I thought it would be funny to self-reflect on if YOU are a high maintenance woman!! Some of us can admit it if we are, then there are some of us who may be in denial. Kara Oh shares with why this runs guys away! But since its Feel Good Friday, go ahead and be a Diva and high maintenance if you want to be! LOL. Its a one day pass so use it wisely! ;-)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Freedom from Performing
Hey ladies!
Please continue to read "Freedom from Performing" and be prepared to start the discussion on chapter 1 on next Tuesday, June 7. I'm excited to hear what God is doing through this book in your life!
Please continue to read "Freedom from Performing" and be prepared to start the discussion on chapter 1 on next Tuesday, June 7. I'm excited to hear what God is doing through this book in your life!
My prayer today
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field."
-Matthew 13:44
How many of us can say that this is how we feel about the Kingdom? In this parable, we meet someone who is so ecstatic about discovering the treasure of the Kingdom that he hides it and then sells what he has so he can experience it again! THIS is the excitement we should feel! Have we gotten into a routine, rut, tradition, or allowed RELIGION to get the best of us and steal the excitement we once had about God and the Kingdom? Now, let's examine the second part::he sold everything he had in order to attain the Kingdom!! That in itself is powerful. Some of us can't even pay our tithes and offerings consistently let alone sell what we have (and EVERYTHING at that!) for the Kingdom. Wow.
Lord, I pray that our zeal and excitement for You and the Kingdom will be restored beginning today! Allow us to wake up every morning with a freshness in You and the things of You. Religion, routines, and tradition will no longer do! YOU ARE BIGGER THAN THAT! Birth something new in us so that we can lead others into the saving knowledge of You and Your Word. I pray we become radical enough to want You so bad that we will sell what we have in order to get to You. This is true Christianity anyway! Continue to open our eyes and remove all blinders. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
-Matthew 13:44
How many of us can say that this is how we feel about the Kingdom? In this parable, we meet someone who is so ecstatic about discovering the treasure of the Kingdom that he hides it and then sells what he has so he can experience it again! THIS is the excitement we should feel! Have we gotten into a routine, rut, tradition, or allowed RELIGION to get the best of us and steal the excitement we once had about God and the Kingdom? Now, let's examine the second part::he sold everything he had in order to attain the Kingdom!! That in itself is powerful. Some of us can't even pay our tithes and offerings consistently let alone sell what we have (and EVERYTHING at that!) for the Kingdom. Wow.
Lord, I pray that our zeal and excitement for You and the Kingdom will be restored beginning today! Allow us to wake up every morning with a freshness in You and the things of You. Religion, routines, and tradition will no longer do! YOU ARE BIGGER THAN THAT! Birth something new in us so that we can lead others into the saving knowledge of You and Your Word. I pray we become radical enough to want You so bad that we will sell what we have in order to get to You. This is true Christianity anyway! Continue to open our eyes and remove all blinders. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
These songs...
These two songs are really ministering to me this week, and they both happen to be by Hillsong. May they be a blessing to you as well!!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Choosing to Smile!
For whatever reason, this song is REALLY speaking to me today! Maybe it'll encourage you, too. :)
Today's Devotional
Devotional taken from devotions.proverbs31.org
May 26, 2011
Don’t Eat Your Way Out of the Pit
Lysa TerKeurst
“Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10b (NIV)
Have you ever been in a pit? Yesterday I was. And you know what pits make me feel besides frustrated and down? Hungry.
Usually my pit comes when circumstances roll into my life that I can’t control.
Circumstances that affect me, but that are beyond my control, make me want to find comfort in things I can control. And eating sure does feel like an easy to get comfort.
But, in these situations, what feels comforting going in my mouth often doesn’t settle well with my heart.
Overindulging in junk food makes me feel guilty. And once guilty joins me in my pit, it only compounds my issues. So, if we can’t eat our way out of a pit with junk food, what can we do?
If I’m truly hungry, I grab a healthy option. Then, I intentionally look for something for which to be thankful and get my mouth busy praising God.
Even though I may not feel like praising God in the midst of my pit, something starts to shift in my heart and in my attitude when I see blessings in the midst of burdens. Each thing for which I verbalize my thankfulness is like a stepping stone out of the pit.
And this isn’t just my idea. It’s biblical. Look what happened when Daniel took this approach to the pit he found himself in.
In Daniel 6:10, Daniel had just learned that if anyone was caught praying to anyone else besides King Darius, they would be thrown into the Lion’s Den. That’s a serious pit! But Daniel’s reaction is amazing.
He went home, threw his windows open, and prayed anyway. I’m not thinking he did this because he felt good. I’m imagining he felt like anyone would feel in overwhelming circumstances. But he rose above his feelings to make a choice.
And do you know what he chose to pray?
“God, save me!”
“God, it’s not fair!”
“God, this is too much!”
“God, smite my enemies and wipe them out!”
“God, You know I can’t handle this without extreme doses of chocolate!”
No. None of the above.
What Daniel prayed is a powerful lesson for me.
Daniel prayed, Thank You God. “Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10b, NIV)
Since Daniel’s response is so opposite of the way most of us would react, it makes me stop and ponder. Our initial responses are usually a by-product of the rituals we’ve established in our life. Daniel had made it his habit to be thankful.
Therefore, who God is and what God provides was front and center in Daniel’s heart — even in the midst of heartbreak.
I am so challenged and inspired by this. Where do I run when life presses in on me? Who or what am I really dependent on? Do I have a habit of inviting guilt to join me in my pit? What might happen if I stopped grabbing for comfort and instead embraced the perspective change of thanksgiving?
Yes, life will be full of pits. But, that doesn’t mean I have to be a pit dweller or a pit eater.
Dear Lord, I know it is normal for us to sometimes find ourselves in a pit. But we don’t have to stay there and we don’t have to try and eat our way out. Thank You for providing Your timeless Word to point to the way, the truth and the life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
What might happen if we stopped grabbing for comfort and instead embraced the perspective change of thanksgiving? Ponder this thought today and decide how you can live each day differently with a heart of thanksgiving.
Reflections:
Where do I run when life presses in on me? Who or what am I really dependent on? Do I have a habit of inviting guilt to join me in my pit?
Power Verses:
Hebrews 12:28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (NIV)
Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)
May 26, 2011
Don’t Eat Your Way Out of the Pit
Lysa TerKeurst
“Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10b (NIV)
Have you ever been in a pit? Yesterday I was. And you know what pits make me feel besides frustrated and down? Hungry.
Usually my pit comes when circumstances roll into my life that I can’t control.
Circumstances that affect me, but that are beyond my control, make me want to find comfort in things I can control. And eating sure does feel like an easy to get comfort.
But, in these situations, what feels comforting going in my mouth often doesn’t settle well with my heart.
Overindulging in junk food makes me feel guilty. And once guilty joins me in my pit, it only compounds my issues. So, if we can’t eat our way out of a pit with junk food, what can we do?
If I’m truly hungry, I grab a healthy option. Then, I intentionally look for something for which to be thankful and get my mouth busy praising God.
Even though I may not feel like praising God in the midst of my pit, something starts to shift in my heart and in my attitude when I see blessings in the midst of burdens. Each thing for which I verbalize my thankfulness is like a stepping stone out of the pit.
And this isn’t just my idea. It’s biblical. Look what happened when Daniel took this approach to the pit he found himself in.
In Daniel 6:10, Daniel had just learned that if anyone was caught praying to anyone else besides King Darius, they would be thrown into the Lion’s Den. That’s a serious pit! But Daniel’s reaction is amazing.
He went home, threw his windows open, and prayed anyway. I’m not thinking he did this because he felt good. I’m imagining he felt like anyone would feel in overwhelming circumstances. But he rose above his feelings to make a choice.
And do you know what he chose to pray?
“God, save me!”
“God, it’s not fair!”
“God, this is too much!”
“God, smite my enemies and wipe them out!”
“God, You know I can’t handle this without extreme doses of chocolate!”
No. None of the above.
What Daniel prayed is a powerful lesson for me.
Daniel prayed, Thank You God. “Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10b, NIV)
Since Daniel’s response is so opposite of the way most of us would react, it makes me stop and ponder. Our initial responses are usually a by-product of the rituals we’ve established in our life. Daniel had made it his habit to be thankful.
Therefore, who God is and what God provides was front and center in Daniel’s heart — even in the midst of heartbreak.
I am so challenged and inspired by this. Where do I run when life presses in on me? Who or what am I really dependent on? Do I have a habit of inviting guilt to join me in my pit? What might happen if I stopped grabbing for comfort and instead embraced the perspective change of thanksgiving?
Yes, life will be full of pits. But, that doesn’t mean I have to be a pit dweller or a pit eater.
Dear Lord, I know it is normal for us to sometimes find ourselves in a pit. But we don’t have to stay there and we don’t have to try and eat our way out. Thank You for providing Your timeless Word to point to the way, the truth and the life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
What might happen if we stopped grabbing for comfort and instead embraced the perspective change of thanksgiving? Ponder this thought today and decide how you can live each day differently with a heart of thanksgiving.
Reflections:
Where do I run when life presses in on me? Who or what am I really dependent on? Do I have a habit of inviting guilt to join me in my pit?
Power Verses:
Hebrews 12:28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (NIV)
Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)
Verse of the Day
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” --JOHN 3:17
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