Hopefully the start for year 2012 was great for you and your family. My year started with my husband away in Atlanta for six days. So for about a week, I got a fresh appreciation for single parent families. Our son is almost two years old and he is testing his boundaries more and more each day which is always a bit of a challenge for us parents. ha!
My new year also started very lacking in the category of reading God's Word. Yup, that was random....I know. However, that is basically why I haven't posted a blog yet this year. I have felt so inadequate. I didn't think I had much to offer in terms of healthy encouragement since I hadn't spent much time in the very Source of the best encouragement anyone could ever get. However, as I am typing these thoughts I am realizing that it was a silly thought to not want to write a post. Honesty is the best way to encourage.....if done with grace and gentleness. So, there you go......I have just let you all know that I haven't been the best at consistently reading God's Word this past week or so. Now, that the awkward confession is out of the way, I am going to move on with my thoughts for this post today. Hopefully you will be understanding and continue to read after that strange introduction to this post.
WHAT CAN I SAY?
These past few weeks I have been thinking much about words......how they are used in my conversations, in my e-mails, in my posts, in my texts, in my phone messages. I have been trying to be aware of what I say and how I say things. When I have been reading the Word, it has been time reading through the minor prophet books of the Old Testament; for no reason really, just basically because I haven't read those books as much as the other parts of the Bible and I wanted to refresh my mind and heart on what God has to say through those stories.
Time spent reading those minor prophets books of the Old Testament has been very interesting... ...especially when I have been using my study Bible to help with much of the background historical information that goes along with the scriptures. I have been reading to see how these books in the Bible share how the words of ordinary men and women can have profound effects on their family members, their businesses/co-workers, their culture, their enemies and even their future generations. It is making me take a closer look into how carefully OR carelessly I choose my words each day. The question I frequently have these days is something like this: What kind of effect does my choice of the "attitude" of my words plus the words themselves really have on the lives of others who hear them? Does my choice really sway things of history very much? Does my choice of the "attitude" of my speech greatly help and/or hurt others to the point that I can be helping set someone free from struggles OR helping to bind someone up?
Fascinating thoughts have been swirling in my mind. I will be addressing some more thoughts similar to this current idea over the next few posts, Lord willing. Where do you stand in this whole idea of the possibility of having...let's just call them.....living words or words with heart (good or bad in nature)?
My scripture of interest that I'll share with you today is the small book of Haggai in the Old Testament. If you are not a Bible reader, you should still take a minute or two to check it out on www.biblegateway.com I will do the same before I publish this post.
There are several moments in the prophets words to the people of Israel (that is: words that come from God that the prophet was to speak over the people) when God says, "consider your ways". My husband likes to say our modern way of phrasing that could be "check yourself before you wreck yourself". hahaha! I like that. It's funny, but very not funny at the same time. haha!
Like me, I hope you all have learned (hopefully quicker than I do) that 'fessing up to things and moving on is a vital part of being a believer in Jesus. I think it is vital because Jesus Christ is the Victorious One and if we are believing in Him to be our Savior, we should live in victory and not live rehearsing in our heads those little moments of defeat or fall backs we get from time to time. Oh, I SO need to stop rehearsing failures; instead rise up and live as I ought.....as one who is forgiven for my past, present and future, not because I earned it but because of God's great love. WHOA.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
"And the Gift Goes On"
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you for coming with me these past few months on a pursuit to be women of Truth! As this year is almost finished, let us keep up the energy to be women who seek Truth; namely the Savior Jesus Christ.
Have a blessed holiday week!
See you in 2012!
Rise up, women of Truth, and shine!
"JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME!
LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING!
LET EVERY HEART PREPARE HIM ROOM.
AND HEAVEN AND NATURE SING!"
Dear friends, have you received the King of kings into your life? TODAY IS THE DAY!
Do you KNOW Christ? He already knows you (Psalm 139). This is the day you can give your life to the Risen Savior-Christ Jesus the Lord.
John 3:16-19
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."
Romans 10:9-10
If you need to talk to someone about this question, please e-mail me. bjhooray@yahoo.com
I'd love to talk with you about this amazing life changing decision. The decision to believe God and believe in His Son Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life is the MOST important thing you could ever do at Christmas time and any other day....ever.
May the LORD bless you all and keep you this season and always! Amen.
Thank you for coming with me these past few months on a pursuit to be women of Truth! As this year is almost finished, let us keep up the energy to be women who seek Truth; namely the Savior Jesus Christ.
Have a blessed holiday week!
See you in 2012!
Rise up, women of Truth, and shine!
"JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME!
LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING!
LET EVERY HEART PREPARE HIM ROOM.
AND HEAVEN AND NATURE SING!"
Dear friends, have you received the King of kings into your life? TODAY IS THE DAY!
Do you KNOW Christ? He already knows you (Psalm 139). This is the day you can give your life to the Risen Savior-Christ Jesus the Lord.
John 3:16-19
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Romans 10:9-10
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
" That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
If you need to talk to someone about this question, please e-mail me. bjhooray@yahoo.com
I'd love to talk with you about this amazing life changing decision. The decision to believe God and believe in His Son Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life is the MOST important thing you could ever do at Christmas time and any other day....ever.
May the LORD bless you all and keep you this season and always! Amen.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
What Are We Waiting For?
While life seems to fly by, I still have big dreams that come to my mind each and every day; dreams that seem so close, but still too far to reach just yet. It is aggravating and yet exciting. Most of my dreams are something that can be accomplished while still doing the ministry I am already privileged and blessed to be working. Some of the dreams I hope to see come true are pretty big....meaning that I would think I'd need lots of folks to help me achieve them. Some of them are as simple as playing piano in my home everyday without interrupting neighbors who I can hear even when they sneeze/cough. ha! Several times I have checked myself to see if some of these dreams that keep rising up inside me are dreams/aspirations that would be God honoring and things that would be of encouragement to others. Most of those dreams/aspirations are still with me after a bit of soul searching. So the next question is: what's keeping them from becoming reality?
Many times I will make excuses why I am not pursuing these dreams I have purposefully kept disclosed from this blog post. Mostly, my excuses are; "well, that dream is too expensive for me to pursue" or "I don't have the time or availability right now since I am a stay-at-home mom who works daily to train up my toddler" or "I am not gifted in several areas that are needed for me to accomplish this dream". Some times these excuses are true and logical. However, I shouldn't give up trying all together just because of these circumstances. Even though I may not currently have what I think is sufficient funding or sufficient talents for my dreams to come true, I need to remember I am a work in progress. I do believe God. I believe He has given me many aspirations and dreams to pursue for more than just the feeling of accomplishing them someday. It is the journey....the process to achieving those dreams that I think God wants me to experience most of all.
OKAY, now I must say to all who might read this, women....what are we waiting for? All of us have dreams and great goals we desire to see fulfilled in our lifetime. Many of us have placed them aside for another date (far away from today) when we're "talented enough", "educated enough", "wealthy enough", "organized enough", "sane enough", "available enough", "rested enough", and "confident enough". I am not bringing this up to make you feel worse about your unfulfilled dreams. I am taking a moment to share the battle within me and I truly believe that many women out there feel and fight this same battle I do. So, really, what are we waiting for?
Life isn't going to stop for us. We must trust in something higher......Someone higher than ourselves in order for these dreams to be realized. This achievement of dreams can't wait til things "go our way". The world continues to turn, we get older.....more mature (I like that description better than "older") each day whether our dreams are achieved or not. We must embrace the "now". We must embrace the pursuit....when? Now. Even while we are still working too many part time jobs, while our kids are still at home, while our kids are looking into what colleges to attend or whether to join the military before college, while our husband is pursuing his own dreams, while our fiances are looking for the place to settle down with his new bride, while our current employment is giving promotions or cutting jobs. THE TIME SHOULD BE NOW.
My husband and I work to minister to the college students of West Chester University in West Chester, PA. We spend much of that time encouraging and challenging them to be the best they can be in the here and now.
Several years ago I spoke with some college gals, not necessarily gals that were frequently involved in our ministry, and we were having a great discussion on how they viewed their mom now that they were coming into their adult years. It was interesting that many of them spoke about how their mom was so loving and kind and supportive of what they were doing in school. They spoke of how involved their moms were in their kids' school activities, church activities and extracurricular activities. However, one resounding thing those college gals said in their own words was they wished their moms didn't stop pursuing their own dreams while their daughters grew up in their shadow.
These college girls I spoke with told me how they wished they could have seen their moms pursue their dreams, deal with failure, show their daughters what it REALLY looks like to trust God no matter what happens. They spoke about how they wished their moms would not shy away from showing their daughters what it looks like to be more passionate about what God has given them to do/about honoring Christ with their whole lives than being the best, most attentive/helpful mom to their children. I hope that made sense. These girls were so grateful for such loving mothers, but were frustrated that they didn't have much of a reference to what a godly woman does to pursue her OWN dreams and see them become reality. These college girls knew how to treat people with respect and mind their "p's and q's" in public because they had wonderful, loving moms. However, they didn't know how to deal with failure very well. I don't believe they struggled with these things ONLY because their mom's didn't show them how to pursue their goals and except failures that come along the way. I think that it contributed. These college gals were not blaming their moms for their struggles either. They just stated how they wished they could see their moms truly passionate and excited about their faith to the point that even family activities took second place to knowing God better and trusting Him more fully.
As a mother of a toddler, I really want to strive to keep my pursuit of knowing God, of honoring Him above all else with my heart and my mind. I want to be a lover of the Living God, a follower of Christ FIRST before my role of a wife, a mom, a young women's minister, a daughter, a grand-daughter, a musician, a friend, a sister, a cousin, an employee and a citizen. I want my son to watch how my husband and I live.....I want to refuse to place something else or someone else as more important than my desire to know Christ more each day and seek to honor Him each day. Of this goal I have just mentioned, my parents have given me a great example to follow. I choose to do the same....to set a great example for my son in my word and deeds.
JOIN ME IN BECOMING A WOMAN OF THE TRUTH AND MAY WE RISE UP AND HONOR GOD ABOVE ALL OTHER THINGS. Let us worship the Living God with all our talents, with all our strengths, with all our thoughts, with all our words. Let us show our families the love of God by loving God deeply each day. In doing that the love of God will overflow out of our lives and bless others around us WAY more than we could ever bless them using our own strength, talents, gifts and ideas.
Let's look at a passage in the Bible real quick. It is a passage of a sermon Jesus Christ gave to a crowd of folks who were following him around wanting to know what he thought about......well, everything. ha! Here's a small portion of the sermon Jesus gave. I am going to show it here in the paraphrased version. You are welcome to go to www.biblegateway.com and read it in the English Standard Version for a translation instead of a paraphrase if you would like. But this paraphrased version is written more in our own common language and it helps break the text down a little better for me.
Matthew 6:22-34 (The Message----a paraphrase version of the Bible)
22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.
25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
My favorite part of this passage (at least for these days) is,
"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Wow, that statement in the end of those paragraphs is awesome. As a little girl, my parents helped me memorize that verse (Matthew 6:33) in the King James Version of the Bible. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." And since the time that I have memorized that verse, I have seen the promise in this scripture come true......not just once, but multiple times. God's Word is faithful. It is never old and out of date. God's Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
Many times I will make excuses why I am not pursuing these dreams I have purposefully kept disclosed from this blog post. Mostly, my excuses are; "well, that dream is too expensive for me to pursue" or "I don't have the time or availability right now since I am a stay-at-home mom who works daily to train up my toddler" or "I am not gifted in several areas that are needed for me to accomplish this dream". Some times these excuses are true and logical. However, I shouldn't give up trying all together just because of these circumstances. Even though I may not currently have what I think is sufficient funding or sufficient talents for my dreams to come true, I need to remember I am a work in progress. I do believe God. I believe He has given me many aspirations and dreams to pursue for more than just the feeling of accomplishing them someday. It is the journey....the process to achieving those dreams that I think God wants me to experience most of all.
OKAY, now I must say to all who might read this, women....what are we waiting for? All of us have dreams and great goals we desire to see fulfilled in our lifetime. Many of us have placed them aside for another date (far away from today) when we're "talented enough", "educated enough", "wealthy enough", "organized enough", "sane enough", "available enough", "rested enough", and "confident enough". I am not bringing this up to make you feel worse about your unfulfilled dreams. I am taking a moment to share the battle within me and I truly believe that many women out there feel and fight this same battle I do. So, really, what are we waiting for?
Life isn't going to stop for us. We must trust in something higher......Someone higher than ourselves in order for these dreams to be realized. This achievement of dreams can't wait til things "go our way". The world continues to turn, we get older.....more mature (I like that description better than "older") each day whether our dreams are achieved or not. We must embrace the "now". We must embrace the pursuit....when? Now. Even while we are still working too many part time jobs, while our kids are still at home, while our kids are looking into what colleges to attend or whether to join the military before college, while our husband is pursuing his own dreams, while our fiances are looking for the place to settle down with his new bride, while our current employment is giving promotions or cutting jobs. THE TIME SHOULD BE NOW.
My husband and I work to minister to the college students of West Chester University in West Chester, PA. We spend much of that time encouraging and challenging them to be the best they can be in the here and now.
Several years ago I spoke with some college gals, not necessarily gals that were frequently involved in our ministry, and we were having a great discussion on how they viewed their mom now that they were coming into their adult years. It was interesting that many of them spoke about how their mom was so loving and kind and supportive of what they were doing in school. They spoke of how involved their moms were in their kids' school activities, church activities and extracurricular activities. However, one resounding thing those college gals said in their own words was they wished their moms didn't stop pursuing their own dreams while their daughters grew up in their shadow.
These college girls I spoke with told me how they wished they could have seen their moms pursue their dreams, deal with failure, show their daughters what it REALLY looks like to trust God no matter what happens. They spoke about how they wished their moms would not shy away from showing their daughters what it looks like to be more passionate about what God has given them to do/about honoring Christ with their whole lives than being the best, most attentive/helpful mom to their children. I hope that made sense. These girls were so grateful for such loving mothers, but were frustrated that they didn't have much of a reference to what a godly woman does to pursue her OWN dreams and see them become reality. These college girls knew how to treat people with respect and mind their "p's and q's" in public because they had wonderful, loving moms. However, they didn't know how to deal with failure very well. I don't believe they struggled with these things ONLY because their mom's didn't show them how to pursue their goals and except failures that come along the way. I think that it contributed. These college gals were not blaming their moms for their struggles either. They just stated how they wished they could see their moms truly passionate and excited about their faith to the point that even family activities took second place to knowing God better and trusting Him more fully.
As a mother of a toddler, I really want to strive to keep my pursuit of knowing God, of honoring Him above all else with my heart and my mind. I want to be a lover of the Living God, a follower of Christ FIRST before my role of a wife, a mom, a young women's minister, a daughter, a grand-daughter, a musician, a friend, a sister, a cousin, an employee and a citizen. I want my son to watch how my husband and I live.....I want to refuse to place something else or someone else as more important than my desire to know Christ more each day and seek to honor Him each day. Of this goal I have just mentioned, my parents have given me a great example to follow. I choose to do the same....to set a great example for my son in my word and deeds.
JOIN ME IN BECOMING A WOMAN OF THE TRUTH AND MAY WE RISE UP AND HONOR GOD ABOVE ALL OTHER THINGS. Let us worship the Living God with all our talents, with all our strengths, with all our thoughts, with all our words. Let us show our families the love of God by loving God deeply each day. In doing that the love of God will overflow out of our lives and bless others around us WAY more than we could ever bless them using our own strength, talents, gifts and ideas.
Let's look at a passage in the Bible real quick. It is a passage of a sermon Jesus Christ gave to a crowd of folks who were following him around wanting to know what he thought about......well, everything. ha! Here's a small portion of the sermon Jesus gave. I am going to show it here in the paraphrased version. You are welcome to go to www.biblegateway.com and read it in the English Standard Version for a translation instead of a paraphrase if you would like. But this paraphrased version is written more in our own common language and it helps break the text down a little better for me.
Matthew 6:22-34 (The Message----a paraphrase version of the Bible)
22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.
25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
My favorite part of this passage (at least for these days) is,
"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Wow, that statement in the end of those paragraphs is awesome. As a little girl, my parents helped me memorize that verse (Matthew 6:33) in the King James Version of the Bible. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." And since the time that I have memorized that verse, I have seen the promise in this scripture come true......not just once, but multiple times. God's Word is faithful. It is never old and out of date. God's Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Warmth From Within
Wherever you are, if you are north of the equator, you are probably experiencing some cold days now that it has reached December. Most likely all the leaves on the trees have fallen (except for some of the those, what I call stubborn trees that hold their dead leaves until Spring). The world around us looks very different when the leaves are gone. The sky is bigger since their is not much blocking the view. Things in our surroundings become more exposed when the leaves are gone. And to add to that depressing thought, the air is colder and sometimes down right unbearable! ha ha!
Although my world isn't full of green foliage and warm weather, there can still be a warmth that stays stoked within me. During the wintertime, it is a great opportunity for all Christians to bring joy, good will, peace, warmhearted encouragement, laughter and love into our world. We also need to dig in deep into the love of God as we are going to need it in order for ourselves to get through the drab winter months. Reading the Holy Bible each day will be a great way to keep our fire glowing hot with God's hope, His love, His joy and His peace. God's Word calls His people the temple of the Living God. So, as we go from shop to shop, from school play to school play, from Christmas party to Christmas coffee, from sport to sport, to work and back home again, let us remember that we are (those who believe Christ as their Savior) His temple; that we take Christ wherever we go. He is the one who gives us the strength to bring His love, His peace, His hope, His joy to all the different places we go. Let's dig deep into the heart of God this Christmas time and throughout our whole winter months.
Did you know trees are working hard in the winter, too? Trees are growing their roots deeper into the earth as they sit dormant during winter months. They aren't just taking a nap, but prepping for the next fruitful season. Let us be like those trees and dig down deep into the Word of God while the outside may look gloomy. We can go looking for nutrients for our souls daily so that we are still a great place of encouragement and hope for others around us. Even in winter, trees, while bare of their leaves are great houses and hotels for many animals looking for refuge from the weather. We can learn from that too. Just because things don't look completely vibrant doesn't mean that they are not being a blessing to someone while they wait for the warmth of spring.
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." -Colossians 2:6-7
Question: What other verses do you know that are an encouragement to you about this topic/idea? I'd love for us all to share a verse that speaks to this idea of being active in our hearts; pursuing God even when things on the outside don't seem so good.
Let us get real and stay real throughout this winter season, dear friends!! We need to shine like stars to the world that we have a hope that doesn't fade, a life in us that is abundant, a joy in us that can never be snuffed out and a love in us that is too deep for us to measure. We know that the "that" is a "who" and His name is Jesus Christ. All praise and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ for rescuing us from darkness/spiritual death and bringing us into the light/life everlasting! Amen.
Although my world isn't full of green foliage and warm weather, there can still be a warmth that stays stoked within me. During the wintertime, it is a great opportunity for all Christians to bring joy, good will, peace, warmhearted encouragement, laughter and love into our world. We also need to dig in deep into the love of God as we are going to need it in order for ourselves to get through the drab winter months. Reading the Holy Bible each day will be a great way to keep our fire glowing hot with God's hope, His love, His joy and His peace. God's Word calls His people the temple of the Living God. So, as we go from shop to shop, from school play to school play, from Christmas party to Christmas coffee, from sport to sport, to work and back home again, let us remember that we are (those who believe Christ as their Savior) His temple; that we take Christ wherever we go. He is the one who gives us the strength to bring His love, His peace, His hope, His joy to all the different places we go. Let's dig deep into the heart of God this Christmas time and throughout our whole winter months.
Did you know trees are working hard in the winter, too? Trees are growing their roots deeper into the earth as they sit dormant during winter months. They aren't just taking a nap, but prepping for the next fruitful season. Let us be like those trees and dig down deep into the Word of God while the outside may look gloomy. We can go looking for nutrients for our souls daily so that we are still a great place of encouragement and hope for others around us. Even in winter, trees, while bare of their leaves are great houses and hotels for many animals looking for refuge from the weather. We can learn from that too. Just because things don't look completely vibrant doesn't mean that they are not being a blessing to someone while they wait for the warmth of spring.
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." -Colossians 2:6-7
Question: What other verses do you know that are an encouragement to you about this topic/idea? I'd love for us all to share a verse that speaks to this idea of being active in our hearts; pursuing God even when things on the outside don't seem so good.
Let us get real and stay real throughout this winter season, dear friends!! We need to shine like stars to the world that we have a hope that doesn't fade, a life in us that is abundant, a joy in us that can never be snuffed out and a love in us that is too deep for us to measure. We know that the "that" is a "who" and His name is Jesus Christ. All praise and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ for rescuing us from darkness/spiritual death and bringing us into the light/life everlasting! Amen.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Going Steady
Remember that phrase "going steady"? It brings back memories of ninth and tenth grade. haha! I remember talking to my friends about who was going steady with who. Good memories. It was a big deal back then when a girl said she was going steady with a guy. It meant they were serious.
"Going steady" according to Wikipedia is also called courtship. WHOA! In my little world as a teenager, I would have never put going steady and courtship as meaning the same thing! If I knew that, I probably would have found another way to describe peers who were exclusively girlfriend and boyfriend. As an adult, I understand it now and this intro about going steady leads me to my thought for this post. hee hee!
For several weeks now, I haven't been posting on my blog simply because I have been trying to figure out what to write about. I have had so many things that I have wanted to say, some of them quite challenging and deep. Others are just silly stuff that may not go along with the goal of this blog. More than anything, though, I haven't posted on my blog because I didn't feel like I had enough time in my days to really seek the Lord; read His Word, meditate on it and journal about it. I feel when I do those things daily, then I write more effectively. However, that statement leads me to my next thought.
If you are reading this blog for the first time or just began reading it last week because I gave you this web address and if you don't really think you're quite into the idea of reading the Bible at all, much less on a daily basis, it's OKAY. I hope you stick with me and finish reading what I have to say. Give me a chance. ha!
My time in studying the Bible has been off and on lately instead of a steady devotion to my time with my heavenly Father. And honestly, I don't like living that way. I want to be a gal who reads God's Word daily, who takes time to digest what I read and find ways in which to let those words that I've read sink into the depths of me and eventually be lived out in my actions, thoughts and attitudes. I didn't post a blog basically because I felt that you all would be able to discern my lack of deep study of God's Word by how I wrote. Honestly, I felt very convicted these past few days about this silly struggle. I realized the struggle derived from pride.....the negative/sinful kind. And from that I realized some other important things. You ready? Here it goes.
Who am I to judge when I'm "good to go" in posting a blog? I mean, seriously, my blog is titled GET REAL, WOMAN! Good grief, why did I think I needed to wait to write something?? I don't know. Mostly pride is what I figure it is. I wanted to look good in your eyes. I have NO clue who reads this blog. I just know you are reading it from all over the world, in countries that Christianity is not very popular or even almost illegal. And because I knew what countries people are reading this from, I've been very cautious on what I write. BUT that shouldn't be my concern. I serve a living God! He is able to do whatever He wants and share His love and grace with the world however He wants. I, in my finite and very mortal self, cannot stop that or change His strategy. I just need to be obedient to the clear message I received from Him four months ago which prompted me to start this blog. I just need to write when I know I should and let God use it, if He wants, as a way to help bring others to know Him better or to know Him for the first time.
All that to say, going steady in my faith with the living God is more important than anything else. Get ready.... It's more important than having three square meals a day, than having toilet paper in the house, than having a toothbrush to get the fuzz off our teeth each morning and night, than having a car to get places, than having a husband who cares deeply for our needs and even blesses us with things we don't need, than having a family that is consistent in staying in touch with us, than having a job to pay the bills, than having a savings account to help us in emergency situations, than having a beauty that attracts others to us, than having a healthy family, than having all A's on our transcript, than having the latest fashions, than having a retirement plan, than having life insurance, than having relationships/connections with any one human being. We NEED to go steady with God. We need to long for His fellowship, His wisdom, His protection, His guidance, His hope, His peace, His joy, His patience, His might/strength, His grace and some many more blessings He brings that I won't be able to list them all in this post.
Let us get real, women! Why do we hold back our passion for Christ when two thousand years ago His passion for us lead Him to the cross to die in our place, to raise from the grave victorious over death/sin/eternal separation from the heavenly Father. I'm telling myself this too just in case you think I'm preaching only to you. If you are not a believer in Jesus, PLEASE DON'T CHECK OUT OF THIS BLOG POST SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T AGREE. You need to see that Christians are still very human and still have to make a daily choice in whom they trust, who they look to for guidance, who they believe is HIGHER than themselves. It's daily. It's hourly. It's a lifetime of choices to follow or not to follow. Funny though, that we Christians have every reason to follow Christ.
Christ saves! He restores! He forgives--unconditionally! He rescues us from darkness--confusion, abandonment, abuse and straight up wickedness! He brings us into His marvelous light--hope, peace, joy, salvation, eternal life, abundant life here on earth, grace, understanding and wisdom! So many more reasons to trust Christ and be passionately pursuing Him and His fame on a daily even hourly basis that they can't all be mentioned here unless you want to keep reading for hours and hours and unless I quote hundreds of scriptures that speak of His great blessings to us.
My heart cries out tonight to go steady with the Lord Jesus. Quirky is a good word to describe the image in my mind that I just created with that statement. HOWEVER, we need to be steadfast in our pursuit of Him. He is near. Philippians 4:4-5 tells us this. CHRIST is near----always. Our pursuit of Him begins as soon as we turn to Him and look into His Word and pray, listening for His heart about the things in our lives we face everyday.
Here's a familiar verse:
We as Christian women need to be as passionate about knowing what Jesus thinks about us and our lives, about knowing how He wants us to live and about knowing His Word/hiding it in our hearts...... more passionate about those things than finding the best buys at the stores, cutting coupons to save money for our families, getting our kids to school on time, buying our kids toys and clothes and/or beautifying ourselves each day with cosmetics, clothes or both. WHEW! That was a long sentence that probably could've been it's own paragraph, but I don't have an editing staff for this blog. Sorry if my writing is driving you crazy. I pray that you get something out of what I'm writing about regardless of my bad grammar. Ha!
FOCUS........ Okay, I just hope you feel inspired to be true and passionate followers of our God and King. This post I've just written was inspired by a verse that has been resonating in my mind this whole past week while I have been fighting fear and pride with this blogging opportunity. Here's the verse as a closing thought. Peace to you all this week. I love you all and I don't even know who you are. I will be praying for each of you this week. Pray for me that I continue to seek Christ and trust Him with all my heart and lean NOT on my own understanding. Thanks. God bless you and your family.
"Going steady" according to Wikipedia is also called courtship. WHOA! In my little world as a teenager, I would have never put going steady and courtship as meaning the same thing! If I knew that, I probably would have found another way to describe peers who were exclusively girlfriend and boyfriend. As an adult, I understand it now and this intro about going steady leads me to my thought for this post. hee hee!
For several weeks now, I haven't been posting on my blog simply because I have been trying to figure out what to write about. I have had so many things that I have wanted to say, some of them quite challenging and deep. Others are just silly stuff that may not go along with the goal of this blog. More than anything, though, I haven't posted on my blog because I didn't feel like I had enough time in my days to really seek the Lord; read His Word, meditate on it and journal about it. I feel when I do those things daily, then I write more effectively. However, that statement leads me to my next thought.
If you are reading this blog for the first time or just began reading it last week because I gave you this web address and if you don't really think you're quite into the idea of reading the Bible at all, much less on a daily basis, it's OKAY. I hope you stick with me and finish reading what I have to say. Give me a chance. ha!
My time in studying the Bible has been off and on lately instead of a steady devotion to my time with my heavenly Father. And honestly, I don't like living that way. I want to be a gal who reads God's Word daily, who takes time to digest what I read and find ways in which to let those words that I've read sink into the depths of me and eventually be lived out in my actions, thoughts and attitudes. I didn't post a blog basically because I felt that you all would be able to discern my lack of deep study of God's Word by how I wrote. Honestly, I felt very convicted these past few days about this silly struggle. I realized the struggle derived from pride.....the negative/sinful kind. And from that I realized some other important things. You ready? Here it goes.
Who am I to judge when I'm "good to go" in posting a blog? I mean, seriously, my blog is titled GET REAL, WOMAN! Good grief, why did I think I needed to wait to write something?? I don't know. Mostly pride is what I figure it is. I wanted to look good in your eyes. I have NO clue who reads this blog. I just know you are reading it from all over the world, in countries that Christianity is not very popular or even almost illegal. And because I knew what countries people are reading this from, I've been very cautious on what I write. BUT that shouldn't be my concern. I serve a living God! He is able to do whatever He wants and share His love and grace with the world however He wants. I, in my finite and very mortal self, cannot stop that or change His strategy. I just need to be obedient to the clear message I received from Him four months ago which prompted me to start this blog. I just need to write when I know I should and let God use it, if He wants, as a way to help bring others to know Him better or to know Him for the first time.
All that to say, going steady in my faith with the living God is more important than anything else. Get ready.... It's more important than having three square meals a day, than having toilet paper in the house, than having a toothbrush to get the fuzz off our teeth each morning and night, than having a car to get places, than having a husband who cares deeply for our needs and even blesses us with things we don't need, than having a family that is consistent in staying in touch with us, than having a job to pay the bills, than having a savings account to help us in emergency situations, than having a beauty that attracts others to us, than having a healthy family, than having all A's on our transcript, than having the latest fashions, than having a retirement plan, than having life insurance, than having relationships/connections with any one human being. We NEED to go steady with God. We need to long for His fellowship, His wisdom, His protection, His guidance, His hope, His peace, His joy, His patience, His might/strength, His grace and some many more blessings He brings that I won't be able to list them all in this post.
Let us get real, women! Why do we hold back our passion for Christ when two thousand years ago His passion for us lead Him to the cross to die in our place, to raise from the grave victorious over death/sin/eternal separation from the heavenly Father. I'm telling myself this too just in case you think I'm preaching only to you. If you are not a believer in Jesus, PLEASE DON'T CHECK OUT OF THIS BLOG POST SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T AGREE. You need to see that Christians are still very human and still have to make a daily choice in whom they trust, who they look to for guidance, who they believe is HIGHER than themselves. It's daily. It's hourly. It's a lifetime of choices to follow or not to follow. Funny though, that we Christians have every reason to follow Christ.
Christ saves! He restores! He forgives--unconditionally! He rescues us from darkness--confusion, abandonment, abuse and straight up wickedness! He brings us into His marvelous light--hope, peace, joy, salvation, eternal life, abundant life here on earth, grace, understanding and wisdom! So many more reasons to trust Christ and be passionately pursuing Him and His fame on a daily even hourly basis that they can't all be mentioned here unless you want to keep reading for hours and hours and unless I quote hundreds of scriptures that speak of His great blessings to us.
My heart cries out tonight to go steady with the Lord Jesus. Quirky is a good word to describe the image in my mind that I just created with that statement. HOWEVER, we need to be steadfast in our pursuit of Him. He is near. Philippians 4:4-5 tells us this. CHRIST is near----always. Our pursuit of Him begins as soon as we turn to Him and look into His Word and pray, listening for His heart about the things in our lives we face everyday.
Here's a familiar verse:
"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 make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." -Proverbs 3:5-8
We as Christian women need to be as passionate about knowing what Jesus thinks about us and our lives, about knowing how He wants us to live and about knowing His Word/hiding it in our hearts...... more passionate about those things than finding the best buys at the stores, cutting coupons to save money for our families, getting our kids to school on time, buying our kids toys and clothes and/or beautifying ourselves each day with cosmetics, clothes or both. WHEW! That was a long sentence that probably could've been it's own paragraph, but I don't have an editing staff for this blog. Sorry if my writing is driving you crazy. I pray that you get something out of what I'm writing about regardless of my bad grammar. Ha!
FOCUS........ Okay, I just hope you feel inspired to be true and passionate followers of our God and King. This post I've just written was inspired by a verse that has been resonating in my mind this whole past week while I have been fighting fear and pride with this blogging opportunity. Here's the verse as a closing thought. Peace to you all this week. I love you all and I don't even know who you are. I will be praying for each of you this week. Pray for me that I continue to seek Christ and trust Him with all my heart and lean NOT on my own understanding. Thanks. God bless you and your family.
"You [the LORD] keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you., because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. " -Isaiah 26:3-4
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
SO INSPIRED
Friends, I am placing the link for a YouTube "video" that presents a visual aid to one of my favorite songs of all time. I've been listening to this song everyday in my car this week as I drive around running errands. It is so inspiring. It helps me put myself in the right place; knowing I am the one rescued from darkness and that God is the One who is my rescuer. It reminds me to add to the beauty that God has already put all around me; adding to His beauty in an act of gratitude to Him. I hope you are inspired and strengthened. Love you all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anozSBPJVQA
Thank you, MobileDayspring, for putting this together so that people like me could find it on YouTube and use it on our blog. Blessings to you.
DEAR FRIENDS, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF YOUR WORLD OUT OF THE GRATITUDE YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEART FOR THE REDEMPTION GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anozSBPJVQA
Thank you, MobileDayspring, for putting this together so that people like me could find it on YouTube and use it on our blog. Blessings to you.
DEAR FRIENDS, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF YOUR WORLD OUT OF THE GRATITUDE YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEART FOR THE REDEMPTION GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.
Monday, November 7, 2011
A Beautiful Difference
WHAT CAPTION WOULD YOU GIVE THIS PICTURE? AND WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?
IS THERE ANY WISDOM TO GAIN FROM GOD'S CREATION CAPTURED IN THIS PHOTO?
Please leave your thoughts and responses to one or both of these questions in the comments section of this post. Let's see how many DIFFERENT views of this photo can get posted this week.
Blessings,
Becky
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