unfinished…
Be excited for
how God is growing your roots down deep! J
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Resist and stay Planted... Day 27 of 40
Psalm 92:12-13
The righteous
shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow
like a cedar in Lebanon .
Those who are
planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish
in the courts of our God.
Psalm 68:5-6
A father of the
fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His
holy habitation.
God sets the
solitary in families;
He brings out
those who are bound into prosperity;
But the
rebellious dwell in a dry land.
I’m gonna keep
this short and sweet.
Days #26 &
#27 in The Purpose Driven Life are all about temptation.
How to grow
through it, and how to overcome it.
Here’s how it
works.
The bible says:
casting all
your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that
the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
1 Peter 5:7-9
#1: whenever
you’re tempted, you need to shift your focus.
God cares about
you… He LOVES you! (I’ll say it again) HE LOVES YOU!
Because He
loves you, you can trust Him.
Whatever is
wearing you down, whatever is tempting you, or even whatever is making you
worry… just stop for a second and shift your focus back to Him.
You will find
it’s impossible to be so concerned about things when you are surrounded by His
presence.
#2: As much as
God loves you… so the devil matches Him for hatred.
Its true, he
hates you. But you don’t have to worry about it.
God says to “be
vigilant”!
That doesn’t
mean you go looking for the next “warfare” the enemy is waiting to spring on
you.
Don’t give him
so much credit!
He hates you…
but that’s because you are made in God’s image AND Satan knows that – thru the
blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit inside of you – you have the POWER to
defeat him!
#3: “Resist him
steadfast in the faith”
It’s extremely
hard to resist someone who you constantly give in to.
So in order to
resist Satan, you must make sure you’re covered.
You must be
covered in the blood of Jesus… filled with His Holy Spirit… and planted in a
place that He chooses.
This last point
brings me back to the 2 verses I started out with. (if you skipped over these
entirely, please go back and read them. Even if you read them, please go back
and review. Highly important. J )
Being planted
in your local church is the key.
It’s much
easier to resist temptation when you have good God-appointed leaders over you
to help steer you straight when the enemy swoops in like a roaring lion… it is
this God-given authority that may save your life someday if you just stay
planted in God’s house.
You don’t choose
your church… God chooses your church.
He placed you
there for a reason… He set you in that church family because there was a YOU-shaped
hole waiting to be filled. Anytime you feel like you should maybe leave, or
even get frustrated with your family (and we all know families quarrel from
time to time) and want to run away – just remember. There’s an enemy out there
who hates you. And he would give anything to see you uprooted and die in some
hot, dry place because you got out from under your authority.
Bloom where He
planted you.
Stay planted…
and you WILL flourish in the house of God!
Happy Sunday! J
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Next Generation Love... :)
Next Generation
Love
One of the
coolest things in my life is that I get to be “Auntie Chelle” to four little
bits of the next generation God is raising up to do great things in His name.
Let me brag on
my favourite kids tonight (I’ve just been babysitting 2 of them, so I have my
head/heart full of their love and kisses right now.)…
This is Carter
James.
He was my very
first nephew and someday when he’s old enough to understand I have a story for
him about how when he was born “Auntie Chelle” held him in her arms and
realized that she needed to do everything she could to be like Jesus… so he
could know Jesus better by knowing her.
Yes, he doesn’t
know it, but his birth set off a firecracker chain of events that ultimately
brought me back to serving God… I may have looked like I was doing good, but I
was pro at faking it. Thankful for God’s grace and the reality check Carter
James shook into my world. J
Carter-Bear is
almost 3, he loves letters, numbers and learning about EVERYTHING!
This is Larissa
Claire… the first answer to this Auntie’s prayer for a little niece.
All my life
I’ve wanted a niece (or at least from the time I realized that siblings could
grow up and get married and have nieces and nephews for me…)
And what a best
first niece she’s been!
The summer she
was born I was learning a lot about God’s plan for people’s lives and how he
has purposed our days even before we lived any of them.
In praying for
this little princess, I didn’t realize how much it had been needed…
The day she was
born, I was called in to be designated babysitter to big-brother Carter (then
14 months old) and waited anxiously to hear the news.
Little did we
know what a rough start to life the Princess would have…
She was born
with her cord wrapped around her neck 7 TIMES!
Miracle child…
she came out white and (amazingly) SCREAMING!
The doctors
said she was “feisty”… and she holds true to that title to this day. J
(just ask her
mother)
Boo (my
nick-name for her cuz she talks so cute like the kid on “Monsters INC.”) loves
music, shoes, necklaces (any and every accessory), and getting her nails
painted by Auntie Chelle. J
This is Joseph
Wesley – or “Baby Wes”…
Wesley has a
special place in my heart since his mother is one of the biggest heroes of my
life – my sister. Veronica.
Wesley and I
share a birth month – May babies are always the best. J
The year he was
born, my little brother Danny was very sick in the hospital.
This was the
year I learned to trust God in the hard times… to fully worship Him no matter
what the circumstance.
I think of Wes
as a special gift to our family for trusting God during this time.
He’s the
funniest little guy. Such personality!
Not only that!
He lives in Shanghai , China !
Yeah… pretty
sure he’s got a “Made in China ”
tag stuck on him somewhere. J
Wesley LOVES
music and singing worship songs with his mommy. He has even been caught
crawling over to his mommy’s music corner and simultaneously hitting her
bongo-drum while plucking guitar strings… such a natural. J
Even though I
don’t see him much, we have fun singing “Skinamarinky-dinky-dink” over skype. J
And last (so
far)… we have the beautiful Katrina Charis.
How proud I was
to receive a 2nd niece!
Most of what
God has taught me thru this tiny princess is recorded HERE…
And even though
she lives a 3-hour plane ride away, she will always have her Auntie’s heart in
a way I can’t describe.
Her parents are
two of my best friends. I can’t imagine life without any of them and am SO
thankful to God for bringing us all through that long hospital stay last week!
Baby Trina…
Auntie Chelle is always here for you and is so excited to see the amazing
things God has for your life!
Baby Trina has
captivating dark eyes… (she turned them into puppy mode and melted my heart a
couple times already)
She too had a
rough start, but through all of our prayers is (finally!) home with mommy &
daddy and doing very well!
All her nurses
said “She’s a feisty one!”… so I guess that’s a term that’s gonna stick on this
next generation of feisty Eby girls. J
Auntie Chelle
couldn’t be more proud…
These kids fill
my heart like I can’t explain.
The other night
a friend asked me what it was like to be an Aunt…
Here is what I
told her:
Being auntie is crazy… think of how much
you love your sister. Then duplicate that love and attach it to a vulnerable
tiny version of her… one who loves you and looks up to you beyond anything you
can imagine!
All that to
say… I love being Auntie to these 4.
Excited to see
what crazy adventures God has in store for them.
I believe they
will change the world!
This next
generation is not to be taken lightly. J
Psalm 78:4-8
We will not
hide these truths from our children;
we will tell
the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD,
about his power
and his mighty wonders.
For he issued
his laws to Jacob;
he gave his
instructions to Israel .
He commanded
our ancestors
to teach them
to their children,
so the next
generation might know them—
even the
children not yet born—
and they in
turn will teach their own children.
So each
generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting
his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
Acts 2:17-18
Acts 2:17-18
‘In the last
days,’ God says,‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and
daughters will prophesy.
Your young men
will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I
will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will
prophesy.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Pressured into something beautiful... Day 25 of 40
Day 25 of 40
“God has a
purpose behind every problem.
He uses
circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on
circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible.
The reason is
obvious: You face circumstances 24-HOURS a DAY!”
(direct excerpt from The Purpose Driven Life – Day 25 – Transformed by Trouble)
(direct excerpt from The Purpose Driven Life – Day 25 – Transformed by Trouble)
12 Dear
friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if
something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these
trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have
the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
1 Peter 4:12-13
Here’s a point
to ponder as you drift off to sleep tonight…
What are a few
of the most valuable things in the world?
And yes, we’re
talking materialistic.
Things of the
highest value… things that will last and get passed down to generations.
Your latest
apple technology won’t last long enough to pass on to your grandchildren (and,
I’m sorry, neither will Blackberry).
What about
diamonds? Silver? Gold?
All beautiful.
All very long-lasting substances.
How are they
made?
Are they
instantaneous?
Not a chance!!
Diamonds alone
take years before they surface to the earth’s atmosphere!
In fact, there
are kinds of diamonds that will dissolve entirely if they are released into the
atmosphere too soon.
They take
literally YEARS – whether naturally fashioned, or man-made – before they become
the glittering frame of gorgeous displayed in a ring or necklace.
The diamond
goes through a lot of heat, pressure, chiselling, and polishing before it is
fit to be used in any beautiful way.
It’s the same
with our lives.
Nothing worth
having comes easy.
We live in a
society of greed, selfishness, and a media that tells us everyday that it’s all
about having what you want right NOW!
The fast-food
generation.
Let me ask you…
if we base so much on NOW, how will we ever get to the finish line looking like
a finely fashioned diamond?
It’s the trials
that fashion our lives.
The mundane
daily grind that we live in called: LIFE.
Whether you
work full-time in the white-collar district or part-time at McDonald’s, I’m
sure you know what I mean.
It’s tough out
there!
But it’s these trials
that shape us.
God never said
we’d have it easy, being Christians (and I’m sorry if anyone ever told you that
being a Christian makes life easier… it doesn’t. But Jesus is SO worth it!) He
only said we’d never go through anything He hasn’t already paved the way thru
for us!
He actually
PROMISED we’d have trouble!
John 16:33
I have told you
all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many
trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Take heart.
No matter what
troubles or sorrows you’re going thru right now, its worth it.
HE is worth it!
Just as it
takes years for a diamond to be shaped and fashioned and chiselled into a
beautiful thing…
So it is with
your life.
Trust that He
knows what He’s doing.
And know that
no matter what you’re going thru… He has already been there, He knows what’s
going to happen, and He has overcome.
He will build
your character thru trials, if you let Him.
And you will
come out of this high-pressured, heat-filled environment as the beautiful
diamond that He has always destined you
to be.
“But he knows
where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as
pure as gold.”
Job 23:10
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