This is the last part of Brenda’s story and it is so beautiful. Allowing the Lord to have His way in us, to do any work in us He chooses is a costly path. It requires laying many things, good things, on the altar unto Him – allowing Him to do as He wishes with our offering. But it is also the way of truly seeing, experiencing, knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is Eternal Life.

Costly? Yes!

Immensely worth it? Yes! Yes! Yes!

It looked like things were going from bad to worse in Brenda’s circumstances, so what was the Lord doing? How could this path of so much suffering and sorrow be accomplishing His work?

Yet, His faithfulness was constant and His love was expressed in so many ways. As I listened to this part of Brenda’s story I was reminded once again of the beauty of the Lord’s Life expressed through His body.

Have you ever been convinced that if the Lord would just work this one particular thing out everything else would be better, too? Have you ever pleaded and pleaded with him to fix your circumstances the way you want them fixed? Have you experienced the Lord’s delay in responding to your requests? Well, so has Brenda, but what she discovered was that His delay was very purposeful and that He was after so much more than she realized. Here’s to our Lords great grace and wisdom and love!

Brenda and her family left Oklahoma to follow the Lord into an organic expression of His life all the way in Florida, and hoped that her struggles and issues would stay behind. Everything is supposed to be wonderful and fixed in “organic church life”, right?

Having personally witnessed this part of Brenda’s story, I can say that it was a miracle to behold and a constant reminder that Jesus Christ is so very worth it. I’m sure you’ll be encouraged as well.

Brenda’s Story Pt. 1

Brenda’s Story Pt. 2

From a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, Brenda’s story continues with the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord in all circumstances.

Do you struggle with fear and shame? Do you have a hard time believing that the Lord could love you? Brenda did once too, but the Lord’s relentless pursuit of her would not fail. He once again drew her unto Himself and, like always, everything began to change.

Brenda and I became fast friends in 2007 in small town Oklahoma. She is part of the family that left the institutional church with us and followed the Lord into an organic expression of Himself with us (before us =)).

Over the past 10 years I have watched Brenda choose the Lord again and again and again. In the really good times and the really hard times. I have seen the miraculous transforming power of Jesus Christ in Brenda’s life and am so very honored to call her sister and friend. I can’t tell you how grateful I am she was willing to share her story here.

 

I’m finally sharing with y’all the part of my story that has to do with our three and a half years in an organic expression of the Lord. But, honestly, you might be disappointed. This part of my story has been the hardest for me to tell because how do you describe spiritual things with earthly words? I could tell you what it looked like in the natural, but the miracle was what was happening in the spiritual. I’ve done my best, though.

I also share three specific questions I had to wrestle with that brought a lot of freedom once I yielded.

Oh, for the increase of Christ!

Thanks for listening!

So, we’d left the traditional church system for good. What in the world were we going to do now?

Our next season definitely wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but the lessons I learned during it were absolutely necessary. And now, I would’t trade it for the world.

Here’s to the wilderness.

To listen to Part 1 of my story go here.

To listen to Part 2 of my story go here.

In last week’s podcast, I ended where we had started asking some questions, but we weren’t really sure we wanted to know the answers, yet. We weren’t sure we wanted to mess up what we had going on, and these questions seemed like the kind of questions whose answers definitely messed things up.

But then one night I had a bad dream, and the next morning our life started down an entirely different path.

 

In last week’s video, I said I would be posting these on Sundays. Well, that’s still the plan, I just had a very full weekend and wasn’t up for the task last night when we got home.

After some prayer and consideration, I decided to use the Tent & Altar podcast as an opportunity to tell the stories of some saints who are living a life of the Tent & Altar.

If you’re still not sure what I even mean by Tent & Altar you can listen to the first podcast here, where I explain why I chose this name.

My hope is that through the stories of those who are laying on the altar whatever the Lord asks of them, and keeping themselves unattached from this world for His use, you will be encouraged and see that what we get in return is so much more valuable than anything we stand to lose.

So, here’s part 1 of my own story. I hope you enjoy.