Learning to be thankful...

My thoughts today have been wrapped around truly being thankful.

I woke up singing, "A thankful heart is a happy heart..." from Veggie Tales.

The song continues with the phrase, "I'm glad for what I have, that's an easy way to start."

The song sounds cute when Jr. Asparagus sings it, but if you try to actually apply it on Thanksgiving Day, it is a bit more difficult to sing.

Think about Thanksgiving...

Black Friday almost overpowers a day dedicated to being thankful.

One moment, we are thankful for our homes, our families, our jobs, our health and our freedom. In the next breath, we are asking for the newspaper so we can look at the sales for the coming shopping day.

Don't get me wrong, my family spent hours looking through ads, making lists and planning what time we are going to get up in the morning. Black Friday really is a great opportunity to purchase presents for friends and family at a great price or get something for your home at a discount. I don't believe there is anything wrong with being frugal and looking for deals.

But, I can't help but think about the money that will be needlessly spent just upgrading for the newest thing, the newest style, the newest technology.

How much time will be spent forgetting to be content with what we already have and searching for something better?

The bigger question is this. What message am I sending my kids spending a day talking about what we need or want or "just have to buy!" How can we be truly content when we always want for more?

I already have everything I need. God has blessed me in so many amazing ways.

I want to honor Him with our finances. I want to have a happy, thankful heart.

And, being glad for what I have is a great place to start.

Through it All

I've had many tears and sorrows
I've had questions for tomorrow
There've been times I didn't know right from wrong
But in every situation
God gave blessed consolation
That my trials only come to make me strong

I've been a lot of places
And I've seen so many faces
But there've been times I've felt so all alone
But in that lonely hour
In that precious, lonely hour
Jesus let me know I was His own

So I thank God for the mountains
And I thank Him for the valleys
I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through
Cause if I never had a problem
I wouldn't know that He could solve them
I wouldn't know what faith in His Word could do

Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God

Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to depend upon His Word
Yes, I've learned to depend upon His Word
I've learned to depend upon His Word

"My feet stand on level ground..." Psalm 26:12

Another great song of encouragement... Through It All by Hillsong

Thank you, Lord, that my feet stand on the level ground of who you are and I can depend on You.

Abundance

This morning, as I drink my coffee, I am trying to look across the lake. The lake is covered with a thick, dense fog. I know there are houses on the other side, but I can't see them. I know that the lake is there, but I can't see it. There is a wall of fog shielding my view. The fog is masking the truth.

Because the truth is this:

Why am I sharing this?

Because, often times, life fogs our view of the truth. The circumstances of life cloud our belief that the truth is still true. We can be fooled into looking at the fog instead of trusting that the truth is still there. We need to allow God to help us even when the fog is overwhelming. He can see through the fog and He knows the big pictures.

As I get older, learn more, live more, I realize that the fog of life can creep in very quickly. Fog comes and goes but we must remember that the truth never changes. The lake is still there even when it is covered in fog.

God's Word is truth no matter what our life circumstances tell us. We can hold fast to this truth even in the midst of the fog.

I just want to share a few verses that meant a lot to me in this season of trusting through the fog.

Psalm 66:8-12 says, "Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance."

God's plan for our life is always good and full of hope. He has a place of abundance for us. No matter what we face, when we cling to Him, whether the fog is there or not, we can know that He is with us. We can trust that the truth is still true.

I want to build our house on truth. I want to establish our family on truth, using the wisdom that God gives us.

Because the fog will come. Fog will always try to blur my view of the truth. Fog can be overwhelming, it can confuse me into seeing it and not the truth.

But in those times, I want truth to overcome the fog.

Proverbs 24:3-4 says, "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."

Later, in verse 16, it says, "Know that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."

I feel a strength today because even in the fog of life, God is with me. I can face the fog because I am building our house on truth.

Wisdom in View

In my Proverbs reading, I came across a great phrase. A phrase that I want to keep in my mind as I live this life. A phrase to never forget. A phrase that will keep me in check in every situation I might face each day.

I love Proverbs. I try to read one every day. There is always something in each chapter that I can use or relate to throughout the day. Last March, I did a series on Proverbs and really fell in love with the whole book. I might even challenge myself to dig deeper in Proverbs and do another series.

The phrase that I'm talking about today, though, is from Proverbs 17:24.

"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but the fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth."

Can you imagine the difference this phrase could make in your daily life if you really lived by it? If you remembered to keep wisdom in view?

I think of some of the things I've done, even in the last week. I'd like to say that I am discerning, that I use wisdom. But, then I see my mistakes. The times that my eyes have wandered to the troubles of this world or the failures of others instead of keeping wisdom in view. I repeated something that I shouldn't have or I said something I shouldn't have or I responded badly to my girls or frustrated my husband or I wasn't patient with someone who needed words of grace.

You might say, "Well, we all have days where we make mistakes. We all mess up. We can't be perfect all the time." And, I would agree.  But, how many of these simple situations could be avoided on a day-to-day basis if we kept wisdom in view?

Listen to some of these Proverbs...

"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint..."

"The tongue has the power of life and death..."

"A man's wisdom gives him patience..."

"A prudent wife is from the Lord..."

"He who covers an offense promotes love..."

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth..."

"The highway of the upright avoids evil..."

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do..."

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful..."

Oh, I could go on and on! Can you imagine keeping these things in VIEW EVERY DAY!?

Two different times in the book of Proverbs it tells us that the human way leads to death but God's way leads to eternal life. (14:12, 16:25) It reminds us that they way that seems right to us may not be what God wants from us.

Our human reasoning is a poor basis for determining what is right and what is wrong, good or bad, true or false, worthy or unworthy. We MUST keep God's Word in our hearts and minds. That is where Godly discernment and wisdom is found.

Proverbs 21:2 says it this way, "All a man's ways seem right to him but the Lord weighs the heart."

Look at the definition of "seems"

• to appear to one's own senses, mind, observation, judgment, to appear to be true, probable, or evident, to give the outward appearance of being or to pretend to be

Wow. Do you want that definition to be the basis for your words and actions? I don't. I want to do something because I KNOW it's right by God's Word.

Look at the definition of "know"

• to have knowledge or clear and certain perception, as of fact or truth, the fact or state of knowing; knowledge

And, to have that knowledge, we must be in the word everyday. We must keep God's wisdom in view.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 says, "So, we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

I love this song. Somewhere in the Middle by Casting Crowns

I read this story behind the song and was reminded that we all are, in some ways, caught in the middle. Our lives are not what they could be in Christ. We aren't keeping wisdom in view.

Somewhere between the hot and the cold

Somewhere between the new and the old

Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right

Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense

Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is

But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle

Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands

Somewhere between my faith and my plans

Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar

Somewhere between the altar and the door

Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more

Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side

Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

I don't want to live doing what seems right. I want to know what's right. I don't want to be in the middle. I want to surrender it all and give it all. I'm so thankful that He loves me even in those times when I'm caught in the middle and I know He loves me so much that He doesn't want me to live there. He wants to take control of the smallest situations of life and help me keep wisdom in view.

He doesn't just want to be the God I want Him to be or think He is but He wants to BE the God he IS in my life. Do you see the difference?

So, my challenge today, don't live in the middle... keep wisdom in view!

The love of our Father...

My brother-in-law, Todd, is the Senior Pastor at Living Hope Assembly of God. I was able to attend church with my family today and truly enjoyed his sermon from the book of John on the topic of Jesus' love for us.

His passage of scripture today was from John 15:9-17.

You can listen to his sermon here titled "The Night Before Part 10" so I'm not going to blog his whole sermon.

But, I do want to share what I came away with from the service. Something that I'd never thought through before.

The phrase "Remain in my love..."

Todd phrased it like this, "Make yourself at home in Jesus' love."

What do you do when you make yourself at home? You put up pictures, paint, decorate, landscape... you add things to the space that make you feel welcome. You make it a place that you want to remain.

To be able to make yourself at home, you have to understand the space. You have to know what the love of God feels like, looks like. You have make yourself aware of God's love around you. You have to chose to build your understanding of God's love.

I took this picture the other day of Jeremy saying goodbye to Elayna as he was leaving for his hunting trip. When I opened the picture in Photoshop, I immediately thought of our heavenly Father's love for us. As Todd was speaking today, I had this picture in mind.

Look at the safety, the protection, the trust, the connection, the love. She is at home in her Daddy's arms and she feels welcome there. It is a place she can remain.

The sad thing is that often times we fail to remain in His love. We haven't become familiar with His love or made ourselves at home in His love. We don't stay long enough to know Him or to understand the full impact of His love. We choose to be "come and go" visitors instead of living there.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:9-11

How to we make ourselves at home, or remain, in His love? Obey His commands. Todd said this, "Knowing His love empowers us to obey."

Why? Your joy will be complete.

The Greek word for joy is "chara". It means a calm delight. What a beautiful way to think of joy. Living and breathing with a calm delight no matter the situation.

Ok - I could go on with my thoughts about this passage of scripture. But, I'll let you go and listen to the sermon yourself!

Fear of Others

I blogged about fear a few times earlier this fall.

Another aspect of fear that we don't often talk about, but effects most women, is the fear of others.

Not fear that they will physically cause us harm but fear of what others think, of what others say, or of how they will respond to us.

I often hear the term "People Pleaser".

A people pleaser filters everything they think, say and do around what others think, say and do.

Pleasing people is not a horrible quality to have but when it begins to effect more areas of your life, it's time to rename "People Pleaser" to "Fearing Others".

Why? Because fearing what others think or say or do can stop us from being who God called us to be in Him!

Psalm 118:5-7 says, "In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies."

What does fearing others look like?

• second guessing yourself
• staying quiet instead of speaking up
• hiding your opinion
• lie about true feelings
• quit in a situation
• staying away from conflict
• keeping an "I don't care" attitude

Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare BUT whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

I've often dealt with this fear. I wonder what other people are thinking or worry about how they will respond to what I have to say.

I'm learning that as I grow in Christ, those things matter less and less. What other people think is still important to me but it will not dictate what I do or how I do it. My measuring scale isn't others, it is God and His word.

Think about the Fruit of the Spirit. "Against such things there is no law..."

As I grow in responding with the Fruit of the Spirit, even conflict or differences in opinions can be based in love. I can be gentle with my words. I can be patient with a frustrating situation. I can be joyful even when someone doesn't not respond to me in love. I can be who God is making me to be without fearing what man can do. In that, we find true freedom. Freedom from pleasing others, or fearing men.

I can rest in knowing that I have acted, spoken and lived in a way that was pleasing to God. I can be confident in my relationship with God even if someone else isn't pleased with me that day. Obviously, I continue to work on earthly relationships with Christ-like love but that does not change who I am or who God called me to be. My day does not have to be ruined with worry, fear and second guessing.

Live to please God, stay in the word and He will direct your daily path.

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I also wanted to share this story with you. Get some tissues... you might just cry but you will also be encouraged and challenged in your relationship with God. It is about 55 minutes long but well worth your time. It is the life story of a woman dying of cancer. The reality of being deathly sick, trying to spend your last days so they count for the Kingdom of God. Come back and let me know what you think!

My life...

I was reading and studying the book of Colossians this week. I saw a phrase in chapter 3 that I hadn't noticed before.

I love when something like that jumps off the page at me because it reminds that His word is timeless, living and active in MY life.

It just so happens that this verse really is about my life.

What is my life? Who am I living for? Why am I living? What does my life say to other people?

Colossians 3:4 says, "When Christ, who is your life..."

Read that phrase a few times. Is Christ your life? Because really, He gave us life. He gives us air to breathe... but is He your life in a spiritual sense? Do you give Him everything and allow Him to be your reason for living?

We have been going through a situation that really pulls out feelings and and thoughts from my heart. As I sort through that and ask God to come into those inward parts, I am learning that there are times where I do and think in a way that is not a clear testimony to Christ. He is showing me areas that I might be living for the approval of someone other than Him. Areas where I may be taking more ownership of my life instead of giving ownership to Him.

Are you living for any other purpose than for Christ alone?

Then, verse 11 ends with this short phrase... "but Christ is all, and is in all."

As I put those two phrases together, I had to ask myself if they were true in the deepest parts of my heart. I want my life to display that Christ is my life and He is all and in all I do every day, every moment, in every situation.

No matter the situation, I want Christ to be glorified in my life. I want to choose JOY in the life that He gives me. I want to fulfill the purpose that Christ has called me and specifically designed me to do.

I feel challenged to examine my daily activities, my private motives, my actions and my thought life.


Is Christ my life and is He ALL to me?

 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

Helping Parents Disciple Their Children

This weekend, I was a breakout session speaker for our Ohio Student Ministries Conference. I was asked to speak at Synergy on the topic of discipleship.

How can parents disciple their children?

I was speaking specifically to student leaders. But, I'd like to share what God showed me for this session because I love the topic of discipleship! I learned so much as I prepared for this session.

One of the things that is amazing about God's Word is that the priciples and foundations will not change. No matter how old your kids are or what season of parenting you find yourself in today, God's Word is relevant, alive and ready to give you the tools to parent God's way.

You see, parenting and discipleship go hand in hand. If you are not pouring into your kids spiritually, you are not fully parenting the way that God intended. On the days that I skip devotions with my girls because we are "busy" or on the days that I discipline without bringing my girls at least once back to the Bible, I am not parenting fully with discipleship in mind. I must purpose to disciple my kids.

So, how do parents disciple their children? How can we make sure that we are parenting fully the way God intended?

God showed me an example from the life of Samuel.

Prophets in the Old Testament were very much parents to the children of Israel. The prophets rejoiced with the Israelites, they cried with them, disciplined them, encouraged them, confronted them, weeped for them and sought God on their behalf. They heard from God and followed through with that direction for the children of Israel.

Samuel was a godly prophet who spent his entire life "parenting" the Israelites. At this particular time in history, the Israelites had just asked Samuel for a king. They wanted an earthly ruler that they could see. The problem was that God never intended for the Israelites to have a king. And, once a king was appointed, the children of Israel knew they had messed up big time. They knew that they had sinned against God.

I used the word PARENTS to present the foundation for parenting with discipleship.

P - Prayer

Samuel knew the importance of prayer.

I Samuel 12:23 says, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you."

Samuel even considered it a sin to not pray and intercede for the children of Israel. Do you pray for your kids? Do you seek God for wisdom in your parenting? Psalm 99:6 says that Samuel was one who called on the name of the Lord and God answered. We need to be parents who understand the power of getting on our knees in prayer for our kids.

Parenting is too big of a job to handle on our own. We must be in prayer and be Spirit led in every decision of parenting. If we are not in a growing relationship with God, how can we help our children grow? How can we pour into them what we are not getting for ourselves?

A - Assess

Where are you at in the journey of discipling your children?

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8

The goal of discipleship is to build effective and productive followers of Christ. Are you adding to where your kids are right now? Do you know where they are at in their relationship with the Lord?

It is never too early or too late to start discipling your kids. For some, it may take more time and effort than others but Peter says to "make EVERY effort" in growing our faith.

R - Relate

You can NOT disciple your children effectively if you do not know them. You have to be able to relate to their thinking, their likes and dislikes, their wants and needs. Discipleship is about getting to know someone so well that you can guide who they are becoming. Do NOT automatically assume how much you know about your kids.

Samuel knew the Israelites. He knew their lives. He understood how they lived. He was able to call on God and speak specifically to their circumstance. I Samuel 12:16-17 says, "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king."

E - Engage

Spend TIME with your kids. Quality, one-on-one time will build relationship as well as open a door to speak truth into their lives. Make every effort to pour spiritually into the lives of your kids. We want to know that when we aren’t around, they are equipped to make the right decision and remember the things you taught them.

Later in that same chapter of 2 Peter it says, "So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."

N- Notice

Watch your children. Notice the good and don’t always be so quick to point out the bad. Samuel encouraged the children of Israel. Even though they had sinned, he chose to remind them of God’s pleasure, his specific plan for the Israelite children.

I Samuel 12:20-22 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own."

Look into their hearts. Don't just be pleased with outward obedience. Discipleship is going deeper than that. Take the time to notice what is going on in their hearts.

T - Teach

We are the spiritual example to our children. They see us: good and bad. When we talk it but don’t live it, they KNOW it!

Samuel was able to stand before the Israelites at the beginning of the I Samuel 12 and ask them to examine his innocence. He said, "Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed." Could you stand before your kids and ask them to examine you for sin?

Obviously, we will not be perfect or sinless but would your children be able to point out sin in your life? Would that sin be a contradiction to what you are trying to teach them? Teaching must begin with daily examining of our own hearts and lives. Children will gage the truth of God’s Word by what they see in you.

I found this quote from the book The 360 Disciple.
“Credibility is the consistency between your words and your actions.” – Alton Garrison

Samuel’s blamelessness gave him the authority to then point out sin in the Israelites. I Samuel 12:7 says, “Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.”

S - Stick with it!

18 years is a long time and really, parenting never ends. Samuel parented the children of Israel his entire life. He never gave up on them, never stopped loving them and never stopped discipling them in the things of God. Parenting is a tough job but God has equipped you for your unique children. God specifically designed you to parent your kids. You have a voice that can speak to them like no one else can. Don't give that voice to the world. Take ownership of your children's spiritual walk with God and start discipling them today.
A few other posts on parenting...

God is Longing

Concern for our children

Passionately Devoted: Your Kids

Jesus, Come

Shane and Shane has a song called "Vision of You".

I was listening to it tonight in my van and a few lyrics stood out.

Here we are, Lord, in this place.

Crying out for Your embrace.

To hear Your voice more than songs.

Awaken what's inside of me.

Tune my heart to all You are in me.

Even though you're here, God come.

"Lord, I want to hear your voice more than anything else. Tune my heart to you today."

Not be Unredeemed

I had the opportunity to sing "Unredeemed" by Selah in church this morning.

It is a difficult morning for us because we lost my brother-in-law at the age of 25 in a horrible car accident one year ago today...

I actually had a different song picked out for this morning but in the last few weeks, "Unredeemed" just really spoke to me about how God wants to use our hurts, fears and disappointments for His glory.

He knows we live in a fallen, sin-filled world. A world that is harsh, cold and often unfair. He also knows that those moments, those times in our lives will not be left unredeemed. God will turn the ugliness of this life into something good. He will use each circumstance for our good.

When we take Him the shattered pieces of life, they will not be unredeemed. He is our redeemer!

Before I sang, I sat in my husband's office at church searching through scripture that had to do with redemption. I found this passage...

"Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." I Peter 1:17-21

We are redeemed by Christ alone. Not by money or possessions but by the sinless, spotless blood of the Lamb. Every sin, every mistake, every failure can be redeemed through Him. Nothing will be left unredeemed when we take the shattered pieces to Him and allow Him to work through each tiny piece of our hearts.

Take Him the pieces of your heart today. Bring those hurts, fears, failures to Him. Only He can redeem what has been lost, broken or torn down. He is the redeemer of lives through the precious blood of His Son.

"Just watch and see, it will not be unredeemed..."