"I think God runs the show. Completely. Life proves it every day. He runs the show."--Mariska Hargitay
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Saturday, May 12, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Our Goal
"That's our goal: to increasingly encounter God in such a way that we are radically changed. When we get glimpses of who he is, it changes our perspective. Our priorities shift and our attitudes bend to reflect His nature. His mission becomes much more relevant, His character becomes much more beautiful and His presence becomes more real. He becomes the basis of our lives, and wisdom flows freely from such a foundation."--from NIV Once-A-Day 31 Days of Wisdom
That is definitely MY GOAL. How do you make that happen? Daily encounters with God are an absolute must. We cannot think that attending church once or twice a week and not meeting with God any other day will do it. We must spend time in prayer and in His Word DAILY. What are some of the ways you have found to make this happen? Time in His Word is a must for me. Reading other devotion books is always good and makes me think, but the Bible is where I feel that God most often communicates with me. What devotion books are a "must read"? I would recommend Not a Fan by Kyle Idelman and anything by Max Lucado. http://angel-memoriesforgotten.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-review-not-fan-by-kyle-idelman.html Those get me inspired and lead me to the Word.
It helps that we are doing The Story in Sunday School--I not only get to study a new part of the Bible weekly--I also get conversation with other Christians. That definitely gets my mind going. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. " Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
What are some of the ways you "increasingly encounter God"? When I have a difference of opinion with someone, I'm trying to take it to God, search His Word and talk to Him in prayer. I'm trying to let Him help me determine the correct way of looking at things and not get mad. This is, of course, easier said than done. I am human and full of faults, but I am trying. Keep me accountable. When we disagree, let's both take it to God and see what He has to say.
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
That is definitely MY GOAL. How do you make that happen? Daily encounters with God are an absolute must. We cannot think that attending church once or twice a week and not meeting with God any other day will do it. We must spend time in prayer and in His Word DAILY. What are some of the ways you have found to make this happen? Time in His Word is a must for me. Reading other devotion books is always good and makes me think, but the Bible is where I feel that God most often communicates with me. What devotion books are a "must read"? I would recommend Not a Fan by Kyle Idelman and anything by Max Lucado. http://angel-memoriesforgotten.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-review-not-fan-by-kyle-idelman.html Those get me inspired and lead me to the Word.
It helps that we are doing The Story in Sunday School--I not only get to study a new part of the Bible weekly--I also get conversation with other Christians. That definitely gets my mind going. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. " Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
What are some of the ways you "increasingly encounter God"? When I have a difference of opinion with someone, I'm trying to take it to God, search His Word and talk to Him in prayer. I'm trying to let Him help me determine the correct way of looking at things and not get mad. This is, of course, easier said than done. I am human and full of faults, but I am trying. Keep me accountable. When we disagree, let's both take it to God and see what He has to say.
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Courage
"All it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage and great things will happen. I promise"--Benjamin Mee We Bought a Zoo
I've been thinking for the past several days if the necessary courage in my life really only takes 20 seconds. I've decided it all depends on how you look at it. It takes 20 seconds or less to muster up the courage to begin something. It usually takes longer than 20 seconds to complete whatever it is. But, if I have 20 seconds of courage to start a song or strike up a conversation, it's easier to keep going. It took 20 seconds of courage to begin my college music audition. It took longer to complete it, but it did change my life. It took longer than 20 seconds to complete the GRE or my graduate program interview, but only 20 seconds of courage to start. I didn't count how long it takes to walk down the aisle, but it's probably around 20 seconds and that changed my life dramatically. So, I've decided that it really does only take 20 seconds to muster up your courage to take the first step. And, great things will follow. It only takes 20 seconds to ask for forgiveness and decide to follow Jesus. And, I promise great things will follow.
When have you had 20 seconds of courage and had something great happen? What great things have happened in your life because of courage?
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
I've been thinking for the past several days if the necessary courage in my life really only takes 20 seconds. I've decided it all depends on how you look at it. It takes 20 seconds or less to muster up the courage to begin something. It usually takes longer than 20 seconds to complete whatever it is. But, if I have 20 seconds of courage to start a song or strike up a conversation, it's easier to keep going. It took 20 seconds of courage to begin my college music audition. It took longer to complete it, but it did change my life. It took longer than 20 seconds to complete the GRE or my graduate program interview, but only 20 seconds of courage to start. I didn't count how long it takes to walk down the aisle, but it's probably around 20 seconds and that changed my life dramatically. So, I've decided that it really does only take 20 seconds to muster up your courage to take the first step. And, great things will follow. It only takes 20 seconds to ask for forgiveness and decide to follow Jesus. And, I promise great things will follow.
When have you had 20 seconds of courage and had something great happen? What great things have happened in your life because of courage?
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Prayer
Last week was the National Day of Prayer and got me thinking a lot about prayer the past few days. What exactly is prayer? It is talking to God, but is there a certain way we have to do it? Are there certain words we must use? Is there a formula we have to follow?
I don't think so. Praying is talking to God. That means talking to God like you would talk to anyone. Expressing what you're feeling and needing. It means asking questions about whatever you don't understand. It also means listening. It means being still and listening for God. It means reading His Word and then being still to listen for a response. Jesus gave us an outline for prayer in the Lord's prayer, but I don't think it necessarily means quoting it word for word. It means praying all the parts of the Lord's prayer.
I did manage to find a National Day of Prayer service at the Ellis County Courthouse. Thank you Ellis County Ministerial Alliance. We prayed together for seven different areas: Government, Church, Military, Family, Education, Media, and Business. There is something to be said for people agreeing in prayer and all praying together for a common goal. This is the what we do in our Moms in Prayer meeting. We pray for our children and our school. It bonds us as moms and keeps us focused on our children.
In the prayer guide we received, it listed an outline for prayer: P--Praise
R--Repent
A--Ask
Y--Yield
Moms in Prayer uses a 4-Step Model: Praise
Confession
Thanksgiving
Intercession
It's important when we pray that we don't use God as the cosmic vending machine in the sky, but remember to praise Him for Who He is and what He has done. Don't forget to confess, ask forgiveness, and ask for help to live life differently in the future. But, most of all, don't forget to "yield" or be still and wait for God to talk back. I think prayer is a conversation and a conversation is not one sided. True conversation only happens when there is a give and take and in order for that to happen we must be still.
The National Day of Prayer is great and praying together is so important. But, we must not forget to pray daily--not just on the National Day of Prayer.
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Monday, May 7, 2012
TBI Mantra
"I do know it all . . . I just can't remember it all at once."
"If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered."--Edgar Allen Poe
"If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered."--Edgar Allen Poe
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Happy Birthday Eric!
"I'm not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You're as old as you feel."--Elizabeth Arden
We are just finishing up a birthday weekend for Eric. If your birthday happens to fall on a weekend in our house, you get to celebrate ALL weekend, not just one day. Plus, since this happens to be a BIG ONE--a full weekend of celebration was in order.
The celebration started Friday night by getting ready for turkey hunting Saturday morning with my dad. Well, scouting the location they would be hunting Saturday morning ended up with Eric bringing home a turkey Friday night. What a way to start a birthday weekend. Our son was so excited he kept talking about getting to be the one who cut the head off when they got home. That's definitely not something I would have chosen to do for my birthday. :) The boys went back out, as planned Saturday morning, and dad came home with a turkey. Definitely a successful hunting weekend.
Saturday just so happened to be Cinco de Mayo, so lunch was celebrated at a Mexican restaurant. I think Eric may have picked Mexican for his birthday lunch anyway. He did today too. :) The evening ended with Eric's birthday gift from me--seeing The Avengers. I didn't dress up in costume, so I'm probably not nearly as much fun as those who did, but I did mange to enjoy the movie and even stay awake through the entire thing. Eric wore his Captain America shirt and got a Captain America DVD for home. We are now the proud owners of all the Marvel superhero DVDs except Thor. They go well with his gift from us--a theater style popcorn machine. The kiddos even got him popcorn packets to go with it. We'll have to set up some movie nights soon and you all can come over and enjoy all this with us. Which of you would want to come enjoy a movie in our movie room? What type of movies do you want to see?
It's not every year you have a birthday on a Sunday. And, certainly not every year you have a BIG ONE on Sunday. We had a surprise celebration during our fellowship time. Eric got to blow out a candle in his donuts and we sang to him. Thanks to Brenda for helping me set this up. :) So, no cake for his birthday. But, he did even better. He got to have pie and Mom and Dad's, donuts this morning at church, and ice cream after lunch. Those are even better anyway. What is your favorite birthday dessert? Mine are pie, ice cream, cheesecake, and gingerbread. Cake is overrated anyway.
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
We are just finishing up a birthday weekend for Eric. If your birthday happens to fall on a weekend in our house, you get to celebrate ALL weekend, not just one day. Plus, since this happens to be a BIG ONE--a full weekend of celebration was in order.
The celebration started Friday night by getting ready for turkey hunting Saturday morning with my dad. Well, scouting the location they would be hunting Saturday morning ended up with Eric bringing home a turkey Friday night. What a way to start a birthday weekend. Our son was so excited he kept talking about getting to be the one who cut the head off when they got home. That's definitely not something I would have chosen to do for my birthday. :) The boys went back out, as planned Saturday morning, and dad came home with a turkey. Definitely a successful hunting weekend.
Saturday just so happened to be Cinco de Mayo, so lunch was celebrated at a Mexican restaurant. I think Eric may have picked Mexican for his birthday lunch anyway. He did today too. :) The evening ended with Eric's birthday gift from me--seeing The Avengers. I didn't dress up in costume, so I'm probably not nearly as much fun as those who did, but I did mange to enjoy the movie and even stay awake through the entire thing. Eric wore his Captain America shirt and got a Captain America DVD for home. We are now the proud owners of all the Marvel superhero DVDs except Thor. They go well with his gift from us--a theater style popcorn machine. The kiddos even got him popcorn packets to go with it. We'll have to set up some movie nights soon and you all can come over and enjoy all this with us. Which of you would want to come enjoy a movie in our movie room? What type of movies do you want to see?
It's not every year you have a birthday on a Sunday. And, certainly not every year you have a BIG ONE on Sunday. We had a surprise celebration during our fellowship time. Eric got to blow out a candle in his donuts and we sang to him. Thanks to Brenda for helping me set this up. :) So, no cake for his birthday. But, he did even better. He got to have pie and Mom and Dad's, donuts this morning at church, and ice cream after lunch. Those are even better anyway. What is your favorite birthday dessert? Mine are pie, ice cream, cheesecake, and gingerbread. Cake is overrated anyway.
If you like reading my posts, please consider following me. It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.
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