Join Me On the Journey

I want to take a moment to welcome you to my blog.

This has been quite an experience over the last several months.

I began this blog in February after attending an online writer’s conference and realizing that I had a burning within me to share with others what I have learned over the years.

I read a lot!

I have always been a reader.

When I was a little girl, I read pages and pages of fiction. As I grew older, I began reading about different subjects: psychology, self-help books, personality types, success, time management. A great deal of what I read in these areas was written by Christian authors.

Today, I also read widely about subjects that are important to me. I read books about prayer and Bible study and quiet times. I started reading about homeschooling before my oldest daughter was even born. I read about marriage building. I read about how to be a good mother and how to keep house.

It has also been my habit that each time I got interested in a new hobby, I bought books about that hobby. Consequently, I have a library in my home with large sections on photography, gardening, quilting, and numerous other subjects.

Like you, there is usually one or two points in a book or article that I read that really stick with me. However, when you add that all up, it gets to be a head stuffed full of tidbits about a diversity of topics. All those little tidbits are arranged in a manner peculiar to me. In the history of time, there is only one person who has read all the words that I have read and had all the experiences I have had.

That puts me in a very unique position; a position of sharing what I know with you from a very singular perspective.

On the other hand, I’m very much like most of you. I’m a Christian. I’m a woman. I’m a wife, a stay-at-home mom. I used to work outside the home in a fairly high-pressure job. And so, the wisdom that I have gained in my years on this earth will—I trust—translate easily into your life.

And that is why I have begun writing here. I have so much inside my head, it’s just bursting to get out! I feel like if I don’t begin sharing, my heart will explode. Writing here has been like a spillway letting pressure off the dam inside my head.

Writing here is also causing me to shift my paradigm from that of learner to that of teacher.

Now, some of you may not be familiar with the word paradigm. It’s an awesome word that simply means the set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that dictate the way you view your world. In other words, you are a product of your beliefs and decisions. The Bible puts it this way:

For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he: Prov 23:7a (KJV)

A paradigm shift is that “aha” moment that you experience when you connect the dots in your mind. It’s that moment you finally learn that lesson that God has been trying to teach you. It’s the moment you read a scripture and it speaks something totally different to you than the last time you read it. It’s that moment that you realize that your husband really does mean it when he says he’s thinking about nothing. (see my entry In the Box With No Words)

I have come to realize this forum is a paradigm shift for me. I am going from the mindset of a learner, or a gatherer of information; to the mindset of a teacher, or a sharer of information.

Now anyone who has prepared any type of a lesson knows that when you look at information with a mind toward teaching the material to someone else, you look at the material differently. You actually learn information more thoroughly when you know that you are going to be teaching it to someone else—whether formally or informally.

For that very reason, I look forward to great changes in my life from this website. As I share with you, I expect to become more focused and accountable. I look forward to feedback and critique. I know that sharing with you will make me a better person, and I pray it will benefit you as it does me.

God Bless You On Your Journey!

Popularity: 9%

I have a phrase that has been throbbing in my heart the last several weeks…deeper life.

I’m not sure what it means.

I only know that I want more of God.

I want to know Him more. I want to learn His likes and dislikes. I want to grow closer; to be more intimate; to discover what He thinks about.

But, how do I do that?

When I was a younger Christian, I was taught that you can’t really know what God’s going to do. After all,

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” I Cor. 2:9 (KJV)

I don’t know about you, but I have heard that verse quoted often. However, do you realize that’s a quote from an Old Testament scripture? It’s a quote from Isaiah 64:4 which says:

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Isa 64:4 (KJV)

Old Testament believers did not have the benefit of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on to say in I Corinthians that you can know the things of God because His Spirit dwells in you and reveals Him to you.

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. I Cor. 2:10 (NIV)

In the beginning of this chapter, Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians that when he first visited, he did not use “wise and persuasive speeches” but spoke to them simply and plainly. He concentrated on Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. In verse five, he tells us why:

I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. (NLT)

But then in verse six, he shifts his focus and writes to mature Christians.  He talks to them of “the hidden wisdom” of God.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom…No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. I Cor. 2:7a, 11-12 (NLT)

What an incredible thought! You can know God’s deep secrets because His Spirit resides in your heart along with your spirit.  The Holy Spirit talks with your spirit and you need only learn His voice to have the deep things of God revealed to you.

It requires quiet.  It requires peace.  It requires diligence to listen and understand.

Won’t you journey with me as we discover how to listen to God’s Spirit?

God Bless You on Your Journey

Popularity: 9%

Most of us remember the story of David and Jonathan. Jonathan was Saul’s son and he formed a close friendship with David. They made a covenant with each other and Jonathan saved David’s life in response to that covenant.

Later, when Jonathan was dead and David was king, he sought to find a way to honor his covenant with Jonathan. He questioned:

Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 2 Sam 9:1 (KJV)

David found Mephibosheth. You can read the story in 2 Samuel 9.

Now, Mephibosheth understood covenants. He lived in a time and culture when covenants were not uncommon. The Bible isn’t clear whether Mephibosheth was aware that David had a covenant with Jonathan. If he were aware of the covenant, he must have known that he could go to David’s door, knock, and say, “I am Jonathan’s son and I know that you made a covenant with him. I’m here in Jonathan’s name to claim my rights.”

But, he didn’t go.

David had to send for him, and when he did, Mephibosheth fell before him and said, “Behold I am your servant!” (I Sam 9:6)

Perhaps he was afraid because in that time, it was not unusual for a king to put to death any relatives of the former king to prevent them from attempting a coup in the future.

David then said,

“Don’t be afraid! I’ve asked you to come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you may live here with me at the palace.” 2 Sam 9:7 (NLT)

Now, isn’t Mephibosheth’s response interesting? In verse 8, he answers, “Should the king show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

Think about that for a moment. Mephibosheth called himself a dead dog.

• Did he use that phrase because he had believed his life in danger from David?
• Did he use that phrase because he was handicapped? (The Bible tells us that he was injured as a child and we therefore lame. II Sam 4:4)
• Did he use that phrase because he had lived most of his life hidden—most likely in poverty—in a town called Lo-debar?

If you think of this passage as a dialog between God and yourself, you can make application in your life. When God calls to you, do you stand before Him and say, “What could you possibly want with someone like me?” or do you say, “I’m here to claim my rights in Jesus’ name!”

Your response to God is a reflection of the way you truly feel about yourself. Have you ever stopped to listen to the things that you say to yourself all day?

I would encourage you to stop and listen.

• “Well, that was a stupid thing to do!”
• “What was I thinking?”
• “I never do anything right!”
• “I’m such an idiot!”

Is that what you hear, or do you hear kinder, gentler words?

• “Well, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, LOL. “
• “Maybe I should have done that differently.”
• “Now I know what not to do next time.”

Once you take the time to listen to your self talk, you need to determine whether it’s acceptable. Would you talk that way to someone else? Would you say those things to your children?

What if your self talk is damaging? more like the first list?

Think about where those statements came from. Is that what you heard growing up? Are you in a relationship where verbal abuse is continuing to occur? It is difficult to overcome, but you can make it a priority and change that abusive self talk.

Sometimes, your self talk is just a bad habit you need to break. You have already done the work to change your self image, but you haven’t taken the time to examine your self talk and you need to make it a priority to become more aware of it. You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.

When you are striving to change that self talk, there is only one way to do it. You need to replace the bad with something good.

When you catch yourself saying, “I’m such and idiot!” stop and say to yourself, “OK. I’m not an idiot! Father, I forgive those who have told me that in the past and I refuse to believe them. I know that You love me and that You have given me a sound mind.” Say it out loud if you can (probably not when you’re in the grocery isle). Hearing it with your ears and not just in your head is important.

In your quiet time, seek God about which scriptures He would like for you to memorize for those moments.

Changing your self-talk is hard. It doesn’t happen overnight, but you can do it!

Today, pay close attention to your self-talk and see if it needs some attention.

Popularity: 8%

I have been meditating on faith over the past several months.

Have you had that experience when God drops something in your heart that you think about all the time. Then, whenever you hear a Bible teacher speak, whatever you read, things that people say in passing seem somehow to be related to what you have been meditating on. It’s been that way for me lately.

I have written quite a bit about faith over the last several weeks. Feel free to go back and read what I’ve read. (Go to the “Categories” section down the right-hand side and click on “faith.” That will bring up all the posts that I have on faith.) If you have been reading here, you know now that we have all been given “the measure of faith.” You also know that one of the fruit of the spirit is faith.

So, if this is true, how do we get that faith to work?

Today, I would like to share an awesome little verse tucked away in Philemon that will give you a clue.

…that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Phil 6 (KJV)

What does that tell us about faith?

When you acknowledge “recognize or have full discernment of” every good thing which is in you in Christ, your faith becomes effectual. The word effectual is from the Greek energes (en-er-gace’) and means active or operative. It is translated either effectual or powerful in other verses of the Bible. This is where we get our word “energy.”

In other words, an acknowledging of what Christ acquired for you—and then gave you when you accepted Him—will cause your faith to become effective or active or operative.

Now, some of you have a hard time thinking that there are good things in you. You might ask, “What about that verse that says there’s nothing good in me?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Romans 7:18a says:

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing… (KJV)

This verse says that in your flesh dwells no good thing. The flesh is another word for your body and soul. Remember that the part that is regenerated when you accept Christ is your spirit, and that your spirit is made perfect by what Christ did for you on the cross. It is part of the atonement. Your spirit is the part of you where all those “good things” referred to in Philemon are stored. Those good things are sealed there by the Holy Spirit…safe from any type of defilement.

The way you activate your faith is to acknowledge those good things that reside in your spirit; this includes (but is not limited to) the fruit of the spirit, which includes faith.

This “acknowledgment” isn’t a passive head knowledge. It isn’t something that you can think about just once and just forget about. You have to meditate on the fact that you already have all the faith you need on the inside of you; meditate on the implications of that knowledge.

Won’t you take some time in your quiet time to meditate on the good things that are in your spirit?

Popularity: 9%

I’d like to talk today about the benefits of forgiveness. Have you every thought about who benefits from forgiveness the most? Is it them, or is it you? Sometimes, the person that you are resentful toward isn’t even aware they have offended you. Come to think of it, I wonder how often I have offended someone and wasn’t even aware of it.

As I see it, there are three major benefits of forgiveness.

First of all, forgiveness brings liberty. Have you ever carried a grudge against someone and felt the need to avoid them? Isn’t that an awful feeling when you think to yourself, “I wonder if so-and-so will be there?” and your stomach just twists up in knots. When you learn to forgive, you no longer have to fear coming into contact with that person.

Second, it frees up our relationship with the Father.

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matt 5:21-26 NKJV

These are the words of Jesus, and He is teaching that resentment and strife will interfere with your relationship with God.

Finally, most of you are mothers and some of you are mothers of grown children. Have you ever had two of your children who were estranged? I cannot imagine what that would be like. My children are so young that their spats are quickly mended with a kiss and a tickle from Mommy. But if, when they grow older, something were to happen and two of them held a grudge and wouldn’t speak, or were even to the point where they were uncomfortable around each other, I think it would tear my heart out.

How then must God feel when we hold a grudge against another of His children?

Malachy McCourt said, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Don’t continue to swallow dregs of the poison of resentment. Ask God to show you how to accept His tonic of forgiveness.

Popularity: 6%

You have most likely heard the saying, “Confession is good for the soul.”

One of the things that I am focusing on in my life is keeping a short account with God; admitting to God, and more importantly myself, that I sin…regularly.

So, what is sin? If you’re like me, you have heard the definition that sin is “missing the mark.” It’s a term used in shooting. In other words, you shoot for something and you don’t hit the bullseye.

There are also sins of omission…things we don’t do.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17 (KJV)

This means that I always have plenty to confess.

But, rather than just tell you that confession is important, I would like to show you how to practically implement a time of confession into your quiet time.

Sometime during your quiet time, turn your heart inward and ask God to show you what  in your life you need to confess. My favorite passage that speaks specifically to this is Psalm 139:23-24.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (KJV)

I like this passage because it talks about knowing my heart and my thoughts. Heart here is another word for soul, which includes mind, emotions, will, and conscience. And that’s where you want God to be at work…in your mind (thought-life), your emotions, your will, your conscience. Actions follow beliefs. If you submit your thoughts to God and allow Him to work in your thought-life, your actions will change.

When your ask for God’s revelation, take a moment to listen.  Things will begin to come to mind; things you need to do; things you need to stop doing; attitudes you need to change; people to whom you need to make amends. God will speak to your heart; write down what He says.

God is so faithful and He honors your efforts to change.  If you are faithful to ask, He will reveal areas of your life that need change.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

Popularity: 11%

Have you ever thought that you would like to have more faith? I know I have!

Well, Jesus’ disciples thought they needed more faith, too. Let’s look at what Jesus said when they asked for more faith.

One day the apostles said to the Lord, “We need more faith; tell us how to get it.”

“Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed,” the Lord answered, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,’ and it would obey you!” Luke 17:5-6 (NLT)

Jesus told the disciples that they didn’t need more faith, they just needed to use the faith that they had. Then, He proceeded to tell them a parable.

Before we look at the parable though, let’s take a moment to look back at what we have learned about faith over the last weeks.

1. Faith is one of the fruit of the Spirit.
2. Faith is tangible.
3. We all have the same amount of faith.
4. Faith helps us withstand the deception of Satan.
5. Faith just appropriates what God has already provided for us.

Now, what is Jesus telling us about faith via this parable?

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn’t just sit down and eat. He must first prepare his master’s meal and serve him his supper before eating his own. And the servant is not even thanked, because he is merely doing what he is supposed to do.” Luke 17:7-9 (NLT)

Our faith is to be something that we command and control.

Most of us do not relate well to having a servant or a slave, but imagine for a moment that you hired someone to come live with you to do all the things that you didn’t have the time to do.  This person was paid to go out and work in the garden, do the yard work, the cooking and cleaning, the shopping, etc.

If you hired this person to do this job and they came in from a day of work and then expected you to serve them supper, you wouldn’t be too happy, would you?  If you hired someone to do all those jobs, you would expect them to do what they were hired to do.

It’s the same with our faith.

Our faith is tangible…it’s like a servant that we send to appropriate those things that have already been provided by Christ’s atonement.  All of the promises of healing, abundant life, prosperity, etc are there in the spiritual realm, we just have to help it to manifest in the physical realm.  And that is the job of our faith.

Jesus said that we don’t need more faith, we just need to use the faith that we have.

Spend some time meditating on that truth today.

Popularity: 10%

In order to effect lasting change, you need to define:

1. where you are now
2. where you want to be
3. how you plan to get there

Yesterday, we talked a bit about defining where you are and where you want to be. Today, I would like to talk to you about how to get there.

Again, I would like to emphasize that it’s nearly impossible to go forward until you evaluate where you are. In the same way, if you don’t know where you want to be, you may find yourself wandering aimlessly.

When you begin a cross-country journey, you need to know two points: your starting point and your destination.

Your life is a journey. You are born (your starting point) and you will die (should the Lord tarry). There is, of course, one caveat. You don’t know when the end of the journey is. However, when I am promoted to glory, I know that I want to be working hard on whatever it is that God has placed in my heart to do. If I’m not finished, I know that He has someone else to finish for me.

So, you have defined where you are and you’ve dreamed about where you’re going. You have spent time in your journal dreaming and in prayer seeking God. You have dreamed some big dreams. Now, how do you go about accomplishing those dreams?

First of all, you must define your dream. It must be specific. “I want to be a writer” is a great dream. However, you need to decide exactly what that means to you. A better goal might be, “I want to write Christian fiction.” This is specific enough for you to aim at.

Some of you are naturally disciplined. Some of you thrive on achieving goals and dreams. Some of you have no difficulty breaking down a goal into its component parts, putting a time limit on when you will achieve each aspect and then working until it’s done. (I envy you!)

I struggle with discipline. I continue to work on it, but it is something that is difficult for me. I used to try to make myself “just do it!” However, that didn’t work for me because I was railing against my natural bent. (It took me a l-o-n-g time to learn that.) I’m sanguine, and self-discipline isn’t one of my strong points. (For more information on personality types, please read Intentional Living! Vol 1, Num 2)

I finally discovered that one thing that helped me (and perhaps it will help you if you’re sanguine or phlegmatic) was to write down in great detail, what life would be like when I accomplished a certain dream. For example, if your dream were to write a book, write down how it will feel when your book is finished; write down how it will feel to have people tell you how much they liked your book; write down what bills you would pay off with the royalty checks (if that’s a part of your dream).

As you work toward that dream, you need to periodically stop, reevaluate, and redefine. Dreams can change over time. Hold your dreams loosely and don’t be afraid to allow a dream to slip away. Your priorities change. Life goes on. Your attitudes and situation will change. It’s okay to let go of a dream if it no longer fits. (I know that for some of you, that will be hard, but it can be incredibly liberating. You don’t have to finish everything you start.)
I would recommend having a DREAMS journal. Begin by journaling some of the questions that I posed yesterday. Let yourself dream big dreams. Put down EVERYTHING that comes to mind, no matter how impossible it seems at the time. Writing it down doesn’t commit you to accomplish it…now, or ever. You will have dreams that are for now and dreams that are for someday. You will have dreams that you think are important and over time, you’ll realize they weren’t for you. Sometimes, you’ll find that dreams you thought were your dreams are actually someone else’s dreams for you.

Once you have all those dreams out of your head and onto paper pray about where to begin. If you’re really goal-oriented, break your goals down into steps, put a time-limit and go for it. If you’re more of a free spirit, write down—in great detail—how it will feel to accomplish your dream and purpose to work on it regularly over time.

You will be amazed at the power of writing it down. In addition, make sure that you revisit your dream journal often.

I pray that this will help you to get On Your Way to Where You Want to Be.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

Popularity: 10%

One of the reasons I started writing here was to share with other women about change and how to accomplish change. That is one purpose for writing to you and I strive to keep that in mind as I write.

In order to accomplish lasting change, you must define three things:

1. where you are now
2. where you want to be
3. how you plan to get there

Now, this may sound like I’m telling you to just make up your mind where you want to go and get there no matter what. It may sound as if I’m telling you to forge ahead without seeking God for direction.

Well, I am making some assumptions here.

First of all, I’m assuming that you are a Christian. If you don’t have a relationship with God, the Bible teaches that you can have a relationship with Him by simply acknowledging that Christ died for you to provide for that relationship. There’s nothing magical about it. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you want a relationship with God, call on Him and He’s there.

Secondly, I’m assuming that you have a desire to fulfill God’s will for your life. Most of us don’t see a huge, instantaneous change in our lives when we make a decision for Christ. The change occurs gradually over time. But, eventually, most of us reach the point where we think, “I need to figure out what God really wants me to do with my life!” It can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

The Bible is replete with references that reassure you God wants to direct your life. Two of my favorites are:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Prov 3:5-6 (KJV)

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Ps 37:4-5 (KJV)

Now, when I was a younger Christian, I used to think “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” meant, “He will give you every little thing your heart desires!” But, I came to realize that passage meant that God would place in my heart the desires that He has for my life…He will make me desire what He wants for me. So, if I’m following Him, I can trust that the things that I want to do are desires that He has placed there.

In other words, if you’re thinking, “If I follow God, He’s going to make me go to the deepest darkest place in Africa and be a missionary and eat worms for dinner,” God doesn’t do that. If you follow God, and He asks you to go to the deepest darkest place in Africa, it will be something that burns in your heart…something you cannot deny.

So, now you are a Christian. You are following God and yet you still feel that you’re not fulfilling the call God has on your life.

First of all, if you don’t have the habit of journaling, I would encourage you to take it up. I suppose there are people who can do these things in their heads, but I’ve never met one. When you read biographies of those who have done exploits for the Lord, you’ll find they kept journals…they wrote it down. There is something powerful about writing down your thoughts, dreams, concerns, and fears.

Start with where you are.

• What has happened in your life until this point?
• How have you reacted?
• How can you use what has happened to benefit others?
• Are you married or single?
• Are you a parent to young children, teen-agers, older children, or all of the above?
• Are you part of a ministry outside your home?
• Do you work outside the home?
• What do you like?
• What do you do well?
• What things “come naturally”?

Look at where you want to be.

• What have you “always wanted to do”?
• If money were no object, how would you live your life differently?
• If you knew you only had a year to live, how would you spend that year?
• What are the things only I can do? (be a mother to my children, for example)

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we’ll look at getting from where you are to where you want to be.

I would encourage you to take a few minutes to figure out where you are. It will take some time, but before you can get to where you want to go, you must know where you are.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

Popularity: 11%

Do you know that God has a picture of you in His wallet?

Well, He would if He had a wallet.

You see, God loves you so much that if He carried a wallet, He would have your picture there. He would take it out whenever He met someone and brag on you.

You are on His mind every moment…of every day…of every week…of every year of your life.

The Bible says that you are “the apple of His eye.” (Deut 32:10; Zech 2:8)

Following are highlights from Psalm 139. I would encourage you to read this passage yourself sometime today. (These verses are paraphrased from the New Living Translation.)

God formed you in your mother’s womb. (v. 13)

He has examined your heart and knows everything about you…everything…down to the most minute detail. (v. 1) Matt 10:30 tells us, “…the very hairs of [your] head are all numbered.” (KJV)

He knows every thought you think…before you think it. (v. 2)

He knows everything you’re going to say…before you even say it! (v. 4) And He still loves you!

God goes before you and He follows behind you. (v. 5) He knows when you sit down and when you stand up. (v. 2) God charts your path, tells you when you need to stop and rest, and knows precisely where you are at every moment of the journey. (v. 3)

He records every day of your life in His book. (v. 16)

God’s thoughts about you are innumerable! (v. 17)

There are so many verses describing how much God loves you, but God’s love for you can be summed up in this one verse:

…God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8 (KJV)

Before you ever even thought about God, He thought about you and loved you.

And when you accept Christ as your Savior, the Bible says that God adopts you as His child.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom 8:15-17 (KJV)

I encourage you to stop for just a few moments today and think about God’s love for you.

Popularity: 5%