by Amber Payne, Campus Pastor
(An excerpt from my devotional blog site.)

Written June 3rd, 2007

Well, I have gotten to the stage of packing where I forget and pack things we still need out! Where is that….Laddel, Book, Blanket, pair of pants… O’yeah, I packed it!

Of course along the way I am definitely finding all things lost! Thank God I found that necklace…or recently, “Oh that’s where that skirt, that I have been looking for forever, is!” What can I say, in the process of moving you find things!

Lately, as the time crunch sinks in, I find more and more frustration, aggravation, and the sinking suspicion that may faith is running low. (I know hard to believe this model of perfection could have any doubt.) Day to day I feel like my faith is playing a game of “Hide and Seek” with me. Perhaps I packed my Faith away yesterday!

My children are beginning to react to the pressure. Alex cries..alot. Tonight he said he wanted “new parents” that would “do whatever” he wants! LOL. He has been testy and disobedient lately. I was at my wits end until in my Morning Prayer session when Father God reminded me of how I reacted as child when moving constantly for my Dad’s ministry. (OUCH!)

He reminded me Alex needed to let out his emotions and grieve in some way. I have a choice, allow him to vent or punish him until he learns to let it build up quietly on the inside. So…in other words God pointed out that I should approach him with compassion and understanding. (Better to vent now than allow bitterness to grow!)

Who better than I to understand the sense of loss and uncertainty a child of a Pastor can feel when they move, yet again! Who knew my childhood, once again, would provide valuable insight. (Well, all of you who read my devotionals knew!)

Alex isn’t the only one that can be testy when stressed. (who me? haha!) Where do you think he got it from?

The Spirit led me that morning to Psalm 48. I read it thinking it was a lovely look at worship…thinking He led me there to uplift me…bring joy through a spirit of worship, calm my soul. He did, but in an unexpected way. Really, He was waiting- through a list of precursor verses in chapter 48, until the last scripture to make His point. Ha Ha! I love how He calms you then hits you with a reminder and throws a light on your doubt.

It was the very last verse that He brought me to this passage for - a reminder in times when things in my life are being Lost and Found…

“For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be OUR GUIDE even unto the end.”

What I love is that this week I “found” once more that He provides a renewed measure of faith, a tap on the shoulder to say I am still here, and my daughter don’t you forget it!…This God is MY God, He is My guide, and He stays with me to the End.

You can’t imagine the comfort and life the word of God can be to you in trouble times. My dear friends…forsake not the word of God. It is LIFE!
 

Posted under Devotion

By Amber Payne, Campus Pastor

My Sisters- I found this piece I wrote just before God brought CLC into our lives.  I thought you might enjoy the encouragement of knowing truly God works all things for good to those who love Him!
 

Well my friends- we are in fact moving. What a crazy, fun, scary, exciting, amazing turn my life is taking right now. To where we do not know yet but I have a feeling it’s going to be an exceptional move. I really believe God is placing us in a position to use everything we have learned in the past 10 years of ministry and all of our talents in one dynamic ministry opportunity.

I trust God.  Why wouldn’t I? He brought me through so much this year. Post-Partum Depression (after 16 months-16 long, dark months) is gone! I trusted God had a reason for this usually eternal optimist to go through this. I know there is always purpose behind every valley and mountain we face.   I can honestly say I worshiped my way through it.

With renewed joy, God has given us such peace about our future. My heart loves all those who we leave behind here but they also know that  “all things work together for the good of those who love our Lord.”

One great thing about moving is that when you’re packing you find stuff you didn’t know you had. I just found some new writings of my mother’s we never knew or forgot we had. Dad gave me a box of mom’s knick knacks and low and behold, there was a lovely sermon she wrote. I also found a hair brush I had been missing (less important- but also appreciated!) Anyway, Mom’s writings about faith have so inspired me!

Isn’t that just like God to feed your hungry, desperate soul! Isaiah 55:12 says, “For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace!”

Knowing God is an adventurous journey. One moment we are enjoying a grand scenic view and the very next minute we are clinging for life to a thin rope! We all go through a series of battles where we think we are going to win, only to find ourselves wounded. So often we allow hurt, anger, and even defeat to seep into our spirit, spreading the infection of our wounding.

Understand that often God allows us to be wounded so He may prove His healing power to us. His desire is for us to fully learn to rely upon Him. He wants to remind us of His stripes, His wounds, so that in our suffering we might see ahead to His resurrection and our victory.

When we begin to look at the “God angle” or the “God perspective” of our situations, we can then turn from sorrow and anxious living in expectation and growth, trusting always that He sees our big picture! How lovely it is when we allow him total artistic rights!

I took new pictures this week in a beautiful forest (my friend Sharron’s back yard). Walking through the fallen braches and leaves, (and oops, stumbling on a few rocks), I finally got to a lovely tree swing. What a wonderful surprise it was in the middle of lush green trees! Who would have known such a place existed? Well Sharron did for one, and also, God- the one who sees all that is ahead.

How awesome that in our lives, even when we walk blinded through a forest stumbling on rocky times and tripping up on the fallen branches of our misplaced hopes, still God who sees all that is ahead- has a surprising place of rest and beauty for us.

So “Go out with Joy, and be led forth with peace. The hills shall break forth before you in singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Is. 55:12

Posted under Devotion

By Amber Payne
Romans 13:11-14 (The Message) But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! 

Consider this…

“Get up Alex. It’s time to get dressed for school. Come on, I let you sleep in and now we have to hurry.” I said while trying to pull my son out of bed. That’s no easy task when your child sleeps on the top bunk and is refusing to wake up and climb down the ladder. “Stand up and get your pants on Alex!” I urged in frustration.

“But mom I can’t stand up! My legs are sleepy!” he cried as he dramatically threw himself onto the ground in protest.  I, of course, fell apart laughing at how cute that statement was. Alex, on the other hand, did not find it funny. He was obviously exhausted - a side affect of a 5 year old kindergartener refusing to go to bed the night before. He had wanted just one more moment to play and now he was paying for it with a 6:45 am wake up call! How often do you have “sleepy legs”? That is, how often are you found paying a price after a long night of disobedience?

God, your father, stands in front of you, his sleeping child, trying to give you a spiritual wake up call but you have allowed the enemy of your soul to exhaust you with frivolous works of the flesh. Now, when the hour has come for you to get up and live out your witness, you are caught asleep in your faith. You are unable to move forward in your destiny in Christ because you have “sleepy legs”. Think about it… Paul likens our life in Christ to a race that we run and finish with the aspiration of having “kept the faith”. (2 Timothy 4:7, Philippians 3:14) 

In Hebrews 12:1, Paul instructs us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” To run a good race, to be effective in this journey for the kingdom of Christ, it’s time we start living in total obedience and stop being oblivious to God. (Romans 13:11- the Message) 

Wake up! Get Dressed in Christ and Shake off those Sleepy Legs! 

Pray this…
Father God, I am tired of allowing the things of this world to distract me from Your ways. Let me respond to Your wake up call! I know You desire me to live in obedience to You. Help me to be found faithful in You everyday! 

Read this…2 Timothy 4:7, Philippians 3:14, Hebrews 12:1-3

Posted under Devotion

Read Romans 16:1

As women we often feel that what we do is the thing that brings us significance. Our intentions to strive to be the best are sometimes filled with an inner desire to please others or to be noticed for something that matters. Many women have found joy in ministry because they feel respected in an area where they serve. There are so many women who push for position and pull for authority, that it dulls the presence of their gift and makes it hard for people to receive the very ministry they are trying to deliver.

Phoebe was a woman who ministered not out of a need to be noticed, but a need to see the kingdom advance and God’s name be glorified. Proverbs 18:16 says in the Amplified translation, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” Until we are able to truly serve God out of the abundance of who He is and without our need for recognition, we can never truly give the ministry we provide what it deserves. Phoebe was a blessing to God, and as a result, He made room for her gift and brought her before great men.
For many years women were oppressed from using their gifts in ministry. As a woman you may have had a painful experience in that area, but no one can minister effectively if it is rooted in pain. God sees you as a gift, a talent, and a treasure, and He has great plans for you in His Kingdom. Allow His healing touch to soothe away any pain of oppression and plug in to His purpose for your life with a new freedom.
Walk it out & Pray
Devote your talents to the Kingdom; begin to search your heart for your true motivation for ministry. As you serve in your area of ministry, see Jesus as the recipient of all that you do. When you focus your attention on serving Him, the need to be given credit melts away in the joy of knowing you are pleasing Christ. Bless someone anonymously with a card or a note of encouragement.  A small token of love in secret is where God can give the biggest reward!

Posted under Devotion

Read
Exodus 1: 15-20

A woman of destiny should always link herself with another woman of similar destiny. Godly relationships are one of the most effective tools in becoming who you want to be for the kingdom. Proverbs 27:17 (The Message) says, “You use steel to sharpen steel and one friend sharpens another friend”. Shiprah and Puah were women who decided not to let the next generation fall into the hands of the enemy. Each woman risked her life to defy the decree of the king, but knew that the Kingdom was at stake. Each woman has a destiny and a role to play in the advancement of God’s purposes on the earth. 

There are at least three benefits to linking arms with other women of destiny and purpose in your pursuit for God’s call for your life. One is the fact that common vision births great ideas. I have often marveled at times when I thought I had a great idea and felt that I had covered all of the bases. I would then submit the idea to a group of friends only to watch those friends add so much more to the idea- much more than I could have ever imagined alone. The second reason to partner with other woman is that you can truly get more accomplished.  Deuteronomy 32:30 (NIV) says, “One man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight”. You become more effective and accomplish more for the kingdom when you partner with other women who have similar purposes and goals. And finally, there is power in unity. Philippians 1:27 (The Message) says, “Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, …Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you - and both because of God.”  Unity of purpose pleases God and allows Him to move supernaturally in the situation.

I know that some of us as women have been hurt in relationships with other women both in and outside of the church. However, God is calling us to trust Him and move forward. Just ask God to heal the broken places left by past hurts and to allow you to trust Him to choose the women that you can serve with for His Kingdom purposes. I am sure that you will be blessed and fulfilled with partners in ministry to share the victories and joys of your assignments together.

Walk it out & Pray

Begin to evaluate the relationships in your life. Who has a similar purpose and inspires you to move forward? Pick out the dreamers in you sphere of influence that will open your mind and expand the vision in your area of ministry. And finally, connect yourself with an awesome prayer warrior. As women of God we all need a friend that can agree with us in prayer and help us to birth the purpose for our lives. If you do not know where to start in that journey, pray and ask God to reveal His plan for your life in this area.

Posted under Devotion

Ok…Ok….It might not be that serious, but I am all about the messages that were preached at each campus as a part of the Heroes series. The message at each campus was about Barnabas whom God used to train and encourage Paul to realize his full potential and therefore achieve all that he did for the body of Christ. This message truly connects with my heart because like Saul (Paul) before Christ, I had a name (reputation) that I was not very proud of and wanted so much to change. It was not until I received Christ and then became surrounded by people of God (Barnabas’) who could see potential in me and tell me who I was called to be, that the name (reputation) began to change. I was so happy when God connected me to Pastor Jerry and Chris who saw past the rough edges and saw a heart who wanted to serve Christ. It was so awesome to be challenged and to be allowed to make mistakes as I grew.

Hearing the message this weekend reminded me of the awesome job my husband and I had as youth pastors and seeing so many “Sauls” who just needed a little encouragement, guidance, and love to begin to steer them in the direction of their destiny.  I see so many of those kids now serving in ministry and starting families of their own. It also stirs me to realize that it does not stop with just youth and children, but we need to be constantly looking for the next Saul that God wants to link to our lives. Now ask yourself how many times have you seen someone with true potential but just needed a little polish? Do you offer the wisdom and love that God has given you through a Barnabas in your life or do you criticize them instead? Or how many times have you seen a group of young people and thought something negative about their behavior instead of gaining their trust through relationship and then access to their lives for direction? This weekend my husband said in his message that people are the only interest bearing account in heaven, and only what you have done for people will bring eternal reward. I can not think of a better investment than encouraging and helping someone to become all he was designed to be through love and support. So what about you?  Who will you encourage today? The body of Christ in some arenas has become such a bless me club that we forget about the joy of serving and blessing others. So many people in the body are so concerned about position that they forget to work themselves out of a job by training someone else! I pray that I can be a Barnabas in the lives of many others and that you will too.
1. Pray for God to point out the people in your life that you need to encourage and love.

2. Ask the Lord for wisdom with each person that you encourage so that they truly receive what God has in mind for them through your obedience.

3. Ask God for a Barnabas in your own life …we never arrive…so just keep growing!

Posted under Devotion

At a recent time of prayer early one Saturday morning my husband closed prayer with a New Years exhortation about resolutions vs. resurrection. The word resolution means; a firm decision to do something, and the word resurrection means; the revival of something old or long disused or bringing something that was dead to life. He talked about the fact that many of us make New Years resolutions and truly expect to begin to change things in our lives for the New Year. We decide to exercise or eat differently to loose weight, or we choose to place our credit cards in a block of ice to stop spending. I know many of us have signed up for all types of classes and bought resources to help us to study and get degrees or to become better students of Gods word. He challenged us not to make a resolution but decide to live a resurrected life in 2008! We were encouraged to allow attitudes and thought patterns that have held us back to die and for new ones to come to life through God’s word and His love for us. That was such a life changing day for me!

So often we begin the New Year with a bunch of outward changes that by March are forgotten and we soon fall back into our old state of being. If the desire in your heart is to loose weight, exercise class is not enough and diets are not the answer. The answers are in allowing God to shine the light of His word and His love on the area of your life on the inside that causes you to allow the habits that foster the weight gain. When those thought patterns or wounds of the past are identified, allow those places to die only to see God resurrect a new thought process in that area that brings life to your goal of loosing weight. Now I know that we all do not need the same changes to be made in our lives but we all need God to help us with the changes we desire. When we want change in our lives we can not depend on our strength and our will power alone, but when we submit our needs to Him and His process of resurrection of the life that comes with the price He paid for us, we can accomplish great things in HIM!

1. Pray and ask God to shine His light on the areas of your life that need resurrection.

2. Search the word of God for His promises concerning that area of your life and allow the word to bring new life to that area.

3. Write in your journal all of the answers that God gives you and the steps that He lays out for you….and then walk it out in faith!

Posted under Devotion

It is the holiday season and many of us are getting ready to write our annual Christmas letters or holiday greeting cards, and sign them at the end with Love or Sincerely Yours. This year I started evaluating the things that I say and determined in my heart that I would say what I meant and mean what I say in areas of ministry, relationships and especially to God!  Because of the weird way that I think, it caused me to reflect upon the things that I say and what others say to me. I began thinking about the whole Sincerely Yours at the end of a card or letter. The word sincerely in the dictionary means honestly and openly. So when we sign a letter with “Sincerely yours” we are saying we have been honest and open with the recipient of the letter in the correspondence. So of course I took that a step further and looked up the words honest and open and it gets even better. Honest means to be morally upright and open means not closed or locked, allowing people or things to pass through freely…. WOW!

I realized that the Lord was speaking to me and I hope it speaks to your heart as well. I want more than anything to be able to sign the letter of my life “Sincerely Yours”…. meaning HIS! I want to be honest (morally upright) and open (not closed or locked, allowing people and Him to pass through freely). It is so easy for us to slip into a stagnant area in our Christian walk where we are not being open to others or to what God would want to do in us. We also may find ourselves in a season where we are not being honest with ourselves and with God about who we are and the areas in our lives that we desire so much to change, but are too afraid of the process that will bring that change. Deciding to be “Sincerely His” means that we will need to really evaluate who and where we are in our walk as women of God and measure that against who He has called us to be. Now don’t get me wrong, you cannot do it all in one day. But the letter of your life is nowhere near over. So start each day with a goal of closing that day with Sincerely Yours (His)!

The holiday season is always such a great time to remember Christ and what He has done for us.  It is also the end of one year with the dawn of a new year just around the corner. I pray that this next year will be full of opportunities for you to be “Sincerely His” in your times of worship, devotion, and service to Him and fellowship with others.

Walk it out & pray about it: this section is designed for you to take the necessary steps to live the words of this devotion in your daily life.

1. Take a look at your times of devotion, worship, prayer, service and fellowship…are you being sincere (honest and open) to God and others?
2. Pray about the purpose of God in your life and determine ways to sincerely pursue His plans for you.
3. Begin each day with the desire to write a Sincerely Yours at the close of the letter of your day for Him!

Posted under Devotion

I had a dream one night that was very weird for me because I had been a leader in church for over 10 years at the time. God often speaks to me in dreams…not because I am deep, but because I am often too busy to sit down and listen when I am awake! I dreamed that I was holding a pharmacist tray (the type that holds pills) full of jellybeans (jelly bellies …I love them). I had begun to pass the jelly beans out as I saw fit, knowing they were medicine, to certain people that I chose. Then someone hit the bottom of the pharmacist pan and my precious jelly beans flew in the air and I felt panic come over me. I realized that I always intended on giving the jelly beans to others, but it was to who I wanted and when I wanted.

Now I know that may seem like a weird dream to you. I asked God …What does this mean? As a leader I was always giving, like the jelly beans on the tray, passing out my gifts, talents, time and finances. When God allowed the individual to hit the bottom of my tray, it was to rock my safe giving world and turn it upside down. God wanted to know if I would stop divvying the gifts he had given me out one by one and let them fly so that those I did not know could have the sweet medicine also. He wanted to know if I would give so freely that I would not be in control, but allow Him to pour me out to a hurting world and trust Him to guard the gifts. As a leader I was so shocked. I thought I was doing more than enough; however, it was not what I was doing, but how I was doing it. I was playing it safe and never letting my heart fully give. Oh don’t get me wrong… I would freely give in the areas I felt safe, or things I was good at. I would also freely give in circles that I felt supported and comfortable, because Lord knows I did not want to get hurt.

We have all been hurt and so when asked to give we can be guarded with our lives and pass out our little jelly beans in the measure and to the people that make us feel comfortable. Or we can give freely without trying to control who receives it and how much we pass out. If we give in obedience to Him, He will take care of the rest! Matthew 10:6-8 says “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. God has so lavishly poured His love on us; now let us freely give to those He loves!

Walk it out & Pray about it: this section is designed for you to take the necessary steps to live the words of this devotion in your daily life.

1. Pray and ask God to show you where you are guarded in your giving and service and then ask Him what He wants you to give in those areas.
2. Volunteer to help in an area that you have always been interested in, but were stopped because of fear.
3. Make a list of the gifts that you have been blessed with and ask God how He would like to use those gifts to build the Kingdom.

Posted under Devotion

Not the Chicago Bears, but the bears that we chase and slay to get to our destiny. Christian Life Center recently had Mark Batterson, the author of “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day”. He spoke of Benaiah, the man placed in charge of David’s bodyguard, who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it. (2 Samuel 23: 20-21) Unbelievable!  And we cannot forget the first of the lion and bear chasers and killers, David, who defeated both of his animal foes before he took on the mighty Goliath!

As women, sometimes I think we allow the bear and the lion chasing to be for someone else. I can hear you all saying, “I mean really…I’m a lady!” But we all have a bear or lion that we have to chase and kill to prepare us for our own Goliath, which is the ultimate purpose for our life.

In the typical woman’s everyday tasks of raising kids, loving husbands, working jobs and careers, serving God, caring for aging parents and balancing friendships… I feel way too tired to chase a lion…let alone kill it! But when I think about life and my ultimate purpose, I really want to achieve all that there is for me. When you think about being fulfilled and knowing you are doing and receiving all that God has for you, don’t you get excited and feel that there is no lion or bear that can stop you? Please know this is not about woman power…hear us roar! This is about remembering that even when we are great moms, wives, Christians, employees and friends, God still has an awesome plan for each of us to do something significant for the kingdom. It may be on a missions trip to another country or making a choice to walk across the street and share Gods love with your neighbor. Whatever it is, we cannot leave the bear killing and lion chasing to someone else. We each have a bear to slay!

Walk it out & Pray about it: There are several steps that you can take to apply these principles in your daily life.

1.    Ask God to speak to your heart about your Bear and Lion, which are the things you need to overcome to help you prepare for your ultimate purpose.
2.    Begin a journal to build your faith of the prayer requests that you have. Cheer as you see God’s faithfulness as He answers those requests which will give you courage in Him.
3.    Dream about the plan of God for your life. Make a list of what your passions are your purpose is usually close by.

Realize that God put a purpose in you before the foundations of the world, and because He knew what he would need of you, He has already put the goods inside of you. The lions and bears in our lives only bring the gifts to the light.

Posted under Devotion