Step Into Bravery

I'm convinced courage and bravery aren't character traits.  I don't think they just come naturally. Yes, some individuals just seem to have a larger dose shot into their DNA. But how did they get it? Where does it come from? And what do these two words even mean?

Both bravery and courage are acts of valor and imply a certain strength and fearlessness. However there is a slight difference between the two words.

Courage comes from the French word coeur, meaning heart. It is a quality of character that allows someone to carry through with a difficult premeditated plan of action. “Physical courage” is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, or death, while “moral courage” is the ability to act justly in the face of opposition, shame, or scandal.

Bravery, on the other hand, comes from the Spanish word bravado, meaning a single or spontaneous act of valor. It is not planned, but rather a knee-jerk reaction that often occurs within a crisis.

Courage is the decision to be brave.

Did you hear that? It is a decision, a choice.

Violent Christians

Should Christians be violent?

Last night at our women's Awakened Worship Encounter, our pastors delivered a message entitled, "The Call to Violence." In short, the theme of the message was from Matthew 11:12 and the fact that we are called to be violent contenders for our callings... mainly the call to on our lives and the kingdom of heaven.

 

The points of the message were that Violent Ones: 1) Keep themselves from offense, 2) Contend for the faith, and 3) Prosper during oppression.

 

I have been doing a word study on The Lord's Prayer and had already been looking at the meanings of "kingdom." So this morning, I began with a word study on "violence" and ended up right back at "kingdom" as I pressed through some of the message.

 

HERE IS WHAT I WANT TO SHARE...

I Want God

I am privileged to get to be part of Lisa Whittle's book launch of her latest book, "I Want God." I have to say, the words within this book are part of the reason you are finding my words on the screen in front of you. The deep revival that is brewing in my soul is partly because of this book and ALL because of God's timeliness.

It is with great honor I will get to share her words of inspiration and how they are playing a role in my spiritual journey toward revival as well. Tonight a friend treated me to a meal out before our women's service at our main campus of The Refuge. The coolest thing about it...

Depressed? Need Revival?

It's been a LONG while since I have written a post. Life has been chaotic and crazy. There have been defeats, disappointments, and distractions. God is renewing my heart to focus on HIS ministry and mission for my life and I am finding revival in my heart day by day. 

I have kind of avoided all the talk about Robin Williams, just because I would much rather promote God than a celebrity. BUT.. it is true that so many deal with hidden issues that is just too hard, shameful, embarrassing, or just too much a sign of weakness to share.

Perseverance

What is perseverance? Do you have it? Why is it important in our spiritual life? Before we jump back into our Bible study, let's look at Webster's definition of perseverance.

perseverance:
the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult : continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition

So what does this have to do with our Christian lives, much less celebrating our trials like we talked about last week? Let's dig in to James 1:2-4 and find out more.

Trials

Trials... Are you facing any today? Yay! So let's celebrate them.

"WHAT?" I hear you saying it already. "Why in the world would I celebrate my trials?"

The answer... it's Biblical.

Let's get started in the book of James again and see what I am talking about. Grab your Bible, a notebook or your Scripture Study Worksheet, and a pen so we can start digging into this crazy idea of celebrating our trials.

Trials, Perseverance and Wisdom

Are you facing trials? Is your faith being tested? Do you feel like you are lacking in wisdom? Many of us face those challenges on a regular basis. Today we begin our Bible study in James which will begin to show us how to face those challenges and grow in the wisdom and security of Christ. This is going to be your opportunity to SLOWLY learn, not just more about the Word, but how to dig into it more deeply.

More Bible Study Resources

Are you ready to start digging into the scripture? Does your spirit jump with excitement as you begin thinking about being one on one with the Creator of our Destiny? I'm so excited to introduce you to a few more tools that will hopefully make this study, not only a more enjoyable experience, but also help you establish a pattern of study that you can pass down for generations to come.

I hope you have taken the time this week to start looking over the Bible Hub site I introduced you to in the last post. It is really amazing all the tools that are available to us. I truly believe now is the time to start utilizing these resources before they become threatened by Satan's attack on Christianity and our religious freedoms.

Bible Study Resources

Are you ready to dig into the book of James? Before we get started on our Bible study, I want to share as many of the resources that I can with you, so that you can start becoming familiar with them as well. Don't be alarmed, it won't be as hard as you might think... especially if you grew up as I did.

I can remember my mom preparing for her Sunday school lesson when I was little. She would have stacks of books laying around the bed: commentaries, Bible dictionaries, atlases, the lesson quarterly, etc. I wondered how in the world she could ever figure out how to use all those resources to get the information she needed. Thankfully, we live in the generation of the internet and instant access to a vast number of FREE tools.

The Dummies Guide to Being a Christian

There are "Dummies" guides out there for everything. We are familiar with the yellow and black manuals that tell us step by step processes for whatever it is we need to learn, know about, repair...whatever we need to be informed about, there is a "Dummies" guide for it. Wouldn't it be wise, if I want to learn how to be a better Christian, to get my hands on one of those books?

That may be harder than you think. The picture you see here isn't an actual book, but a Photoshop creation. Yes, there are book on Christianity for Dummies, etc... but why go to a book like that when we can consult a better source?

Seasons of Silence

Have you ever felt like you were at a loss for words? …or at least when it was important? I tend to have plenty to say in the unimportant moments. Yes, those moments seem important to me. I am defending my actions, declaring my rights, or proclaiming my views. But, are those really the important moments. Are those maybe the moments I need to learn to embrace a season of silence instead?

Who? Where? What? When?

Who am I? Where am I going? What is my purpose? When will I ever figure it out? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? If so you are not alone. I think that at some point, if not many points in our life,especially the New Year, we all ask ourselves these questions. Maybe part of the problem is that we are not asking the right person. Maybe instead of asking ourselves, we need to focus more on God's answers to those questions.

Who am I? Oh, I can tell you my name, who my parents are, and even my worst qualities... but does that really define who I am? I'm learning more and more to look for the answers in the best guide book ever written. So, let's see what God's answer is to this question and the others as well.

What If?

What if I lose my house? What if my kids get hurt? What if he never talks to me again? What if... what if? Do you live in fear of the "What ifs" of life?

I, too, struggle sometimes with the "What ifs" of life. The most recent "what if" has become so haunting, it almost makes me sick to think about it. It isn't that I don't trust God, but I fear getting to the point that it is too hard and I somehow stop trusting. What if I am not strong enough during the next trial?

Writer's Block

I really don't know what to say. Those who know me are probably dying laughing or fallen over in shock at the very utterance of those words from this gal. But it is true. As much as my desire has been overwhelming to be in ministry and do what I know I am called to do... my lack of knowing what to say or write on a blog has been equally overwhelming.

I don't understand it, but it has kept me from posting to SHINE. And that alone, frustrates me and makes me feel inadequate. I am so tired of feeling like I am inconsistent. Yet, once again, I will say as I have numerous times before... I just want to be REAL. I hear it already... how can you all be sure I am real if you never hear from me. :( Sad face.

Confirmation: A Follow-up to "For Better or Worse"

Can I just say, I LOVE how my God works!!! If you haven't read the previous post, "For Better or Worse," read it before you read this one.

Just after posting, I was doing my normal morning routine of prayer and then opening my Bible asking God to show me what He had for me today. And, of course, in His faithfulness, I opened the scripture to Lamentations. Chapter 2 and 3 give good context, but I want to especially show you how God's Word is so in touch with where we are.

Remember the "hope" I spoke about in the last post? Listen to Lamentations 3:19-32, taken from The Message:

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all-oh, how well I remember-the feeling of hitting bottom. But there's one thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope.

For Better or Worse

Many people don’t even know it yet, but a month ago my husband left me. The details aren’t important for anyone but us, but I have to say, this has been one of the hardest months of my entire life. Every moment seems to be interrupted with “WHY?” We would have celebrated our one year wedding anniversary in just one more month. How in the world could something like this happen?



The details of my relationship and how we got to this point are not what is important. The important thing is what God has been teaching me through all this. And let me tell you, it has been quite a bit. Trust, faith, forgiveness, SELF-CONTROL…all lessons I apparently need to learn.


As I sat in my new favorite chair this morning having my little mind prayer with God, (you know where you really aren’t saying anything, but your thinking and expect God to know you are talking to Him) I looked up and saw the picture hanging over our bed. It is from our wedding day. We are looking in each other’s eyes as if couldn’t take our eyes off each other. The love we shared just seems to radiate through the picture. Again the thoughts flooded my mind, “What happened?”

Dwindle or Shine

Forgive me friends for not posting the past few weeks. Life has, yet again, thrown me quite a few curve balls. It seems just when you sit down and sigh, "Finally, my life is settling," that it is in what seems to be uproar again. Many of you know the feeling. I am seeing more and more that it isn't just my crazy life, but the craziness of life in general. If I am going to be completely honest, it isn't even about that, especially for those of us who are Christians. I am seeing more and more that those things we want to call "crazy", or "bad luck", or even "dysfunction" are proof of the time and place we are living.

God is making me more and more aware that this life isn't about us. The more we focus on us, the more we are missing what all this "craziness" is all about. We are made in the image of God. There is nothing else Satan wants to do more than to ruin other people's image of God. When non-believers look on our lives they are looking to see if our fire for Christ dwindles or shines. We aren't here on earth for our own agendas. We are here to be the image of Christ.

There is so much I want to share... my thoughts are so scattered...but, I want you to know that just because I don't make a post every week, or even ever again (which is DEFINITELY NOT my plan) that whatever you are going through... it isn't about you!

Why Do You Read the Bible?

Why do you read the Bible? It almost seems like one of those, "stupid" questions because everyone knows the answer. But, do you?

Even as I pose the question, I have to stop...

What is my answer?........................ What IS my answer?.................................. What is YOUR answer?...
Now, I know you are waiting for my answer...aren't you? The Bible was God's gift to us; a kind of glimpse into the heart of God. But, are we really valuing it as such?

What's Your Season?

Just the title brings a melody to mind. "To everything... turn, turn, turn. There is a season...." As I post to SHINE for the first time in over a year, these words come immediately to heart. If you have followed SHINE in the past, you know that I have been very open and honest about the joys, sorrows, triumphs, and struggles of my spiritual life. Abandoning SHINE or the ministry I know God has for me in it, has never been my intention. But of course, as Satan is the supreme accuser...my first thought would be of guilt and shame that I could not be consistent throughout this past year with SHINE. Thus, the song running through my head: "To everything.... there is a season."

Where Does Your Light Shine?

I normally keep a flashlight in the "junk" drawer so that I can grab it easily if I need it. Usually the only time I need to grab it is during a power outage when it get's dark or if the kids have a sore throat and I need to inspect the "damage." The other day, my friend was visiting when her battery went dead. It was late and when her hubby came to the rescue, he of course wanted to use my flashlight. I went to the junk drawer to retrieve it from it's normal spot, only to find it was missing. Apparently, the girls had been playing with the flashlight again, and didn't put it up.

What does this have to do with anything spiritual?