My sister sent this weather forecast image to me, and I can’t stop laughing at it! “I don’t know what city this is, but they’re all gonna die Thursday.”
“Everyone was burned by this blast of heat…” Revelation 16:9a (NLT)
I’ve decided that obeying God should really come with a warning label. I mean really, people should be warned to expect opposition and attacks when they start obeying God. Quite honestly the devil doesn’t like our obedience. He knows the good that will come of it. He knows it’s dangerous for him. So, He’s going to fight back. People need to know to expect it.
When we step out and start obeying God, we’re going to have some attacks from the devil. It’s inevitable. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll experience attack every time, but it is a definite possibility. The more we expect it, the better prepared we can be.
One of the best things anybody did for me was give me similar advice. When I first started volunteer teaching at Glory House, the director, Susie, told me expect attacks and expect things to go wrong. It kind of actually took me by surprise. At the same time, however, I felt a bit relieved because I had already indeed started to experience exactly that!
I was sitting in her office during my interview Continue reading
This is so me… “Just bumped into a mannequin and said “Sorry”. Then said “Oh I thought you were a person”. Then realized I was still speaking to a mannequin.” Oh, if people could see all of the inanimate objects that I speak to on a daily basis! Anyone relate?
“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue–an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.” Daniel 2:31 (NIV)
This past week we talked about how you have to look for and discover your gifts. It’s kind of like you’re a detective on a case trying to solve a mystery. One of the steps of the search process is to ask God about your gifts and purpose. After all, He’s the one who created you! If anybody would know what your gifts are and how you are supposed to use them it would be God.
I guess you could liken it to inquiring about a painting. Who would you ask if you had questions about the details of a painting? The artist, of course. What about a book that has left you with some questions? Who would you ask if you wanted to know more than what was on the surface? You would ask the author! The creators of the works have all of the knowledge and the inside scoop. They knew what they had in mind when they created their work.
Similarly, God is your creator. God is your artist. You are His Masterpiece.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
God is the also the author who has already written your story. Because of that, He already knows how it ends!
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
Therefore, when you have questions about yourself and how you were made, Continue reading
Well, I have some bad news. I think I just found out why I sometimes have a hard time losing & maintaining weight. Apparently if you trust in the Lord, you shall be made fat. Guess I’ll just have to stop trusting in the Lord. 😕 #timetoturnrogue #apparentlytrustinggodmakesyoufat #notverymotivating #maybeishouldreadadifferenttranslation
“He that is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he that puts his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.” Proverbs 28:25 (JUB)
We’ve talked off and on lately about how God has given each of us gifts and how to discover your gifts. I recently spoke at a women’s conference about this very subject. This week, I’d like to share with you some of the first steps to discover your gifts that I shared with them.
You may not automatically know what our gifts and purpose are. However, it is your responsibility to discover them! It’s going to take some craftiness though. You’ll have to start a process of self-discovery and searching. In a sense, you will need to become a detective! You will need to start looking for “clues” to solve your case—the case to discover your gifts.
Now, I will tell you that it’s not something that is quick, nor will you discover your gifts overnight. It’s going to be a process that takes some time. You also may not get the full picture right away, maybe only bits and pieces at a time OVER time. Much like a detective doesn’t always solve a crime right away.
First of all, to be a good detective, you have to document everything. You have to write things down and go back to them to look for clues, patterns, and themes. A detective can’t remember everything. Therefore, a notebook is extremely important in order for them to document their journey and solve the case.
This is no different for you when you are on the case to discover your gifts. Like a good detective, YOU will need a notebook or a journal to write your discoveries down. You need to take notes along the way, and answer questions. Continue reading
I think my dog Lucy must be gearing up for for the upcoming Summer Olympics. Apparently she thinks this fallen tree is her own personal balance beam. Now…we’ll await the dismount. Lucy, the Dog Olympian!
“God is within her, she will not fall…” Psalm 46:5a (NIV)
This past weekend, I had the opportunity and privilege to put the “love your neighbor” commandment into action alongside 2000+ other members of my church during Love Day (#loveday16). People participated in over 70 different outreaches throughout the Tulsa, OK Metro area. As a part of the larger Serve Day 2016, we joined 307 other churches across the globe to love our neighbors. I hope each of you were able to find your own way to love your neighbor too this weekend! More than at Love Day, I was able to love my neighbors…my ACTUAL neighbors…this past week as well.
Leading up to Love Day, I mentioned that I have been doing a group book study on the book Servolution and some personal individual study on how to love your neighbor. There has been some great practical advice about reaching out to love others around you. Something that stood out and was a bit convicting for me was to love my ACTUAL neighbors.
I’ve lived in my neighborhood for 15 years now, and do you know that up until this past week I’ve never even met or talked to at least half of the neighbors on my street. It’s kind of embarrassing. Or maybe you can relate? It’s so easy, and honestly more convenient, to just keep to ourselves. We don’t have to deal with the awkwardness or messiness of dealing with strangers and their potential “issues”. However, in keeping to ourselves we might be missing out on not only obeying Jesus’ commandment to love your neighbor but also the joy that comes with it as a byproduct.
After my reading and studies on how to love your neighbor, I’ve tried to be more purposeful about it. I’ve especially tried to step out and show love to the people right here in my own neighborhood. It’s taken a lot of prayer and getting out of my comfort zone. Can I tell you though…It’s been so very rewarding. I had such a great week this past week!
Sometimes it seems like when you try to help others, you end up getting more out of it than they do. By stepping out of my comfort zone recently to talk to my neighbors, I have received loads of unexpected benefits. I’ve made some new friends, both young and old. I got some history lessons (I love history!), and I even learned what a Dogtrot house is! I also ended up with some fresh eggs from one of the neighbor’s chickens! Most importantly, my heart and soul were happy and full at the end of the day.
The boys had to get pretty creative to get a rope around a broken limb hanging about 40 ft over our drive!
This past week our community suffered a severe storm with tornado strength winds and the accompanying damage. Thankfully we had no damage to our property. We only had a couple trees and several limbs down, a 2 day power outage, and a big mess to clean up. Many of my neighbors were not so lucky. There were several trees on top of houses.
As a result, the kids and I decided it would be a great opportunity to serve! The day after the storm we set out on a mission to Continue reading
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