I received an incredible gift from Paula Zillmer, one of my Quiet Time Ministries staff team members: an antique tandem bike she got at an auction up in the state of Washington. I am so blessed that she has given it to me. It will always serve as a reminder to me of where I am to sit and where Jesus sits. He is the One who is in the front guiding every step of the way. She gave it to me because I always share the little story entitled “The Road Of Life” that my mother sent to me many years ago. This story is quoted in my book, A Heart That Dances, and is such a perfect description of life. What a perfect time in my life to receive this gift. I think the Lord wants me to remember that He is taking me on this incredible journey - the great adventure of knowing Him!
The Road Of Life:
At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven
or hell when I die,
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn’t know Him.
But later on
when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.
I don’t know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.
When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring,
but predictable . . ..
It was the shortest distance between two points.
But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, “Pedal!”
I worried and was anxious
and asked,
“Where are you taking me?”
He laughed and didn’t answer,
and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I’d say,”I’m scared,”
He’d lean back and touch my hand
He took me to people with gifts that I needed ,
gifts of healing,
acceptance
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord’s and mine.
And we were off again.
He said, “Give the gifts away;
they’re extra baggage, too much weight.”
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.
I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He’d wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.
And I am learning to be quiet
and pedal
in the strangest places,
and I’m beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore,
He just smiles and says. . . “Pedal.”
This is a very cool new addition to my blog - video! Enjoy this 10 minute 52 second introduction to my new book Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time (formerly titled Radical Intimacy). God bless you!
The story goes that a news reporter attended one of D.L. Moody’s evangelistic meetings to find out what the attraction was. He wrote the following about Moody: “He butchers the King’s English…I see nothing in Mr. Moody to account for his marvelous success.†Moody read the article and when he read that statement, he said, “That’s the secret!â€
What a great secret to learn from D.L. Moody. No earthly reason. This is one of my mission statements for the year. I desire to see God do something only He can do. As I think about ministry and all that He has called me to do, I want to see Him do something amazing and incredible. Something God-sized. It won’t be because I was smart or capable or any of those things even though I pursue excellence because I am His. There will be “no earthly reason†for the success and everything will point to God. Then others will know it was because of Him.
My verse is Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen†(NIV).
I admit it. I am probably one of the most eccentric people I know. The multitude of interests I have explains why I changed my major in college 5 times and moved from archaeology to business-advertising. Sometimes I wish I could be more than one person just so that I could actively pursue more than one profession. Paul said, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11). Of course, he is speaking in the context of prison and suffering. However, a principle here is the nature of contentment - it is something you learn. Handling many interests is also a learned behavior for me and I am actively learning how to incorporate these interests into life and ministry. Here is a list of current favorites:
Books - Anything by John Henry Jowett. I discovered an old book in my library when I was packing last year for a downsizing move. It was “The Silver Lining” by Jowett and was purchased at one of the infamous Bethel Seminary booksales. I set it aside and began reading it in my quiet time - one of the best things I’ve done in a long time. What a writer and theologian Jowett is. He thinks differently than the norm and I love that. His thinking makes me think. So he’s my new favorite author.
Coffee - I am a coffee connoisseur. I do NOT like Starbucks - it’s too French roast for my taste. I like Boyd’s Gold Medallion and Kenya. For a TOTAL change, sometimes I will drink Peet’s Cinnabon.
Color - my new favorite color is lime green. I’m sure next year I’ll wonder what I could have possibly been thinking.
Computer - I love my little Fujitsu P5010 laptop - it goes everywhere with me and has hours of battery power. I also like the fact that Ivan and the guys at Portableone.com take care of it for me. I’ve written numerous books on this notebook, typeset a book, designed websites, and brainstormed a thousand ideas.
Software - Photoshop: what would I do without this amazing piece of software? I learned how to use it at the annual west coast NAPP conference. My favorite photoshop instructor is Ben Wilmore who has written Photoshop Studio Techniques. NetObjects Fusion - this is the photoshop of web design software. I’ve been using it since version 3 and it is now in version 9. Anyone can have a website with this software. Adobe InDesign - oh, how I love this design software. Used it to typset my first 30 day journey, Radical Intimacy, now published by Harvest House as Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time. I use this software to produce E-Handouts, brochures, etc. It does an impeccable job exporting to pdf. Swish 2 (now Swishmax) - I use this software to produce simple flash banners for my website and flash intros for presentations. The best out there for text effects. WS FTP pro - I could not do web design without this amazing program that allows me to transfer files to my server. It’s quick and easy and that’s what I like. Libronix and WordSearch - I use both these Bible study programs for research and study. The Libronix search engine is unparalleled - it has saved me hours of time. Quickbooks Pro - I’ve been using this for years to manage the finances of more than one corporation - could not do without it. Mindjet Mindmanager - a great piece of software to map out ideas, books, and ministries. I use it for a multitude of organizational brainstorming tasks. WordPress - for blogging I like it the best because there are lots of templates and I have more control over appearance and design. To use it, you need to have an understanding of servers and ftp and a little html so you can do the most with it. Microsoft Outlook - I use it for my crazy schedule and email. Personally, it still needs to get better at doing some things. My favorite is still Sidekick (out of print). Well, that’s enough of the software - I could go on.
Gizmos - I love using my Blackberry and getting my email RIGHT NOW. I like my Palm Treo 650 and could never go back to a phone that doesn’t have my palm pilot in it. Just got a new gizmo that I’m using a lot - it’s a multifunctional digital audio recorder (Beat Sounds EVR-500) that I can use to record my messages in mp3 format. It has a USB connection built-in which is amazing. I literally record and then plug in to my computer, clean it up in Adobe Audition then upload for the world. Very cool.
Digital Photography - I have been a photography maniac since I was a little girl and when everything went digital it was like creating a monster. My first digital camera was a little Canon. It took great pictures that I could upload to my website. Then, when I was hiking in Sedona, I dropped it. It never was the same after that. I have three other digital cameras - a Canon G2, a Fuji Finepix, and a little Nikon. I think I like the little Nikon the best because it fits in my briefcase and at 5.1 megapixels it takes incredible pictures.
Bible Study - I LOVE studying the Word of God. Right now I’m thinking a lot about Jeremiah and what he says in Lamentations. Here’s a guy that went through so much in his life. He had every reason to “lament”. And yet, he had hope. My word this year is “hope” and I am learning how to do it. 
My family - I have the most incredible family - wonderful husband, great brother and family, a mother and father who are my greatest fans.
Ministry - I have so many favorite things to do in ministry - I love meeting with our women at the church, I love to give a message - whether it’s a new one or one I’ve given before - I just love to say something that might challenge, inspire, and encourage and I love to take simple words and see what God will do with them. I love the writing process - getting an idea, mapping it out, and then developing it into something that God can use to revolutionize a life. I like organizing a ministry and thinking through new ways to reach people with the message of the gospel.
The Lord, of course - The Lord Jesus is my very favorite of all - He is the One and only, Savior, Lord, Master, and my best and dearest friend and companion. I could not take one step without Him and He is the One I live for. Life is all about the great adventure of knowing Him.
