God's Art Gallery

Written by: Jessica Russo

Co-blogger for Truly Fed Ministries

This week I am writing you from the base of a California redwood tree the size of my first apartment. Lying against this tree with my bare feet sharing its soil, I feel like a tiny spec in such an enormous creation. We are on day 27 of our journey. The boys have grown comfortable in the wild as I knew they would. What they once feared, they now embrace. What once felt like solitude, now feels connected. What once seemed dangerous, now has become our refuge. 

We have crossed paths with grizzly bears, seen wild swans, listened to birds in the rainforest screeching so loud we held our ears. 

There is something in my spirit that needed to leave everything man-made and take my boys on a journey they will not soon forget. I am not sure what I was seeking but I am positive I found it. 

Job 12:7-9 - But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.  Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?

Although I see God working in people everyday it is much different to find Him working in all of His creation. I feel like we have been on a tour of one tiny wing of His enormous art gallery. This is where we found him working:

In the sunflower fields of Texas where the flowers never take their eyes off of the light He provides them. 

In the eagle soaring over the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado carrying a twig for sping upgrades to the nest. 

In the canyons of New Mexico that are so red the sunlight bouncing off seem to set them on fire. 

In the winds whipping fiercely across the Wyoming rangeland as the prairie dogs scurry underground for safety. 

In the skies of Montana that reach farther than the eye can see or the soul can grasp. 

In the glacier lakes of Alberta, Canada that are the most brilliant hue of turquoise that they look artificial. 

In the waterfalls in British Columbia that burst right out of the side of the mountains and seem to fall for miles. 

In the mossy trees and 5 foot ferns of the Washington rainforests that feel like you have stepped into a nursery ryme storybook. 

In the waves crashing against giant rocks jetting out of the pacific ocean on the Oregon coast. 

In the redwood that I am sitting under right now. Yes, God is working here too. 

Every climate, every animal, and every plant works in a cyclical dance carefully created and orchestrated by Him. 

It is more than we can comprehend. We were not created to fully comprehend it. What we can do is give him all glory and praise saying "My God How Great Thou Art." 

Blessings,
Jessica

Surprises!

It takes a lot to shock me.  I rarely feel the need to gasp and shake my head in disbelief.  But something happened a few days ago that literally took my breath away. 

It was Father's Day, and Bobby and I were both going a million directions.  Traveling, working, writing, baseball...a wonderful puzzle we gratefully try to put together each day.  Bobby got home from a road trip late in the evening, and we decided to head over to our daughter Ally's house so Bobby could give our grand baby Reese a big hug before she went to bed. 

Our son Colton came with us, and even though he seemed a bit jumpy I didn't pay much attention.  We were smothered with hugs and wet kisses from Reese, and after about 20 minutes we started to say our goodbyes since it was late.  Ally strangely asked if Bobby could take a look at one of their landscaping lights that supposedly wasn't working, and could only be seen in the dark.  So with Reese in my arms, the whole family headed to the driveway to check out the problem. 
I was looking at all the pretty lights on the yard when suddenly something flashed in front of me. The headlights of a big black truck with a red bow on the hood! 

I started screaming "What?" "What?"  I couldn't get another word out.  All I could say was "What!"
Bobby's face in that moment was priceless.  Each wrinkle in his smile reflected a 30 year longing for a truck.  Since the first week we were married he's talked about buying one, but life's unexpected demands and needs have always stood in the way.  On this night, three decades of desire turned into reality for a man that typically places priority on everyone else's wants, not his own. 

It was a rare moment of surprise. A delight that swells in your spirit like fireflies let loose from a jar.  You try to grab hold of them, but they swirl around you, lighting up a dark sky with a spark of abandoned pleasure.  Even if you tried to put that delight back in a jar, it couldn't contain it.

This wonderful gift has me wondering something about God.  What surprises Him about us?  Are there moments when He is so excited about us that His smile rips a hole right through heaven? 
I've pondered this for the past few days, and one scene keeps coming to mind. 
Remember when Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat after a long day of helping people?  Jesus stayed back to send the crowd off and spend some much needed time alone with His Father in prayer; while the disciples pushed out into the depths of the Sea of Galilee. The water got rough as a storm tossed the boat around; sometimes yielding waves as high as 10 feet high towering over their small wooden fishing boat.  Somewhere between 3:00-6:00 am Jesus began to walk towards the shaken boat--on top of the water!  The disciples had been tossed around for upwards of nine hours and probably thought they were losing their minds when they saw Him sauntering over the waves...but here's where the surprise comes in. Peter shouts out to Jesus "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you on the water." 

In that moment I believe Jesus was surprised.
Complete trust.  Sheer abandon.  Delight that sang from the whistle of the wind and the waves undertow.
"Come on!" He shouted back.  And Peter put his feet in the water. 

So often people focus on the fact that Peter doubted once he was on the water, but I believe that view completely misses the point.  He surprised Jesus with his guts.  He wanted to be brave for Jesus in a display of confidence in the man he called Savior... I think that's the point.

So the last few days as I drive around in Bobby's truck, I keep whispering to the Lord, "I want to surprise You.  I want You to smile as I bravely come to You regardless of my fear or circumstance."

As long as I live I'll never forget the look on Bobby's face as he realized this surprise was meant for him.  He hasn't stopped smiling!  I want to give God the gift of surprise, and even though it may not have a big red bow on it, it will be wrapped in sweet affection and trust that hopefully brings a smile to heaven.

Blessings!
Gari

Geysers or Mud Pots

Written by: Jessica Russo

Co-blogger for Truly Fed Ministries
 
Over the past week and a half my two boys, my mother, and I have been on the road. With big plans and a not-so-big camper behind us. We started in Houston, TX and I am currently sitting in Glacier National Park (Montana) with my toes 4 inches from a campfire trying to over-compensate for my ill-prepared wardrobe I packed in the 98 degree Houston heat. It's been 13 days of gorgeous landscapes that can only flow from the paintbrush of our awesome God. There are still two and a half weeks left on our trip as we move into Canada tomorrow and head back down along the West Coast. Since we have only just begun I will not go into all the things we have seen and done until my next blog. 

We spent several days at Yellowstone National Park. I was amazed by the landscapes and thermal activity there from geysers to boiling, stinky mud to gorgeous waterfalls. The land was so peaceful and beautiful that you would never know the instability and turmoil going on under the surface. 

A geyser will sit silent building up pressure until it erupts and spews water over everything in range of it. We decided this represented me very well. I stay calm and silent until I can't stand it any longer then I spew venom over whoever is in range. I must give myself a little credit I have gotten much better with this but nonetheless this is how I cope with things. 

A mud pot is a constant release of gas that appears to make the hot mud boil as it comes to the surface. We decided this was my husband Chip. Not because of the gas aspect but just the fact that he deals with and releases issues as they arise. Pressure does not buildup so there is no large display or release. It is a constant, much more moderate way to approach issues. 

A wild fire is a common occurrence in yellowstone in fact the pine tree that grows there is dependent on the wild fires to re-seed. The tree Produces a pine cone that only a fire can penetrate but once it is burned it will break open and re-seed. So not only are the wild fires common, they are necessary for new growth. We decided the wild fire was our oldest son. His fire burns voraciously only controlled by the winds of his anxieties. But when it burns out something new has taken growth, something new is learned, and something new is felt. 

A waterfall is body of water that is sent on a path that causes it to change direction, lose control, or take a leap of faith. This is my youngest boy. If his path flowed to that cliff and he knew the only way to get back on track was to follow that fall he would not think twice before he took that leap of faith with wild abandon.  Although at times a slight change of direction might solve the problem more appropriately. 

God created us all to perform and deal in ways unique to us.  He chose many different personalities, complete with their own faults, to be his Disciples.  We are not created perfect rather we are asked to do our best. 

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Whether a Geyser or a mud pot, a wild fire, or a waterfall we were each created differently with our own purpose and our own methods and pathways to fulfill that purpose. I look forward to writing my next blog where I will be able to share with you all the highlights of my trip. 

Blessings,  Jessica

Whatever...

"Dear Friends, God is good.  So I beg you to offer your bodies to Him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing.  That's the most sensible way to serve God.  Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think.  Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him."    (Romans 12: 1-2)

I've been sitting and staring at my lap top for over a half hour.  It's blog day and my mind is going ten directions but not at the speed of light.  More like the speed of laundry drying outside on a muggy day.  The only word that keeps popping into my muggy mind is the word "whatever"...
Not very spiritual sounding at first glance; it actually sounds more like what teenagers say when you tell them to make their beds.  But in God's vocabulary the word whatever is the hallmark of utmost maturity.  Only those that have given their lives over to His holy touch can utter this word with complete abandon. 
Whatever isn't a sign of lazy indifference, it's a sign of release and trust.  When we say whatever to God we are stating "You're in charge--I'm not.  You're the point--I'm not."  What freedom the word whatever brings!

Recently I had a whatever moment that makes me feel a bit shaky as I've watched it play out.  The picture above shows me dancing with orphans at Musana Orphanage in Uganda.  I was there two years ago leading a teacher's in-service on reading comprehension, but in all honesty, saying yes to that trip wasn't easy.  My doctor begged me not go, fearing my immune system wasn't strong enough to handle the immunizations needed to travel there.  To further complicate things, we moved from Colorado to Houston just days before I flew to Africa.  It was a flurry of boxes, sweat, and prayerful whatevers that pushed me onto that plane, resulting in a glorious time of holy release.

Sitting in a cafe overlooking the dusty main road where the orphanage was, I met with a local pastor named Nicholas for lunch .  He knew my background in ministry, and shared something that nearly broke my heart.  He said "Gari, we have thousands of women who would come to hear you speak God's Word.  They are willing, but we have no women teachers to lead them."
I wish I could say I instantly jumped on that opportunity.  It was the end of a long, hard trip and I was tired, broke, and ready to see my family.  I was polite, but wondered if I'd ever see him again.   So here comes my big whatever moment...

This fall I began to pray about Uganda.  Was I supposed to go back?  I was in the middle of my first big book contract, writing my head off, teaching like crazy, and preparing for another year of insane travel with my husband's beloved Houston Astros... but suddenly the word whatever began to circle a the rim of my spirit.  One day I literally said to the Lord "This is the day.  I need you to either close the door or open it, because if I'm going back to Uganda, it needs to be clear." 
A half an hour later I opened my messages on my phone and there sat a message from Pastor Nicholas.  He simply wrote "Have you forgotten your friends in Africa?" 
Nothing like getting your prayers answered so clearly...

So in 14 days I head back to Africa to speak at a conference that has already grown beyond capacity.  As a matter of fact, they've had to change the venue because they know the crowds will be too big.  The local pastor's have met and decided to open the conference to both men and women, and they've named the event the Miracle Crusade.

 I know the real miracle occurs when we simply say whatever--and you don't have to go to Africa for that to happen.  Whenever you choose someone else's needs before your own, you say whatever.  Whenever you choose to trust God instead of settling into panic, you say whatever.  Whenever you dare to hope for good rather than tolerating evil, you say whatever. 

Whatever is what Mary uttered when Gabriel told her she'd birth a Savior.  Whatever is what Moses said when he led a nation out of captivity, and whatever is what Jesus brilliantly uttered from the cross. 

So here's my question to you:  What's your whatever?  I'd love to hear about it sweet friends. Let's keep saying it together; daily, hourly, minute by minute...whatever.  Watch God take your whatevers and turn them into forevers.

Blessings!
Gari

The Threshing Floor

Written by: Jessica Russo

Co-blogger for Truly Fed Ministries
 
Threshing floors were used to separate grain from the chaff at harvest time. The first step was to lay the grain on the threshing floor and drag a spiked board over it which separated the heads of grain from the stalks (Isaiah 41:15-16)

Then the broken stalks were tossed in the air to catch the wind. The husks would be blown away leaving only the good grain to fall back down to the threshing floor.

Six weeks ago our family entered the threshing floor as we began the process of weaning our son off of a medication that helps him with focus, stabilizes mood, and slows his processing. After 2 years on medication I needed to re-evaluate his ability to cope without it. I have come under a lot of scrutiny from other mothers for medicating my child as well as scrutiny from his Doctors for taking him off of it. Both of which I understand but neither of which I will speak to in this blog. With summer approaching we started the process of slowly draining the chemical out of his system. We started with only giving a half dose. The change of chemical sent his brain into a tailspin of emotional and physical outbursts to levels of which we were unprepared.

We were so out of our realm of expertise in dealing with the situation that all we could do was raise him up from the threshing floor and let the breath of God blow through him separating him from the uncontrollable yet unnecessary emotions ailing his body and mind.

After several weeks of separating and parting from the medication, we are now starting to see the wheat pour down like blessings; filling and renewing his spirit.

Our boy is back—clear of mind, sound of heart. Although he’s faster than the speed of light and not always able to slow down and focus, he’s happy, healthy and fascinating in his own right.

With much direction and discernment I write this blog. Not to focus on my son and his challenges, or to tell only his story, but to give you a real life example of an act of cleansing that is bigger than what our earthly bodies are capable of.

Many times I have tried to fix issues or situations that I was never created to fix on my own. I’m sure we can all relate. Some things are bigger than us and need to be taken to the threshing floor for God to separate the good from the bad; the useful from the useless. As we wait on that floor he will rain down that which is good, that which we should gather up and protect for our use (Matthew 3:12.)  

The notion of a threshing floor is used in several places in the bible as a metaphor for judgment. However, it’s a powerful metaphor for cleansing as well. It’s in our moments of surrender, of trust, of release--that God breathes into our lives and cleanses. It’s on my life’s threshing floor that I toss my circumstances like wheat up to God, and watch in wonder as his blessings pour down over me.

Blessings,
Jessica

Screeches and Squeals

I love my red jeep.  It's old and beat up, but I still love it.  For the last few months it's been making a sound that's progressively getting worse.  I took it to the garage last week where I was confidently told there was nothing wrong with it, but I beg to differ.  The other night I drove into the parking garage under the baseball stadium to have it parked, and the look on the man's face as I handed him the keys said it all.  I know he wanted to ask me "Lady, why are you driving such a beat up car?"  Truthfully, my car sounds like the wheels are going to come off and roll down the highway in front of me.  I just smiled and said "Park it somewhere safe" with a sly grin that he knew was sarcasm begging to dance with reason. 

At first I was embarrassed to drive the car, wondering what people thought as I pulled up to a light with screeches and squeals singing like a rock band.  Then I went into "fix it" mode, trying to figure out what was wrong.  And finally I've settled into an acceptance of a car with a lot of mileage starting to show its age.  I still love my jeep, I'm just learning to accept that it doesn't drive or sound like it used to...and that's OK.

Those of you that know me know that I've struggled for many years with two debilitating autoimmune diseases.  I've seen every kind of doctor you can imagine, tried countless medicines and remedies, and experienced seasons of relative improvement as well as seasons of great physical pain.  Yesterday I visited a massage therapist for some hopeful relief from a few weeks of chronic aches and muscle fatigue. As she was stroking my body she whispered in a concerned voice "You have bruises all over your body."  I could only account for one bruise on my leg (I was hit by a fowl ball during our game against the Texas Rangers...that's a bruise you can't forget!)  She explained that sometimes when the body is experiencing trauma inside, it bruises on the outside.

Physical pain is something I've trained myself to master.  I've taught myself to deal with it much like a mailman that delivers packages.  I put the pain in a box and say to it "You need to sit over there till I'm done with my day."  When I was first diagnosed with a pain disease I took the pain out of the box and played with it all day.  It was my constant companion, and the one I had most of my conversations with.  I got sick of paying it so much attention, so I started putting it in a mental box; not allowing it any play time.  I prayed for healing, I prayed for comfort; and although I believe  God can take it away from my body in an instant, I've learned to live out the meaning of one of the most compelling scriptures I know...  "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."   (1 Corinthians 12: 9)

We will never know strength if we don't first know weakness.  We will never know power if we don't understand defeat.  At times I feel like my body is the little engine that could.  Always chugging up a mountain, trying to huff and puff to the top so it can coast down the other side chanting "I think I can, I think I can!"  Wouldn't you know I married a man with the immune system of steel.  I can hardly count the times he's had a cold in 30 years, and here I am "I think I can, I think I can," hoping that this precious body I call home can carry me through all the things I want to do. 

Weakness begs for power to swoop in and help it.  To answer the questions we don't understand, and to strengthen us to live fully in the midst of things we'd never choose, but learn to accept.  So, like my jeep, I may squeak and rattle a bit on the inside, but I still plan to live boldly on the outside.  Even when people look at me like "Lady, why don't you trade that mess in for a newer version or better model?" I know that His grace is perfected in weakness, and that's enough for me.

Blessings!
Gari

God’s Little Fingerprints

Written by: Jessica Russo

Co-blogger for Truly Fed Ministries
 
Over the past three years I have been tested tremendously as a parent. Working through feelings of stress and sadness thinking I was failing miserably at the most important job of my life. I thought there was no way my children would grow up to be normal, average adults.

Over time, with continuous prayer and unlimited support from my mother and mother-in-law, I have now decided my children will certainly not grow up to be normal average adults. They will be innovative, extraordinary adults. There is a gradual switch happening in my life now from raising them in my mind—with my thoughts, and my ideas—to forming them within their minds, acknowledging and validating their thoughts, and challenging and building on their ideas. They are not to be the children I created in my image; they are the children God created in his own (his little fingerprints.) I am here to guide, guard, and direct them back to Him—using all the character, talents, and challenges He gave them.

As a parent I am not called to raise my children to be like me,
Rather, I am called to raise them to be individuals they were created to be;
Not to follow a specific parenting guide,
But to approach my child in the most appropriate and effective way for them;
Not to judge their wrongs,
But to encourage their rights;
Not to limit their successes by labeling their weaknesses,
But to find their strengths and build on them;
Not to shame inappropriate behavior,
But to guide them to better choices;
Not to blame them for family dynamics,
But to work through family issues together;
Not to expect perfection,
But to acknowledge my own imperfections and show my continual strives to improve;
Not to buy toys and devices to entertain them,
But to play dolls and power rangers along with them;
Not to play God over their life,
But to teach God in their life;
Not to carry, Not to push,
But to walk alongside and help them keep their footing.

My oldest son (8 years old) has his share of battles to fight and challenges to overcome but he is a child of God…fearfully and wonderfully made. As you can probably tell from the blog this week we are currently walking through a bit of a storm with him right now. When storms arise in his life I sometimes feel like I am the one drowning while he is still swimming and trying to pull me to shore. Then the guilt sets in that I was not the mother he needed in his rough times. Yes, we have all been there. 

If you have children or grandchildren that struggle with learning disabilities, physical handicaps, self-image, or even just being misunderstood; take heart. God has placed each bump in their path for a reason and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Let us love these children with all that is in us no matter the circumstance. After all, they are all little fingerprints of God.

Blessings,

Jessica