Praise God

"Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!"

~Psalm 117

Praising God is easy when joy fills our hearts and we are overwhelmed with the feeling of being blessed.  But what about when life is not so joyful or so blessed?

I know when I recently was betrayed by someone who was suppose to be by my side, praising God was not a thought in my head or an expression in my heart.  But, that's exactly what God wanted me to do.  He wanted me to praise Him for the heartache.  He wanted me to praise Him for the unjust situation.  He wanted me to praise Him for the hurt.  He wanted me to praise Him for the disappointment.

And so, I did.

It was not easy, but I surrendered to God's request because I thought, 'Why not?'

Why not praise God in our trials?  Why not praise God in our sufferings?  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  (James 1:2)  There's not much else we can do in those situations.  We can't change what has happened.  But God can.

He began to change my heart and how the betrayal affected me.  When I began praising God for the situation and all the hurt I felt, I began to feel joy replacing pain.  What release of freedom overcame me!

God didn't change what happened to me, but He changed me.  That in itself is worth praising God for!  Only when we begin to praise God for everything, do we begin to really love God for everything.

I needed to really love God in the hurt of my situation.  I needed to praise Him.  Jesus understood my hurt.  He, too, had been betrayed by someone who was suppose to be by His side.  In fact, in the hour Jesus needed a friend the most, Peter denied him.  Peter-the same man who hours before said he wouldn't desert Jesus even if everyone else did (Matthew 26:33)-left Him when He needed someone the most to stand by His perfectly innocent side.

Jesus still loved Peter.  Jesus still loves us.  Jesus still loves me even when my world is crashing down around me or even when I sin.  His love isn't in the hurt.  His love is in our hearts.  And when we begin to praise God for everything, including our hurts, He reveals His love to us in ways He couldn't if everything in our life was perfect and wonderful.

Experience the indescribable joy of the Lord today.  Praise Him not only for the good in your life, but also for the pain, the unjust situations, the heartaches, the people or things that are making your life difficult, the hardships, the laundry that needs to be done, the toilets that need to be cleaned, the work you've put off, the unanswered prayers, the mistakes, the challenges, the disappointments, the illnesses, the weaknesses, the imperfections.  Praise God for His faithfulness!  Praise God for His gracious, abundant, powerful and unfailing love!  Praise God, all you nations!  Praise God, all you people of the earth! Praise God!

One Word

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Proverbs 18:21

One word this past week had a power to revive me. And one word this past week had a power to prostrate me. "The tongue has the power of life and death," and it only takes one word.

James warns us (in James 3) that the whole body can be corrupted by the tongue, and in Jeremiah 9:8, the tongue is referred to as a deadly arrow. With one word we can sin, and with one word we can cause more sin. One word. That's all it takes to destroy. One word. That's also all it takes to build.

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Luke 6:45

What's in your heart? I know mine lately has been burdened with hurt, betrayal, frustrations, discontent, confusion, and insecurity. The good in my heart has been hidden under this heavy pile. How can I possibly speak words of encouragement, of goodness, and of love? I can't.

What I can do is hand my heart over to God and ask to receive Him. I can ask Him to cleanse my heart of all impurities and fill me with His love so that I can speak words of love. That's all any of us have to do to receive a heart full of His power and to speak of good things. One word to the King of Kings: Here. One word: Help. One word: Forgive. One word: Thanks. 

There is power in one word, and there is absolute power in His Word. Let us, then, empty our hearts onto Him and let Him fill us with His life-giving Word. 

More than Conquerors

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

Romans 8:37 NLT

Needed this verse today and this song by Rend Collective Experiment.  This life can make you feel so defeated, so weighed down by hurt, so incredibly burdened by demands and expectations, and so lost that you don't even see a direction.  But God is for us, and through His Son Jesus Christ, we have overwhelming victory over this life and all its trials and tribulations.  

So while it may seem like the waters are rising, God extends a lifeSAVIOR.  We are more than conquerors through Him.  We just need to reach out to Jesus who saves, who loves, who finds us and sets us on the right path, who takes our burdens, who heals, and who gives us victory.  Despite the heaviness of my heart today, I am more than a conqueror, I am His. And so are you.

A.S.K.

 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. 

Keep on seeking, and you will find. 

Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."  

Matthew 7:7

For the month of October I've been challenging myself to begin every day on my knees and journal a prayer to God.  The guideline of my prayer has been Matthew 7:7--ASK.

A.sk God for what you need.
S.eek what needs improvement.
K.nock on the doors that only the Lord can provide.

I can honestly say, after two weeks of this, I have noticed a difference in my day and in my heart.  I have become stronger spiritually, and I have felt more equipped to handle whatever the day brings.  I can say this honestly because yesterday I did not start the day on my knees in prayer.  I totally skipped over it.  I didn't have a horrible day, but I felt like something was missing.  I also felt weak and out-of-sorts.  

I'm realizing more and more what a blessing it is that God invites us to ASK anything in prayer.  By doing so, we acknowledge our need for Him, and isn't that true of us?  Don't we love it when people need us?  The difference is, we don't love people asking more of us all day long, but God does!  (Hallelujah!)  He wants to show us how much He loves us and cares for us.  He wants us to A.S.K. so that we can receive.  Wouldn't it be grand to receive security and strength?  Wouldn't it be glorious to receive peace and joy?  Wouldn't it be gratifying to receive certainty and contentment?  All we have to do is A.S.K.!

"Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him."

1 John 3:21-22

All for God's Glory

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

tReAsuREd

"You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations 

of the earth to be his own special treasure."

Deuteronomy 14:2

One of my favorite things to do is to take items that have already been used-and have served their purpose-and try to see if I can remake them into something purposeful once again.  A friend of mine was going to toss (or try to sell for 25¢ at the yard sale we were having at the time) a single gold plate charger. Typically plate chargers come in a pack of four.  I don't know what happened to the other three, but I understand why she, without hesitation, gratefully gave me the plate charger.  

Plate chargers are meant to be decorative and to adorn the table with or without place mats.  Chargers are only as good as the number of plates you set on a table, so a lonely, all-on-its-own charger doesn't serve a table much purpose.  I, on the other hand, saw great potential for this single charger.  

I saw a new purpose.  

With a little mod podge, scrapbook paper, punch-out letters, tiles from a Scrabble game, lace and hot glue, this charger became a new piece of inspirational Scripture art for my kitchen wall.  Surrounded by sentimental antique plates, the charger displaying the verse from Proverbs 13:12 stands out on its own as a most treasured piece.

God, too, treasures you.  He sees you as someone He has set apart from the pack.  He set you apart to be holy, to display His glory.  He has chosen you for a purpose.  He has chosen you to be His own special treasure.  It does not matter if you and I feel like we have been used, if we feel tossed aside, if we feel lonely or worthless, or even if we feel like we are trash.  The truth is not our feeling.  The truth is God's Word, which tells us we are TREASURED.  

I like to think God, too, sees potential in us to be the Scripture art He wants to hang on His wall and be inspired by every day.  You are tReAsuREd, all-on-your-own, one-of-a-kind, set apart for His own special purpose.  You are loved and adored by a most loving God.  Let that truth change the way you and I feel about ourselves, and let us stand out as most treasured pieces.

Fools Climb Trees

"He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. 'Zacchaeus!' he said. 'Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.'"

Luke 19:3-4

The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 always makes me smile.  To picture a man of wealth, of stature (both in achievement and shortness of height), and of intimidation climbing a tree just amuses me.  But I think more than just amusement, this story brings great admiration.  I admire people who are willing to look foolish for Jesus.  Foolish in the sense that they don't care what the crowd thinks; they care only that they see Jesus and Jesus sees them.  

I know I feel the most foolish when I feel the Spirit urging me to do something in faith.  For example, last week it was pouring down rain.  I mean, it felt like I was driving through a waterfall all the way home.  To get to my home, I have to turn a corner around a median in order to park.  As I was about to turn, I noticed a young woman standing on the corner with her arms crossed as if she was hugging herself.  She was waiting for the bus, and there was no covering for her to stand under except for a tree.  I turned the corner and parked my car.  I felt the Spirit telling me to go give her an umbrella.

I sat in my car, for what seemed like fifty minutes, debating with myself.  I could just go inside my dry house and ignore that nudging thought, or I could be bold and risk looking a bit foolish by going over and handing a complete stranger an umbrella.  Even now, as I share this, I feel more of a fool for debating what was obviously the right choice. 

Yes, climbing a tree to see Jesus is a risk of looking foolish to the crowd.  But a risk for Jesus is worth the reward of Him seeing you.  I found a spare umbrella in my car (not a coincidence) and drove back around the block to hand a most grateful stranger an umbrella.  When I parked my car the second time, I no longer felt the fear of foolishness pouring down on me like the rain.  Rather, I felt a bit of sunshine poking through and warming me within.  

Welcome Jesus into the home of your heart today by climbing whatever tree you need to climb in order to see Him and for Him to see you.  Truly, we are most lost when we allow the fear of foolishness to conquer our faith.  Go climb your trees, faithful ones, and don't worry about looking foolish or even feeling foolish, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10)   

Take 5

"So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!" 

Ecclesiastes 9:7

My favorite snack (or sometimes I eat it as a meal) is edamame.  I love it for its quickness to make (boil water, drop in, boil edamame for 5 minutes, drain [I use a spoon strainer], and sprinkle with sea salt), for its healthy benefits (click on this for benefits), and for its utter simplicity.  It's as delicious cold (I'll cook it and pack it for lunch the next day) as it is fresh out of the boiling water.  

But the best part of edamame is that after I drop the pods into the boiling water, I take that five minutes to be still with God.  I know that might seem crazy, but when do we just stop the busyness of our day and spend five minutes with God?  Edamame is my excuse, or rather, my reminder.  Since this snack/meal doesn't require any other attention than waiting, then I wait with God.  I'll journal, pray, or read His Word while I wait.  Those five minutes with God as I listen to the water bubbling and spitting a few feet away from me are five minutes of total peace.  Then, once it's over, I have a heart and tummy full of joy.

Less is More. A Whole Lot More.

" Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Matthew 6:19-21

The adage, "Less is more," can be applied to all areas of our lives.  We often take on more than we should.  I hadn't realized the full meaning of this until recently.  I understood this to mean all the things I was doing was probably too much and I needed to cut back so that I would have more time to do the things I was meant to do.  While this is true, "Less is more" also applies to my material things.

When I moved to Houston, I had to change my way of thinking when it came to my living environment.  I downsized from a 1700 sq. ft. house to a 600 sq. ft. condo.  I had a lot of furniture and decor that I had to let go of.  At first, it was really difficult for me to downsize because I'm a sentimental person and I felt guilty of letting go of certain items.  After some prayer and the realization that there was no practical way to keep all of my things, I felt God's Spirit of peace and direction to keep only what I truly loved and only what was practical.

Now, almost 7 months later of living in this small condo, I realize three invaluable truths:

1. I had A LOT of stuff!  Stuff I didn't need, stuff that got in the way of living more freely, stuff that I don't even miss.
2. MORE was causing MORE STRESS.  The more space I had, the more stuff I had, the more stress I had.  When you have more, you have more to keep up with, you have more to clean, you have more to maintain and manage.  
3. With less stuff and less space, I have more of what I NEED such as TIME, ENERGY, and PEACE.

Less is more...a whole lot more of what we need.  I don't know about you, but I need a lot more of Christ, and when I'm distracted by my stuff, I know it's time to purge.  Let's remove all that clutters and keeps us from having more of Christ today.  Let us have more of Him and less of this world.

Joy. Go After It.

"You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

John 16:24

A Poem Inspired by Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come

and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Psalm 46:1-2

This is an incredibly inspiring chapter in the book of Psalm.  The writer is in total awe of God.  So am I...

Bring it! Bring what you got, Life!  

Bring all the ugly, the bad, the pain, 

the heartaches and heartbreaks.  

Bring it!  Come on!  

Try to take out from under me

this Solid Rock upon which I stand.

I dare you, Life! 

Because, guess what?  My God is bigger.  

He is better.  He is more powerful.  

He will devastate you, oh you troublesome Life! 

He is my Refuge.  No matter what you throw at me; 

He will protect me.  He is ready.  

Mountains like my finances, my job, my marriage, 

my family, my health, my security, my dreams may all crumble; 

but God, 

He is my strength.  He is my help.  

'Help? Ha!' you roar at me with thick yellow breath. 

'Where was He to help you when all of that was crumbling?  

When you were drowning in an ocean of sorrows and hurt and loneliness?  

Where was your help?'

In here.  The whole time.  I say as I point to my heart. 

Waiting.

'Waiting?' Life scoffs.

Yes, waiting on me.  To be still.  To let Him be God.

He has been ready.  

He is armed for battle.  And. Ready.

Be prepared, Life.

You ain't got the best of me.

The best of me is HIM.

And you ain't ever going to get Him!

This is why I don't fear you.  

I fear the one True Living God.

He is unshakable.

And though I may be broken by the earthquakes you've caused,

I will never be moved.  My God secures me.  

Forever.
And Life, you can't touch forever.
God's got that in His back pocket.
So, bring it!
Come on, Life! That the best you got?

Powered by Faith

"'Aeneas,' Peter said to him, 'Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.' Immediately Aeneas got up."
Acts 9:34

Faith is a powerful tool in the Christian toolbox. It separates the liberated from the captive, the found from the lost, the healed from the sick, the hopeful from the despairing, and the living from the dead. Faith is believing God can do the impossible. Faith is acting on what God can do. Aeneas didn't question, didn't hesitate, didn't try to come up with reasons and logic, and he didn't say, "Oh, I'll get up later when I feel like it." No, Aeneas immediately got up. He believed, and he acted on his belief. That's faith. That's taking part in God's power. Doing and not just saying makes all the difference, and the best thing about faith is that the more you use it, the more power you experience!  Let's put that powerful tool to use today.

More Prayer Boxes...

"Never stop praying."

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Praying is a way we can constantly release the things we hold onto and let God handle them.  But sometimes, I find myself still holding on.  I don't think there is anything wrong with praying the same thing over and over to God; in fact, I am certain He delights in my constant communication.  I do know that I am wrong if I present the same request again and again because I am still holding on to my will and not letting go for His will to be done.  I am not fully trusting God if I am holding on.  





One way that has helped me to let go and let God is a prayer box.  I've posted before about prayer boxes (prayer boxes, inspired by boxes), and today I needed the reminder of why I have a prayer box.  I need to physically let go of some of the prayers that I hang onto.  This isn't to say I will stop praying.  No, no, I will "never stop praying" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  This is to say, I will stop weighing myself down with the worries, with the what ifs, with the wonderings.  I will write these down and release them into the hands of God as I place them in my prayer box.  This physical action is so helpful for me to know, "Okay, God's got this.  I don't need to carry it anymore."

I want to encourage you today to never stop praying.  God's got you.  He assures us in 1 Peter 5:7 that we can give all our worries and cares to Him because He cares for us.  Sometimes it helps to write those worries and cares down.  Try that today.  Release the things you may be holding onto; let God handle them.  He loves you.


Here are some more prayer boxes to inspire you:

 

Heroic Hope

Hope is heroic.  To have had your heart broken, disappointed, destroyed and then to hope again takes courage, trust, and endurance.  These are all qualities of a hero.  Without hope, we walk in darkness.  With hope, we have light to guide us, pull us, push us to keep going.  Hope is knowing the sun will rise.  Hope is enduring the present pain because you know the joy of restoration.  Hope is dreaming of good things and believing they are bound to come true.  When I put my hope in God, I am assured and secure.  The Light of the world becomes my everlasting light of hope.  And so I wait quietly before Him for the good things that are sure to come.  Believe in Him.  Believe Him.  Hope heroically.  The sun will rise.

Purely Powerful Faith

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
Isaiah 12:2

Dwell on that phrase from Isaiah 12 with me for a moment: "I will trust and not be afraid." That's a pretty powerful statement. In fact, I don't think you could say anything more powerful than that to God. Take a look at our past patriarchs. They exemplified this kind of faith. Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Elijah, Gideon, and many others trusted in the Lord and were not afraid.

My favorite story of all that shows this kind of pure faith is from Daniel chapter 3. This is the story when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow down and worship any other god than the Lord God Almighty. Listen to their statement of faith after they were told they would be thrown into a fiery furnace if they did not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's gods or idols: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king." (verse 17) They go on to say that even if God doesn't save them, they will never worship the king's false gods. This truly is an example of the purely powerful faith, "I will trust and not be afraid."

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's faith in God was so deep, so unadulterated that the possibility of death didn't make them quiver one iota. They even knew that if God wanted them to die in the furnace, then God knew best. They trusted God's decision, God's control, God's purpose in this matter. How about you? How about me? Do we have this kind of faith, this trust? Do we really believe God knows what's best for us? Can we like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego proclaim God will save us from this cancer, this debt, this tragedy, this heartbreak, this job loss, this divorce?  Can we proclaim that even if He doesn't, we will still serve Him?

This amazing story ends unexpectedly. Those three walked right into the furnace. (Oh, to have that kind of faith!) They did not die. In fact God was with them, literally, in that furnace. When they came out--here's the coolest part--not a hair on their heads was singed and there was NO SMELL of fire on them (verse 27)!  Awesome! Praise the LORD!  POWERful faith!  POWERful God!

Have a some purely powerful faith in your life today, whatever you are facing. Know the God the Almighty, whom you serve, is faithful and just and He will deliver you.  Even if He doesn't, still serve Him.  He knows best.  He knows more.  His deliverance may not be here, now, and the way we want; but trust this: HE WILL DELIVER.  Amen.

Rock Solid

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one
besides you;
there is no Rock like our God."
1 Samuel 2:2

A couple of years ago I traveled to Israel for the first time. I was amazed by the beauty of the land and the pride of the people. What amazed me even more was the constant presence of rock! When I signed up for the 10-day tour through the Holy Land, I had no idea that I would be hiking up rock, crawling through rock caves, digging through rock, observing rock structures, and arriving back to my hotel at the end of each day covered with sediments of rock. As the trip came to a close, I had a whole new appreciation for rock and a whole new understanding of the phrase "the LORD is my Rock."

Rock is everywhere in Israel. It surrounds, hovers, and upholds cities over there. Rock is used to build with, to build on, and to build out of. It is visible and plentiful. Certain rock in Israel is fought over because it is sacred. Rock is a resource familiar to all, available to all, and needed by all.

Likewise, the LORD is everywhere: "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3). He surrounds, hovers, and upholds us: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2). The LORD, knowing the purpose and lasting power of what He builds, desires for us to use Him in our building process if not be our Builder: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain..." (Psalm 127:1); "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (Hebrews 3:4). He is visible if you have divine eyes to see, and He is plentiful in His love, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness. The LORD our Rock is most certainly sacred, and He is familiar, available, and needed by all: "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them" (Isaiah 41:17).

There's no question about it; rock is certainty. After my first day's experience with the rock in Israel, I knew I could count on one thing: I would encounter it again and evidence of it would be on me. So it is with Christ. "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal" (Isaiah 26:4).

A Fresh Start

This is an excerpt from Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.  It's a refreshing reminder that our past does not dictate our future or who we are today. May the truth of this puncture your heart with hope... 
"We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it. God's purpose is not limited by your past. He turned a murderer named Moses into a leader and a coward named Gideon into a courageous hero, and he can do amazing things with the rest of your life, too. God specializes in giving people a fresh start."

Gunk

When I purchased my condo back in March, my garbage disposal was making this terrible grinding noise.  The inspector had said it was probably a bent blade.  I hadn't had a garbage disposal in eight years, so what did I know?  After a few weeks, the grinding turned into humming which turned into no sound at all.  Thanks to my sister having a similar issue, I knew there was a reset button at the bottom of the disposal. I pressed it and.....it turned the humming back on and then tripped it off again.  So, I researched some informative how-to videos on YouTube because I was determined to save myself some money and fix it myself.  Don't all new homeowners think this way?

After trying the reset button, according to the several videos I watched, I was to cut the power off either by unplugging the disposal or switching the breaker to 'off.'  After cutting the power, I placed a 1/4" allen wrench in the hexagonal hole at the bottom of the disposal.  According to the videos, you should be able to turn your wrench left to right, clockwise and counterclockwise.  This loosens up any gunk or debris that is causing the jam in the part of the unit that is called the flywheel.  (The humming noise is an indicator that there is a jam, so in every video each teacher said this is an easy diy fix.)  Well, I couldn't even budge the flywheel.  I'm talking no movement, period.  I used all my might, in fact, and almost ripped the disposal off the sink completely.  Whatever was causing the jam, was jammed so well that I couldn't see how I could've fixed this on my own, after all.  But little did that disposal know, I am not a girl who gives up easily.

I did some more research and read helpful tips on websites that talked about using a broom handle in the sink to help loosen the flywheel from up top.  Well, I didn't have a broom handle, so I used my rolling pin.  (I found out later that a wooden spoon is a good option, too).  Picture a determined woman with a rolling pin down the hole in her sink pushing with all her might to make the flywheel budge and....nothing.  I was afraid I was going to break something.  I was close to waving my white kitchen towel in surrender, when I came across another blog.  Some guy had similar issues.  He, too, tried everything.  He even tried some WD-40. (Aha!  I have some of that! I thought.)  He was successful after the broom handle trick.  I was determined WD-40 was my answer.

I sprayed some WD-40 down the hole around both blades and the center.  I got down on my knees for what I knew would be my final attempt before I conceded and called a plumber.  While down on my knees , I prayed a simple request for God's help.  I also prayed that I wouldn't break anything.  Sounds silly, right?  But as I was on my knees, I thought God cares about every hair on my head, why wouldn't He care about being involved with this?  After that prayer, I had confidence and strength, and I thought okay, God, this is in Your hands.

I turned the allen wrench to the left and...it budged!!  I turned it to the right...it budged that way too!  I couldn't believe it!  I got so excited I started to laugh and got up to see if it really was moving, so I tried the rolling pin down the hole again.  Sure enough, it moved!  I stuck my hand down (I know all the videos said not to ever do this but the power was completely off), and I was able to turn the flywheel!  I danced around the kitchen with excitement.  Whatever gunk and debris that caused my disposal to jam was now cleared out!  I turned the allen wrench several times clockwise and several times counterclockwise just to be sure I loosened everything up.  Then, I turned the power back on, and voila!  My disposal sounded as good as new!  The blades weren't bent at all!  My guess is that there was a lot of broken glass from the previous owner that caused it to jam up.

Aren't are lives a lot like this?  We jam up our hearts and minds with a lot of gunk and debris.  Pretty soon that gunk causes us to stop functioning properly.  What's worse is that it causes our spiritual flywheel to stop spinning.  We need to let go of the gunk.  We need the freedom of Christ to help us to function properly again.  We need to let Him come in with His power and might, to reset our spiritual buttons, and to bring us back to full power to do what He designed us to do.  Let us live our lives clear of the gunk.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Hebrews 12:1

Enjoyment of Life

I'm totally a Groupon junkie.  I'm either daily on the website or scrolling through every email I get from the company just to see if there's any new adventure for me to go on, new class-be it art or exercise-to try, new product, or new restaurant.  Since moving to Houston a year ago and since coming from a small town, Groupon has been my tour guide, if you will, around this new city as well as my courage to go out and do something new.

My something new today, thanks to Groupon was a yoga class.  Well, truthfully, I tried "Yoga in the Park" last summer a couple of times, which takes place at Discovery Green (fun, free thing to do if you live in the Houston area), but that yoga class was more for simple stretching and breathing.  The yoga class I went to today was the real deal.  Balance and strength are definitely lacking for me, but I am determined to milk this Groupon for all its worth, which is unlimited yoga classes for a month.  Therefore, I have committed myself to doing yoga every day for the next 30 days with the exception of the week I will be out-of-town.  My goals are to strengthen and find my balance.

Why am I telling you all of this?  One, my gratitude for companies like Groupon, who make it possible for people like me to afford a new adventure; and yes, yoga counts as an adventure.  Two, don't be afraid to try something new.  I met some new people today, I got out of my monotonous routine, I pushed myself both physically and mentally, and I did something good for my body.  Three, God wants us to enjoy life.  He wants us to spread our wings, soar new heights, see new sights.  He wants us to interact with others and the world around us.  There is so much beauty in this world.  There is so much to see and do.  I encourage you to be bold, be brave, and go try something new.  Enjoy this life.  It is precious.  It is quick to change.  It is temporal.  Let us glorify God in everything we do. Namaste.

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun."

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Chosen to be Christ to Somebody

 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9

Chosen.  We are all chosen to be somebody.  We are all chosen to be somebody to somebody else.  That somebody we ought to be is Christ.  I love the saying, "You may be the only Bible people read."  How true.  I like to think you may be the only Christ people know.  Therefore, who we are in Christ is reflected in what we do and in what we say.  If we are to be Christ's ambassadors, or ones who represent Him, then we are to love with the same life-changing love He gives to us.

The problem I face is that life sucks all the love out of me: deadlines, appointments, bills, emails, texts, phone calls, plans to make, plans to change, people to spend time with, meetings to schedule, laundry to fold, books to read, papers to file, toilets to scrub, doors to fix, holes to fill, dishes to wash, groceries to buy, food to cook, closets to organize, movies to watch, news to keep up with, church to attend, Bible study work to complete, teeth to brush, clothes to buy, clothes to give away, exercise needed, and sleep to be had at some point.  Life-changing love isn't going to happen until my life changes.  I have been easily entangled by all the life-sucking piranhas aforementioned.  I haven't allowed the life-changing and the life-giving love of Christ to fill me.

"Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name."
Deuteronomy 10:15-20

We are all chosen to love and to be loved by the one and only true God.  Therefore, let us not be stiff-necked any longer.  Let us not allow ourselves to be entitled to receive; but rather, let us give without expectation and without condition.  Let us not let life suck all the love out of us because if we spend quality time every day with the Lord of Love, then we will never be dry.  Hold fast to the life-changing, life-giving Source of love.  Then, others will know Christ lives in us and they will want to know more about what it means to be chosen.

Be a Champion

Love this talk by Rita Pierson...

Our attitudes every day can either reflect light or deflect it.  Live today with a desire to shine brightly.  By doing so, you will be a champion to whomever you encounter.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16

Joy and Trials Don't Mix, Do They?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith 
produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

This has been a year of trials for me.  Trials I didn't want.  Trials I'm sure I asked for, and trials I didn't even see coming.  Joy was not a part of any of these trials.  Is it ever?  There were times, in fact, during a trial I said to God, "I don't want this."  I'm sure I disappointed Him because I know I've disappointed myself looking back on this year of trials and how I handled them.

I did not handle the many trials I had over the past year with grace, appreciation, and certainly not with joy.  I fought them.  I resented them, and I gave up many times.  My faith faltered.  My relationship with God was shaky, and I began to hate who I was.  I have often thought about how (King) David felt running from his trials and hiding in caves.  He certainly wrote some of the most emotional and beautiful psalms during his time of trials.  He wasn't joy-filled about the trials, but he remained joy-filled towards the Lord and Who God is.  I wish I could say the same.

God is not going to stop believing in us.  He's not going to stop loving us, and because of these two things, He is not going to stop testing us.  He doesn't want to see us suffer, but He wants us to see Him in our suffering.  As long as sin is a part of this world, there will be suffering and trials of many kinds.  God wants us to see Him through the suffering and by seeing Him, we can experience pure joy and perseverance.  By doing so, we will become complete and mature, not lacking anything.  Joy and trials don't mix, but a faithful child of God will find joy in the midst of a trial.  Help us, O Lord, to find You and in doing so, joy, in every trial we're facing. Amen.