Not Too Little

3/24/2011

Not Too Little

Satan uses all kinds of trickery to keep people from praying. The lies are painted with the tiniest speck of truth, just enough truth to camouflage the brainwashing.

I once read, “A whole lot of truth got mixed in with some falsehood, which is the generally accepted recipe for the most effective form of a lie.” While I find that to be a profound statement, I think the opposite is true when it comes to the workings of satan. All it takes is ‘some truth’ mixed into a ‘whole lot of lies’ and we suddenly believe it to be ‘the most effective form of the truth’.

I believe we become so desperate for some form of relief, ANY form of relief that we grasp whatever straw is closest to us missing the rope that God is patiently waiting for us to take hold of. I believe it is not only God who allows this level of desperation to occur. The difference is God sits back and waits for us to finally NEED Him, to ASK Him to help us, to WANT Him and God does not use lies or trickery to get us to turn to Him. God genuinely loves us and desires good things for us.

Satan waits until we are just about ready to call on our Father then he swoops in with his bag of candy and lies, he waits until we are just desperate enough to want ANY way out, and comes flying in with glitter and gold; swooping us off track with the lies. To make it worse, most of the time satan convinces us it was OUR idea and that we are working in the name of God.

On more than one occasion over the last week I heard someone say that they did not want to pray about something because they felt it was so minor that they were ashamed. I heard more than one person express feeling horrible over meaningless things occurring in their lives. “A bunch of little stuff” that they felt was unimportant.

Satan has actually convinced a large amount of people that our stuff is ‘too minor’, ‘too little’, and that we should be ashamed to ask for prayer for the little things. Most people feel guilty and just hold that stuff in. “God’s so busy”.

I actually heard the following statements: “Well, I don’t want to bother God”, “I don’t want to waste a prayer”, “Really. It’s no big deal”.

Somehow we finally ‘got’ that ‘Nothing is too BIG for God’ – “I can’t, God can, so I’ll let Him”. We know God is limitless. We believe He can part seas, move mountains, overcome death, create the world.

By saying God is too busy to hear the tiniest details of our life are we not putting limits on Him. Is it not the same thing? Aren’t we excluding Him from parts of us, relying on ourselves? I don’t know about you, but that just does not feel good to me.

‘Bother God’ ?? I don’t even know what to say about this. God’s word tells us to talk to him (pray) NONSTOP (without ceasing) ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. At all times; about all things. He WISHES we would bother Him (but we are His children; He would NEVER consider us a ‘bother’).

The Bible says to rely on God ALONE for EVERYthing. That includes what YOU call little. ‘No big deal’ ?? EVERYthing about us is a big deal to our Father. We need to take ALL our junk to Him.

Perhaps the worst was ‘waste a prayer’. You didn’t rub a bottle and have a genie pop out. This is GOD. Prayers are UNLIMITED, in fact the more the merrier.

Don’t let satan tell you that you OR your prayers are trivial.

When I finally heard the prayer requests this week from those who felt too ashamed to ask for prayer, I was equally as blown away. The nature of the prayers and the degree of pain behind them opened my eyes to the fact that satan’s lies had grown. These were not 'minor' issues or trivial, flesh driven prayers. These were the 'life has knocked me down to my knees, so while I am down here' moments. And I realized, if left to discern for ourselves what is ‘worthy’ of God’s time, ALL prayer will eventually cease to exist.

God gave us our solution already. He handled this for us too. Take EVERYthing to Him. Don’t put limits on Him.

I don’t know what else to say about this other than to remind you that God knows our clean parts, He knows our dirty parts, He knows our pretty parts, He knows our ugly parts. Praying about it or NOT praying about it does not and will not change what God knows – who God is – or how He feels about us. Remember GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING! That is the very nature of being God.

He STILL desires to talk to you, EVERY day and about ALL things. It is NOT too little! So take your junk to God, and let your friends lift your junk up too.
He desires your relationship!!!

What can I pray for you?

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Peace

3/23/2011

Peace

I think one thing we all have in common is our desire for peace. We may not all be seeking the same kind of peace but we each are seeking peace for something. Peace in our lives, peace in our hearts and in our heads, peace in our families, our towns, peace in our church, our state, our country, peace from medical issues, financial issues, world peace, fill in the blank peace. We all desire peace.

Peace: Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations. a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disturbance.

I used to believe I had no control over peace. That it was just something that rarely happened to me, though I prayed for it every day.

I found peace.

First I found it in my Bible. Really desiring to grow spiritually offered me my first REAL glimpses of the ever elusive peace:

The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

I was able to see peace more often but I was still missing the big picture.

I kept reading and God revealed it to me.

All this time I was waiting for peace to happen, to show up in my life and make everything calm.

Peace is not something that happens to you. It is something you seek but not in the way you seek your lost car keys, because once you find those the seeking is over. It is not some magic cure that comes along and makes all the arguments stop, the war end, and quietness abound.

No, peace is something you DO. Peace is what YOU CREATE in your life. And it REALLY is THAT simple – you desire to live peaceful, commit to living peacefully, then CHOOSE peace.

I find when I live my life the way Jesus tells me to, I am in a state of peace. I have created a peaceful environment. When I am slow to anger, show self-control, walk by the spirit, turn the other cheek, love without judgment, share, speak only positive things about others, etc. I have peace.

There are still arguments, screaming and cursing, and war and ugly all around me; the difference is that I am getting better at not taking the bait and joining in. I cannot control what other people wish to have in their lives, but I CAN control whether or not I engage with them in the state they are in.

It is still work – I must consciously decide to seek peace EACH day, sometimes EACH hour and on really rough days or with extremely difficult people EACH minute.

Some days are better than others, but the peace I feel in my life is genuine God sent PEACE. I can’t take credit for the peace in my life, God spells out His plan for our peace in His word – all I did was FINALLY read it and pray for God’s help to live it.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:11

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. 1 Corinthians 7:15

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:22

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Galatians 6:16

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:9

Pull out your Bible – your peace is waiting for you in it!

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Mark Chapter 4

3/22/2011

Mark Chapter 4

My son got a new cell phone. It is a smart phone, and I am not ashamed to admit it is too smart for me.

(He has a job and it is his own money)

As I was contemplating my blog for tonight, he was chattering about the coolness of his new toy. He was speaking in a language foreign to me and it did not take long for it to become apparent to him that he did not have my full attention.

(As a side note, in my defense I just don’t get as excited as most people do about electronic things. I am perfectly content with my prepaid cell phone that I finally learned how to send a text from. It does not have a camera, no internet, no music, no GPS, no maps, I cannot update the world with my location, I cannot pay bills with it, buy dinner from it, watch TV on it, it cannot drive my car for me, does not do the dishes; I think it just makes phone calls, which I don’t do because it is prepaid, and it sends/receives texts. Perhaps if I HAD a fancy phone reminiscent of James Bond movies I might get more excited, but lacking the desire to purchase such a thing decreases the likeliness of that actually happening.)

At any rate, he is my son and he was excited to share with me. I should have given him my full attention. Though electronics do not excite me, my CHILDREN do. And I need to remember that it is more important that they always know and feel how worthy of my time they are and will always be.

I am so thankful that God, my Father, is never too preoccupied to let me share with Him.

I apologized and told him I was preoccupied with what I should blog about for today.

That reminded him of the latest ‘app’ he had gotten. He grinned from ear to ear and showed me that he now had the entire Bible (in every translation) with him at all times and with the touch of his finger, he could read any translation, any book, any chapter, and any verse. Now THAT was a language I could understand.

He showed me how easy it was to use.

He picked Bible, then picked The Message (his favorite version), scrolled down the page and randomly picked Mark. He was as excited as I was; he then picked Chapter 4. It was random but I do not believe anything happens randomly.

I was able to give him the love and attention I should have been giving him from the beginning and we played with his new phone for a bit.

When we were done, I told him I would blog about him and about Mark Chapter 4. To which he grinned and asked one simple request, that I not use his name.

God has blessed me with three of the most amazing people on the planet to call my children. I am so thankful He trusted me with them.

Father, I pray You condition me to be like the seed sown on good soil producing a crop a hundred times what was sown.

I pray You will let me not see, but perceive. I pray that You will let me not hear, but understand.

I pray that what is hidden be disclosed, what is concealed be brought out into the open.

I pray that You turn me from myself, and keep me from myself.

I pray You filter what I hear.

I pray my measure is generous.

Though man may not know how the seed grows and sprouts, I know it is only through You, creator of all things, that all life may sustain.

It is only by Your will that I may grow or sprout. I pray You produce in me good fruit. I pray You will fortify my roots, strengthen my stalk, and empower my head against evil, so that my kernel may bloom for Your glory and to Your praise.

I pray You plant in me a mustard seed, that I might sprout to great heights for Your kingdom, providing both rest and shade as You ordain. I pray You make me obedient, that I might become Your faithful servant.

I pray that when my storms come You remind me that Jesus is in the boat with me. I pray You instill faith deep in me, that You remove fear from my language and my emotions, and that You silence me that I may ‘be still’ and know You are God. For even the wind and the waves obey Your command.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Foul Language

3/21/2011

Foul Language

Raising teenagers and constantly being around an army of them, I have debated the topic of foul language on more than one occasion.

My ‘favorite’ statement in defense of cussing is “It is not in the ten commandments”.

Hmmm “Are you sure about that? Maybe you should check again.”

I then point out commandment number five and command that there will be no cussing.

This usually opens the door to some laughter and the opportunity to show what God’s word DOES say about filthy language, obscene jokes, and perverse speaking.

Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Proverbs 4:24

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:10

The Bible is pretty clear.

The next debate stems from what constitutes a word or a statement as being foul.

Answer a few questions about what you want to say:

1) Would you say it to Jesus?

2) Does it build someone UP?

3) Does it benefit anyone by saying it?

If you can answer no to any of the above questions, then you aren’t missing anything by not saying it. Even if you COULD justify it as being ALLOWED, wouldn’t your time be better spent speaking only things that build others up?

Spread LOVE!

We are called for a greater purpose than just being ALLOWED to say something.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:16-26

You have a REAL battle to fight – and THIS isn’t it.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Compassion

3/20/2011

Compassion

Yes God, I’m listening.

Definition of Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Do you see that second part? ‘together with a desire to alleviate it’ It is not enough to just have sympathy and FEEL, by definition compassion calls us to action as we work towards alleviating the pain of others. (EVEN SELF INFLICTED PAIN!)

Jesus says, Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? Matthew 18:33 (King James Version)

Luke 15:11-32, the story of the prodigal son, resonates deep in me. It is a story I read a LOT. It is a story that offers me comfort and hope for my OWN shortcomings and faults, and it also offers me comfort and hope as a parent.

Along with comfort, it is a great teacher of what compassion should look like:

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NIV)

The story goes on to say that the son confessed his sins to his father and said, ‘I am no longer worthy to be called your son’ feeling instead that he should be like one of the hired servants. His father does not dismiss him nor condemn him. His father does not lecture him by telling him how wrong he has been, what horrible choices he has made, how he got himself into this mess, how it was his own fault. There is no look of disapproval, no punishment. And his father does not make him a slave!

Instead his father dresses him in the finest robe, jewelry, and sandals; slaughters the best of his meat and throws a celebration worthy of kings. ‘Let us eat and be merry.’ His father then instructs his ‘obedient brother’ to put aside his jealousy and anger, to replace it with a glad heart and come join the celebration because his ‘lost’ brother has now been ‘found’ - he was dead, but now alive.

What an amazing display of compassion. What a valuable lesson on how I am to treat people – ALL people, but how much more so my own children?

What a great tool on how to deal only with the positives. His father could have looked at the negative lifestyle, the squandering of all the material things, the bad decisions, but instead he CELEBRATED a LIFE RETURNED!

The lesson of compassion has been coming at me from all sides.

I am grateful.

It is very liberating.

Not only as a way to deal with others, I am free to just love them; but also as I see God dealing with me. It is so comforting and there is something so safe in thinking God has compassion towards me.

That means ‘God has a sympathetic consciousness of MY distress together with a desire to alleviate it’!

He feels the same way about YOU!

That is compassion!

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 John 3:17 (KJV)

Thank you Father for compassion, Thank you for loving us, your prodigal children, to the point of calling the heavens into a celebration when we return to You. Thank you for loving me and desiring to alleviate my distress. That is so powerful to me. In spite of my wickedness, You continue to offer me the best of Your love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and Your grace and glory. Search me; search my heart, my mind, my today and my tomorrow. Empty the negative and my flesh’s fixation with it, and replace in me the positive, replace in me love, compassion, mercy; replace me with all things YOU. You are faithful, You are Glorious!! I lift my praise to you! I humbly bow down before you. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Speechless Saturday

3/19/2011

Speechless Saturday

A picture says a thousand words. Here are several thousand words.

Body Building Event

Celebrate CommUNITY @ Holly Land Park 3/19/2011

“That We May Be One. John 17:22”

Photo by Rick Vail

Photo by Paul J Hulse

Photo by Mike Ellis

Photo by Dan Suffolk

Photo by Dan Suffolk

Photo by Dan Suffolk

Photo by Dan Suffolk

Photo by Dan Suffolk

Photo by Dan Suffolk

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Self Help for Spiritual ADHD

3/18/2011

Self Help for Spiritual ADHD

As a new year’s ‘resolution’ I joined a group of ladies who have vowed to read the Bible in a year. We are all reading whichever ‘Bible in a year’ plan and whichever version of the Bible that we believe we will have the most success with. We meet daily online to support and encourage each other, ask questions, make statements, ponder thoughts, have prayer requests, discuss scripture, LOVE each other, no rules, without judgment or condemnation, just a group of ladies with a common desire to grow closer to God.

(As a side note – there are not enough words to describe what an incredible blessing this has been and the impact it continues to have upon my life as I grow in my spiritual walk. In case any of you are reading this – YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU DEARLY!)

Knowing my affliction with ‘Spiritual ADHD’ I determined the only way that this would work for me would be for me to read straight through the Bible – cover to cover. For this reason, over the past two and a half months I have been spending a lot of time in my daily Bible reading in the Old Testament and the time of the Law.

As I was reflecting today, I was given the most glorious gift from God. It became so crystal clear to me that it actually scared me. My only hope now is that I can relay that message here in such a way that those of you who share my affliction are equally as blessed.

Father, I know this is Your story to tell, so I pray You fill me with the words necessary to tell it properly.

Yesterday I told you I was going to let my thoughts marinate over my Spiritual ADHD. Now if I had REALLY been able to do that, the story would end right here because that would mean God decided to miraculously cure me.

Since I am still typing, it is safe to assume that instead I spent hours online looking up self-help strategies for Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

After reading several articles I have compiled a list of the following common suggestions for combating this disorder.

o Exercise and eat right

o Get plenty of sleep

o Practice better time management

o Work on your relationships

o Create a supportive environment

These seemed like reasonable suggestions. I put them aside to allow my subconscious to ponder them and form a plan.

God had something bigger in mind for my lesson. He is SO cool like that!

During my morning reflection with God, I was struck by the magnitude of God. Had there been a cloud in sight I might have been convinced I was hit with lightening, even though I was inside.

I had the overwhelming realization and reminder that God does not NEED me to do anything. God does not NEED me FOR anything. God does not NEED me.

Hang with me here.

I have always known this, but the magnitude of it is even farther than I can grasp. Farther than any of us can grasp. The startling realization is entwined with the time period of God’s Laws.

God did not NEED Moses, nor did He NEED the Israelites. To take that one step further, God did not and still does not NEED anyone to follow His rules, His laws, His commandments. If I refuse to proclaim His name as the name above all names, it will not EVER make His name less. When the Israelites worshipped other gods and held on to their false idols, it did not, nor could it EVER dethrone God. Sexual immorality, murder, hatred, SIN – NONE of this CHANGES GOD. None of this will make God any less … GOD (for lack of a better word).

God will be God despite the retched, despite satan, in spite of whatever law, rule, commandment I break – OR you break. I can kill all the innocent babies, bow down to statues, speak His name in vain and He will continue to BE GOD.

I am making a point here.

If God NEEDED me to do ANYTHING, He is quite capable of just MAKING me do it. Or just smiting me from the planet when I don’t.

As I was smacked by the magnitude of this, I was overcome with the most amazing sense of love (and peace). My eyes could see something for the first time.

Since God does not NEED these laws, rules, and commandments; what was His purpose for commanding them? I can assure you He did not just get bored, and He has a purpose for EVERYTHING.

Reread the self-help suggestions. Now think of the rules God has commanded we follow.

Do you see a connection?

I am not going to do your homework for you, so I will not be providing the verses, but here is what I know.

God knew me, and YOU before the world was ever created. God knew and knows our faults, our limitations, and the steps WE NEED to take to walk with and be with Him. To grow closer, to know Him, and to be a better Christian and person. So HE can spend eternity WITH US – because HE CHOOSES TO. He has THAT much love for us.

Even now – living under grace and not under the law – it still fits. It fit then, and it STILL fits. Like a one-size-fits-all moment of enlightenment.

God tells me that my body is a temple of the Lord and I should treat it as such (Exercise and eat right).

God tells me that I am to work 6 days but rest on the 7^th observing the Sabbath day and keeping it holy unto Him (Get plenty of sleep/rest).

God desires that we spend time reading the Bible each day, attend church, pray non-stop, worship Him, meditate, work, tend to our families, tend to our loved ones, help those in need, fellowship, be disciples, talk with Him at ALL times, etc. (Practice better time management)

God dictates quiet clearly how we are to treat Him, our parents, our spouse, our children, our friends, our neighbors, strangers, each other, etc. (Work on your relationships)

God wants us to lean on one another, to help each other, to study the Bible together, to fellowship, to be ‘plugged in’, He is clear that the CHURCH is US – the PEOPLE, not the building. He is clear that the CHURCH is ONE BIG FAMILY. Brothers and Sisters adopted into the Kingdom. He provides ministries for each and every walk of life, each situation, each individual, etc. (Create a supportive environment)

To wrap this up, God KNEW about my Spiritual ADHD even before He created the world and He provided me with all the tools/weapons that I would need to combat it. They are right there in the Old Testament. And they are carried over into the New Testament.

God made the laws, the rules, the commandments FOR ME. They are for MY benefit. While disobeying does NOT change who God is and who God will ALWAYS be, it has a profound impact upon ME.

It was right in front of my face the entire time.

My mind has been fully blown away. AGAIN.

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Spiritual ADHD – The Problem

3/17/2011

Spiritual ADHD – The Problem

I have come to the conclusion that I have Spiritual ADHD.

I recently read an article that listed the symptoms of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:

· Trouble concentrating and staying focused

· Hyperfocus

· Disorganization and forgetfulness

· Impulsivity

· Emotional difficulties

· Hyperactivity or restlessness

This described my spiritual walk exactly.

I have to sit near the front during church sermons or else my focus shifts to the things around me. The ‘shiny things’, the earrings on the lady in front of me, the spot on the carpet, a mark on the ceiling; good thing I can’t see outside or else I would be watching butterflies.

Even up front I fidget, play with my hair, shuffle my feet, pinch my nose. I sometimes nod excessively. I purse my lips, widen my nostrils, and lick the backside of my teeth. I lightly nudge the people around me, I pull at my shirt, I blink, I stare wide eyed at the one speaking. I am now taking copious amounts of notes. All of this is a coping mechanism to FORCE myself to pay attention.

I hear a great idea or about a mission and I jump all the way into the pool, clothes still on, and allow it to consume my very existence. I have so many oars in the water I often find my boat is just sedentary but I am exhausted.

I get all these great spiritual ideas and thoughts but it is a fight to finish and follow through with any one of them before my mind is racing on to the next great idea. I can’t seem to allow an idea to marinate.

I cheat each activity I am involved in as I am thinking about the next activity rather than existing in and FOR that moment.

I am often a spiritual emotional mess. I struggle a LOT.

God tries speaking to me, but I OFTEN interrupt Him with what I THINK He was going to say, finishing the sentence He never even started. I fail to do any of my homework, have horrible study skills, and have to be reminded about a billion times what God says about things.

I can put tape over my mouth and toothpicks in my eyes, but I can’t seem to tape my HEAD shut. Meditation is the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest for me. Something I admire in others but cannot seem to accomplish for myself. Meditation begins with great intention, but often ends with a nap or a wasted daydreaming event. If God is trying to talk to me, I am drowning out His words with my own. The closest I can get to meditation is to repeat a Psalm or a verse from the Bible and force my brain to shut all other thoughts off.

I feel like I am making God dizzy. I know I am making myself dizzy.

The article went on to list the effects of adult ADHD:

· Physical and mental health problems

· Work and financial difficulties

· Relationship problems

In my walk, these are the very areas that I struggle with the most. Physical and mental spiritual health, working for God, fully relying upon Him in all my financial affairs (although I have recently become faithful with tithing I still have to force myself to release anxiety on matters involving money, and bills), and I struggle with my relationships. With God, with family, with friends, with coworkers, with strangers; it is an ongoing area of difficulty for me.

I find myself saying again: being aware is the first step to fixing a problem.

Under usual circumstances I would rush off for a solution. A fix all cure. Slap a band aid on me and move on to my next project. Since that is the very nature of my problem I find it best that I let these thoughts marinate overnight instead. Perhaps even longer.

I am reminded that I cannot help anyone else if I cannot help myself. I cannot throw a lifesaver to someone else while I am drowning.

All I need to do right now is BE STILL.

{He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” -Psalm 46:10

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” -Exodus 14:14}

1 Corinthians 10:31(KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Glory is Seen

3/16/2011

Glory is Seen

The proper understanding of everything in life begins with God. No one will ever understand the necessity of conversion who does not know why God created us. He created us “in his image” so that we would image forth his glory in the world. We were made to be prisms refracting the light of God’s glory into all of life. Why God should want to give us a share in shining with his glory is a great mystery. Call it grace or mercy or love – it is an unspeakable wonder. Once we were not. Then we existed for the glory of God! – John Piper, Desiring God

I exist to shine the light of God’s glory.

Glory is seen, not heard.
On days when darkness wins in me, it is not because darkness beat out the light.

Dark has no competition with light. There is not a battle to see which is the strongest. Even the tiniest sliver of light erodes darkness. When there is light and darkness in the same place, the light is always seen and the dark always fades.

On those days when darkness wins, it is because there is NO light in me. That light comes from God. I can only counter that darkness with God.

I exist to shine the light of God’s glory. And it is only with God that I can do that.

[Father, I pray that you will search my heart and remove my agenda. I pray that I am so filled with Your glory that it seeps out of my pours. I pray that You will work in me so that Your glory shines through me like a bright light in this dark world. I pray that there is no mistaking Your glory as anything I did or earned and that all praise is Yours. I lift Your name up. I thank you for loving me. I thank you that Your mercies are renewed each day. I love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen]

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Erika Is Love, With Practice!

3/15/2011

Erika Is Love, With Practice!

Love and everything about it has been heavy on my heart lately. I have dug and pondered and sought and aspired to grow to be the LOVE that God has called me to be.

“Love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind” First!

“Love your neighbor as yourself” Second!

Scripture is very clear. These commands are mentioned more than once to be sure they are heard, heard correctly, and they leave no room for misinterpretation.

Until recently I thought ‘loving God’ was the easy part. UNTIL…..

Upside the head I was smacked again. If I do not love my neighbor then I do not love God.

{If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. 1 John 4:20-21 (The Message)}

God’s voice is BOOMING at me – “ERIKA, LOVE”.

All my objections are overruled.

“But they, …” my objection is immediately interrupted before I can even offer it.

“SHHHHH! You let Me deal with that – YOU just LOVE”

Defining ‘neighbor’ was already covered. Defining ‘love’ was also covered.

There is no loop hole.

My neighbor is everyone else on the planet.

And love?

{Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NIV)

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them 1 John 4:16(NIV)}

The Bible is equally clear as to what love looks like. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

A word association ‘game’ asked me to turn to that scripture and substitute the word Jesus every place it said love (Jesus is God in the flesh and God IS love). That was easy. Those were fluffy words that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I was on the receiving end. My faults, my sins, my mistakes were not part of the equation. I was loved because:

“Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind… Jesus protects…..Jesus never fails.”

I liked that. I loved that.

{This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 1 John 4:17(NIV)}

No grey area there. I am to be like Jesus. I am to love LIKE JESUS.

“Love is always about the person giving the love, not the receiver”, Pastor Cord Bear. “Stop justifying not loving others because they don’t deserve it; you don’t deserve God’s love, but you have it! They deserve to be loved because they are God’s children.”

Umm, ok – OUCH!

Let me spell out this circle. God never fails. God is love. Love never fails. Love is God.

If I am to live as God commands me to live, I am to BE love. If I AM love, then I will never fail.

So what should I look like as the ‘giver’, AS love?

1 Corinthians 13:3-10 where Erika is Love (The Message Version):

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

(Erika) never gives up.
(Erika) cares more for others than for (her) self.
(Erika) doesn't want what (she) doesn't have.
(Erika) doesn't strut,
(Erika) Doesn't have a swelled head,
(Erika) Doesn't force (her)self on others,
(Erika) Isn't always "me first,"
(Erika) Doesn't fly off the handle,
(Erika) Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
(Erika) Doesn't revel when others grovel,
(Erika)Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
(Erika)Puts up with anything,
(Erika)Trusts God always,
(Erika)Always looks for the best,
(Erika)Never looks back,
(Erika) keeps going to the end.

(Therefore, Erika) never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

I have a LOT of practicing to do.

{God’s Love and Ours: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)}

[Father, I rely solely upon You. Help me BE love. Search my heart and remove all the obstacles. Search my mind and remove every thought displeasing to You before I form it. Forgive me for losing sight of what You want me to be. Forgive me for every action, every word spoken, every thought, deed, idea that does not line up with Your will and Your commands for my life, in the past, the present, and also the future. Please have mercy on my soul. Thank You for blessing me so generously. Help me to pass those blessing along. Thank You for Your patience. Thank You for Your love. May I live my life so that You see my love for You in the the way I treat Your children. May my actions speak louder than my words, my intentions louder than my sins. May I always express my gratitude and confess my transgressions. I love You! In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.]

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Less and More

3/14/2011

Less and More

Father, Japan is heavy on my heart again today.

In Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, and Luke 18:27 Jesus tells me that the things which are impossible with men, are possible for God; For with God all things are possible.

Today I pray with less of me, and more of You.

Psalm 80

¹ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
² Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
³ Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
⁴ O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
⁶ You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
⁷ Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
⁸ You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
⁹ You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
¹⁰ The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
¹¹ She sent out her boughs to the Sea,
And her branches to the River.
¹² Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
¹³ The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
¹⁴ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
¹⁵ And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
¹⁶ It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
¹⁷ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
¹⁹ Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

I sing to you:

HEAR US FROM HEAVEN

Lord, hear our cry
Come heal our land
Breathe life into these dry and thirsty souls
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive our sin
And as we call on Your name
Would You make this a place
For Your glory to dwell

Chorus:
Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to Your people
As we draw near
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are Your people
Crying out in desperation

Lord hear our song
Your children worship
As we sing out Your praise
Would You make this a place for Your glory to dwell

Bridge:
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven…..

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

Stop Kissing Toads

3/13/2011

Stop Kissing Toads

I once heard that romantic comedies and soap operas are like emotional porn setting up unrealistic expectations of the ‘perfect’ relationship.

I could not agree more.

Everybody is perfect, says the perfect thing at the perfect time, in the perfect setting, with the perfect backdrop, wearing the perfect clothes, giving the perfect gift, with the perfect audience cheering on the perfect loving couple. When or if, on the rare occasion a mistake is made and the perfect thing is not said or done, a team of writers direct the most spectacular romantic apology and public affirmation of love. Fireworks light up the sky and perfect little red hearts encircle their heads and replace their pupils.

Nobody has to work at anything. Everybody is beautiful and the stars just align and bring the magical love cascading onto the screen and blanketing the characters into a trance of happily ever after.

BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!

I believe this kind of brainwashing is partially to blame for the high number of divorces.

In reality nobody is perfect. And nobody has a team of writers puppeteering our messes into kisses.

At the first sign of distress in a marriage we are on the watch for the witty comeback, the perfect apology, the bells and whistles, the fairy tale happily ever after with our fireworks. A sincere plain apology just will not do.

When we do not get these things, we run to the courthouse for a divorce convinced that we can do better. Holding onto the hope that our prince from the screens is out there, somewhere, searching for us to whisk us away into the sunset on a white horse.

We set our expectations to an unrealistic level based upon a fairy tale and then we bail at the first sign of distress. We are unwilling to put forth any effort, any of the work necessary to build and maintain a strong, healthy relationship and marriage.

Sadly, we condition our daughters for this garbage at a very young age, too. We are setting them up for a lifetime of failed relationships and feelings of unworthiness.

We need to be stop filling their impressionable heads with this junk. We need to be honest.

Truth is nobody is going to hurl their motorcycle in front of our cab during rush hour traffic on a bridge, carrying our love fern, to profess their undying love for us just moments before we arrive at the airport where we are running away from our heartache.

We need to stop setting ourselves up for that failure and misery and stop setting our future mate up for it, too. We may just find ourselves on a plane we never intended on boarding bogged down with feelings of inadequacy and disappointment thinking we just weren’t worthy enough.

Truth is relationships take work and LOTS OF IT.

One of the worst quotes I have ever heard is, “You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your handsome prince”.

No we don’t!

The ONLY thing we are going to get from kissing a bunch of toads is a mouth full of warts. Or perhaps worse. Some of those ‘warts’ are incurable.

Besides, a true prince does not want to marry a girl who has been running around kissing a bunch of toads.

So STOP KISSING TOADS!

“True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.” -Erich Segal

“Love means never having to say you're sorry.” –Erich Segal

"Dance with God, He'll let the perfect man cut in." –Unknown

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her." -Max Lucado (and vice versa)

A true relationship HAS to have God at the head of it.

We need to stop aspiring for the romantic comedy, the soap opera, the fairy tale. True love takes a long time to bloom.

Instead of running around kissing toads, our goal should be developing ourselves into the spouse our Father has called us to be.

{A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:18-19

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:1-8

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing 1 Peter 3:1-9}

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!

A Princess and A Lady

3/12/2011

A Princess and A Lady

All of my life I have struggled with an identity crisis. I seem to define myself based solely upon the opinion of others.

Questions concerning what I like, what I want, what my ‘favorite’ is, always leave me feeling inadequate and kind of stupid. What kind of special idiot does not know what they like or dislike?

Other people seem to be able to blurt out their favorite songs, movies, foods, books, things to do, places to go, etc. with such ease.

I never understood this. I still don’t.

I don’t have favorites.

Oh sure, I like something enough to call it my favorite today, but by tomorrow I will have moved on to something new to call my favorite.

If I was to make a list of everything I had called my favorite in my life, there would be very few things in this world left off the list. But tell me to make a list of my favorites for this day and I may not be able to list one thing.

Most things become my favorite because of someone else’s approval of it.

If I am wearing a shirt and I receive a compliment, that shirt becomes my ‘favorite’ and stays that way until the next compliment comes along.

If someone disapproves of it, I may never wear it again.

If I hear a song or see a movie that I really like, all it takes is one other person on the planet to validate it was good and onto the favorite list it goes.

If you don’t like it, I question why I thought I might. I over analyze it until I come to the conclusion that I never really liked it either.

It is really quite sad, but I have come to accept THAT as my defining mark.

I am a chameleon.

I become my surroundings and I can change my colors to match those of my surroundings. I can blend into almost any crowd and find a place I fit.

I thought I was a leader, but perhaps that is just because I was surrounded by leaders.

I am (only) a chameleon.

This CAN be a blessing if I learn to use it the way God gave it to me to use. The fact that I have less of a preconceived notion of who I THINK I am, what I THINK I like, should make it easier on me to become who God ACTUALLY created me to be. I should have less junk to throw away.

I am practicing.

For starters I am learning to define myself based solely upon the opinion of my Creator.

My first lesson is that I am a princess and I am a lady.

Scripture proves this to be true.

Scripture tells me that I am adopted. Scripture tells me that God is my Father. I am God’s child.

{For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:14-16

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7}

I am God’s daughter.

The absolute sovereignty of God and His eternal kingdom signifies that I am the daughter of The KING of kings.

The daughter of a king is a princess. By definition this makes me a princess.

Scripture also tells me that I am to be Christ’s bride.

{I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 2 Corinthians 11:2

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:6-9}

I have professed that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life.

Scripture tells me Jesus is THE LORD of lords.

I am the bride of THE LORD of lords. I am Christ’s bride.

The bride of a lord is a lady. This means that I am a lady.

The first step to knowing what you like is to know WHO you are.

I am a Princess and I am a Lady!

I am practicing using these filters to determine what my favorites REALLY are. This is a humbling journey and an exciting one too. For the first time in my life I am finding out who I am.

Thank you Father for loving me this much!!

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!

Be blessed and know that Jesus ADORES you! And so do I!