Thursday, August 23, 2007
Coming Attraction
I know I have a hard time getting off of this subject, but it might be because it is the one sure thing that keeps me going when a grey cloud is looming nearby. It is also the one thing that continues to make me want to get up in the morning and that is, say it with me, JOY! Lately I've called it Glee. It could be thought of as merriment, laughter, or cheerfulness. Proverbs 15:15 says, "A cheerful heart has a continuous feast." So there you have it! To further bring home my point, there will be a new feature on my web site. I will be adding a weekly Joy thought or quote. It may not relate directly to joy, but it will be something that will compliment or add to it in a unique way. Look for it coming soon!
Friday, August 17, 2007
All Aboard
Have you ever noticed that when you decide to be joyful and not let anything steal the thunder of your glee, all hell stands up to oppose you? I've had a few weeks like that, but fortunately I am determined to fight back and apprehend my joy from the hands of said criminal, but boy is it a fight.
Of course, the fun free wheeling banter between my friend Carrie and I this past week always leaves me laughing. We both seem to have a comical take on life and amuse each other immensely. The only problem is that now we have to do this via email, because when she decided to take off and move to LA, lock, stock and barrel, I cheered her on! Was that stupid or what?
One of the other things that has helped to recapture my joy this week was my awesome husband, Mark, who randomly read a few verses out of Romans in The Message Bible that rocked my world and put me back straight. I'll share a bit with you. The peace and strategy the Lord brought to me through this portion of Scripture is now in my arsenal of weapons for fighting off the joy robbers.
In this chapter Paul is speaking about Abraham, the father of faith, when in Romans 3:27 he says,
"God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does...our lives get in step with God and all others by letting Him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.vs.4:2,3, "The story we're given is a God-story not and Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point." vs. 9 "It was embracing what God did for him that Abraham was declared fit before God." vs. 12 "...willing to live in the risky faith embrace of God's action for them."
I've been reminded that as I pay better attention to God's movement in my life, I am able to get on board God's train and not strive in my own strength. Isn't striving in our own strength one of the biggest joy robbers out there. We work at it, struggle, twist and turn, meanwhile all we need to do is watch for GOD'S movement in our lives and jump on board, because if He isn't going where we are headed, we might as well stop dead in our tracks before it gets ugly! But usually we haven't the foresight to know where the next God-stop is on His schedule. Instead of walking in faith and hanging on for the ride, we've been known to step out ahead and try to direct the route.
It's amazing how often we have to be reminded about faith. It's not like riding a bike, once you learn you can always ride. Faith takes a different kind of leap, one that requires that the muscles you use continually be oiled and stretched. So try practicing what I do whenever I find that I am sweating to get through the day, agitated and in turmoil(like last week), pay attention to where God is moving in your life, listen for the signals, watch for the cross roads, making sure you're on the God's route and then participate in the ride!
Of course, the fun free wheeling banter between my friend Carrie and I this past week always leaves me laughing. We both seem to have a comical take on life and amuse each other immensely. The only problem is that now we have to do this via email, because when she decided to take off and move to LA, lock, stock and barrel, I cheered her on! Was that stupid or what?
One of the other things that has helped to recapture my joy this week was my awesome husband, Mark, who randomly read a few verses out of Romans in The Message Bible that rocked my world and put me back straight. I'll share a bit with you. The peace and strategy the Lord brought to me through this portion of Scripture is now in my arsenal of weapons for fighting off the joy robbers.
In this chapter Paul is speaking about Abraham, the father of faith, when in Romans 3:27 he says,
"God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does...our lives get in step with God and all others by letting Him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.vs.4:2,3, "The story we're given is a God-story not and Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point." vs. 9 "It was embracing what God did for him that Abraham was declared fit before God." vs. 12 "...willing to live in the risky faith embrace of God's action for them."
I've been reminded that as I pay better attention to God's movement in my life, I am able to get on board God's train and not strive in my own strength. Isn't striving in our own strength one of the biggest joy robbers out there. We work at it, struggle, twist and turn, meanwhile all we need to do is watch for GOD'S movement in our lives and jump on board, because if He isn't going where we are headed, we might as well stop dead in our tracks before it gets ugly! But usually we haven't the foresight to know where the next God-stop is on His schedule. Instead of walking in faith and hanging on for the ride, we've been known to step out ahead and try to direct the route.
It's amazing how often we have to be reminded about faith. It's not like riding a bike, once you learn you can always ride. Faith takes a different kind of leap, one that requires that the muscles you use continually be oiled and stretched. So try practicing what I do whenever I find that I am sweating to get through the day, agitated and in turmoil(like last week), pay attention to where God is moving in your life, listen for the signals, watch for the cross roads, making sure you're on the God's route and then participate in the ride!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Communicating to a Different Tune
Boy, I had a tough week, as I struggled to communicate my heart to a friend. It didn't go over so well. However I gained some experience, learned more about my friend and myself and hopefully am moving toward a stronger, healthier relationship for both of us.
The one thing I walked away sure of is; no matter how difficult, we need to work at communicating. Problems don't just go away by themselves. The longer we take to communicate what's in our hearts, the more damaging it will be when the deed is done, because at that point the pent-up steam will be scalding. We all have witnessed marriages that have long since fore gone the work of communicating. Sometimes walls have been erected so tall that they just wont come down.
Yesterday to my surprise our pastor Steven Furtick, from Elevation Church, spoke on this very issue in a new series entitled, Entourage. He talked about the importance of screening those who have direct influence into our lives. He instructed us all to take out our cell phones. Then he said if they were filled with people who had our ear, but were indifferent or not aligned with God's vision for our lives, we needed to get NSYNC and say, Bye, Bye, Bye!!! I love that!
As hard as it is to reestablish new perimeters in long time relationships, I know it is necessary to be able to move into the things God has for our lives. If our relationships are of true quality then each party will have enough humility to bend and flow with the changes. The best part is that each party gets to learn something new about themselves in the process. Communication is the key, otherwise we just dance around the dead dog lying under the rug and we all know how stinky that can be.
The one thing I walked away sure of is; no matter how difficult, we need to work at communicating. Problems don't just go away by themselves. The longer we take to communicate what's in our hearts, the more damaging it will be when the deed is done, because at that point the pent-up steam will be scalding. We all have witnessed marriages that have long since fore gone the work of communicating. Sometimes walls have been erected so tall that they just wont come down.
Yesterday to my surprise our pastor Steven Furtick, from Elevation Church, spoke on this very issue in a new series entitled, Entourage. He talked about the importance of screening those who have direct influence into our lives. He instructed us all to take out our cell phones. Then he said if they were filled with people who had our ear, but were indifferent or not aligned with God's vision for our lives, we needed to get NSYNC and say, Bye, Bye, Bye!!! I love that!
As hard as it is to reestablish new perimeters in long time relationships, I know it is necessary to be able to move into the things God has for our lives. If our relationships are of true quality then each party will have enough humility to bend and flow with the changes. The best part is that each party gets to learn something new about themselves in the process. Communication is the key, otherwise we just dance around the dead dog lying under the rug and we all know how stinky that can be.
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