I Need a Break

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I love what I do.
I’m an ordained evangelist.
That means God is allowing me to speak and write fulltime.
I travel 42 weeks/weekends every year opening God’s Word
to a variety of groups.
And though there’s absolutely nothing I’d rather do more . . .
sometimes I get physically tired.

So He has helped me discover a way to “take a break”
and still do what I love to do—talk about Him!

I have put together a Christian ladies cruise.
I’m calling it “Girlfriends, a Giant God and a Really Big Boat!”

The dates are next May 28—June 4, 2016.
Lots of laughter,
swimming with dolphins,
growing together spiritually.

I’m so excited, I can’t stand it!
And I’d love for you to come WITH me.

Maybe you, too, need a break from the pressures,
deadlines
and chores of life.

And if those dates don’t work for you?
I’m involved in another Christian cruise January 16-21, 2016.
I’m not running this one, but I’ll get to speak.
It will have a completely different feel than the ladies cruise.
The January one is for men AND women,
and it’s a Southern Gospel cruise.
Lots of good music and preaching.

The prices for both cruises are amazing!
If you need a break . . .
or if you’re wondering what to get a loved one for Christmas . . .
send me an email with your complete mailing address,
and tell me which cruise you want more information on,
and I’ll send you the brochure.

Let’s take a break.
Together.
I need one.
And I’d love to take it with YOU!

 

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God: my hope comes from him”
(Psalm 62:5).

 

susieshell@comcast.net

I’m Stuck on This Copycat Thing . . .

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I know. I know. I know.
I’ve been rambling on about imitating Christ for the past few weeks.
But I can’t help it.
It’s where I am.
It’s what God is teaching me.
And I want to share it with you.

I’m still stuck on the apostle Paul.
We already looked at what he said in 1 Corinthians 4:16:
“I urge you to imitate me.”

Let’s also look at what he said in 1 Corinthians 11:1:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (NIV).

And in Acts 20, Paul encouraged the new believers to
emulate him,
to watch him,
to listen to him,
to be like him.

Could it be that Paul knew something we’ve forgotten?
That we’re not simply called to speak the gospel—
but that we ARE the gospel!

Even though Paul was tortured,
shipwrecked,
misunderstood
and jailed,
he was living in the kingdom of God.

His eyes weren’t focused on his situation.
He looked past the pain
the discomfort
the hatred . . .
and focused instead on simply being Jesus.
And acting on earth as he would act in heaven.
He was living in the kingdom of God—
while he was on earth.

Father, help me to live in Your kingdom
right here
right now
regardless of what I’m experiencing.

Help me to imitate You.
Help me to live the kingdom life—
on earth.

Oh, Paul!

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At first I found myself in awe of the apostle Paul
as he said, “I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16).

But I have to admit . . . later, I began to feel frustrated with him.
I mean, after all, Paul wasn’t perfect.

After his conversion, he determined to the “the great voice”
to the Jews. But they hated him. And almost every time they
heard him preach, they tried to kill him. The disciples had to
pack Paul in a basket and lower him by ropes over the city wall
at midnight just to keep him safe.

But Paul kept preaching to the Jews.
And he kept getting death threats.
And being persecuted.
And causing all kinds of division.

Finally, the disciples said, “Hey, Paul. We know God has called
you to preach. And that’s exciting. And we know He’ll use you.
But He’s just not using you here. I mean, can’t you see it?
It’s obvious that God has something else for you.
This isn’t working! Please leave and wait for God’s direction on
your ministry.”

The disciples said that!
It’s kind of funny.
It was like Paul just kept banging his head against the wall:
“This SHOULD work. It CAN work. It HAS to work.
I’m the right person for this job!”

But it wasn’t working!

If Paul could have only seen into the future:
If he could have known THEN that God would use him to bring
the Gospel to the Gentiles . . . and that he would write most of
the New Testament . . . that his ministry would be talked about,
read about and preached about for centuries . . .

Maybe it would have been easier to stop what he was doing
and move on. And wait for God’s direction. For God’s open door.
For the new ministry God wanted to give him.

After leaving the disciples and spending about a decade making
tents and waiting for God’s direction, Paul finally realized his ministry was to the Gentiles. And look what God did through Him!

Two things stand out to me:

  1. Paul wasn’t perfect. But he WAS so united with Christ, that he was able to say, “Imitate me.” God would use the Holy Spirit to seal up the cracks . . . so that when people DID watch Paul’s life, what the Holy Spirit allowed them to see was Paul’s obedient side.
  2. When God tries to shut down something we’re involved in, why do we often keep trying to force it to work?

Let’s ask God to:

  • help us live in such intimacy with Him that we’re able to say,
    “Imitate me,” because I’m copying Christ.
  • give us discernment to know when to move on and trust Him
    to open a new door.

    Thoughts?

Serious About Copycat!

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Would you ever tell someone to
watch your lifestyle and imitate
all that you do?

Think about it:
Your words.
What you watch on TV.
How you spend your money.
Your reactions.
How you vote.
What you choose to fight for.
Your reading material.
What you post on social media.
Every part of your life . . .
being imitated by others!

That’s exactly what the apostle Paul
told the Corinthians to do.

Check it out:
“I urge you to imitate me”
(1 Corinthians 4:16 NIV).

I URGE you?
Isn’t this a bit arrogant?
Ephesians 5:1 tells us to imitate God!
Paul tells us to imitate him.

Do you get it?
Paul lived in such union with God
that imitating Paul would be like imitating God.

Oh. My. Goodness.

As sold-out disciples—
people who are living in radical obedience
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—
shouldn’t we be able to say the same thing?

What if we could say this to our teens:
“Hey, I know life is tough. I realize you’re trying
to follow Christ . . . that you don’t understand
all the Bible is telling you . . . you’re still navigating
your way through Christianity and you’re wobbling.
So to make it easier, just copy me. Can you do that?
I’ll live the life of Christ right in front of you, OK?
Though you don’t understand all of Christianity yet,
just keep watching me and imitate everything I say and do,
because I’m imitating God. So as you copy me, you’ll actually
be copying God Himself.”

Oh. My. Goodness.

THAT’s what Paul was saying.
Why aren’t we saying the same thing?
Is it because we’re not living in radical obedience to Christ?

I don’t know about you . . .
but I want to be a godly role model.

I want to be like Christ.
So . . . in His strength . . . I’m not going to be “one more Christian”
who falls.
In His strength . . . I’m not going to be “one more Christian”
who causes others to question their faith.

When I’m on vacation—and no one knows who I am
or what I do—I’m not going to release words from my mouth
that I normally wouldn’t.

I’m not going to order a drink when no one’s watching.
I’m not going to pick up a cigarette and take a few puffs.
I’m not going to enter a place of entertainment that I don’t
usually frequent.

Because if I did, I’d be saying, “Imitate me when I’m in public and
when I’m at my best. But when I’m alone, don’t watch.”

What would happen if we could be parents, teachers, pastors,
role models, disciples who can say with ease,
“I URGE you to imitate me”?

All the time.

Will you join me in this goal?

Copycat!

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I loved playing copycat when I was a little girl.
I’d mimic and repeat everything a friend said until I drove her nuts.
Not many people enjoyed my game.

 

Now that I’m older (I’m 92 now) . . .
(OK, not really. I just wanted to make sure you were still reading!)
Now that I’m older, I find myself yearning to copycat Someone else.
And He loves it!

 

Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be imitators of God.”
Though I often fall very short, I deeply yearn to copycat my heavenly Father.

 

I want to be like Him.
Act like Him.
Smell like Him.
Make choices like Him.
Respond like Him.

 

I’m discovering that the more time I spend with Him,
the more His Spirit works within me to mold me
shape me
remake me
and define me
in Him.

 

What would it be like to be defined by Christ?
Think about it: Michael Jordan = basketball.
Tiger Woods = golf.
Serena Williams = tennis.
(Your name) ____________ = Jesus.

 

Wow.
That’s my desire, Lord.
Thank You for never giving up on me.
Please keep working, re-working and breaking me
until I look like You.
Amen.
How do you see God working in your life to make you more like Him?

 

How’s your imitation coming?
Go ahead.
Play copycat with your Father!

The Master has Big Dreams…

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Have you ever felt unworthy—as though God can’t use you?

If so, you can relate to Matthew.

He was in a less-than-idea vocation, but Christ saw his potential.

He knew what Matthew could become.

Christ sees the possibilities in you as well.

He dreams big for you.

 

When the Master Artist invites you inside the canvas, it’s for eternity.

 

(From Susie’s latest book Masterpiece. Don’t buy it from Amazon. Susie sells it cheaper. Email her for info on how to get it directly from her: susieshell@comcast.net)

Strange

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(Based on Matthew 9:9; Mark 1:2-8)

Earth is a theater filled with a crowded audience.
The people are packed tightly together; expectant.
Anticipating.

You’re there. Front row. Edge of your seat.
The curtains have opened.
Act One has been announced: The Beginning.

The lights shift gradually. A slight change in the hues of red and yellow. He’s not in the spotlight, but he’s standing inside the color formation, stage left. Before his lines are delivered, you know his role is important.

Without hesitation . . . right on cue . . . he doesn’t simply deliver his lines, he declares them.

MALACHI: Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, 
who will prepare Your way before You.

Your eyes move to stage right where the slight change in blue and yellows directs your attention. Again, not in the spotlight but standing near the edge of the stage, another key role. Before you have time to absorb the previous lines, the following is delivered.

ISAIAH: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord! Make His paths straight!

Malachi and Isaiah’s roles are complete. They’ve delivered the message. They’ve made the introduction. They now exit the stage of history, and the colored hues of lights blend into one strong yellow beam. It’s shining brightly on a wilderness setting and scene one begins.

The star?

No one we would have chosen. In fact at his audition we would have been tempted to say, “Thanks but . . . no thanks.”

Seriously?

But filling the role and now standing center stage is John the Baptist. We actually smell him before we see him. Everything about him seems strange.

Such an important role! The forerunner. The baptizer.

And given to . . . him?

We shift uncomfortably in our seats. We want a well-dressed businessman. One who’s well educated in marketing. Someone who knows strategy; cause and effect; supply and demand. One who can predict trends and interpret graphs of steady growth vs. decline.

But we didn’t cast the role. And like it or not, it belongs to John the Baptist.

Again . . . strange. Before we have a chance to think too deeply about it, however, we realize we’re right inside of Mark 1:8. Right in the thick of John’s introduction.

Maybe we can get used to him. Perhaps we can become comfortable together. After all, hasn’t God always filled important roles with the least talented? Hasn’t He always used the least expected to accomplish great things? That’s one of the great benefits of being a Christ follower.

A teenage girl brings the Savior into our world.

A donkey speaks to its master.

A former Christian-killer delivers the gospel to the Gentiles.

Even so, John the Baptist may be one of the strangest. But it was Jesus Himself who declared, “among those born of women there has not risen one greater” (Matthew 11:11 NKJV).

Think about that. John smells bad. He doesn’t fit the mold. Or maybe he’s wearing mold. It’s hard to tell. But in plain English, he just stinks. He has no social skills. He’s different.

And what he eats is disgusting—locusts and other crawling things. He obviously doesn’t care about his appearance. He’s wearing . . . well, it’s . . . he’s wearing something made out of camel skin. Where are the animal rights people?

John is really really really different. But still, Jesus says this about him. Let’s look at it again:

“Among those born of women there has not risen one greater” (Matthew 11:11).

What a compliment! There have been a lot of compliments given throughout time. But can you think of one higher than this?  Jesus said that John was great! That’s simply incredible. It’s amazing.

I really want this in my life.

I need this in my life.

I want to be great in Jesus’ eyes.

 

Searching
So, what was it? Really. What was it about John that caused Jesus to say those words? What made John so great? I want to know the answer to those questions. I need to know the answer to those questions.

 

I have my thoughts . . . but I’d love to know yours! So join the discussion below.

(And by the way . . . a little shameless promoting. This is an excerpt from my newest book Masterpiece: 18 encounters with Christ that prove it’s all about you! Don’t get it from Amazon. I sell it cheaper. If interested, you can send me an email, and I’ll tell you how to order directly from me: susieshell@comcast.net).

God is Depending on YOU!

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There’s an old tale about Jesus ascending to heaven after He’d been resurrected and met with the disciples and other believers. The tale states that Jesus entered heaven and was greeted by the angel Gabriel. “Well, You did it! You became the greatest gift of all. You gave You very life for sinners that they may be forgiven and have eternal life. Was it worth it?”

“Oh, yes,” Jesus said. “It was worth every drop of blood.”

“And now You’ve conquered death and have come here to prepare an eternal home for all those who will accept Your wonderful and free gift of salvation.”

“Yes,” Jesus replied. “That’s correct. And on, how I yearn for everyone to accept My gift and live with Me forever here in heaven.”

“So what’s the plan, Jesus?” Gabriel asked.

“The plan?”

“Surely You have a plan! State-of-the-art technology? Huge marketing campaign? Maybe a few celebrities to endorse Your gift?”

“No, that’s not the plan,” Jesus said.

“Oh, Well, what is the plan?” Gabriel asked.

“I only have a few followers . . . and I’ve entrusted the entire gospel to them.”

“You mean . . . that little band of Christians?” Gabriel asked.

“That’s right,” Jesus said.

“But how will they ever spread Your wonderful gift from generation to generation? Shouldn’t we come up with another plan?”

“There is no other plan, Gabriel. My Christians are all I have. And I trust them.”

 

So . . . what do YOU think? Give me your thoughts on how you’re fitting into the plan.

I Don’t Pray for Patience

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I don’t pray for patience, because I’m afraid I’ll get it.
I’m OK being impatient.

You know I’m kidding.
(Or am I?)

I’ve been up since 3:30 a.m.
My flight was supposed to leave at 5 a.m.
I travel 42 weeks/weekends a year, and I’m learning to discern what some of the pilot’s announcements actually mean.

“Delayed due to mechanical difficulties” really means we forgot to gas up.

“Delayed due to unforeseen problems,” means we can’t find the keys.

Pilot: Got the keys?
Co-Pilot: No. I don’t have the keys. I thought you had them.
Pilot: I don’t have the keys. Where are the keys?

And during the actual flight . . .

“We’re experiencing some unexpected turbulence,” really means the pilot’s son who’s traveling shotgum, got bored doing his homework and pulled a lever, turned a knob or pressed a button.

Pilot to son: “Don’t make me stop this plane. Cuz I’ll do it. I told you to concentrate on your homework!”

So I was supposed to depart at 5 a.m.

3:30 came way too early. I’m thinking on these early flights, maybe I should start calling the airline about an hour ahead of time and just check in with them:

ME: “Did someone gas up the plane? Got the keys? No children in the cockpit for this flight? Are the windshield wipers working OK? Gas pedal and brakes good? Toilet paper in the dollhouse bathroom?”

I finally leave the OKC airport at 8:45 a.m., and of course I’ve missed my connection from Chicago to Flint, MI. Now I’m enjoying a five-and-a-half layover in Chicago. That’s how long it takes to fly from OKC to London. As in England.

London, England!
I could be touring Madam Tussad’s wax museum right now!
Or the Doc Martin four-story headquarters.
Or taking pix with William and Kate and the babies.
Or being issued a restraining order from William and Kate and the babies.
Instead I’m eating an Auntie Ann’s pretzel and picking off the salt.
Almost as good being in London.

I finally arrive in Flint, Mich., at 8 p.m.
The service I was scheduled to speak at started at 7.
It’s over. I  totally missed it.
They turned it into a prayer meeting instead.
And God moved.
Without me.

What a great reminder.
He so does NOT need me.
I’m extremely grateful He has chosen to use me.
But He doesn’t need me.
He could make the rocks cry out, or the podium speak His Word,
or have the carpet sing His praises.

Father, I’m frustrated.
Exhausted.
But thankful for the lesson You’ve taught me today.
It’s not about my schedule, is it?
It’s not about my speaking, is it?

IT. IS. ALWAYS. ABOUT. YOU.

All the time.

Every day.

In every way.

Yes, Lord.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what God uses to get YOUR attention to remind you of this truth.

Where’s Your Heart?

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God spoke a lot about a man’s heart.

Know it by heart . . .

When you break someone’s heart

He’ll want a heart-to-heart with you.

David was a man after God’s own heart

But he soon had a heavy heart

After breaking God’s heart.

From the bottom of his heart

He had a change of heart.

David crossed his heart

That he would follow God’s heart

With all of his heart.

He did.

And God still refers to him as a man after His own heart.

Cool how God finds it in His heart to forgive, forget and   restore!