Forgiveness as a lifestyle...

            Forgiveness.  I know it’s a tough one.  Take a deep breath, and read on…peace is at hand.  Taking a journey down memory lane isn’t always pleasant because there are times of hurt and pain.  Times of blatant disrespect, disregard, and downright hurt.  Times of loneliness when someone, like maybe your parents, should have been there for you, but they weren’t.  We’ve all been the target of despicable words and outrageous actions.  As we sit and simmer on this negativity, it only gets worse though.  Harboring unforgiveness puts us in a box and really gives the person who hurt us all the power.  It’s a slippery slope.  Now we’re suspicious, protective, and unwilling to trust. 

So how do we forgive and forget?  We have to give it to God and trust Him to heal our hearts.  Don’t seek revenge; it’s impotent.  Don’t let hatred rise up; it can be devastating.  Don’t live in bitterness; it can sprout up from within and affect your whole life and your relationships with your family and friends.  For your health and as a testimony, let it go and give it to God. 

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

We want forgiveness, and we need to give it, too.  God knows best.  Trust Him, and forgive.  Move on to a bright and joyful future.  Give someone a second chance, and you’ll get a second chance when you need one. 

Still having trouble letting go?  Pray for those who’ve hurt you.  Whether they hurt you on accident or intentionally, God can open their eyes and lead them to restore the relationship with you.  If they hurt you intentionally, they need God’s help.  More than likely their actions stemmed from their own hurt.  God can heal their heart.  Will you be repaid?  It’s probably impossible to directly repay you.  But Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord…God’s got your back!    

A little reminder of God's love...

It’s nice to know you’re loved.  It’s comforting to be told you’re loved.  It’s elating to be shown you’re loved.  Sometimes we look for all these or even just one sign of love from other people but walk away disappointed.  Maybe you’re lonely.  Maybe you’ve been hurt and are scared to love again.  Maybe you’ve never felt love like you’ve desired.  The problem we all run into is that we put all our hope in other people.  It’s not wrong.  It’s natural and God intends for us to love one another, to have fruitful loving relationships. 

Most importantly, though, is our love relationship with God.  He’s the only one who loves us unconditionally.  You’ve probably heard that before, but a little reminder certainly helps.  If we weren’t reminded of God’s love on a regular basis, it’d be like saying our vows on our wedding day and never discussing our love for each other again.  My how doubt could creep in.  God constantly reminds us of His love.  He loves us on the good days and the bad.  He loves you when you feel like a failure and when you’re on the mountaintop.  He loves you no matter what. 

Love is a two-way street if you want a true relationship.  So, it’s important that we also express our love to God.  Tell Him you love Him, and show Him, too.  Follow His Word and strive to be obedient.  Pray and spend time in His presence.  This is one relationship that will NEVER disappoint!  Ever been hesitant to give your love to someone for the fear of being hurt?  Won’t happen with God.  His love is true and pure and everlasting. 

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Wow!  That verse says it all.  His steadfast love endures forever.  Amen.

Have a Clean House & a Clean Heart

Clean House...if your stress level rises at the sound of these words...you are NOT alone!  Even thinking about all that needs to be done is so overwhelming sometimes.  Have you ever found yourself doing everything else in the world but cleaning the house?  Oh yeah!  If this is not you, and cleaning comes easy as pie to you, please spread your joy and alleviate stress for the rest of us.  You could come clean our houses maybe, I'm just saying.

My mom kept our house immaculate when I was growing up.  She'd put on a "sweat band" and get to work.  We called her Mombo.  She had a bin full of cleaning products and scrubbers that she carried room to room.  She said meanwhile I went room to room making mess after mess.  I'm getting my payback for that as my son does the same thing.  Anyone else?  Oh probably not...your kids are little angels, right?  I mean mine is.  Even while destroying the house I just look at him and marvel at how perfect he is.  God does the same thing with His kids, that's you and me.  We run around making mess after mess, and God watches all the while marveling at His creation.  How, you ask? We're not perfect.  We're full of sin.  Uh huh...and Jesus died on the cross to wash all our sins away.  We see our sin, but God sees us white as snow.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."  So though our own righteousness is as filthy rags, because of Jesus taking our sins upon Himself, we are now the righteousness of God.  

If you haven't given your life to Christ yet, go ahead.  Tell God that you want to be His daughter and He will wash away all your sins and give you a clean heart.  If you already live for Christ, you know it's a walk of daily recognizing His grace in your life.  To all the "Mombos" out there, please say a prayer for those of us mamas who feel overwhelmed by housework...that we may clean, clean, clean!...with a song in our heart all the while.

Check out www.vinegartips.com for all the cleaning uses for vinegar that we talked about at MomTime...and so many more!

Momma's need a little strength & perserverance!

We have such difficult, and rewarding, jobs as momma's....sometimes things are going well and we like our role as 'MOM'. Some days the role of laundry chief, diaper commander, clean dish diva, dinner boss and driving queen....can leave us a little depleated! All of our 'umph' is used up, and we feel done.

We need to seek God's supernatural strength (capacity to endure) and perserverance (patient endurance of hardships) to make it through all of the little, and big, trials of mommyhood.

When pottytraining isn't going well, when nights don't include much sleep, when sweet baby coo's turn into sassy talk of a 2 year old, we get tested. Our strength, perserverance and courage...get tested.
Do we give up and go hide? Do we not punish or disciple again, because we've already tried 12 times and give a sucker instead to keep them quiet? Maybe....but just because we've turned to these tactics before, doesn't mean we have to next time.

We can pray. We can persist in pursuing God in prayer, asking for the strength and courage we need.

Joshua 1:9 "...Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid, do not be discourage;

for the Lord your God will be with you wherver you go."

 

While the road may feel long, sometimes glorious & blessed, while other times frustrating and exhausting...may we be reminded of God's promises. Promises that he will listen...that we will have trails...that the same mighty power that rose Christ from the dead, is in us...and that we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.



Heart of Worship

Worship is our response to what we value most.  What do you value most?  Do your actions reflect your true values?  When Erika asked these questions on Tuesday, I believe a little journey of soul searching began in each of us.  God is #1!  But am I showing Him that I feel that way?  Am I living out my passion for Christ?  Am I a daily example to my children of how to love and serve God?  Am I doing these things to the best of my ability?

Erika reminded us that we are all worshippers, that we cannot help but worship…something.  For anything that sucks time out of our life and isn’t worthy of it, let’s try to refocus our time and affection to what matters most.  Let’s set our priorities and strive to live by them.  Guard your worship!

At the same time, don’t judge yourself too harshly.  As moms, we are so busy!  So realize you’re never gonna be perfect.  BUT, also realize that what we call our “daily grind” can totally be worshipful to God!  James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  Every time you tend to your child, you are worshipping God by taking care of the gift that He gave you!  Every time you change a diaper, do the laundry that never ends, and cook dinner for your family, you are honoring God. 

The bottom line is…where is your heart?  We don’t want to waste our worship!  So, let’s refocus, as often as we need to.  “All things were made BY Him, and all things were made FOR Him,” John 1:3.

Serenade of the Week:  The Heart of Worship, by Matt Redman

Application:  Play this song in your house this week, and maybe sing it with your kids.

Let's Walk Together

Take a moment to read the scripture on your table each week.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

        Charm is deceptive.  Sometimes we chase after things or people, or we want to be a certain way that’s different from how we are…but after we come up empty handed, we realize our focus should have been on God. 

Beauty is fleeting.  Why strive to gain what will be gone tomorrow?  It’s fruitless, and in the end…gone. 

But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  To all the mamas out there, the best way we can spend our time is living for the Lord.  What does that mean?  It means having a relationship with Him, as our father, our friend, our comforter, our confidant. 

MomTime is here to help us each to strengthen our relationship with God.  Tuesday mornings we have a chance to relax and let our hair down (and the kids won’t be pulling on it) so we can be encouraged in our walk with the Lord.  Being a mom isn’t always easy.  I can say that again, huh?  But having friends in the same season of life to join with and encourage each other helps us to refuel and recharge and stay on track.    

So come each Tuesday expecting to leave a little stronger, as a woman and as a mom, than when you came that morning.

New Beginnings

It is that time of year again....Summer is on it's way out and Fall is just around the corner! That means a new year of Mom Time is starting. Please join us this Tuesday, September 17th from 9:30-11. If you have never attended Mom Time before you will enjoy the biblical teaching, small group connections, childcare, and of course all the goodies. The title for this semester will be "Serenades for the Soul." It will be a great time to be refreshed and listen to songs that can uplift the soul.  We look forward to seeing old faces and are excited to meet new ones. See you Tuesday!

A Last Message from Debbie

Hey girls!
I am so excited to see where God is going to bring this ministry through Jessica and Erika. I knew at the end of last year that they were the future directors of Mom Time, and have loved seeing how God was preparing them to take on this challenge.

After yesterday's skit and kind words from everyone, I realized that the biggest thing I will miss is hearing your stories of how God is working in your lives. It has been awesome having a front row seat these past six years that I have been in leadership to see God's transforming power.

I took a few minutes to chronicle my thoughts and emotions over on my blog. I would love it if you checked it out. Stay in touch...and don't forget to invite me back to eat my face off with y'all.

I love you girls!!
Debbie

http://www.debbiegiese.com/2013/05/mom-time-thoughts.html

A Mother's Day Message

Not every great learning lesson needs to come from a book, sometimes the best knowledge comes from those who have gone before you and walked your path.  Debbie shared some of her wisdom with us today that can only obtained by living it.  She left us with four statements and truths to keep in mind as we enjoy and struggle through our everyday mom lives.

Especially with Mother’s Day approaching quickly, we often tend to feel like we need to be rewarded or praised for fulfilling our motherly duties.  We work hard, every day, every hour but we don’t see any raises, we don’t earn a degree in parenting, and we certainly don’t get handed a report card that shows all A’s we rightly deserve.  But if we take a step back, consider what the Lord has to say and also check in with what really fulfills our purpose, isn’t being a mother and having the opportunity to raise our children to know Jesus the best reward there is?

If we can’t be nice to forgive our kids in a heated moment, thank goodness God can.  How lucky are we that our God commands us to love each other and forgive one another and also does that for us?  Our children are going to walk out into this world and do things we can’t be ready for. They will hurt us, mess up, and make us question our parenting but we know that love covers our sins.  Our love for our children should far exceed any sin they may commit.

Farmers are patient people, aren’t they?  They have to be.  They can’t expect to see their planted seeds sprout up and produce fruit without going through the timely growing, watering, harvesting, etc. process, as we should expect with our children.  They won’t just grow up to be outstanding Christians who love and serve God without years of growing and learning from Mom and Dad. The process of raising children can seem long and you may question that light at the end of the tunnel when you’re in the midst of a learning curve but be patient and let your kids grow into their own person, God will shape them as he needs them.

Finally, nothing lasts forever.  Their cute words, the snuggling, the tantrums, and the admiration they have for you.  Enjoy each day and do things to make your memories last.  Write in a journal and record their achievements.  Keep track of silly things they did.  Embrace the good days and be patient through the trying ones because it all will pass faster than you ever expected.

Praying for Our Children

Prayer is one of those things that we know we are supposed to do. Like exercise, or eating enough vegetables. For some of us, just hearing the word prayer brings up feelings of guilt, boredom, or, dare I say it outloud, futility.

Sometimes I think that if God already has all my days planned out, why bother to pray. It's not like I'm going to change His mind about something.

However, the purpose of prayer is not to influence God, but to change the nature of the one who prays. Praying brings us into communion and relationship with God, and He will align our hearts with His as we let Him into the conversation, which prayer is.

Prayer is nothing more, and nothing less, than communicating with our Creator. No special degree is required. Jesus died so that we could approach the throne of grace with confidence, whatever is going on in our lives. You don't have to wait until you feel like you are having an especially holy day to come to God in prayer.

When it comes to praying for our kids, don't be afraid to pray big, hairy, audacious prayers on their behalf. Ask God to move in a big way in their lives and let Him show off.

Many verses in the Bible can be turned into prayers. And remember to think like a farmer when it comes to praying for your kids. Many prayers will take time to bear fruit, but God is always at work on our behalf.

To get you started, Romans 12:9-21 is a great section to break up into prayers for your kids. Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Pray that for your children.

Use a prayer calendar, with a different verse for each day. Here is a link to many resources regarding intentional motherhood.

Trace their hand and write a verse for the whole year on it. Post it where you will see it.

Get your kids started on their own faith journey of prayer. Write the names of friends and loved ones on popsicle sticks and practice praying for one stick each day.

Bottom line: don't be intimidated or defeated before you even get started. Invite God to come closer to your family through prayer, and be prepared to have Him knock your socks off.

Resources:
 Upside Down Prayers
Pray Big for Your Child
www.inspiredtoaction.com

Notes from the Bookshelf: The 5 Love Languages

Just like we all have different taste in food, music, artwork, decorating....all areas, basically, we all perceive love differently. What speaks volumes to one falls flat to another. In this book, The 5 Love Languages of Children, the authors help us to understand how to communicate love to our kids in different ways.

Through assessments, conversations, and observing them, you can decipher a piece of what makes their hearts tick. While there is overlap and activities that fall in more than one category, the Love Language philosophy speaks of five:

• Physical touch
• Acts of Service
• Words of Affirmation
• Quality Time
• Gifts

Showing unconditional love to our kids provide the foundation for them to grow into healthy, well-adjusted, loving adults. A child raised with only his physical needs of food and shelter met will have great difficulty relating to the world around them.

Speaking their language, especially when it is not our own, is truly a gift we can give. We need to be careful not to teach them to live by their feelings...same goes for us, by the way...but at the same time, recognize that loving is how we show the world that we love Jesus. If we can learn to love others in a way that sinks deep in their emotional love tank, we not only build better relationships, we reap the blessings too.

Visit the website at www.5lovelanguages.com for tools and books to check out. Be sure and peek at the "apology" link while you're there. I found it very enlightening.

Notes from the Bookshelf: Boundaries with Children

Have you ever had days when your whole “Mom System” just shuts down because the kids have gone beyond pushing your buttons? Perhaps what is lacking in the household is a clear set of boundaries for your children and for yourself.  This week, Aziza taught on boundaries with kids, how to manage them, support them, and plant roots for their future.

There are three areas of influence that boundaries can have on our kids, teaching (learning that they are responsible for the behavior), modeling (lead by example), and internalizing (making a fact reality).  Within these boundaries, offer a true sense of freedom by allowing them choices to be made on their own.  Praise and increase their freedoms the more responsible they become.

Aziza also encouraged us to remember that emotions run strong in our children.  It’s good to empathize with our kids but also to correct them and teach them different ways to deal with their feelings.  For those moments when you feel like your children have the upper hand on you, keep in mind that disrespect is normal but it is something that should be called out and not to be continued.  Keep your stance and boundaries firm and constant with your children. 

Finally, try to keep the current of your family flowing all in the same direction.  Remind your kids that you are for them rather than against them.  Pray for your children, not just to get through the day but for their future. We all need grace and forgiveness, let’s not forget that we have a watchful Father who is trying to set boundaries for us as well.

 

Running On Empty with Laura Sandretti

Our lesson this week came from a special guest, Laura Sandretti, on how to find joy when you are running on empty, and who wouldn’t want to hear about that? Laura gave us four sound suggestions on how to maintain a steady contentment and joy through our busy daily lives.

Her first suggestion offered rest, not only by napping (if at all possible), but in a way that requires asking for help from others to ease the load from your shoulders.  She also advised that rest can come from a realistic outlet, such as exercise, even if that means a relaxing walk, or a few minutes of quiet reading.

Not only do we need rest to keep ourselves fueled, but what we fill up on, what we work hard for has to be for the right reasons.  Our ultimate goal in this life, as Paul reminds us, is to reach the finish line in eternity, but while we are here on this earth, set your sights on running for what matters.  A simple example might be spending a half an hour reading with your kids versus rummaging through facebook in that time.  Or find joy in spending time with your children as they help you clean up instead of focusing on how behind you are in chores. 

Being behind in chores can run you right into Laura’s third suggestion, run your own race.  So you’re house isn’t as spotless and perfect as Suzy Q’s, so what?  You’ll never find joy if you are constantly trying to live out someone else’s victories.  And isn’t it all too often you only hear about everyone’s victories instead of failures?

Finally, remember that no cup of coffee, no perfect time on a run, not even the cleanest house will bring you joy like the joy and peace that God will provide for you.  He will fill your cup faster than you can brew a pot if you let him in and expect to hear his voice.

 Laura had some additional notes that she wanted to share with you:

Here is that list of ideas to read the Bible relationally from Nancy Grisham’s book Thriving:

• Read relationally: As you’re reading, remember to read relationally by talking to God and listening for Him. Stop and interact w/ Him as you read.
• Place: Find a place where you can have some undistracted time alone. For some of you, this may not be physically possible. That’s okay. You can still meet w/ God. Ask Him to help you stay focused.
• Time: Find the time that works best to be one-on-one with God. If you can’t find the time, then time probably isn’t the problem – it’s prioritizing your time (note from Laura – this is where, “we make time for what matters” comes in! J)
• Later list: If you’re like me, as soon as you sit down w/ God you may get distracted by things that need to be done. Keep a “later list” and jot those things down to do later.
• Prayer and Application: Spend time talking to God specifically about how you can apply what He is teaching you. Then practice what you read. Talk to Him about things on your mind and heart.

 

Notes from the Bookshelf: The Ragman

This past week, Luanne shared a story with us called The Ragman. This is an illustration of what happened Good Friday, and every time someone accepts Christ as their Savior. He takes our hurts, sins, issues, and troubles upon Himself, exchanging our weakness for His glory.

Luanne shared her story as growing up as a good kid....you remember the kind...or maybe it was you. Good grades. Good family. Never really got into trouble. She grew up knowing that Jesus died for our sins, but only in a generic sense. After all, she wasn't as bad as some people...

It wasn't until she was a young adult that she truly saw herself as someone in need of a Savior. She realized that in spite of all of her "goodness," it would never get her into Heaven. More than that, she couldn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ until she recognized her need.

Don't let this Easter go by while you stand in the ditch of "I don't need Jesus," or the other ditch of "Jesus wouldn't want me." I pray that you will seek Him out. He is waiting for you.

If you know Jesus as Savior, pray about sharing your story with someone else. Help someone move from "God so loved the world..." to "God so loved me..."

Happy Easter, Sweet Friends!
Debbie

Notes from the Bookshelf: Protecting Your Family Legally

This week in Mom Time we were given the opportunity to gain important knowledge on protecting your family- legally.  Our special guest, Carrie Reichartz, provided proper documentation and gave us strong legal advice for less than ideal situations.

 There is no way to sweeten up conversations such as these.  Death, traumas, legal situations, etc. are scary, sad, and stressful but one sure-fire way to make a possible situation worse is to not be prepared legally. 

Carrie encouraged us to have this conversation with our spouse or significant other, to put thought into action and write up a will, consider who you would ask to care for your children should something happen, and to look into life insurance. 

It’s a heavy topic to think about and move through but it’s imperative to plan for a future that might not involve you but certainly will involve your children.  After taking all these steps, it will be a huge check marked off your to-do list.  But something that you can forever work on is your faith.

  Every day is a gift from God, a new start, another opportunity to know Him more.  That day will come when it will be your last; won’t you feel better knowing that you spent your life indulged in the One who is waiting for you at the end of your path?

Here are the links to the websites we got our forms from:

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/F00085.pdf. health power of atty

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/F00036.pdf. finances power of atty

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/F00060.pdf. living will

Notes from the Bookshelf: The Love Dare

Truth or dare? Dare, right? A dare means you have to do something you know you are not comfortable doing but then you get to say you did it! Or did you pick truth? Saying or admitting something you have to openly share. What about Truth or Dare in your marriage? 

This week, Jessica taught us a lesson from the book LoveDare by authors Alex  and Stephen Kendrick and Lawrence Kimbrough.  There are several dares throughout the book that the authors challenge you to do to or for your spouse but there are truths scattered all throughout the pages and the building blocks, the meat and potatoes of all of those truths come from God and the words of love that He has for us. 

Jessica explained to us that there are two types of love, (1)Phileo and Eros- It’s friendship and sexual love, it’s important in a marriage but it’s only based on feelings (feelings that can change if one is wronged or not feeling loved back).  (2)Agape love is love that we receive and learn from God.  It is unselfish, unconditional, unstoppable, and based on choice- not feelings.

God loves us unconditionally, without any reason or need to.  He loves us in spite of our every fault and forgives our every sin.  It’s not easy showing Agape love all the time, but making the effort continuously to be patient, kind, thoughtful, and considerate is what God expects of us as Christian wives.  It’s a daring kind of love that puts God’s desires before your own. 

 Will you dare to defend your husband at all times? Can you be flexible with him, thoughtful towards him and be completely humble and stand down when you’d rather fight him? Will you dare yourself to keep that unwavering love in your heart for your husband because you know you can trust in the truth that Lord will never cease the overflowing Agape love he has for you?

                “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19        

Notes from the Bookshelf: The Bible

This semester in Mom Time, we have been focusing on pleasing God through serving our community, being loving mothers, and making sure that we, ourselves, are calm and collected.  But who helped in getting us to motherhood? That’s right, our husbands.  And we certainly need God securely bonded in the unity of our marriage. 

Erika used probably the best study guide we could work from this week with none other than, the Bible.  She targeted six major areas of marriage that need constant reevaluation and attention: Holiness, Communication, Submission, Intimacy, Finances, and Respect.  Each respective area had at least one bible verse that shed wisdom on how a godly wife (and husband) should behave and live according to God’s word. 

Erika challenged us to take at least one area that we need to work on in our own marriage and make it a goal to fix or change our behavior or role as wife.  She then provided us with blank cards, had us write a short note to ourselves about where our marriage needs help and promised to mail the cards out to us in a few months.  Talk about keeping tabs on yourself!

Before children and before homes and before this whole new life began, we started out as just husband and wife.  As godly wives, our husbands deserves our patience, our listening ear, our reassurance, our respect in a submissive manner, and all of our emotional/physical/spiritual self.  And whether as an example for your husband or with him together, we need to treasure our families and our relationship with Christ, not our bank accounts and materials things. If we decide to move in a forward, positive direction, our husbands will follow our lead.

“…and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Mark 10:8

Notes from the Bookshelf: Resolution

This week in Mom Time, I think it’s safe to say that Jess brought a little tear to everyone’s eyes and gave us all the urge to get up and embrace our children with hugs and kisses.  With so much to take away from the book The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer, Jess targeted our main focus on resolving to embrace the current season of our life and maximize the time in it.  We are all mothers who gather together every Tuesday to support each other and encourage our focus to God.  Rather than trying to hurry through the difficult stages of motherhood that we aren’t enjoying, we need to stay focused and remember all the things we do enjoy.  Jess encouraged us to recognize how truly blessed we have been in becoming mothers and understand that it is a privilege to be a blessing to our husbands/significant others and children. 

Through God’s grace, we can handle any situation.  We can work through the toughest day and be content with the simplest blessings.  As the Apostle Paul taught us, we have to choose to accept His grace.  “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in.  I know what it is to have a little and what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:11)  We cannot live in or face this world alone, we need God’s grace and assurance.  Why wouldn’t we choose to go through life with joy and contentment and enjoy every life season?

Notes from the Bookshelf: Unglued

So far this semester in Mom Time, we’ve buckled down on our housekeeping, dusted off our apron of hospitality, and made it a mission to reach out and show God’s love.  I wonder how everyone is doing.  Have you taken control of your home, figured out how to serve your family, friends, and strangers, lowered your voice and kept your cool, made a meal for someone in need, enforced responsibility and manners to your children, or have you just….come unglued?

This week Erika helped keep things real and reminded us all that we have emotions and sometimes they get can get ugly.  Based on the book Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst, we let out the truth that there is a not-so-pretty side to us that needs to be dealt with.  There are many situations, relationships, outcomes that can cause us to meltdown and lose our temper.  Erika also confirmed that we can be our own worst enemy and set labels on ourselves which cause self-dissatisfaction. 

Regardless of how we react or what makes us come unglued, we need to remember that we are children of God and that He works all things for our good.  We have been given emotions to experience life, not to destroy it.  The choice is ours alone, will we accept God’s help and make an active attempt at relying on scripture, prayer, or a close friend to help us through our anger, stress, and shame?  We’re not perfect but we can practice integrity and see the baby steps of grace working in our lives.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5

Notes from the Bookshelf: Small Things with Great Love

Have you ever crossed paths with someone and without even talking directly to them or knowing them, you can see that they have Jesus in them? They’re just filled with the Holy Spirit and you know they’re good stuff? Is that you? Is it not?

This week Debbie cracked open our love shells with some truth and advice on how to serve those around you in small ways that make great impacts.  In every situation where you have the opportunity to show love or serve others, check in with yourself first. If that opportunity stresses you out or you feel obligated to do it, it will still bless someone else but it’s not really the genuine overflow of Jesus in you. 

There are so many things in our lives that keep us from reaching out but there are very simple solutions to fixing those.  From the book, Small Things with Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your Neighbor by Margot Starbuck, Debbie offered up solutions to avoid those stop signs.  If you’re too busy, maybe cut out some luxuries or absolute urgencies (like cutting the grass or doing the 100^th load of laundry) and make time for someone or something that Jesus would put first. Pull the ignorance blindfolds off and see the world around you, and that world can be as big as your household.

Our lives can offer constant serving opportunities, whether you are married, a parent, or a caregiver.  Add a little light and salt to your attitude and actions.  Jesus didn’t live a life of ease, luxury, and endless time and if we truly seek him and live for him, we won’t either.  But as we read in Matthew 16:25, “Whoever loses (her) life for my sake will find it.”

Notes From the Bookshelf: A Life that Says Welcome

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9-10.  Doesn’t that sound like such peaceful advice? Love one another and be hospitable, but how many of us do that? Do we have all the best of intentions but hold back our hospitality because of a messy house, not enough time, or  just not enough energy?

Becky taught us a humbling lesson on opening our hearts and homes in a way that’s more than entertaining and making sure everything is just right.  Based on the book A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman, she focused in on how we can let our lives be a channel to God for those around us.  It doesn’t take a warm cooked dinner in your home to let someone know you are there and that they are loved. 

 It’s showing genuine love and respect to your husband or significant other, it’s smiling at the stranger in the grocery store, it’s praying for a friend, it’s any act of love and hospitality that refreshes someone spiritually and physically.  Becky also made an important note that you cannot offer hospitality to others unless you are completely at home with yourself. 

So let’s work on our actions and good deeds; say “Hi” and smile to people, be polite to your family, send a “I’m thinking of You” card in the mail.  You just might be the channel to God that that person needed.