On Milk and Honey Blog Series: Week One.

You are here for a reason.

When I say, ‘here’; I don’t necessarily mean on earth.

Yes, your life is important and matters.

Yet, what I am speaking and trusting is this: you are HERE, at His Hands His Feet His Heart, doing the On Milk and Honey blog series, for a concise reason that only the Lord will be able to reveal to you.

For some of you, it took mustard seed faith to stammer out, ‘I’m in!’ For others, you dove quickly and fiercely. My God will meet you either way.

I have mentioned before that one of my fears when I wrote On Milk and Honey was that it would be read and received as a story about our little family.

You see, while we are mentioned throughout the pages, it is not a story of Hugh, myself, or even Ally or Bailey Grace.

On Milk and Honey is a story about you.

I wrote it for Him, through Him, and to Him; yet His words have a distinct message in your very life.

I know this because He assured this to me as He wrote every word, page and chapter.

Next Monday, we will talk about Chapters 1 and Chapter 2. We will dive into this idea of control and the many areas of life that we are tempted to take the reigns instead of opening our hands to the sky. Yet today and the remainder of the week, I want you to ask yourself this simple question:

What is your Milk and Honey?

What is the land that God has brought you to that is not only unexpected, but disappointing?

What is the thing that He has had you walk through that you have been most tempted to not see His hand in?

Some of you might know the answer to this question before it was even typed; others might have to dig a little deeper.

My prayer for this season, for this blog series, has been and will continue to be this:

That, just like rubbing alcohol to a wound, we would be able to accept the sting in order to receive the healing. I pray that we-that you- would be able to, in time, authentically surrender to the plans He has written and is writing. That we would look behind, before, and ahead and know He has absolutely been there and will absolutely continue to be. I am begging God to help you see Him in the Milk and Honey of this life. I can promise you this:

It is not easy.

But—

IT IS WORTH IT.

In the coming days, here is my challenge to you:

Personal growth: There are two options this week for personal growth. On the dedication page, I have Colossians 1:17 written. Option 1 will be memorizing this verse. As we memorize God’s word, because it is alive and active, we cannot help but be transformed by it. Never underestimate the power of one single verse and its ability to change your heart. Option 2 will be this: Keep a Bible by your bedside (easier to reach than your phone or some other distraction), or download a free Bible app, and start each day this week of with reading aloud Psalm 139 in its entirety. Sounds simple enough, yet starting your day off with those words engrained in your heart and spoken by your mouth is a powerful thing.

Communal Growth: God says where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there. If you are doing this series in a group, I would ask you to reflect on and discuss openly your different “Milk and Honeys”. I want to gently remind you that this is not a time to breed more bitterness or anger in each others’ hearts. This is a time to LISTEN- truly listen- to one another as we begin to flesh out some of these wounded places in our lives. May it be a time in which we seek to hold anothers’ hurts without encouraging more scarring. Loving someone is not spurring them to continue to fester negative emotions and thoughts in their spirit. I hope this makes sense. If you are doing this study alone (which by the way, I am so proud of you and thrilled that you are with us!), I would challenge you to find a trusted friend and open up with them about your specific milk and honey (and maybe ask this friend to join us for the remainder of the series!) If you truly do not have someone that you can comfortably do this with face to face, the His Hands His Feet His Heart message board is open. I will tell you that if you message me, as much as I would LOVE to start an open dialogue with each and every one of you, due to the volume of comments and messages, I just cannot respond with the love and care I would like to for each and every one. I am sincerely burdened by this and sorry for it, but want you to know that it is a last resort option for this challenge (and just because I don’t respond thoroughly doesn’t mean I am not honored by your vulnerability and praying for you. Sometimes I have the option to respond or to pray and the latter is much more productive!)

Pay it forward: This week, I would ask each of you to each write- as in handwritten- a snail mail card or letter to someone who is not in this study but could use some encouragement. The only requirements are that you be vulnerable and loving in whatever you choose to say.

Please spend some time asking God which option he would like you to choose in the Personal Growth segment, and then prayerfully determine the other sections as well. Friday will be the last day of this week’s challenge. Just message me and say that you have faithfully completed each portion. We will go by the honor system, however you will be entered more than once for sending me a video of yourself reciting the memory verse if you choose Option 1. You will be entered AGAIN if you post this video on your personal page!

I want you to know I mean it when I say I am faithfully praying, by name, for each of you. That being said, I cannot state enough that if you are not sure I know if you are participating or not, PLEASE make me aware.

I truly cannot wait to watch Him work in the coming days and weeks.

Through Him- we can accomplish the tasks He has set before us.

To God be all the glory.

Let’s pray:

(If you are doing this in a group or alone, you might use this time to pray aloud or together for one another).

Father, thank you for this time. Thank you for Your Son and for the wisdom you give us to press forward in all things, most especially those seasons that seem blurry and difficult to understand. We praise You that You are sovereign and that You have intricately planned all the details of our lives. God, we know that nothing- nothing- NOTHING- can be done without Your help and that ALL THINGS YOU ORDAIN can be accomplished through Your mighty power and strength. Lord, give us the vulnerability and courage to reach out to one another and authentically share our milk and honeys. Begin a new work in our hearts that causes us to see you in those things this week, if even for a second. God, we trust you to do that which only You can. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.