After a long absence!

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the week (and preparing for a visit to the pool!). I am learning that we must change with the seasons of our lives to keep in line with the proper use of our time and the way in which the Lord has for us to make the greatest impact for Him. I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Jefferson regarding change..."A nation which does not change with the times is like a man who tries to ware the same pants from boyhood into adulthood." (That is my very liberal paraphrase, but you get the gist!)

 

I feel it is time for me to switch gears once again. I have started a new blog which will allow me to continue to share the things the Lord shows me in daily life, often through the medium of humor! :) The blog is, "The Mommy Call: One mom's journey to keep God first and her sanity intact!" I hope you will join me there and share, like, and tweet as you wish. :)

 

My intent here is not to paint a perfect picture of my world and make you wonder what’s wrong with you. Rather, I plan to peel back the curtain and give you a peak into my life, and let you know ...you are not alone, and you are not crazy! (As I felt for the first 3 years!) It is not about having no problems or struggles or having all the right answers. My goal is to take our daily battles and apply the healing balm of His Word!

Even if you are not a mommy, I believe you will still find plenty here to bless, challenge and entertain you along your own journey through life.

 

Love to you all!

Ray Lewis' Motivation

As the Sun rises on the first dawn after my Ravens Super Bowl victory it begins to sink in... this post is inspired by none other than Ray Lewis. No doubt if you've seen any coverage of Ray Lewis, you've heard him talk about the power of God, and you have seen him wear a shirt with the words "Psalm 91." Let's make this powerful passage a driving force behind our daily battles and claim the victory that is already ours!

¹He who ^[a]dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

 

² I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

³ For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

⁶ Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

⁸ Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,

¹⁰ There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

¹¹ For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

¹² They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

¹³ You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.

¹⁴ Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 

 

 ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

Teach Your Kids to Fight!

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You. When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Over and over she said these words aloud as she tentatively ventured into the dark. Then she spotted it. The prize she sought…Mickey Mouse! She grabbed him. And SWOOSH! She was gone, fast as she could back into the living room and the safe haven of the florescent bulb. “I did it! I said my verse, and I wasn’t afraid!” And with that Mikaela (my 3 year old) had just fought and won her first encounter with spiritual warfare!   

The concept is not hard. The Word has powerful and it is our weapon against every tactic of the enemy. Even a child can fight this battle. Psalm 56:3 is the verse of the month for Mikaela’s preschool. When she said she was scared to go into the dark room by herself to get her toy, I told her she was never alone and to remember her verse. She immediately put the Word to work and won her fight with fear!

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,” 2 Corinthians 10:4

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword,” Hebrews 4:12a

Mikaela was memorizing scripture before her second birthday. I say this not to brag on her or myself, but rather to make a point that our kids are designed by their Creator with a much greater capacity for His truths than we often realize. Go ahead. Give it a try! You’ll be amazed how quickly your little one will catch on. We started with John 3:16a, Prov. 3:5 and Matthew 22:37.  Practice in the morning over breakfast. Say them before bed. And the greatest time I’ve found is driving around in the car. Turn off the radio and tune your kids into the Holy Spirit! Seeing them discover His Words for the first time with bless your soul.

So go ahead…teach your kids to fight!

The Root of the Problem

This is something I wrote yesterday in light of the recent tragedies and inspired by my pastor's sermon yesterday about spiritual warfare and something he said along the lines of, "Guns are not the problem. The problem is the evil in men's hearts."

Guns are not the problem. They are merely the tool used to carry out the evil in men's hearts. If guns are gone another instrument will be used or devised. The problem is a world devoid of God and a people bent on evil. Only the Truth can set us free from our bondage to Satan's wiles. As long as God continues to be left out of the equation peace will never be the end result.
 
Because we live in this sinful world we must have an awareness of evil. There are those Christians who claim not to believe in the devil. (As Pastor Minter said, "Not believing in him does not keep him from acting.) It is my belief that a Christian who does not believe in Satan will have more struggles with faith as they rob themselves of the scriptural reason behind the pain, evil, and suffering in this world.

 

 

"Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [^[f]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (^[g]identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you." 1 Peter 5:8-10

 

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" John 16:33

Don't Lean in 2013!

This year commit to stand strong as never before! I love New Year’s! In my mind I see it as a chance to step back, reevaluate how things are going - what’s working and what needs work - a chance to push the “reset” button in my life if need be.

The Lord’s mercy and loving kindness endure forever.  Miraculously He never grows tired of us and throws up His hands in frustration. He never stomps off declaring, “That’s it! I’ve had enough! I’m done!” No, incredibly enough He is always patiently there encouraging and guiding and willing to forgive us over and over again.

Make this New Year a chance for a new beginning and a new resolve to be strong in your faith, standing in constant confidence in the One Who has redeemed you! Psalm 1 tells us that in order to be that “tree firmly planted by the water,” and to prosper we must be diligent in studying His word, not just reading it casually, but meditating on it day and night. Don’t know where to start? There’s an app for that! J Seriously, you can find about a gazillion different free devotionals and reading plans thru Bible apps and online. If nothing else, start by reading a Proverb a day. Read it slowly, really putting thought into it. Write out verses that jump out at you, and go over them several times a day. Keep His Word in front of you, and you will see His promises coming alive in your daily life.

“But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.  And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].” Psalm 1:2-3

What Kind of Environment Are You Creating?

Not long ago Tim and I were talking about the dynamics of our home life. Especially as a single income home, for the most part the provisional/financial stability of our home depends on him, but the emotional stability of our home in large part depends on me. As wives and mothers, we dictate the emotional environment for our homes. We’ve all heard the phrase, “If mama’s not happy nobody’s happy.” And I believe there is a lot of truth to that.

If I’m stressed, frustrated and have a short fuse everyone can feel that energy...Tim, the kids, even the dog. There is nothing inherently wrong with these feelings. They are a normal part of life. But it is what we do with those feelings that makes the difference. Am I controlling them, or are they controlling me? I must ask myself, am I believing the best of others? Am I slow to anger and quick to forgive? When I slip up, am I quick to seek forgiveness, receive that forgiveness and jump back into striving to live out the joy of my salvation and let it splash onto all those in my house? I must be continually praying to be controlled by love. Love is the key, and Christ said loving God and loving others is our most important job.

So please, as we are in the midst of a wonderful Christmas season, focus on the type of environment you want to create in your home. Seek the Lord’s help and strength to keep your entire being (mind, spirit and soul) controlled by love. Take some time to sit and pray over and meditate on this topic. How do you want people to feel in your home (not just at Christmas but all year round and not just guests, but your husband and children especially)? Make a list of the qualities you want to foster. Then list the things that could (or do) keep you from attaining these, and pray about ways to prevent or control those limiting factors. Remember to take every thought captive making it obedient to Christ and to love others as Christ loves you.

Take a deep breath, push the “restart” button, and begin right now allowing God to create a peaceful and joyful environment for your home and family. And let the change begin with you!

“Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

It's Christmas time! Are you rejoicing?

The verse for Mikaela's preschool this month is Luke 1:14, "Many will rejoice in His birth." So my question is,are you rejoicing?

This is a wonderful time of year, filled with lots of activity and excitement. But if we are not careful it can become an overwhelming time...especially for the women who do most of the planning, attending, and cleaning!

It is so important that we take plenty of moments to pause and think about the reason for all the rush. It should thrill us as Christians to remember that, like it or not, all of the to-do this time of year is because our Savior was born! Without Christ there would be no CHRISTmas or controversy surrounding it. :)

So when you find yourself lost in the details of going and coming and shopping and planning, I challenge you to take a minute, go into your closet (literally if that is the only place you can find peace and quiet), and take a minute to meditate on this simple verse. "Many will rejoice in His birth."

Personalize this verse and make it your motto for this wonderful season. Confess to the Lord, to yourself and to the world, "I will rejoice in His birth!" "I will rejoice in His birth!" "I will rejoice in His birth!" Say it often and your feelings will eventually catch to with your words!