Chaser or Seeker?

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

My mind is perplexed and prone to ponder. It has been known to wander to things that I should not dwell upon. I have been guilty of wondering about the things I can’t understand. My flesh and bone get the best of me most days.

I know the desire of my heart. I love Psalm 27:4. I am a God seeker. I was once a God chaser. I realized he can’t be caught. I became very frustrated. I kept hearing people talking about him and things he had done but I just couldn’t seem to catch up with him. I was always a day or two behind. I enjoyed seeing what all he had done but I wanted to be a part of the experience. I read the God Chasers book. I loved the book. I thought for sure it was describing me. I thought it was a good thing to be a God Chaser. Then God showed me a chaser and a seeker was similar but very different. I got tired of hearing everyone else talk about him. I wanted to know him for myself.

Chase is the act of chasing or pursuing. It is derived from the French chasse, with the additional meaning of hunting. Meaning the thing being pursued is trying to get away from you.

Seek means to go in search of : look for : to try to discover: to ask for : request: to try to acquire or gain : aim at: to be sought. It is waiting to be found not caught.
God isn’t hiding or running from us. He is always the same and waiting to be found. He wants us to seek him and he wants us to love him. It takes great diligence to keep seeking him. Our ways are not his ways and he doesn’t always respond the way we would like him to or on our timetable.
It is important to purpose in my heart to live for him. By deciding that in advance I can focus all my thoughts and actions according to his Word. He wants us to know him and to be obedient to his commandments. He never runs away from us or leaves us. The old saying goes, “If God feels far away, you moved.”
The bible says:

Proverbs 8:17 (NASB-U) "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

1 Chron. 16:10-11 (NASB-U) Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.

2 Chron. 15:2 (NASB-U) and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.


Continually and diligently seek him. He will let you find him.


John 1:38 (NASB-U) And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?"

So when ask, What do you seek? What is your answer? I am pondering on this today. What do I seek? I seek the Lord. What does that mean?

I hear so many people who say they are looking for something in their Christian life. They keep looking or chasing after it. They believe they find it by having an emotional feeling or by being part of a group of other people who have found him. They enjoy their overflow. They settle. They are searching for it in churches. They go from one to another looking for it. Activities and programs can bring happiness and a good feeling but is that what we should seek? Does it keep us from seeking the Lord? We must seek him continually and diligently at church and at home. Everyday and not just on Sunday. I don’t want it, I want him. He can’t be bought or sold and He can’t be produced like some product. Only God can give his presence to his people. When we believe it is the churches responsibility to produce God’s presence then we are not realizing that each person makes up the church. A church is only as alive as the people who attend. God decides where He makes himself known. This puts pressure on the church when people believe the church can and should make IT happen for them. That is not possible. It comes from each individual’s heart. A heart that is seeking after the Lord will find him. This explains why some are satisfied while others are not. It is each person’s responsibility to seek for themselves. I believe the churches responsibility is to worship the Lord; teach the Word accurately,to pray for one another and serve one another and our communities. My concern for myself and others is that we settle for a feeling or some selfish need we have to be met and we miss getting to know him and to make him known.

So are you a God seeker or a God Chaser? Are you chasing after something you can’t catch or seeking the ONE who wants to be found?

I have come to realize:

1. I have come to realize that everyone seems to have to make their own mistakes.

2. I have come to realize that the tolerant are very intolerant of my convictions.

3. I have come to realize that if you aren’t confused you aren’t paying attention.

4. I have come to realize that when you get involved and try to help people they end up mad at you.

5. I have come to realize that I should never argue with an idiot, someone may see me and not know which one I am.

6. I have come to realize that I can’t help getting old but I don’t’ have to be fat.

7. I have come to realize that we are all in bondage to something and need to be delivered/ healed.

8. I have come to realize that it isn’t good to burn bridges you may one day have to cross.

9. I have come to realize that I have wasted lots of time dwelling on things I can’t control and that really don’t matter.

10. I have come to realize that I have spent time trying to change people that only God can change. (mainly me)

11. I have come to realize that the love / trust of family and friends can’t be bought or taken for granted and must be earned over a LIFETIME.

12. I have come to realize that normal is overrated.

13. I have come to realize that there is no concrete way to describe normal. It is a relative term. We think lots of things are normal that aren’t and vice versa.

14. I have come to realize that people who love you aren’t/shouldn’t be afraid to tell you when you are wrong.

15. I have come to realize we should celebrate everyday that we wake up. (after coffee or tea)

16. I have come to realize the serenity prayer is brilliant.

17. I have come to realize we really never totally know anyone. I am thinking that is ok.

18. I have come to realize that in our imperfect world injustice thrives. Then people want to blame God instead of people.

19. I have come to realize that God always has the last word on everything. I can rest.

20. I have come to realize that children/ grandchildren are one of God’s best gifts.

21. I have come to realize that I am blessed and the devil has spent years trying to make me think otherwise.

22. I have come to realize that I don’t pray enough.

23. I have come to realize that I have read more books than I have read my bible

24. I have come to realize that I am just human and the only good thing in me comes from God.

25. I have come to realize that many people/companies are marketing Jesus for their own profit.

26. I have come to realize that some people are so open minded their brains are falling out.

27. I have come to realize that one failure doesn’t make you a failure and one success doesn’t make you a success. It’s how we end that matters.

28. I have come to realize that if you stand for anything expect criticism.

29. I have come to realize I am over the 25 mark.

30. I have come to realize giving people a piece of my mind will leave me with an empty head and alone.

31. I have come to realize just because the thought crossed my mind I don’t have to say it out loud.

32. I have come to realize we may never grow up just grow old.

33. I have come to realize that if I do the same things I get the same results. If I don’t like my results I need to change my way of doing things.

34. I have come to realize life is a journey and we are just passing through. Enjoy the ride!

I Believe ..A Great Forward

Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!
Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,it doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.


'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything.'

Interesting Repeat

I was reading Psalm 107 today and began to realize I was repeating the same phrase over and over. Actually 3 times. But it was a fairly short Psalm so it caught my eye. The phrase was " Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress.

First save, he brought them out of darkness and deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

Second, Sent forth his word and healed them-rescued them from the grave.

Third, Stilled the storm to a whisper and calmed the sea and guided them to their desired haven.

Then it goes on to say how we should respond. "Let us give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let us exalt and praise Him in the assembly of the people and tell of his works with songs of joy." My paraphrase. Go read Psalm 107. God did other wonderful things for them. I just listed a few.

God is only a cry away. He hears and He acts. Three different situations all met individually according to the need. How awesome is our God!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

As I sit on my cushion, typing on my mini laptop, letting my injury from a fall heal, my mind has been allowed much time to ponder. Sometimes when the Lord wants my attention He tends to stop me in my tracks for awhile. Due to my hyperactivity and OCD and other afflictions I have I guess this is necessary. I still don’t like it. I remember Beth Moore teaching one time that God told her she could bow her knees or He could break her legs. Better to bow. It could be I am just clumsy, either way I am fairly immobile.

I have been feeling very humbled and more aware of how fragile and uncertain life is. I am thankful for life. I love life and I love people. Especially my family. In my feeble state I have been reflecting on what God can do with me even though I not able to get up and physically run around doing my tasks. I am learning it isn’t all about doing but about being. I have realized over the last few days I have some more character adjustments I need to make. I am praying for wisdom and God’s help to change. Mostly attitude (heart) and control issues. I am not sure why I feel so overly responsible for everyone in my world. I guess that cliché is true. “Let Go and Let God“. Whew, that is hard. I always think He needs my help.  That is arrogant on my part. He wants me to a part of His work but He doesn’t need me, I need Him. We all need Him!

The main reason I began writing today is to share about becoming all God made us to be. It is more than just finding a purpose; instead becoming more like Him. It is so easy to get distracted. As you know we planted a church about 4 years ago. It has been hard with all the tasks to stay focused on my relationship with God. One of our statements is to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. That is my desire.

When we began it was hard to pick a name for the church. We felt led to the name NorthStar. I loved the name from the start. Some thought it was too astrological. New Age. It was a star that led the wise men to Jesus and stars have always been symbolic of directing people to something or someone. Then I learned the NorthStar is actually made up of 3 stars. Symbolic of the Trinity. So I just loved the name and the meaning. Our purpose is to lead people to Jesus so thus NorthStar was named.

Lately, I have been unsure about our name. Wondering if we made the right choice. It is hard to work with on publications and people aren’t sure what kind of people group we are. LOL. Anyway, I have been pondering over the name for several months. Letting my mind wander to cooler names. Cooler logos. Catchier names to attract people.

This morning this scripture jumped off the page at me. I just love it. I just love God. He is so funny the way He does things. Philippians 2:14-16 “Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like STARS in the universe--AS YOU HOLD OUT THE WORD OF LIFE” (emphasis mine). Wow, people reach people. Not names or logos.

As I have watched countless hours of TV this week I can tell you we live in a crooked and depraved generation. I have watched some crazy Christian TV also. As I read this scripture it spoke so much truth to me. We must become pure and blameless in doing our work for the Lord in the world. If we complain and argue and act like the world as we hold out the word of life it is a contradiction and the world will not reach for it. I am guilty of this very thing. We work so hard making our church services great. That is a good thing. It isn’t everything. To quote Henry Blackaby, “You can sit in a garage all day and you will not become a car.” Same with church. Being in the building doesn‘t make us a Christian. It helps us grow to become more like Christ if we know Him. If we don’t know him it is just another self help meeting.

We must shine like stars of the universe as we live our lives inside and outside the church walls. I love the night sky. I always have even as a child. It is so awesome to look up at the contrast of the blackness of the sky and the brightness of the twinkling stars. The different sizes and patterns are spectacular. All unique. They give us light, direction and also beauty. As a Christian in a dark world we can bring light, direction and beauty. Pure beauty and love that only comes from Christ. Be spectacular for Christ. Not a spectacle.

I love our name NorthStar. Be like a star in the universe. SHINE BRIGHT BROTHERS AND SISTERS! The world is watching. The world needs a Savior.