oceans

There is a popular Christian song out right now called Oceans.  I admit to being a little old school with worship music.  I LOVE songs by Keith Green and to listen to the old time Hymns, but the song Oceans has spoken to me a lot over the past year.  Here are some of the lyrics:

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

This year my life took an odd turn.  You may have noticed that my blogs turned from trainer/wellness stuff to Isaiah Challenge/act like a disciple stuff.  Last January instead of the normal client increase I see at the beginning of a New Year I lost six of my long time clients all at once.  Then in June I was told my services were not longer needed at the gym I was training at!  (No further explanation given).  I FERVENTLY began to ask God to bring me more clients and show me what to do with my “Wellness-Ministry”. . .Did you know that we can pray AMISS when we ask God to bless our plans instead of seeking for His?

James 4:3- 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Well, instead of God opening up more training opportunities He began to open up opportunities to share about the Isaiah Challenge.  (See that blog if your lost).  He also began to lead me to Downtown Amarillo.  I began to ask the Spirit to show me how to pray for God’s desires to be made known.

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

My husband and I both began to hear the same thing.  Training was closing and ministry to those that Matthew 25 calls the “least of these” was opening.  Instead of walking into a gym (my comfort zone) God began to lead me into my “OCEANS”.  (The place my feet thought they could never wander).  He began to change my selfish nature (IN PROCESS!) and put a compassion in me for what I saw in Downtown Amarillo Texas.  At the end of this year I was asked to teach Self-Worth classes at the United Way 2-1-1 day shelter to the homeless and those in dire poverty.  If you read my blog (Challenged to blast my comfort zone) then you know in September I was afraid to even park near a homeless man! (Sprit lead me where my trust is without borders).  I accepted the offer IF I COULD TEACH FROM SCRIPTURE.  This “secular” institution gave me permission to teach as I saw fit. . .and to bring in more studies and classes as I felt led.  (Let me walk upon the water, wherever You would call me)  They have also allowed me to bring in other Christian ministers to offer Biblically Based Addiction Programs!

In this experience God has given me so great a love for the people I have met that one of them has become “adopted” into our family.  He has been more of a blessing to us than we could ever be to him.  (and My faith has been made stronger in the presence of my Savior).

I prayed for more clients.  God gave me more family.  I prayed for opportunities to teach the middle class about health.  God gave me a chance to feed the hungry.  I asked God for a better gym to work at.  God gave me an homeless man to call “brother”. 

And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep

Below is a clip of me sharing this journey at WTAMU Wesley.  If you are struggling to step into deeper oceans perhaps God will use it to speak to you and give you courage to leave the boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaRgpixzYWI