My New Ministry Focus

I’ve been working hard behind the scenes for months on my new ministry for Christian women, CandidlyChristian.com. My goal was to create a safe place where women could be honest about their faith, failures, and forgiveness. Let’s face it, life isn’t always neat and tidy, being a Christian doesn’t change that.

Those of you who know my testimony, know that God has used the honesty of other Christian women to grow my faith more than anything else. Knowing that other Christian women don’t have it all together is a huge blessing. Knowing it’s okay to be less than perfect, what a relief!

I will never forget the first time a Christian woman admitted to me that she didn’t have it all together. She wasn’t just any Christian woman, she was our pastor’s daughter-in-law, super fit, a stay-at-home, super mom who was part of the worship team and an international missionary. I’m telling you, she was everything a good Christian should be, and she knew her Bible inside and out.

And then she confessed that she struggled with depression. That she questioned her faith because of an overwhelming feeling of worthlessness. This was super woman, and she struggled with some of the same things I did.

Another time the woman who hosted our Bible study confessed that her house wasn’t always as clean as we saw it each week. In fact, she said if we showed up unannounced at any other time during the week, that it would be a wreck.

Again, a huge burden was lifted. Not because I rejoiced in their struggles, but because it made me realize that struggling was okay.

Who knew it was okay to be less than perfect?

Her candid confession was a balm to my soul.

Many other candid confessions have followed. Some of them speak to me, others make me hurt for the women who are going through them all alone.

When I’ve shared my own candid confessions with other christian women, I usually get one of two responses.

Encouraging Support or Utter Condemnation

Sometimes well-meaning christian women come across the wrong way. Most of them don’t mean to, but it happens from time to time. And it happens often enough to make us scared to be honest.

If you are a Christian woman, I would love to have you join me atCandidlyChristian.com: A safe place to be open and honest about faith, failure, and forgiveness.

Let’s Get Candid!

Sweet, Sweet Iced Tea

I just recently started reading this devotional book. I don't know when I got it, I just found it on my Kindle... but I am loving it! 

I was actually a little put off by the title, I thought it might be... well, to be blunt - just another Christian trying to make money from their faith. That sound harsh, but sadly I've seen it all too often. When writing becomes more about making money than it is about sharing God's word. Where the author shares opinion but doesn't convey God's love or His Word. I've started a lot of books like that and never finished them. Essentially,  the author published a book instead of writing a blog - and then charged way too much for the unedited thoughts. As an author, that's hard for me to admit, because I've stooped there before - but God always brings me back. It's the reason that I give away all of my books for free in one form or another when asked - even the non-Christian ones (I also write about book publishing and marketing).  But this book wasn't like that - and I probably got it on a free day.

What this book has been is simply AMAZING! I did just start it, but all the readings that I've read have said right what I needed, right when I needed it. It's feeding my soul - and most importantly, each short (very short) devotional is followed by a set of Scriptures to look up in your Bible. That's my favorite part - to have God's Word reinforce the lesson and speak to my soul. 

Here's the description of this book from Amazon: 

In the South, nothing is more refreshing than a glass of sweet iced tea. Nothing, that is, except experiencing God in those small, everyday moments. God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a deeply personal collection of spiritual treasures designed to help readers experience new mercies each morning. Seasoned with insight and grace, this tender devotional points to the divine presence of God in everyday moments. Whether purchased as a personal resource or given as a heartfelt gift, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea will help readers develop a daily habit of turning to God in those quiet moments of reflection.

The progression of this book is perfect - it doesn't jump from topic to topic, but helps you grow from day to day. I really believe that any Christian would benefit from this devotional, but it does seem to be written with women in mind. It's available on Amazon.com for just 3 bucks - and well worth it! But I also found that this precious author does have a blog that you can follow for free and she does share devotions similar to those in the book there from time to time as well. You visit it here: http://writemomentswithgod.blogspot.com/

What's In Your Heart?

Well, we are finally moved into our new home - and loving it! We are still surrounded by boxes, but we have the necessities taken care of and room to unpack the rest. However, while I've been MIA from the online world, God has been teaching me a lot. We had a women's event at church on Saturday and while I didn't overly relate or become inspired by the speaker, she did say one thing that really stuck with me. She referenced the many failures of David - the one the Bible refers to as the man after God's own heart.

Most of us know that David was an adulterous murderer, but she didn't stop there, she brought up the point that his children were... well, we'll say less than perfect as well. So many times as Christian women, we feel like our children are a direct reflection of us as Christians. When they mess up, or repeat something that we said or did that we know is wrong, we feel like failures. David's son raped his sister - I can't imagine how I would feel if one of my boys did that (to anyone, but even more so to their sister!). I would feel like a wretched failure and blame myself in some way - I'm pretty sure of that much. But look at David. God said about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22) - God saw David for what was in his heart - not for his failures and the failures of his children. That's a message that I needed.

I've been too focused on my failures - so much so that I've been hiding the light that God has given me for fear of messing up. That's not what He wants for me, and it's not what He wants for you either. It's not about  us. It's not about our imperfections or successes. It's not about our motives. It's not about us at all. It's about what Christ has already done. God just wants us to come as we are.

Re-dedication

A friend of mine's favorite devotional book is Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and she was excited to share when it went on sale at the end of January. Based on her high recommendation of it (that I've been hearing for years now), I took advantage of the opportunity to get it for the temporary low price. And I have to admit, I knew nothing about this book other than it was a devotional book that she loved... that's it. Now that I've started reading it, it's one of those devotional books that's written as if God is speaking directly to you - I normally chafe at those, but this one is different. It might be because I took the time to read Sarah's introduction, or it might be that her words are just the first truly inspired ones I have ever read, I'm not sure. She acknowledges that Scripture is far more inspired than these devotions, that she believes were from God speaking to her during her quiet times - and so far, I think she's right on target. The three that I've read so far have touched me exactly where I needed them. God is definitely using them in my life! They're short, simple, and cut right to the core.

God has used them to show me that during 2012 I drifted. I let life get in the way of my relationship with Him. He wasn't my number 1. It's not that I didn't want Him to be, I just struggled with priorities. I struggled with making the eternally important a priority over the earthly important - when if I would have taken the time to think about it, the two should be the same. I'm ashamed to admit that I pushed ministry aside for money - and we all know that you can't serve both God and money. I've been stressed to the max about everything on my to-do list. I have clients wanting to know when I'm going to complete their jobs, I'm surrounded by boxes from my move, and my family wants me to stop working and spend time with them. So what was today's devotion about? Being refreshed by God's peace because He is our burden-bearer. I don't know if that's a lesson that you needed at the start of this new year, but it's most certainly one that I needed.

I don't know how I'm going to get my life in order, it's a little too much to comprehend at the moment, but God knows. So today I'm laying my burdens at His feet. There's a lot of them, but He can handle them much better than I can, and I'm going to bask in His peace. In the secret of His quiet place, I'll wait for Him. I'm re-dedicating my life to Christ. I'm surrendering my goals, my priorities, and myself to Him, and Him alone.

 

Update and Free Stuff

I haven't mentioned this yet, but my family is in the midst of moving. While we aren't technically moving until the end of the month, we are currently out of state pinning down some details. More to come on that soon. For now, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity to download our latest devotional book, for FREE along with 19 other Christian books. Here's the scoop:

For three days only, several best-selling Christian authors have joined together to offer their books for free to avid readers. October 17^th through the 19^th 2012, readers can download 20 Christian books worth over $60 for free and enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card to get even more free books here.

This sale is just one of many hosted by Body and Soul Publishing, who also posts free Christian books and giveaways on their blog daily. Here’s what one reader had to say: "I’m very grateful for this website. I’ve found many valuable books that have enriched my spiritual life immensely." - Diane Sidener 

During the 100% off sale this week readers will be able to download the following nonfiction Christian books for free on Kindle and Smashwords:

Psalms, The Sunrise of Hope by Bob Saffrin

Hola Happiness by Janet Eckles Perez

21 Prayers of Gratitude by Shelley Hitz

A Matter of Faith by Carol Round

Restore Your Marriage & Fall in Love Again by Krystal Kuehn

10 Keys to Happy & Loving Relationships by Krystal Kuehn

The Lighthouse of Asaph: Unforgettable Christian Reflections by Roberto Ornan Roche

Found Adrift:  40 Days of Recovering Grace by Pauline Creeden

Children of Dreams by Lorilyn Roberts

21 Teen Devotionals…for Girls! By Heather Hart and Shelley Hitz

Experiencing Joy by Patty Mason

My Scripture Journal: God's Promises by Heather Bixler

Amazing Grace as Christ Walks By, My Journey from Brokenness to Wholeness by Carol Cline

A Spiritual Renewal: A Journey to Medjugorje by Alberta Sequeira

A Love Story...How God Pursued Me and Found Me…an Impossibly True Story by Samantha Ryan Chandler

Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy by Shelley Hitz

Mission Possible by Deborah McCarragher 

Women of Strength – a devotional to improve spiritual and physical health by Kimberley Payne

Night Stories – 8 devotionals about dreams by Kimberley Payne

Growth Lessons by Naty Matos

   

Don’t miss out!  Download these 20 books plus enter to win the $25 Amazon gift certificate for 3 days only here: http://www.bodyandsoulpublishing.com/100-percent-off-christian-books/

So there you have it. Go, download to your hearts content, and please keep us in prayer as we pack up and move several states away. It will be a big adjustment, but it's totally a God thing. 

Life is Good

The past week has been simply amazing for me. I've been recovering from a pretty nasty virus, but I just keep being blessed!

Last Friday I found out that I won a copy of Jody Hedlund's newest book, Unending Devotion (and I LOVE Jody's books), AND that afternoon I found out that I had won Christian Womens Voice Magazine's Christmas Moments essay contest (my essay "Keeping Christmas about Christ" will be featured in their next issue).

Shelley Hitz and I started a new book marketing community for the website Self-Publishing-Coach.com that really took off over the weekend.

Our latest devotional book, "21 Teen Devotionals... for Girls!" was published on Sunday, AND that very same day we received a 5 star review of our first devotional book from Readers Favorite.

I guess that all of those amazing things happening in a row, especially when I've been over stressed and under the weather lately, have just really been showing me how blessed I really am.

Feelings vs Truth

Last night my son and I had a little conversation about feelings. He was struggling with some thoughts that he was classifying as feelings, but we both knew that his feelings were just imaginations. We talked about feelings vs the truth. Just because we feel something, doesn't mean that it's true, but then again, even if we know the truth it can be hard to ignore our feelings. I told him the best thing to do, is to focus on what we know to be true and acknowledge the other as false - a lie.

Oh how I needed that pep-talk today!

Let me back up a bit for you. I didn't blog on Wednesday, and I'm just now pulling together today's post that is normally up by 7am. My husband is sick, my mom is here visiting, I can't seem to get caught up with work, I received a list of typos from a reviewer for the book I published last week, and my kids act as if I never spend any time with them. I feel like a failure. And that's exactly how Satan likes it and I know it! God on the other hand, would rather I focus on the truth - His truth:

• He is accomplishing His good work through me, that He designated in advance for me to do. 
• He has the power to heal my husband, and will provide for us in the meantime.
• He blessed me richly by bringing my mom to spend time with me and giving us quality time to spend together.
• He is doing amazing things through my book that was published last week - it is bringing Him glory despite the typos!
• He is the perfect heavenly Father of my children and will provide for all of their needs, including their need of me.

All of my false feelings of failure can be countered by God's never changing truth - and I'm certain that yours can too. Will you trust your feelings or your God?

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

~Joshua  24:15b

News vs Gossip

I recently started reading the local paper. I was originally studying advertising to help improve my marketing skills, but the habit seemed to stick. I actually just finished reading this weeks paper, there wasn't really anything interesting in it, but I still flipped through it, kind of like Facebook... The whole think reminded me of something I thought of earlier today. We live in a news saturated culture. We hear it on the radio, or told by our friends of all these things that are going on in the world around us. But my question is, how much of that qualifies as gossip?

What is the defining line between news and gossip? Is there one?

Gossip is defined as idle talk about the private or personal affairs of others.

So that Victoria's Secret model who gave up her modeling career because of her Christian convictions - qualifies as gossip.

Who's suing who over lost property due to the controlled burn that quickly became un-controlled - yep, that's gossip too.

We live in a gossip saturated world. So much so, that we don't even recognize it most of the time anymore - or at least I don't. Do you?

What's Your Passion?

A while back I decided to subscribe to my own devotions via - I know that kind of sounds silly, but I started writing them 3 years ago, and I just wanted to go back through and check for formatting or spelling errors now that I had distanced myself from them some. Not to toot my own horn, but on occasion it seems like I really need to hear the message that I wrote - I surprise myself. One of those occasions happened last week, and I just wanted to take a moment to share the devotion with you. It was written with teen girls in mind, but it definitely applies to our lives as well.

Just so you know, Teen Girl Devotionals are brought to you by www.FindYourTrueBeauty.com, and you or a teen in your life can sign up to receive them for free at http://www.findyourtruebeauty.com/devos - Anyway, here's the devotion:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 

There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

~1 Corinthians 12:4-6

I just love the fact that God gave each and every one of us unique personalities. Some of us are movie buffs, others get more into books, video games, or sports - and that's okay. That is how God created us. He created us with passions, talents and interests. He created us for different things, and with different passions. That came to my mind today while I was reading an article a friend shared on their blog. It was about how we are all passionate about different things, how we get excited about different events, books, or whatever, but the one thing that should remain the same, is our passion for our Savior. You see, even though we were all created uniquely for the glory of God, and God gave us all our own personalities and interests, we were still all created for the glory of God. We serve Him in different ways, but as Christians, we should still have a desire for Him, and for serving Him.

I guess that the point is that while God created us to be passionate people, there is an issue if that passion stops when we come before our creator. When we get totally psyched about the new outfit we just got or the new chick flick that is coming out, but we drag our feet when we have to get up early in the morning for church. When we can't wait to read our new book, or play that new video game, but we don't have the energy left to read God's Word.

God created passionate people. He sent Jesus so that we could live life to the full (John 10:10)! God wants us to be the people that He created us to be - to express ourselves. But as Jesus took the time to remind us, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). Our passions reflect what is in our hearts. If we aren't as passionate about our Savior as we are about our shoes, we might need to take some time to reevaluate our hearts...

Reflection:

Are you more passionate about worldly things, or about the Creator of the world?

Application Step:

Spend sometime today thinking about our awesome God. Remember that He is the creator of the world. Without Him, your favorite pastime wouldn't even exist. Thank Him for the opportunity to express yourself, and for all of the wonderful things He has brought into your life.

Prayer:

Father God, I love you so much! Please help me to express the love that I have for you, just as much, no, more than the love that I have for the things you have created. Help me to show others that you truly are more important than my boyfriend, my favorite shoes, and everything else in my life, Lord. Help me to honor you, God. Thank you for allowing me to express myself, but help me to do so in a way that is pleasing to you. I want you to be the overflow of my heart. I want to be more passionate for you, than for anything else. Thank you for everything you do for me - especially for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. It is in His name that I pray today. Amen.

I'm linking up with Word-Filled Wednesday over at Internet Cafe Devotions. 

Check it out for more Word-Filled posts by visiting: http://internetcafedevotions.com/

Mr. Monday ~ Notice

...Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me...

~ Ruth 2:10

Notice: be aware of

source

The definition of the word notice is quite extensive. Much like the word "respect" that we looked at last week, it is multifaceted. It can mean the act of observing, or being aware of something or someone. To make comment about or mention something. To give attention to something or someone. Or, to grant something or someone respectful consideration or attention - Yes, that's the word respect that we looked at last week. It applies here too. 

Noticing our Mr.'s is a huge part of respecting them. We can notice their opinions, their likes and dislikes. We can notice their reactions, or even just their presence. But what I want to focus on today isn't what we notice about them, but HOW we notice them. Anyone who follows my blog knows how much I like walking down memory lane when it comes to Mr. Amazing, and the reason for that is because it changes the way I notice him. 

The verse that I used today was from the first time that Boaz noticed Ruth. Do you remember the first time that you noticed your husband? If I asked you what the first thing you noticed about him was, would you be able to tell me? I could describe everything about the first time I noticed Mr. Amazing. From what we were both wearing, to what we were doing, how I was feeling, and even the thought processes that were going on in my head, and the conversations surrounding it. Not everyone can do that, but most everyone can think back to the moment when the first noticed their significant other, even if it was years after they met, there's usually that one moment. Do you remember it?

Good, so now I want to ask you when the last time that you noticed your husband was? Not the last thing you remember about him, but the last time you remember noticing him.  Whether it was catching a whiff of his cologne or seeing him smile from across the room. When was the last time that you actually noticed him? Not so easy? You want to know a great way to make your Mr.'s day? Comment on the fact that you notice him. Let him know that you enjoy the smell of his cologne, let him know that you love his smile, let him know that the shirt he's wearing looks good on him. Let him know that you noticed that he cleaned out the litter box or did the laundry. Make a point of letting him know what you notice about him. 

My original point was that we use to notice our husbands differently then we do now. Now we notice that they left their socks on the floor... again. We use to notice the way their arms fit perfectly around us, or wonderful it felt to snuggle up against them. Do you still notice those things? Do you notice the way that your husbands eyes sparkle when he's happy, or the way that he makes you smile? 

Obviously noticing our husbands is deeper than just noticing the physical, but the more we notice about our husbands, the more of an impact they will have on our thoughts and decisions. Once we start noticing them the way we use to again, then we will have a foundation for noticing them in our decisions, actions, and goals. 

I know that I mentioned it last week, but the 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge by Revive Our Hearts, played a huge roll in teaching me how to notice my husband again, and I highly recommend it. But for now, I leave you with the goal of noticing your husband this week. Take note of his daily routine. Take note of what makes him smile. Take note of the way his hand feels around yours. Take note of the things that you enjoy about him - and comment on a few of them to let him know that you notice him. 

Mr. Monday ~ Respect

Give everyone what you owe him: 

If you owe taxes, pay taxes; 

if revenue, then revenue; 

if respect, then respect; 

if honor, then honor.

~ Romans 13:7

Respect: To treat with special consideration and/or high regard.

source

I spent some time this past weekend looking into the quality of respect. We are instructed in Ephesians 5:33 that we, as wives, must respect our husbands. But that is probably one of the things that most wives struggle with the most. Even those of us who think we have mastered it, fall short. That was brought to my attention the other week when I was reading Elizabeth Georges book "A Woman After God's Own Heart", so that's where I wanted to start my new Mr. Monday series of looking at the various descriptions of wives in the Bible.

The very first thing that I was brought to when I was researching the word "respect" in reference to husbands and wives, was Queen Vashti. Do you remember her? The picture that the Bible paints of her is pretty small. In fact, she is only in a few short verses in the first chapter of the book of Esther. Do you know who she is now? She was King Xerxes' disrespectful wife. Her husband wanted her to do something, and she said no. Thankfully, we live in a very different culture now-a-days, because I must admit that I have told my husband no more than once.

King Xerxes' advisers were worried that if the King's own wife didn't respect him, that all of the women in the country would start disrespecting him as well. Can we apply that to our lives as well? If we disrespect our own husbands, how will others treat him? Have you ever been around a wife that disrespects her husband in public? All of her friends do the same thing - trust me, I've been there (on both sides of it). King Xerxes' had a right to be concerned. That doesn't mean that I agree with the actions that he took, God said that what He has brought together that no man should separate. When we get married, we don't have instantly perfect relationships. Our husbands are no more perfect then we are - and we are all far from perfect (Rom. 3:23).

Respect is a hard thing to learn. Especially when it's learning to respect someone who's life is laid open before you. We know our husbands better than anyone else on earth, that means that we see all of the faults that he has. We know all of his short comings. Yet, if we don't respect him, others will pick up on that. They will see that the person who knows him the best, doesn't think that he deserves respect, and they will follow our lead. But on the flip side, when we do respect our husbands, others will see that too and will be more likely to offer him that same respect.

Not only will others see it and implement it, our husbands will see it. Shaunti Feldhahn dedicated an entire chapter in her book, "For Women Only" about the impact that a wives respect has on her husband. The massive research that she put into that book showed that "Men would rather feel alone and unloved than inadequate and disrespected." The best way that we can show our husbands that we love them, is by respecting them. To quote Shaunti Feldhahn one more time "If a man feels disrespected, he is going to feel unloved."

So do you think that maybe we ought to put a little more effort into respecting our husbands?

As Elizabeth George would say: "Yes, but how?"

The answer to that is so massive that I couldn't possibly cover it here. But here are a few ways that we can respect our husbands:

• We can respect his decisions, opinions, knowledge and judgement. - To me that means not questioning his decisions and not always adding my own two cents worth when he has clearly already made a decision. That doesn't mean that I have to be silent and lose myself as a person, that would NOT make my husband happy. He didn't marry a doormat, and he didn't want to. But he also shouldn't have to listen to my "infinite wisdom" every time he wants to do something or tells me what is on his mind. 
• We can respect our husbands with our thoughts and words. - Respecting our husbands by choosing to assume the best from him instead of the worst. Choosing to only think and say positive things about him. Nancy Leigh DeMoss's 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge was a HUGE help to me in this area. Quite honestly, that challenge changed my entire marriage, just by changing the way that I thought.
• We can respect his abilities. - When the girls were little, Mr. Amazing would try to help me out by getting them dressed, and I often didn't like the clothing that he picked out for one reason or another (it was too cold for short-sleeves, or maybe I had already set out clothes for the day), so I would change them. After a while, he stopped dressing them. When I inquired as to why, he said that I would just re-do it anyway, so why should he bother... and you know what? He was right. The same thing goes for re-folding clothes after he did the laundry, or re-doing anything that he has done. That does not show respect for his abilities in any way shape or form, and it tears our husbands down more than we will ever realize. 

What are some ways that you can choose to respect your husband this week?

The Problem Solver

As a mom of twin 4 year olds, it seems like one of the things I do most often is solve problems. I'm sure other moms can relate easily to this. But let me give you a few examples: When Alexa needs to go to the bathroom, she runs to me practically in tears and tells me that she needs to pee. My response: Well, go to the bathroom. She does, and voila: problem solved. When Ella get's cold, she comes to me to tell me. What do I do? I tell her to get a blanket, or put her clothes back on. She does, and voila: problem solved. We have a limited number of bowls in our house (only enough for one meal for the whole family) so when the boys come to me before the dishes have been washed and tell me they need a clean bowl, I tell them to wash one. They do and voila: problem solved. - Do you see a trend here?

What I see as common since, the kids are still just learning. Solving most child sized problems is easy for most adults. They have problems that we have lived through, problems that we have dealt with in the past, or still cope with today (like needing clean dishes and going to the bathroom - we just don't see them as problems any longer).

I pondered on that today as I solved problem after problem, but instead of thinking about how frustrating it was that I was solving the same problems over and over and over again, my mind drifted to my heavenly father. I wonder if He ever does that for me. When I come to Him in prayer because I have a problem, does He ever shake His head and wonder when I will ever learn that if I need to pee I should just go to the bathroom: If I'm worried about the things of the world that I should just cast my anxieties on Him?

Moreover, my children think of me as their ultimate problem solver. Have a problem? Mom can help! But do I think of God that way? Do I trust Him with that childlike faith that trusts that He possesses all of the answers to any problem that I may run into? ...Do you?

Living in a Martha World

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

~Luke 10:40

Tucked away in the book of Luke (at the end of chapter 10), is a short story of a family that welcomed Jesus into their home. It’s the story of Mary and Martha. In the story we find Martha hard at work, while Mary sits at the feet of our Savior. Reasonably, Martha is upset. She is being left to do all the work by herself, and she gets edgy. I can hardly blame her for that, I probably would to. However, when I was reading this story the other day, something completely different caught my attention.

Yes, Martha was busy working, and she thought that Mary should be too. Does that sound familiar? We live in a Martha world. We are told that we should be busy doing, not sitting at the feet of our Savior. Sure, Christians are suppose to read their Bible, but even the Christian world bombards us with the idea that if we aren’t busy serving, then we aren’t doing what we should be. If we aren’t cooking meals for families that need them, or cleaning the church building, or teaching Sunday school or Bible study, then we are looked down on.

Yet, in the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus chided Martha saying: “…but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:42. Taking the time to sit quietly and pray or read God’s Word, that’s better than doing all the other things that Christians do. Yes, those things are good, and even required, but without the Word of God, they are all meaningless.  Why? Because “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4. We need the Word of God, more than we need to teach Sunday school, more than we need to clean the church, and more than we need to sign up to bring food to a fellowship gathering. After all, we are saved by grace through faith—and this not from ourselves, but it is the gift of God— Ephesians 2:8.

Blogland Blues

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

~Psalm 134:14

Blogland can be a dangerous place.

Does that statement surprise you? It shouldn't. You see, Blogland is full of blogs by other people. Some of those people portrait themselves to be perfect, and give you instructions so that you can be perfect just like them. Other bloggers admit that they have faults, but have great ideas about how to improve themselves, and they invite you along on their journeys. Yet still other bloggers are just plain real - they own up to who they are, and if you don't like it, then you are not required to read their blog. There are bloggers that are super house cleaners and great cooks. Bloggers that are over involved in ministry, bloggers who homeschool their kids, or do nothing but spend their day coming up with fun games to play and learn with their little ones. Their are bloggers who have infants, bloggers who have teenagers, and bloggers who are grandmothers. There are bloggers who live in Germany, Africa, and America. The bottom line is that bloggers come in all different shapes and sizes.

Why does that make Blogland dangerous? Simply because you are not another blogger. All of those blogs can be fun to read, encouraging, challenging, or hold some other form of motivation for you, but the danger comes when we start to compare ourselves to another blogger. When we start to realize that we can never be just like them. That we fall short of being the wife, mother, hostess, servant, Christian, that they are.

 As I was contemplating on all of the above information today, it just resonated within me that God didn't create me to be just like anyone else. He made me to be His creation. The only person that I should try to imitate is Christ. I shouldn't try to be just like so and so over a her blog, because that's who God created her to be, not me. Sure, her husband might be thrilled that she is such a wonderful wife and homemaker, but I'm not married to him. My husband loves me for me. He married me, not her. My kids wouldn't know what to do if so and so over at such and such of blog took my place. They don't love her, they love me - faults and all.

God creates each of us to be the person that He wants us to be, and our lives are formed around that. Sure, we get stressed out some times, we long to be better at certain things, and that's okay. God is working on us. Maybe someday we will be a better gardener than the lady whose blog inspires us so much. If that happens, it will happen in God's timing, but for now, we are right where He wants us to be, to learn the lessons that we need to learn, to continue to grow into the person that He wants us to be. We might never have a house that looks like so and so's, or children that spout off Scripture like that other blogger does. And that's okay.

Instead of trying to be another blogger, we need - I need - to strive to be more like Christ, and Christ alone.

What about you?

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 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

~Colossians 2:6-12

Bad Vibrations

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good...

~Genesis 50:20

Joseph spoke the above words after he had been through a lot. His brothers were worried that he would hold a grudge against them, because let's face it, he had every right to by human standards. However, he looked past the bad vibrations, past the hurt, the pain, the wrong doings, and he saw what God did through all of those bad things. 

Last Friday I had a bad day, to say the least! I was behind on my work and trying to get caught up when it happened. My cat knocked over a vase that I had sitting on my desk, soaking everything: my research, notes, to do list, keyboard, mouse, computer, laptop, spare printer paper, 3 of my notebooks, my work binder, a book, all of my notepads, me and the clothes that I was wearing... I could go on, but you get the point. 

As I sat there lividly looking at the water and desperately dabbing at the electronics, the words of Joseph flew to my mind. I had just read them the night before (because I'm already a week behind in my Bible reading plan for the year), and they just resounded in my heart. "God intended it for good." I don't know what good can come out of wet electronics and ruined papers, but God didn't call me to understand, He called me to trust. 

So as sat there sopping up the mess, I fought the urge to focus on all that was lost; the urge to focus on the things of this world. I had to shift my focus on how much greater God was then anything I could ever put on paper. My computer wasn't ruined. The water missed the power strip by an inch or two, so nothing fried. Yes, I lost some notes due to water damage, but it wasn't the end of the world. God is still God, and I am still not. 

I guess that the whole experience was humbling. It forced me to slow down and meditate on the reason that I do the things that I do. It made me look at the importance of material objects (replaceable or not), and really just refreshed my perspective. On a day when I was overwhelmed and beating myself up about being behind, I would have never guessed that a disaster like that would be the thing that improved my attitude, but if I had to guess, I bet God did.

Sanctification Multiplication

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

~2 Peter 3:18

As any mother of small children can testify: children never become perfect. We don't just suddenly wake up one day with perfect, well-mannered, sinless children. Instead, they simply progress from one area of imperfection to another. While our children may no longer be biting one another, they move into the stage of talking back. When they get past that stage, they start doing something else. They, like us, will never be perfect. 

I had an amazing book recommended to me a few weeks ago by a friend. It's called "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic, and while I was originally put off by how amazingly short it is, it holds some very powerful truths. This being one of them. Rachel relates our children's progression in growing up and moving from one sinful deed to another, to basic math. I just love the picture that paints. You can never know everything there is to know about mathematics. While when we are little we learn how to count and that 1+1=2, in our spiritual walk we have to first learn who Jesus is and what He has done before we can move into the spiritual trigonometry of living out our Christian walk. 

I guess that my favorite take away from all of this is that we have to teach our children to count today so that they will be able to face the later courses of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry with a leg to stand on. That doesn't mean that they won't struggle or fail (because we all do some of the time), it just means that they will have a foundation. A starting place, and a place to come back to when needed. 

Worthy vs. Worthless

"...go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

~ Matthew 9:13

As I was reading another blog this past weekend, I loved the analogy of the message of todays Christian music, verses the message sent in traditional Christian music (such as Amazing Grace). You can read the original post here.

The main point was that today's music doesn't have good theology. We are told that we are all worth dying for. We are told that we are worthy. But Jesus said that the righteous don't need a Savoir. If we are worthy of it, then we don't need it. That's why the old hymn says that Jesus came to save a wretch like me. That's why His grace is so amazing after all. God loved us even when we weren't worthy. In fact, on our own, we have no worth. Our worth is found in Christ alone. It is Him that is worthy. He died for us even though we didn't deserve it. How amazing is that?!



I guess the main point here is that if the grace of God isn't needed, but something that we deserve, then it isn't as precious as I was led to believe. What about you?

Supernatural Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 4:4-7

After a long day with 4 kids that have far too much energy for a mom with a kink in her neck, these words aren't exactly easy to read. As I sit in front of the computer with my throat burning from screaming at them for multiple things, my gentleness is not evident. Not to all, and defiantly not to my children. 

With the temptation to feel like a failure building along with the pressing tears, the end of this passage brings hope. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." That peace that surpasses all understanding truly is an amazing thing. It's the peace that takes over when I admit my failures, but claim the promises of Christ. It's the peace that washes over me, when I remember that God knew 2000 years ago that I wouldn't be able to be perfect. He knew that I would fall short of being the perfect mom, and He knew that I would need a Savior. Knowing that I'm forgiven brings me that peace. I hope it does the same for you.

While I know that I will not be the perfect parent, ever, I can trust that God will still bring me peace. He will guard my heart and my mind, and grow gentleness within me. Even if it doesn't happen over night, I can trust that it will come, and even when I fail, I can rejoice in the Lord.

What Are You Teaching?

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

~Psalm 34:11

This verse is one that I know well, but recently when I was reading it, God used it to convict me. He made me stop and think about the question this verse asks:

Am I teaching my children to fear the Lord, or am I teaching them how to be sinful human beings?

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? I honestly don't think that I have. I have thought about the answer off and on. How I fail to teach them, or how I think I have done well. But never just the question itself. 


Such a powerful question, has multiple answers. Yes, I read my kids the Bible. They love going to church. We pray before meals, and before bed each night. But teaching them about God, isn't the same as teaching them the fear of the Lord. Not even close. One is head knowledge, the other comes from the heart. What is my heart telling them? 


Defiantly a powerful thought to meditate on.

Mr. Monday:

This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

~1 Peter 3:5

Mr. Amazing hates this verse. He is a strong believer that men and women were created equal, and that saying that as wives we should accept their authority speaks to the contrary. I lovingly disagree with that sentiment.

You see, as a Christian woman, I look at it as a picture of our relationship with Christ. When I am trying to rule over my husband, I am not being submissive to Christ. It isn't about being greater than or less than. Christ said whoever is the least now will be the greatest then (Mark 10:31). I know that God created us all in His image. That we are all equal, we are just created differently, with different roles. For me, living under the authority of my husband isn't about feeling like a lesser person than him. It's about submitting to a righteous God, who is the Greatest. 

I won't say that I am the perfect wife at living under my husbands authority. I am still a sinful human, and there are definitely things that I am stubborn about. But that's the best part. God knew that we would do that. It was included in the curse. But that's why Jesus came. He knew that we wouldn't be the perfect wives. He knew that we would need a Savior. I am so thankful for Him!  






~Special announcement:
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