i have watched this so many times this morning...what a reality check...no? granted...i know it's a baby...and we adults are living a "real" life...with work...deadlines...bills...stress...etc...
today...take a little time for some good ole laughter...you know the kind...where nothing matters...and every moment is amazing...those of a child...loving the simple things that make us belly laugh...
when was the last time you had a good belly laugh? here is a great reminder to find a reason to laugh...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
from bad to beautiful...
i woke up this morning to the pounding of rain on my window...i remembered that i had woken up several times during the nite because of the rain...it pretty much didn't stop all nite...as i lay all cozy in my bed...i have to admit...it felt good to be there...knowing what the weather was like outside...and my first thoughts went to my schedule of the day...wondering if i needed to be out...or would i be able to be inside for majority of the day...
fast forward a few hours...the pounding of the rain had subsided but 30 minutes prior...and the sun was brilliantly shining through my windows...but the most glorious of all...was the beautiful rainbow...
the reminder...
and i thought to myself...this is kind of like how God makes something beautiful from something bad...although i know it is a stretch to call pouring down rain "bad"...coming from someone who highly dislikes it...work with me here...
it took the rain...for the rainbow to be...which makes me thankful for the bad times in my life...for without them...my own rainbows in my life would cease to be...
have yourself a fabulous weekend!
fast forward a few hours...the pounding of the rain had subsided but 30 minutes prior...and the sun was brilliantly shining through my windows...but the most glorious of all...was the beautiful rainbow...
the reminder...
and i thought to myself...this is kind of like how God makes something beautiful from something bad...although i know it is a stretch to call pouring down rain "bad"...coming from someone who highly dislikes it...work with me here...
it took the rain...for the rainbow to be...which makes me thankful for the bad times in my life...for without them...my own rainbows in my life would cease to be...
have yourself a fabulous weekend!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
God's boxes...
Which God gave me to hold
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me.."
I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
when life throws you lemons...
...make lemonade...
have you heard that saying? i've always loved it...but have to admit...it is not always easy to get to the point of making the lemonade...sometimes...we stay in the moment...and focus so much more on the situation...the bad done against us...the job loss...the money loss...the bills...the broken relationship...that we get stuck...and can't move on...
i've had so many moments like that in life...where i stayed too long in the muck...concentrating on the muck...and not the opportunity for a way out...a new way of looking at it...a change...
whatever the circumstance...i have learned truly in my own life...not just hearing about it...that God truly can make good of any situation...but we need to get to that place that we allow it...we welcome it...we trust in it...
i can look back on situations...where i clearly could not let go...whether it was letting go of a relationship...or letting go of a hurt...or letting go of worry...but when i released it...more because i was so so tired of wallowing in it...i could look back now...and see the wonderful hand of God...just weaving a new tapestry in my life...such a beautiful thing to witness...
so when i'm stuck...as i sometimes am...i force myself to look back on years past...and how the letting go was the right thing to do...but not only that...it was finally releasing...and in releasing...giving God the opportunity to do His thing...God won't push himself on us...our situation...He patiently waits...
as i've gotten older...it is easier for me to let go of situations i can't control...and maybe that is because i've lived those moments where God came in and transformed a situation that i saw no way out of...
look for those open cracks...it may just be a sliver of light that gives you the hope to say..."ok God...i can't do this...help" and He jumps in...every single time...
i think the most wonderful part of all this...is that when you look back...and see His hand at work...the most amazing thing...is that it usually...almost always...no...it always is a result that i couldn't have dreamt up in a million years...and those kind of surprises are pretty amazing...
have you heard that saying? i've always loved it...but have to admit...it is not always easy to get to the point of making the lemonade...sometimes...we stay in the moment...and focus so much more on the situation...the bad done against us...the job loss...the money loss...the bills...the broken relationship...that we get stuck...and can't move on...
i've had so many moments like that in life...where i stayed too long in the muck...concentrating on the muck...and not the opportunity for a way out...a new way of looking at it...a change...
whatever the circumstance...i have learned truly in my own life...not just hearing about it...that God truly can make good of any situation...but we need to get to that place that we allow it...we welcome it...we trust in it...
i can look back on situations...where i clearly could not let go...whether it was letting go of a relationship...or letting go of a hurt...or letting go of worry...but when i released it...more because i was so so tired of wallowing in it...i could look back now...and see the wonderful hand of God...just weaving a new tapestry in my life...such a beautiful thing to witness...
so when i'm stuck...as i sometimes am...i force myself to look back on years past...and how the letting go was the right thing to do...but not only that...it was finally releasing...and in releasing...giving God the opportunity to do His thing...God won't push himself on us...our situation...He patiently waits...
as i've gotten older...it is easier for me to let go of situations i can't control...and maybe that is because i've lived those moments where God came in and transformed a situation that i saw no way out of...
look for those open cracks...it may just be a sliver of light that gives you the hope to say..."ok God...i can't do this...help" and He jumps in...every single time...
i think the most wonderful part of all this...is that when you look back...and see His hand at work...the most amazing thing...is that it usually...almost always...no...it always is a result that i couldn't have dreamt up in a million years...and those kind of surprises are pretty amazing...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
hiding the junk...
it started with the file cabinet in my office...this last week i made some major progress in cleaning out old files...like going through files that have been hanging in their own special folders in the file cabinet...still neat and tidy...but after years of not really going through it...well...it was time...i wasn't sure of what was in there...to tell you the truth...
it truly is amazing what we end up keeping...what accumulates in our homes after years of living...years of collecting...years of filing...years of "putting away"...i was on such a roll...that after the file cabinet...i started tackling the whole office...
i remember the time my younger brother & his wife had put their home on the market...my sister-in-law went through a major purging to make the home look clean...not an ounce of clutter was seen...and through those weeks of open house...they had to keep it that way...let me tell you...that is not an easy thing to do...when everyday life happens...
as i was going through my office...i imagined if i was getting ready to move...that was the kind of mindset i wanted in purging so many collected items...it's amazing how much more junk i notice when i think about strangers walking through and evaluating the home...as i cleaned out and threw away an obscene amount of really unnecessary stuff (i.e. junk)...my first thought was...i have watched enough hgtv to make this process a little bit easier...and i was thankful that all that time watching episodes was finally put into use...i knew ahead of time that less stuff equals more open space...without the visual interruption of clutter...the eye can take in the full size of the room...the bones and beauty of the space...
as in a staged home...we all know that buyers appreciate a clean slate...it's easier to see the good stuff without all the junk around...i know this...but in the midst of all the cleaning out...i still questioned if people really care...
let me be a little more specific...could a buyer overlook the winter coats and hats dropped in the bottom of a pantry floor? would they mind empty video game boxes stacked neatly in the corner? would they look in a junk drawer to see empty medicine bottles, matches, broken sunglasses, playing cards and takeout menus...i mean really...doesn't everyone have a junk drawer? surely...visitors won't mind boxes of winter clothes clogging up the closet space...
boy...sounds like i'm the one moving...but alas...tis not me...this is really what i am getting at...
during the process...of me cleaning as if i was going to have an copen house...i couldn't help but wonder if it was time for a spiritual open house...i sense that i've been storing unsightly clutter for far too long...it's a lot of junk really...i think i could make a better use of the space if i'd just let some things go...i'm afraid when people look at my life they see spiritual clutter (i.e. sin)...can they appreciate the bones and beauty of the work of God in my life or does their eye stop on all the junk? do they see an overcrowded life that squeezes out the space God longs to fill with His peace...presence and holiness? will they notice good but unnecessary things that fill the void?
let me be a little more specific...could someone look past my too-often indulged habit of gossip? oh i tell myself it isn't gossip...but it is...will they really mind the irritability i display with someone...and what about the petty jokes made at someone's expense? i know they will look at me and see gluttony, pride, a love of television and a lack of discipline...but doesn't everyone have stuff they struggle with? do they wonder about a woman who has lead small group...taught sunday school...sings on the worship team...but has a hard time regularly sitting and being still before the Lord?
my personal challenge for the next few days is to look at my life not the way a perfect stranger would...but the way a Perfect Savior would...it's unlikely He will look past the things that i'm far too complacent about...once i've taken a spiritual inventory i'm not going to just hide the junk...i don't know about you...but that junk always seems to reappear and at the worst possible time...no...i'm going to do my best to let my junk go...basically...i'm moving closer to my Father...here i grow...
it truly is amazing what we end up keeping...what accumulates in our homes after years of living...years of collecting...years of filing...years of "putting away"...i was on such a roll...that after the file cabinet...i started tackling the whole office...
i remember the time my younger brother & his wife had put their home on the market...my sister-in-law went through a major purging to make the home look clean...not an ounce of clutter was seen...and through those weeks of open house...they had to keep it that way...let me tell you...that is not an easy thing to do...when everyday life happens...
as i was going through my office...i imagined if i was getting ready to move...that was the kind of mindset i wanted in purging so many collected items...it's amazing how much more junk i notice when i think about strangers walking through and evaluating the home...as i cleaned out and threw away an obscene amount of really unnecessary stuff (i.e. junk)...my first thought was...i have watched enough hgtv to make this process a little bit easier...and i was thankful that all that time watching episodes was finally put into use...i knew ahead of time that less stuff equals more open space...without the visual interruption of clutter...the eye can take in the full size of the room...the bones and beauty of the space...
as in a staged home...we all know that buyers appreciate a clean slate...it's easier to see the good stuff without all the junk around...i know this...but in the midst of all the cleaning out...i still questioned if people really care...
let me be a little more specific...could a buyer overlook the winter coats and hats dropped in the bottom of a pantry floor? would they mind empty video game boxes stacked neatly in the corner? would they look in a junk drawer to see empty medicine bottles, matches, broken sunglasses, playing cards and takeout menus...i mean really...doesn't everyone have a junk drawer? surely...visitors won't mind boxes of winter clothes clogging up the closet space...
boy...sounds like i'm the one moving...but alas...tis not me...this is really what i am getting at...
during the process...of me cleaning as if i was going to have an copen house...i couldn't help but wonder if it was time for a spiritual open house...i sense that i've been storing unsightly clutter for far too long...it's a lot of junk really...i think i could make a better use of the space if i'd just let some things go...i'm afraid when people look at my life they see spiritual clutter (i.e. sin)...can they appreciate the bones and beauty of the work of God in my life or does their eye stop on all the junk? do they see an overcrowded life that squeezes out the space God longs to fill with His peace...presence and holiness? will they notice good but unnecessary things that fill the void?
let me be a little more specific...could someone look past my too-often indulged habit of gossip? oh i tell myself it isn't gossip...but it is...will they really mind the irritability i display with someone...and what about the petty jokes made at someone's expense? i know they will look at me and see gluttony, pride, a love of television and a lack of discipline...but doesn't everyone have stuff they struggle with? do they wonder about a woman who has lead small group...taught sunday school...sings on the worship team...but has a hard time regularly sitting and being still before the Lord?
my personal challenge for the next few days is to look at my life not the way a perfect stranger would...but the way a Perfect Savior would...it's unlikely He will look past the things that i'm far too complacent about...once i've taken a spiritual inventory i'm not going to just hide the junk...i don't know about you...but that junk always seems to reappear and at the worst possible time...no...i'm going to do my best to let my junk go...basically...i'm moving closer to my Father...here i grow...
Friday, February 18, 2011
remember your abc's...
i don't know why i love all the poems...sayings...quotes...etc...so much...but i do...as i was cleaning out my office yesterday...i came across an old folder that had papers that once hung on a bulletin board in my cubicle in one of my first jobs...(ok...talk about a run-on sentence) =)
thought i would share it...
to achieve your dreams...remember your abc's...
Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits...
Be yourself...
Consider things from every angle...
Don't give up, don't give in...
Enjoy life today; yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come...
Family and friends are hidden treasures...
Give more than you planned to give...
Hang on to your dreams...
Ignore those who try to discourage you...
Just do it!
Keep on trying; no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier...
Love yourself first and most...
Make it happen...
Never lie, cheat or steal...
Open your eyes and see things as they really are...
Practice makes perfect...
Quitters never win and winners never quit...
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life...
Stop procrastinating...
Take control of your destiny...
Understand yourself in order to better understand others...
Visualize it...
Want it more than anything...
Xcellerate your efforts...
Yearn for success...
Zoom onward and upward...
Enjoy your weekend!
thought i would share it...
Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits...
Be yourself...
Consider things from every angle...
Don't give up, don't give in...
Enjoy life today; yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come...
Family and friends are hidden treasures...
Give more than you planned to give...
Hang on to your dreams...
Ignore those who try to discourage you...
Just do it!
Keep on trying; no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier...
Love yourself first and most...
Make it happen...
Never lie, cheat or steal...
Open your eyes and see things as they really are...
Practice makes perfect...
Quitters never win and winners never quit...
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life...
Stop procrastinating...
Take control of your destiny...
Understand yourself in order to better understand others...
Visualize it...
Want it more than anything...
Xcellerate your efforts...
Yearn for success...
Zoom onward and upward...
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
get service...
a few weeks back during bible study...we had a pretty lengthy discussion about being in a hurry...not noticing things around us...and most importantly...not realizing sometimes...how a little kindness can go so far...when we have no idea of what is going on in the lives of others...
this video depicts that in such an awesome way...
this video depicts that in such an awesome way...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
when i say...
by Maya Angelou
'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
When I say...'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say...'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say...'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say...'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say ...'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say...'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say...'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Pretty is as Pretty does...but beautiful is just plain beautiful!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
dancing in puddles...
here we are in mid february...and i'm not going to lie...we have had some of THE best weather...truly like summer...and it lasted...for several weeks...and of course...my heart was happy...i love the sunshine...the love the warmth...the hotter the better...but now we are looking at a cold front coming in...and a big rain storm...not my favorite...i'll admit...and it's a huge change in weather...not a slight change...
but i've been thinking a lot about the seasons...and how each one has its purpose...when we've not had rain in many, many days...or weeks...or months...an area can be affected...and cause a drought...we need the rain...so as much as it is not my preference...i welcome it...
but i wonder how i will feel...after days and days of continued rain...that is how i've been thinking about seasons...whether the rain...as the weather...or rain in your life...what is the usual cycle?
in previous times...when we were in a drought...there were times where it got so bad...water rationing took affect...you couldn't wash your car...you had alternate days in which you could water your yard...it was pretty serious...so i would find myself...hoping for rain...and happy when the rain finally came...i rejoiced in it...i thanked God for it...i even prayed that it would keep on raining...i had hope that this rain would begin to replenish our water-level deficit...come on...rain...i thought...and as i would load my car with bags of groceries in the car...i tried not to be grumpy about the rain...i tried to smile even as my hair was getting wet...even as i would see little kids splashing in puddles...soaking their shoes...every time i felt myself getting grumpy and wishing it would stop raining...i focused instead on how much we needed the rain...and how this rain was an answer to prayer...and yet...i must confess that after it went on for a while...i was anxious for the rain to go away and dry weather to return...even though i knew that God was giving us what we needed most...i started looking backwards...
and then God gave me a vision of how much i was like the israelites as they wandered in the desert...the scripture tells us that oppressive egypt was starting to look good to them again...they had prayed for deliverance from slavery and God had provided it...He had answered their prayers and given them what they needed...yet as day after day of walking and wandering began to take its toll...they started to forget God's goodness and concentrate on their circumstances instead...oh...to be back in egypt...they thought...
how often do we do this? we ask for deliverance from something...we are thankful for the deliverance...but then as we walk through the hard parts of actually being delivered...the flesh begins to cry out in opposition...we start drifting backwards in our spirits to that place that was familiar...instead of walking obediently towards where God wants to take us...
i know this has been true with me...i pray for deliverance from whatever...be it financial...or the way i choose to live my single life...and God begins to show me a way out...yet as i have walked through what it has taken to be debt-free...i have often caught myself looking back at when i used to charge things freely...with no thought as to how i would pay for it...oh...how nice that was to just be able to go buy something without having to scrounge and save...i find myself thinking...or i think...when asked out...yeah...i know he is not a believer...but it has been a while since i've been on a date...and even some of the christian men i've dated showed less integrity...but God calls me to a higher standard...
i don't want to look backwards or give into the comforts my flesh craves...i want to push forward...straining for the prize God has for me...i want to seek Him with all my heart...no matter where that takes me...i want to live in that sometimes uncomfortable place of walking in total obedience...i want to focus on His plan and not my comfort level when things get hard...i want to live a life that seeks Him instead of a life spent looking backwards...i want to thank Him in all circumstances and to trust completely in Him...and when the rain comes pouring down...i want to choose to dance in the puddles instead of longing for the shelter of past sunny days...
but i've been thinking a lot about the seasons...and how each one has its purpose...when we've not had rain in many, many days...or weeks...or months...an area can be affected...and cause a drought...we need the rain...so as much as it is not my preference...i welcome it...
but i wonder how i will feel...after days and days of continued rain...that is how i've been thinking about seasons...whether the rain...as the weather...or rain in your life...what is the usual cycle?
in previous times...when we were in a drought...there were times where it got so bad...water rationing took affect...you couldn't wash your car...you had alternate days in which you could water your yard...it was pretty serious...so i would find myself...hoping for rain...and happy when the rain finally came...i rejoiced in it...i thanked God for it...i even prayed that it would keep on raining...i had hope that this rain would begin to replenish our water-level deficit...come on...rain...i thought...and as i would load my car with bags of groceries in the car...i tried not to be grumpy about the rain...i tried to smile even as my hair was getting wet...even as i would see little kids splashing in puddles...soaking their shoes...every time i felt myself getting grumpy and wishing it would stop raining...i focused instead on how much we needed the rain...and how this rain was an answer to prayer...and yet...i must confess that after it went on for a while...i was anxious for the rain to go away and dry weather to return...even though i knew that God was giving us what we needed most...i started looking backwards...
and then God gave me a vision of how much i was like the israelites as they wandered in the desert...the scripture tells us that oppressive egypt was starting to look good to them again...they had prayed for deliverance from slavery and God had provided it...He had answered their prayers and given them what they needed...yet as day after day of walking and wandering began to take its toll...they started to forget God's goodness and concentrate on their circumstances instead...oh...to be back in egypt...they thought...
how often do we do this? we ask for deliverance from something...we are thankful for the deliverance...but then as we walk through the hard parts of actually being delivered...the flesh begins to cry out in opposition...we start drifting backwards in our spirits to that place that was familiar...instead of walking obediently towards where God wants to take us...
i know this has been true with me...i pray for deliverance from whatever...be it financial...or the way i choose to live my single life...and God begins to show me a way out...yet as i have walked through what it has taken to be debt-free...i have often caught myself looking back at when i used to charge things freely...with no thought as to how i would pay for it...oh...how nice that was to just be able to go buy something without having to scrounge and save...i find myself thinking...or i think...when asked out...yeah...i know he is not a believer...but it has been a while since i've been on a date...and even some of the christian men i've dated showed less integrity...but God calls me to a higher standard...
i don't want to look backwards or give into the comforts my flesh craves...i want to push forward...straining for the prize God has for me...i want to seek Him with all my heart...no matter where that takes me...i want to live in that sometimes uncomfortable place of walking in total obedience...i want to focus on His plan and not my comfort level when things get hard...i want to live a life that seeks Him instead of a life spent looking backwards...i want to thank Him in all circumstances and to trust completely in Him...and when the rain comes pouring down...i want to choose to dance in the puddles instead of longing for the shelter of past sunny days...
Monday, February 14, 2011
love is...
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love....
Friday, February 11, 2011
trump for president?
wow...who would have thunk it...i agree with a lot of what he says...AND he is pro-life...i think along with so many...we have gotten to the point where we are skeptical of what politicians say...and moreso...what they promise...but i have to say...trump is making a lot of sense...i wonder if he will run...
we as christians & americans...all we can do is pray...and although i don't agree with a lot of what obama is doing...my role is to pray for him now...as the leader of our country...hope you are doing the same...he is just a man...only God can change the hearts of the people...
we as christians & americans...all we can do is pray...and although i don't agree with a lot of what obama is doing...my role is to pray for him now...as the leader of our country...hope you are doing the same...he is just a man...only God can change the hearts of the people...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
temptation...
...when it rears its ugly head...how do you respond?
the traditional approach to temptation has been war...fight it...don't surrender to it...find strategies to deal with it...kill it before it kills you...what is it like when we take this approach to our temptations?
when a temptation rears its ugly head...we rush at it...blind-folded...swinging madly...we are afraid to look at it and especially afraid to ask what this temptation or sin means about who we are...somewhere in our consciousness we hear a voice..."if you commit a sin like this...if the temptation even crosses our mind...you must be a very bad person..."
ever thought that?
we try to beat the temptation to death...but in fact we only knock it unconscious...so to speak...we stuff it into a closet and pound a few nails into the door..."well...that's dealt with..." we tell ourselves...but temptation and sin monsters thrive in dark closets and will emerge larger and even more threatening another time...and so we find ourselves caught in an overwhelming spiral of guilt...lack of self-knowledge...and powerlessness...
thre is another way to approach temptation...we do not deny the problem but see it first as a symptom...when the temptation or sin monster crawls out of the closet...we need to stop before we bludgeon it and ask what its presence is telling us about ourselves...
our reaction to our own temptation can be like our reaction to a child who displays some unexpected behavior...like shoplifting...or smoking...our first desire might be to shout or spank the scoundrel (kidding!) into submission...but that would be a shallow response to the problem...the wise parent will try to find out what this behavior indicates about the deeper needs...problems and feelings of the child...
and so with our temptations...why do i find myself wanting to buy that pair of red shoes...or that piece of chocolate cake? why do i find myself gossiping about a neighbor...or nursing a grudge toward someone who has hurt me? self-examination...understanding ourselves...is an essential step in beginning the journey towards holiness...even paul instructed the christians of corinth to examine themselves...when we look within...we see that often we have not examined or known ourselves or the power of our emotions...
it's little wonder that we as women (and men) don't understand ourselves...we have often believed garbled tales about ourselves...for years if we have turned to psychology or sociology for insight...we have read studies that relate more to male moral decision-making than our own...it would be remarkable if we weren't confused about ourselves...this confusion has made us vulnerable...and when we are out of touch with who we are and with our emotions...we are more likely to fall for temptation...
each of us must decide how to handle temptation...how to deal with it head-on...find true freedom...and begin to build holy and fulfilling lives...
the traditional approach to temptation has been war...fight it...don't surrender to it...find strategies to deal with it...kill it before it kills you...what is it like when we take this approach to our temptations?
when a temptation rears its ugly head...we rush at it...blind-folded...swinging madly...we are afraid to look at it and especially afraid to ask what this temptation or sin means about who we are...somewhere in our consciousness we hear a voice..."if you commit a sin like this...if the temptation even crosses our mind...you must be a very bad person..."
ever thought that?
we try to beat the temptation to death...but in fact we only knock it unconscious...so to speak...we stuff it into a closet and pound a few nails into the door..."well...that's dealt with..." we tell ourselves...but temptation and sin monsters thrive in dark closets and will emerge larger and even more threatening another time...and so we find ourselves caught in an overwhelming spiral of guilt...lack of self-knowledge...and powerlessness...
thre is another way to approach temptation...we do not deny the problem but see it first as a symptom...when the temptation or sin monster crawls out of the closet...we need to stop before we bludgeon it and ask what its presence is telling us about ourselves...
our reaction to our own temptation can be like our reaction to a child who displays some unexpected behavior...like shoplifting...or smoking...our first desire might be to shout or spank the scoundrel (kidding!) into submission...but that would be a shallow response to the problem...the wise parent will try to find out what this behavior indicates about the deeper needs...problems and feelings of the child...
and so with our temptations...why do i find myself wanting to buy that pair of red shoes...or that piece of chocolate cake? why do i find myself gossiping about a neighbor...or nursing a grudge toward someone who has hurt me? self-examination...understanding ourselves...is an essential step in beginning the journey towards holiness...even paul instructed the christians of corinth to examine themselves...when we look within...we see that often we have not examined or known ourselves or the power of our emotions...
it's little wonder that we as women (and men) don't understand ourselves...we have often believed garbled tales about ourselves...for years if we have turned to psychology or sociology for insight...we have read studies that relate more to male moral decision-making than our own...it would be remarkable if we weren't confused about ourselves...this confusion has made us vulnerable...and when we are out of touch with who we are and with our emotions...we are more likely to fall for temptation...
each of us must decide how to handle temptation...how to deal with it head-on...find true freedom...and begin to build holy and fulfilling lives...
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
asking for wisdom...
"if you need wisdom...ask our generous God...and he will give it to you..." james 1:5
do you ever think back on your teenage years...and the choices you made? i know for me...a lot of my decisions were decided by my parents...for example...when i would be old enough and responsible enough to have my first job of babysitting...as a teenager...my "life decisions" were pretty minimal...compared to someone like...oh lets say...solomon...
i was reading the story of solomon the other day...solomon was the son of king david...solomon was installed as king just before his father's death...he was a tween-ager (is that a word?) at the time...only twelve years-old and now in charge of an entire nation...can you imagine? makes babysitting for a few hours sound simple...
a while after solomon's ordination...God appeared to the young king in a dream and invited him to make any request..."God said, ‘what do you want? ask, and I will give it to you!'" (1 kings 3:5)...imagine your tween-aged or even teen-aged self from years ago...now imagine God in almost genie-like fashion...though God is most certainly not a genie...asking you to make a request...what would you ask for? my young self might have asked for a pony...new bike...a little sister...a car...
however...none of this is what solomon asked for...he replied:
"now, o Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, david, but i am like a little child who doesn't know his way around...and here i am in the midst of your own chosen people; a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! give me an understanding heart so that i can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong...for who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?" (2 kings 3:7-9)
wow...seriously??
good choice! feeling the weight of his responsibilities...solomon asked God for the knowledge he would need to fulfill his purpose to lead the people and judge fairly between them...approving of solomon's request...God answered:
"because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies...I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have...and I will also give you what you did not ask for...riches and fame...no other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life...and if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, david, did, I will give you a long life..." (1 kings 3:11-14)
solomon was granted wisdom from God...and as he followed it...all God promised came true...in short order...solomon's wealth grew tremendously...in today's market...i'm assuming he would be a multi-millionaire, or even a trillionarie...he owned property, livestock, and mines...he had 12,000 horsemen alone on his payroll...to drive his 4,000 chariots...
his reputation was renowned...kings from all over the world came to listen and learn from solomon...indeed solomon still holds the title of the wisest man that ever lived...(Jesus not included in a list of mere men...)
solomon's wisdom flowing from the throne of God brought the nation peace and prosperity like it had never known before...the forty years that solomon sat as king were some of the best years in all of israel's history...all because he asked God for the wisdom he would need to fulfill his purpose...and then he followed that wisdom...
my purpose on this earth isn't to lead my nation like solomon...but nonetheless i have a purpose...and i have people i‘ll lead...and responsibilities...and you do too! so...we need to make good choices...i think we need to take our cue from the wisest man to ever live and ask God today for the knowledge we'll need to fulfill our purposes well...
so today...Lord...i eagerly ask You for wisdom for my life...please give me knowledge...understanding...discernment...and the heart-set needed to follow it...may i rightly fulfill Your purposes for me today...and each day...amen...
do you ever think back on your teenage years...and the choices you made? i know for me...a lot of my decisions were decided by my parents...for example...when i would be old enough and responsible enough to have my first job of babysitting...as a teenager...my "life decisions" were pretty minimal...compared to someone like...oh lets say...solomon...
i was reading the story of solomon the other day...solomon was the son of king david...solomon was installed as king just before his father's death...he was a tween-ager (is that a word?) at the time...only twelve years-old and now in charge of an entire nation...can you imagine? makes babysitting for a few hours sound simple...
a while after solomon's ordination...God appeared to the young king in a dream and invited him to make any request..."God said, ‘what do you want? ask, and I will give it to you!'" (1 kings 3:5)...imagine your tween-aged or even teen-aged self from years ago...now imagine God in almost genie-like fashion...though God is most certainly not a genie...asking you to make a request...what would you ask for? my young self might have asked for a pony...new bike...a little sister...a car...
however...none of this is what solomon asked for...he replied:
"now, o Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, david, but i am like a little child who doesn't know his way around...and here i am in the midst of your own chosen people; a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! give me an understanding heart so that i can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong...for who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?" (2 kings 3:7-9)
wow...seriously??
good choice! feeling the weight of his responsibilities...solomon asked God for the knowledge he would need to fulfill his purpose to lead the people and judge fairly between them...approving of solomon's request...God answered:
"because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies...I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have...and I will also give you what you did not ask for...riches and fame...no other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life...and if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, david, did, I will give you a long life..." (1 kings 3:11-14)
solomon was granted wisdom from God...and as he followed it...all God promised came true...in short order...solomon's wealth grew tremendously...in today's market...i'm assuming he would be a multi-millionaire, or even a trillionarie...he owned property, livestock, and mines...he had 12,000 horsemen alone on his payroll...to drive his 4,000 chariots...
his reputation was renowned...kings from all over the world came to listen and learn from solomon...indeed solomon still holds the title of the wisest man that ever lived...(Jesus not included in a list of mere men...)
solomon's wisdom flowing from the throne of God brought the nation peace and prosperity like it had never known before...the forty years that solomon sat as king were some of the best years in all of israel's history...all because he asked God for the wisdom he would need to fulfill his purpose...and then he followed that wisdom...
my purpose on this earth isn't to lead my nation like solomon...but nonetheless i have a purpose...and i have people i‘ll lead...and responsibilities...and you do too! so...we need to make good choices...i think we need to take our cue from the wisest man to ever live and ask God today for the knowledge we'll need to fulfill our purposes well...
so today...Lord...i eagerly ask You for wisdom for my life...please give me knowledge...understanding...discernment...and the heart-set needed to follow it...may i rightly fulfill Your purposes for me today...and each day...amen...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
your final text message...
if this doesn't get people to stop texting while driving...i don't know what will...what struck me was how "short" the text messages were...we are not looking at someone texting 2 to 3 sentences...but 3 to 4 letters...
if you text while driving...please stop...
if you text while driving...please stop...
Monday, February 7, 2011
how & where God speaks to you...
so yesterday...sunday...i woke up and decided not to go to church...i had a plethera of reasons...which i won't post...were they good reasons? depends who is judging...i guess...but for me...i just needed a day to myself...which i guess i wish i could just declare that without feeling the need to have a list of reasons attached to it...
anyways...i decided to stay home...and immediately started feeling a bit guilty...which is a whole different post...seriously...why do i do this to myself? i don't think God is up there...shaking His head at me...and deciding how He is going to punish me for my lack of church attendance..right? maybe?? =)
although i stayed home...i needed to get some God time in...so i was excited to tune in to Joel Osteen @ 10am...something i usually miss...because i'm in church...
ok...wow...did God speak to me...it was one of those...so in the moment sermons...only for me...you know the ones...where even though the church is packed but you feel like God is speaking to you...and only you...
and how cool that He still found me...not in church...but in my living room...of course...i'm not saying to stop going to church...because i do feel it's important...i just like the fact that where and how God speaks to you is not important...what is important...is that no matter where we are...we are listening...
anyways...i decided to stay home...and immediately started feeling a bit guilty...which is a whole different post...seriously...why do i do this to myself? i don't think God is up there...shaking His head at me...and deciding how He is going to punish me for my lack of church attendance..right? maybe?? =)
although i stayed home...i needed to get some God time in...so i was excited to tune in to Joel Osteen @ 10am...something i usually miss...because i'm in church...
ok...wow...did God speak to me...it was one of those...so in the moment sermons...only for me...you know the ones...where even though the church is packed but you feel like God is speaking to you...and only you...
and how cool that He still found me...not in church...but in my living room...of course...i'm not saying to stop going to church...because i do feel it's important...i just like the fact that where and how God speaks to you is not important...what is important...is that no matter where we are...we are listening...
Friday, February 4, 2011
and today...all other animal lovers...
to bring a smile to your face this lovely friday...enjoy the weekend...yesterday was all about the cats...today...everything else...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
for cat lovers...
ok...i realize not everyone loves cats...but seriously...how can these pics not make you smile?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
do not lean on your own understanding...
trust in the Lord with all your heart...and do not lean on your own understanding...in all your ways acknowledge Him...and HE will direct your paths...
proverbs 3:5-6
i cannot even tell you how many times i recited this verse today...over and over...especially the part about "do not lean on your own understanding"...such a hard one...i'm always trying to understand the why's....the how comes...the what happened?
the funny thing...this started the moment i woke up...just had a few moments...of quiet...started thinking....analyzing...didn't i start by praying? what was i doing thinking?
re-focus...re-focus... =)
so happy that the Lord is patient with me...sometimes i'm not patient with me...but He is...so i'll go on trusting Him...and if need be...i'll repeat the part i need to hear the most...because more than anything...i want Him...directing my path...
proverbs 3:5-6
i cannot even tell you how many times i recited this verse today...over and over...especially the part about "do not lean on your own understanding"...such a hard one...i'm always trying to understand the why's....the how comes...the what happened?
the funny thing...this started the moment i woke up...just had a few moments...of quiet...started thinking....analyzing...didn't i start by praying? what was i doing thinking?
re-focus...re-focus... =)
so happy that the Lord is patient with me...sometimes i'm not patient with me...but He is...so i'll go on trusting Him...and if need be...i'll repeat the part i need to hear the most...because more than anything...i want Him...directing my path...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
what are you in a hurry for?
wow...is monday nite bible study getting good! my head was swirling last nite as i drove home...so many key components...last nite we heard about how a big trigger for anger is stress...relieve the stress...relieve the anger...of course i am overly simplifying it...but it really makes sense...
as we talked about areas of stress in our lives...or a sense of "hurry"...and what transpires in our spirit...and not only in our spirit...but what it does to our body...our heart...for one...
i've really been thinking of areas in my life that are "hurried"...and how i can eliminate some of the sense of being in a hurry...and what that would look like...is it doable? absolutely...it's called planning better...and not over-committing...
you know how much time you have in a day...what makes the top priorities...and in that...an overwhelming answer is revealed as to how we spend our time...
so what do you need to elimate to make "quality" time available for other things...maybe spending quiet time with the Lord...or spending time with someone important in your life...when we give the important things in our life...the leftovers of our time...what are we saying about those important things?
as we talked about areas of stress in our lives...or a sense of "hurry"...and what transpires in our spirit...and not only in our spirit...but what it does to our body...our heart...for one...
i've really been thinking of areas in my life that are "hurried"...and how i can eliminate some of the sense of being in a hurry...and what that would look like...is it doable? absolutely...it's called planning better...and not over-committing...
you know how much time you have in a day...what makes the top priorities...and in that...an overwhelming answer is revealed as to how we spend our time...
so what do you need to elimate to make "quality" time available for other things...maybe spending quiet time with the Lord...or spending time with someone important in your life...when we give the important things in our life...the leftovers of our time...what are we saying about those important things?
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