soul surfer

Three years ago today, a thirteen year-old girl paddled into the pristine waters off Kauai, Hawaii for an early morning surf session. Minutes later, the unthinkable happened - a shark attack. The past three years have been an incredible story of triumph through tragedy for young Bethany Hamilton. Few stories have touched my heart quite like hers.

Here are some excerpts from Bethany's autobiography, Soul Surfer:

“My plans to be a professional surfer got hit pretty hard on that Halloween morning. It was my own personal tornado. In the days, weeks, and months that followed I had a lot of cleaning up to do. Often, it was scary or trying. And I won’t lie to you: in some ways it still is.

“But for me, knowing that God loves me and that He has a plan for my life that no shark can take away is like having solid rock underneath me. Look, lots of bad stuff happens to people. That’s life. And here’s my advice: don’t put all your hope and faith into something that could suddenly and easily disappear. And honestly, that’s almost anything. The only thing that will never go away, that will never fail you, is your faith in God.

“I don’t pretend to have all the answers to why bad things happen to good people. But I do know that God knows all those answers, and sometimes He lets you know in this life, and sometimes He asks you to wait so that you can have a face-to-face talk about it. What I do know is that I want to use what happened to me as an opportunity to tell people that God is worthy of our trust, and to show them that you can go on and do wonderful things in spite of terrible events that happen. I don’t think it does any good to sit around feeling sorry for yourself.

“What does God have in store for me? I really don’t know, but I do know one thing for sure: the adventure has only started."

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

akeelah

"The Best Family Film Ever!"
"Absolutely Irresistible!"
"A Jewel!"
"Two Thumbs Way Up!"

That's what critics had to say about "Akeelah and the Bee" - a wonderful movie I watched on DVD this week with my fourteen year-old daughter. "Akeelah and the Bee" is the story of an eleven year-old girl living in South Central Los Angeles who dreams of winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Early in the movie, Akeelah reads a framed quote in the office of the UCLA professor who is coaching her for the spelling bee. Here's the quote -


Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, talented, fabulous?”

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us, it’s in ALL of us.

As we let our light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

wild ride

As a sixth grade teacher, one of the first books I read aloud to my students is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. With each new reading comes a fresh insight into the heart of God. This year, Aslan’s post-resurrection romp through Narnia really stirred my heart. Here are some choice selections -

Aslan (to Susan and Lucy): “'We have a long journey to go. You must ride on me.' And he crouched down and the children climbed onto his warm, golden back.... And with a great heave he rose underneath them and then shot off, faster than any horse could go, down hill and into the thick of the forest.”

“That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia. ...this is a mount that doesn’t need to be guided and never grows tired. He rushes on and on, never missing his footing, threading his way with perfect skill.... And you are riding not on a road nor in a park, nor even on the downs, but right across Narnia, in spring....”

What a great description of the wild, off-road, springtime ride I’ve been on these past two years. My journey has been unpredictable, unorthodox, and utterly liberating - a time of new beginnings like no other. As I wrap myself in the warm, golden folds of His loving heart, there is peace and exhilaration in abundance.

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy’s affection!

love prophecy

Twenty years ago when I was a young, unmarried twentysomething, a precious young lady gave me a single sheet of paper filled with words straight from the Father's heart. At the time, it was a challenge to receive the full impact of those words into my heart because my relationship with Father was very much based on performance - specifically, my ability to keep rules and follow principles. Even though I fancied myself quite spiritual (full of God's life), in reality I was quite religious (full of my own efforts).

Thanks to the Father's abundant mercy and grace, the words of this prophecy resonate far more powerfully today than they did twenty years ago. Although the prophecy was given directly to me, I believe it is a beautiful expression of the Father's heart for each and every one of us -


LOVE PROPHECY TO LINDSAY

My Delightful Son Lindsay,

I watched you last night while you slept - My heart was so overwhelmed with Love for you! I thought about you all night, excited to see you wake, and think of me. All day I have watched, and smiled, because you Lindsay, are such a joy to me! I have so much for you - I am constantly planning and bringing to pass things to bless your heart, and lift up your soul.

I want to remind you of my Love today - Love that you can accept and be confident in. Don't ever count yourself as not being worthy of my love - You are worthy, simply because you are my child. I proved my love, when I sent my son...Had I not loved you as deeply as I do, I could not have stood back and watched Him die - but when you Lindsay, understood and accepted what I had given, it was worth it all...and my heart was full of joy in knowing that my lost son had come home.

For I chose you, Lindsay! You can come to me with your daily hurts, frustrations, and joys - knowing that my hand of love will be upon you, doing what is best...I will be right beside you, when you feel as if your heart might break - when you're overwhelmed with yourself and the world - and I'll lead to the rock that is higher than you are - Which is me! I'm solid and strong, yet gentle and tender. In me you can find your strength.

I have made you new, Lindsay! I have ingrafted you in Jesus, and in Him you are new and fresh. Totally. Completely. I have drawn you to myself and invested in you the preciousness of my dear son...All that is His, is Yours - which is everything! So remember today Lindsay, that the old you has passed away. Do not carry the weight of it around. Be as a butterfly, just out of the cocoon - free and joyful in the new creature he's become.

Find your security in my Love Lindsay. Let your roots grow deeper each day. Press into the breadth, length, height and depth of it. For my love has no limits. I want you to experience it to the fullest. Be wholly filled and flooded with me! I have great plans for you, far beyond what you could ever imagine. I am at work within you each day, and am able to carry out my plans - All you need to do, is let me!

So today Lindsay, rest secure in my love. Seek me, for I have so very much for you, my dear son. And at the end of the day, fall asleep in my arms...Knowing that my eyes are on you, and I'm smiling!

Received February 6, 1986


- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

daddy's love

Excerpt from an email to a friend this week -

It seems that so much of this walk with Father is about moving from the concept of His love in our heads to the reality of His love in our hearts. Several years ago, I prayed, "Father, show me your heart. Let me feel what's in your heart." He continues to answer that prayer on a daily basis. Many times He uses the simplest things to communicate His love - the song of a bird, a smile, a butterfly, a cool breeze, kindness from a stranger, an email from a friend or just a simple impression in my mind that I am loved with a love that cannot be quenched.

In all of these things, Father shows me that He loves me simply for who I am - the person He's created me to be - not for what I can do for Him or others. He doesn't love like the world loves. He simply delights in who we are - nothing more, nothing less. Nothing we do can make Him love us more. And nothing we do can make Him love us less. We are loved simply because we are His!

His love is tender and gentle, passionate and relentless. His love frees us from the expectations of ourselves and others. His love frees us from all our fears, whether it be fear of the future, fear of failure, or fear of rejection. His love frees us to walk free, living true to the dreams and desires He's put in our hearts, regardless of what others might think or say. His love is unfailing, always there for us.

So...in the quietness of your heart, just say, "Daddy, show me this incredible love you have for me. I want to feel the intensity of your love for me. I want to live in the reality of your affectionate love." He is faithful, and He longs to answer that prayer far more than you could ever imagine.

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

knowing him

"When I get in a situation now that creates anxiety in my heart, here's what I know - there's something about Father I don't know, that if I knew it, I wouldn't be anxious here. That takes me right to my prayer life - 'Father, what is it about You I don't know, that if I knew it, I wouldn't be anxious here?'"

- Wayne Jacobsen, Transition: Moving From Religious Thinking to Relational Living, Disc 6: "How God Changes Us"

Click the link above to listen to or download the Transition series - highly recommended!

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

the guardian

Last night, I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest with my fifteen year-old son. One of the coming attractions was The Guardian, a movie about a student and instructor at the Coast Guard "A" School (search and rescue training). Towards the end of the trailer, these words appeared on the screen:

“Your darkest hour can be your finest moment”

Those words really struck a chord in my heart as I thought about events in my life over the past twelve months. In the midst of some very dark hours, Father showed me a level of gentleness, comfort, and compassion that I had never experienced before. It's been a life-changing revelation - a further demonstration of the Father's loving heart.

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

each day

More gems from So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen:

"The greatest freedom God can give you is to trust his ability to take care of you each day."

"Our worst moments result from grabbing for ourselves that which Father has not given us."

Click the following link to read the book online, download it, or order a copy - So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

trust

"Ultimately, trust is the fruit of a growing love relationship. You trust somebody to the degree that you know they love you...."

- Wayne Jacobsen, Transition: Moving From Religious Thinking to Relational Living, Disc 6: "How God Changes Us"

Click the link above to listen to or download the Transition series - highly recommended!

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

trust me

"Trust Me" - this has been my Daddy's constant invitation over the past 12 months in the midst of a failed marriage, strained relationships, and dwindling finances. When anxious thoughts arise, Father gently reminds me of His unfailing love and unlimited resources, and then invites me to trust anew. Through it all, I've seen this dynamic at work: the Holy Spirit makes the Father's love REAL (I can actually feel it), and as I experience greater and greater depths of this very real and personal love, it becomes easier and easier to trust Him with every aspect of my life. His love truly changes everything!

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

mighty breakers

More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The LORD on high is mighty. (Psalm 93:4)

Few things in nature express the power and majesty of God quite like the big waves that break off the north shore of Maui. Riding Giants (2004), a documentary on the history of big wave surfing, beautifully captures these waves and the men who ride them. Laird Hamilton, one of the film's main characters and the greatest big wave surfer of his generation, offers this perspective on the 60-foot waves of Maui - "How can you look at something like that and not believe in something more powerful than us?" (Men's Journal, April 2006)

Good question, Laird.

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

surfing at Huntington Beach Pier

relax

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

- The words of Jesus in Matthew 6:30-34, The Message

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

indescribable

"When we see Christ as All in All then it will be impossible for us to ever again be reduced to the small, the trivial, the petty things which occupy us and waste so much of our time. Our only hope is seeing a Christ that fills us, a Christ that is greater than us, a Christ that is larger than we can fathom, an indescribable Christ that overshadows, overwhelms, and consumes us through and through!"

- Chip Brogden

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

trusting

Conversation between John and Jake, two main characters in So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen -

John: "Our biggest messes come when we try to do something for God that we're convinced he can't do for himself."

Jake: "Then what do I do, just sit around and wait for God?"

John: "Who said anything about sitting around? Learning to live by trusting Father is the most difficult part of this journey. So much of what we do is driven by our anxiety that God is not working on our behalf, that we have no idea of the actions that trust produces. Trusting doesn't make you a couch potato. As you follow him, Jake, you'll find yourself doing more than you've ever done, but it won't be the frantic activity of a desperate person, it will be the simple obedience of a loved child. That's all Father desires."

Click the following link to read the book online, download it, or order a copy - So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

coming home

"In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), there are two sons: the younger son, who runs away from home to an alien country, and the older son, who stays home to do his duty. The younger son dissipates himself with alcohol and sex; the older son alienates himself by working hard and dutifully fulfilling all his obligations. Both are lost. Their father grieves over both, because with neither of them does he experience the intimacy he desires.

"Both lust and cold obedience can prevent us from being true children of God. Whether we are like the younger son or the older son, we have to come home to the place where we can rest in the embrace of God's unconditional love."

- Henri Nouwen

Live free! Live in Daddy's affection!

relentless pursuit

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired
His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28)

For many years in my relationship with Father, the majority of my focus was on my pursuit of Him. One of the most influential books in my early days was The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. I was driven by the desire to be closer to God. Much energy was expended in religious activity designed to realize my goal. I prided myself in the level of effort I was willing to put forth to apprehend Him, but over time I became weary and tired.

Recently, I have come to realize how relentlessly and tirelessly the Father pursues us. Wherever we might be on our journey, He is in full pursuit of our hearts - ever longing to reveal greater depths of His love, ever desiring to bring us into sweeter and sweeter intimacy with Him. I am so glad that the depth of my relationship with Father does not depend upon my efforts, but on His. Isaiah 26:12 rings loud and clear - "LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us."

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Father's love!

in christ alone

This song beautifully conveys the fullness of who Jesus has been for me over the past twelve months -

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

- Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Live free! Live in Father's love!

extravagant love

This is the heart of the Father - extravagant love. Love that is lavish, boundless, limitless. Love as a mighty, rushing river and a gently flowing stream. Love that energizes and exhilarates. Love that liberates and empowers. The Father delights to lavish His extravagant love on us!

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Father's love!

revolution

Last week in Los Angeles, I came across an interesting marquee on Hollywood Boulevard, just across from the famed Grauman's Chinese Theater. As I read the message, I couldn't help but think of the revolution the Holy Spirit is bringing on the earth - a revolution birthed in the Father's heart - a revolution of love. What are the foundational precepts of this revolution?

1. Our love for God and others originates in the Father's loving heart for us! (1 John 4:19)

2. As we embrace the Father's loving heart for us, we are empowered to love as He loves! (Luke 10:27)

3. As we love with the Father's love, our world WILL be changed! (1 Corinthians 13:8)

- Lindsay

Live free! Live in Father's love!