this song has been one of my go to songs for so so many years...it continues to soothe, encourage, and help me to press on...
strength of my life - leslie phillips
i open my eyes to the sound of morning news...
and wish for ten more minutes left to sleep...
and as i get into the shower...
the thoughts of facing one more day...
overwhelm me...and i begin to weep...
and i've never felt...like i needed your help...
so bad...
well my tears are pushed away now...
for the sake of morning rush...
till the bible on the table catches my eye...
and i read that You are near to
the hearts that break with grief...
and i realize that i don't have to try...
to live life myself...
because You're ready to help me live...
and everyday i look to You
to be the strength of my life...
You're the hope i hold onto
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...today...
each day has its problems...
its troubles and its tears...
and it seems i'm always anything...but strong...
when i learn to know my weakness...
i understand Your strength...
and even when the hard times last so long...
i won't try by myself...i'll just ask for Your help...
each day...
and everyday i look to You
to be the strength of my life...
breathe on me and make me new...
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...
be the strength of my life...today...
seriously...is it any wonder why He is the first one that i speak to in the morning...and the last one i speak to at the end of the day?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
on the edge of sin...
"you play with fire you are going to get burned" is something i heard all the time growing up...it was my parents' way of warning me of potential danger when hanging around with the wrong crowd...or going places i should not go...of course i thought my parent's advice was outdated and out of touch with my generation...i had no idea how wrong i could be...
in my devotional this week i was reading about lot...
"abram settled in the land of canaan...while lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as sodom." genesis 13:12
i don't believe lot intended to fall into the immoral activity and evil practices taking place in sodom when he chose to set up his tent in the valley...the valley near the cities of sodom and gomorrah was lush and beautiful...lot chose to live in the area because it was a wonderful place to raise livestock...
sodom and gomorrah became so infiltrated and consumed with evil...war broke out...lot and his family were captured and taken prisoner...when rescued by his uncle abraham...the Bible tell us that lot went right back to the "edge of sin..." although the bible does not give specific evidence of any immoral activity by lot...i wonder if something about the area...other than the lush green beauty...fascinated him...why would he return there after coming so close to losing his life?
unfortunately...i can understand lot and his decision to stay near the "edge of sin," and to return to the "edge of sin..." i have camped on the edge too often in my life and find myself going back to the same campsite over and over again...why? sin feels good...if it didn't...we would not keep going near it...
i believe this is how the enemy traps us...if you play with fire...you are going to get burned...sometimes you only get singed, or you may only come away smelling a little smoky...but you are tainted nonetheless...
God loves us so much...He doesn't want us anywhere close to sin...He will bring destruction – sooner or later – to the means of the sin in our lives...He did this for lot...God set out to destroy sodom and gomorrah...abraham begged God to save lot and his family...because of God's love for abraham...and i believe for His love for lot too...He sent angels to rescue lot and his family...as they were leaving...God sent destruction to sodom and gomorrah...
it is easy at this point of the story to judge lot...but there is a lot to learn from him...
when you are too close to sin:
• you are bound to get seduced...sometimes we like to live right on the edge of sin and flirt with it...the enemy entices us while on the edge...hoping we will cross over and stay a while...
• God will give you an opportunity to be rescued...the rescue might not look like a "typical" rescue but nevertheless He will provide a way out...
• it is hard to reach out and accept the rescue because the grip of the stronghold of sin becomes tighter and tighter with each passing day on the edge...
• once you are rescued...don't look back...the first time lot was rescued...he went back to the "edge of sin..." in the second rescue...his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt...don't look back...but look toward your freedom...
so...what about you & me? have we chosen to set our tents in an area that seems lush and green? perhaps it is at the water cooler where workday conversations are not appropriate...or maybe we are looking in the wrong place for "mr. right." has the mommy-and-me playgroup become too gossipy? are we "too close" to the edge of sin? do we need to be rescued? if so...we need to cry out to be rescued and when we leave...don't look back...
in my devotional this week i was reading about lot...
"abram settled in the land of canaan...while lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as sodom." genesis 13:12
i don't believe lot intended to fall into the immoral activity and evil practices taking place in sodom when he chose to set up his tent in the valley...the valley near the cities of sodom and gomorrah was lush and beautiful...lot chose to live in the area because it was a wonderful place to raise livestock...
sodom and gomorrah became so infiltrated and consumed with evil...war broke out...lot and his family were captured and taken prisoner...when rescued by his uncle abraham...the Bible tell us that lot went right back to the "edge of sin..." although the bible does not give specific evidence of any immoral activity by lot...i wonder if something about the area...other than the lush green beauty...fascinated him...why would he return there after coming so close to losing his life?
unfortunately...i can understand lot and his decision to stay near the "edge of sin," and to return to the "edge of sin..." i have camped on the edge too often in my life and find myself going back to the same campsite over and over again...why? sin feels good...if it didn't...we would not keep going near it...
i believe this is how the enemy traps us...if you play with fire...you are going to get burned...sometimes you only get singed, or you may only come away smelling a little smoky...but you are tainted nonetheless...
God loves us so much...He doesn't want us anywhere close to sin...He will bring destruction – sooner or later – to the means of the sin in our lives...He did this for lot...God set out to destroy sodom and gomorrah...abraham begged God to save lot and his family...because of God's love for abraham...and i believe for His love for lot too...He sent angels to rescue lot and his family...as they were leaving...God sent destruction to sodom and gomorrah...
it is easy at this point of the story to judge lot...but there is a lot to learn from him...
when you are too close to sin:
• you are bound to get seduced...sometimes we like to live right on the edge of sin and flirt with it...the enemy entices us while on the edge...hoping we will cross over and stay a while...
• God will give you an opportunity to be rescued...the rescue might not look like a "typical" rescue but nevertheless He will provide a way out...
• it is hard to reach out and accept the rescue because the grip of the stronghold of sin becomes tighter and tighter with each passing day on the edge...
• once you are rescued...don't look back...the first time lot was rescued...he went back to the "edge of sin..." in the second rescue...his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt...don't look back...but look toward your freedom...
so...what about you & me? have we chosen to set our tents in an area that seems lush and green? perhaps it is at the water cooler where workday conversations are not appropriate...or maybe we are looking in the wrong place for "mr. right." has the mommy-and-me playgroup become too gossipy? are we "too close" to the edge of sin? do we need to be rescued? if so...we need to cry out to be rescued and when we leave...don't look back...
Monday, June 28, 2010
back to the basics...
there are times in life as i spin full force down various roads of discovery and adventure...i silence myself long enough to quit the energized activity i feel compelled to fill my life with...i do this intentionally to allow myself to live completely in the NOW! at these observing times i come to realize that in some instances the randomly old...the forgotten...often times even the discarded have a certain honest beauty to them...behind the dust...rust and awkward brokenness...shines a certain charm...an unpretentious regal quality that few fully perceive...
it is important that we HONOR the tried and true...that which has been reliable and served us well...even if they are a bit bedraggled and in need of some tender loving care...move on to the bright, new and shiny by all means...but never forget that which has brought us to the place where the bright and shiny is easily attainable...
i am not only speaking of material things...i am talking about old relationships...friends...and belief systems that in the past helped us grow...
it is important that we HONOR the tried and true...that which has been reliable and served us well...even if they are a bit bedraggled and in need of some tender loving care...move on to the bright, new and shiny by all means...but never forget that which has brought us to the place where the bright and shiny is easily attainable...
i am not only speaking of material things...i am talking about old relationships...friends...and belief systems that in the past helped us grow...
Friday, June 25, 2010
desperate enough...
in times of desperation...what do you do? there is a story in the bible of a woman who was deperate enough...this story has always intrigued me...
"she came up behind him and touched his cloak and immediately the bleeding stopped..." luke 8:44
thousands of years ago there was a woman who was just desperate enough to get help...she had been bleeding for 12 years and no one could help her...but when Jesus came to her neighborhood...she was ready to try anything...i imagine she was embarrassed...and weakened because of her bleeding...she must have gathered every ounce of energy and courage to get to Jesus...
the bible tells us there were crowds following Jesus that day...yet somehow...this determined woman navigated her way through the rush of humanity to touch the cloak of Jesus...and the bible tells us she was healed immediately...in spite of the people pressing around Jesus...He knew someone had touched Him...as He stopped...the people stumbled into each other...turning their heads to determine what happened...in a gentle voice...Jesus asked..."who touched me?"
after everyone denied they had touched Jesus...the woman came trembling before Him...she told Jesus and the assembled crowd why she had touched Jesus...Jesus then said to the women... "daughter, your faith has healed you...go in peace..."
wow...
desperation causes people to do different things...some people make wrong choices...believing their backs are against a wall...some people go into hiding...hoping a problem will go away...yet others are desperate enough to do something risky and full of humility to get help...sometimes God uses other people to help us...and sometime He is the only One who has the answers...
in the difficult times we face...many of us have problems that push us to the point of desperation...it is my prayer that instead of desperation defeating me...it motivates me to seek help...whether God Himself provides my deliverance...or He uses someone else...i trust He already has a plan to help...
only God truly knows the desperation i feel right now...or that you feel at this moment...only He can see the troubles that weigh us down...i confess that i don't have the strength or wisdom to find an answer...however...i trust that He is already planning my deliverance...i trust in His perfect timing...my prayer is that He shows me what to do next...and direct me to the source of help...
"she came up behind him and touched his cloak and immediately the bleeding stopped..." luke 8:44
thousands of years ago there was a woman who was just desperate enough to get help...she had been bleeding for 12 years and no one could help her...but when Jesus came to her neighborhood...she was ready to try anything...i imagine she was embarrassed...and weakened because of her bleeding...she must have gathered every ounce of energy and courage to get to Jesus...
the bible tells us there were crowds following Jesus that day...yet somehow...this determined woman navigated her way through the rush of humanity to touch the cloak of Jesus...and the bible tells us she was healed immediately...in spite of the people pressing around Jesus...He knew someone had touched Him...as He stopped...the people stumbled into each other...turning their heads to determine what happened...in a gentle voice...Jesus asked..."who touched me?"
after everyone denied they had touched Jesus...the woman came trembling before Him...she told Jesus and the assembled crowd why she had touched Jesus...Jesus then said to the women... "daughter, your faith has healed you...go in peace..."
wow...
desperation causes people to do different things...some people make wrong choices...believing their backs are against a wall...some people go into hiding...hoping a problem will go away...yet others are desperate enough to do something risky and full of humility to get help...sometimes God uses other people to help us...and sometime He is the only One who has the answers...
in the difficult times we face...many of us have problems that push us to the point of desperation...it is my prayer that instead of desperation defeating me...it motivates me to seek help...whether God Himself provides my deliverance...or He uses someone else...i trust He already has a plan to help...
only God truly knows the desperation i feel right now...or that you feel at this moment...only He can see the troubles that weigh us down...i confess that i don't have the strength or wisdom to find an answer...however...i trust that He is already planning my deliverance...i trust in His perfect timing...my prayer is that He shows me what to do next...and direct me to the source of help...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
why lie?
have you ever noticed you never hear the exact advice twice? as much as i would like to help people with their problems...before i do i get every detail I can...
details...those tiny miniscule things that can change an entire perspective of a problem...figuring out people from their own truths and lies is probably one of the most complicated scenarios life has to offer...yet...that questioning of others' motives and true feelings...creates all the relationships we as humans have...
i personally try to never lie...i know...it sounds cliche...and you are probably thinking "yea right...everyone lies." you are probably right...when my friend is upset and her cheeks are all puffy...i will tell her she is still as gorgeous as ever so she can get up and feel better...however...when it comes to emotions...to feelings about something...i never lie...
it is so easy when someone does something that bothers or hurts you...to go tell someone else...but imagine if instead...everyone's first response was to go to the person directly...for them to know...instead of everyone else...
in the last few years...i think i have experienced more lies and contradictory actions then ever before...that just really makes me sad...yes...i was hurt...but moreso...it makes me wonder how people are living...imagine if we each started to be more honest and straightforward...maybe that trait would start to pass down...children see lying constantly and are bred for it...i think...we can make a difference...
details...those tiny miniscule things that can change an entire perspective of a problem...figuring out people from their own truths and lies is probably one of the most complicated scenarios life has to offer...yet...that questioning of others' motives and true feelings...creates all the relationships we as humans have...
i personally try to never lie...i know...it sounds cliche...and you are probably thinking "yea right...everyone lies." you are probably right...when my friend is upset and her cheeks are all puffy...i will tell her she is still as gorgeous as ever so she can get up and feel better...however...when it comes to emotions...to feelings about something...i never lie...
it is so easy when someone does something that bothers or hurts you...to go tell someone else...but imagine if instead...everyone's first response was to go to the person directly...for them to know...instead of everyone else...
in the last few years...i think i have experienced more lies and contradictory actions then ever before...that just really makes me sad...yes...i was hurt...but moreso...it makes me wonder how people are living...imagine if we each started to be more honest and straightforward...maybe that trait would start to pass down...children see lying constantly and are bred for it...i think...we can make a difference...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
when people sit up and take notice...
i have been a seller on ebay for quite a few years now...on any given day...you'll find me wrapping clothing in tissue wrap or writing up a shipping label...i'm a stickler for customer service because i know the woman (or man) ordering online needs someone on the other end of the computer making sure she has a high quality product...
even with the utmost care...every once in a while i make a mistake...like overlooking a small flaw...such was the case with the woman who ordered a pink silk blouse...when she opened it...she was disappointed to see a tiny spot with the sheen of the silk looking more like a matte finish....i must have missed it...when photographing the blouse...otherwise i would never had shipped it...yet alone...never listed it...she emailed me and asked what she could do about it...as i clearly state that i do not take returns...i told her to ship the blouse back to me...and upon receiving it...i would credit her account...
the next morning she emailed me saying that she felt she would be able to work something out with me...based on all the feedback she had read on my page...she realized that the damage was so small...but knew she wouldn't wear the blouse because of it...i didn't give the incident further thought until i received her feedback on the order...that was about to be canceled...
i was shocked when i read this woman's response...i wouldn't have been surprised to see some negative comments about shipping an inferior product...but that's not what happened...she responded giving me "excellent" ratings for everything...then proceeded to comment on how i handled her problem and how impressed she was by the service...i was touched by the kindness and grace she showed me...
this isn't the first time something like this has happened...i try and run my business smoothly...get everything out in a timely manner...ship product that's in perfect condition...and everyone is pleased...but not terribly surprised...but when i handle a problem in a manner that's respectful, prompt and shows i take responsibility...people sit up and take notice...
making a mistake isn't the end of the world...in fact...i've noticed it's actually an opportunity to be a witness for God...people notice how you handle mistakes much more than how you manage success...admitting mistakes is hard...it always takes me swallowing the pride that threatens to surface...but people are always watching to see what i do...
i'm so relieved i don't have to do everything right...i tried that life for many years...and ended up discouraged...this incident reminded me once again...that even in my weakness...God can still use me to touch another person's life...or reflect His character...
i will probably never meet this customer who purchased from me...(yes...since then...she has bought other items...) but i pray she knows there is a God who stands for honesty and justice...and that there are people who are trying to follow Him...who stumble...yet keep pressing on...
"who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?" 1 peter 3:13
even with the utmost care...every once in a while i make a mistake...like overlooking a small flaw...such was the case with the woman who ordered a pink silk blouse...when she opened it...she was disappointed to see a tiny spot with the sheen of the silk looking more like a matte finish....i must have missed it...when photographing the blouse...otherwise i would never had shipped it...yet alone...never listed it...she emailed me and asked what she could do about it...as i clearly state that i do not take returns...i told her to ship the blouse back to me...and upon receiving it...i would credit her account...
the next morning she emailed me saying that she felt she would be able to work something out with me...based on all the feedback she had read on my page...she realized that the damage was so small...but knew she wouldn't wear the blouse because of it...i didn't give the incident further thought until i received her feedback on the order...that was about to be canceled...
i was shocked when i read this woman's response...i wouldn't have been surprised to see some negative comments about shipping an inferior product...but that's not what happened...she responded giving me "excellent" ratings for everything...then proceeded to comment on how i handled her problem and how impressed she was by the service...i was touched by the kindness and grace she showed me...
this isn't the first time something like this has happened...i try and run my business smoothly...get everything out in a timely manner...ship product that's in perfect condition...and everyone is pleased...but not terribly surprised...but when i handle a problem in a manner that's respectful, prompt and shows i take responsibility...people sit up and take notice...
making a mistake isn't the end of the world...in fact...i've noticed it's actually an opportunity to be a witness for God...people notice how you handle mistakes much more than how you manage success...admitting mistakes is hard...it always takes me swallowing the pride that threatens to surface...but people are always watching to see what i do...
i'm so relieved i don't have to do everything right...i tried that life for many years...and ended up discouraged...this incident reminded me once again...that even in my weakness...God can still use me to touch another person's life...or reflect His character...
i will probably never meet this customer who purchased from me...(yes...since then...she has bought other items...) but i pray she knows there is a God who stands for honesty and justice...and that there are people who are trying to follow Him...who stumble...yet keep pressing on...
"who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?" 1 peter 3:13
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