I Believe, Help My Unbelief

There is great power in words. Do you prayers start off like this? "Dear Lord, if you can..." or "Heavenly Father if you will..."

Is Fear Your Idol?

Is fear your idol? As ridiculous as that sounds, many of us are unknowingly allowing fear to become idols in our life.

I sit looking at a list of bills that are bigger than I am. My days have been full of worry, frustration, and pure exhaustion from try to

PJ Party: Your WIll Be Done

When you pray, do you approach prayer with seeking God's will? Jesus gave us the example of the Lord's prayer for a reason. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done..... Are you seeking God's will in your prayers? Or maybe your own? Join us as we share about this principle in our prayer lives.

Trying it a different way tonight... YouTube just isn't processing it right. Hope it works!

PJ Party: Names of God

Ah... I am late getting to the party!! Nothing unusual! You would think that I could do better virtually. Learn how knowing the names of God can enhance your prayer life. I hope you all will share how knowing specific names of God help you in your prayer life as well.

What to Wear? The Daily Saga

It doesn't matter how full my closet is, it seems like every morning I enter the same saga...WHAT TO WEAR? Maybe part of the problem is that I have too many blouses hanging in my closet, or not enough pants to have variety. It might be because I feel too fat, or look too slouchy. Whatever the reason, it seems the "what to wear" dilemma  faces me most every morning.

How many mornings have you left out the door with a pile of clothes on the end of your bed that you spent 30 minutes putting on and taking off only to find you have NOTHING to wear? I know you all aren't like that. Some of you are decisive and can rattle off your entire wardrobe "menu", and others of you, one I can think of in particular (smiles, cause you know who you are), that will pull out whatever is clean and hanging in front of your eyes. No matter what, our wardrobe in generally important to us all. From the jewelry we wear to the shoes on our feet... we take great care to look good. I don't know many ladies who don't WANT to look good.

I received a promise verse at the She Speaks training that I went to a few weeks ago. My goal is to memorize it, and you would think I would have/ could have done that by now.. but anyway. I have been chewing on this verse for a while now and it just hit me tonight how much I spend on my physical wardrobe in comparison to my spiritual one.

The verse was Colossians 3:11-12, "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

What am I wearing? Mercy? Kindness? Humility? Gentleness? Patience? Forgiveness? I must say, I don't look in the mirror every morning looking to see if those things are in the right place like I do my wardrobe. Are they looking good on me? Or a little sloppy? Am I accessorizing kindness by handing the  lady at the drive-thru an extra $5 so she can buy her lunch? Am I adorning my hands with gentleness by tenderly kissing my sleeping children on the foreheads? Am I sliding my feet into humility as I let the man behind me in the grocery store go first because he looks like he has had a bad day? Am I throwing forgiveness over my shoulder and stuffing all the hurt into God's designer bag to carry for me?

If only, I made it a habit to spend the same amount of time, put the same amount of care, invest the same amount of money into putting on these spiritual clothes!

Are you having trouble figuring out what to wear spiritually? It shouldn't be a saga, it should be a delight. You know, I think every little girl wants to be a model at some point in her life, but very few of us have the ability (or the beauty) to do so.. but we can all still be models. Be a model for God. Walk down the runway of life with your head held high and strutting the beautiful clothing from the ultimate designer. Talking about BRAND NAME!!!

When you wake up in the morning, clothe yourself with more than just those trendy, or comfy clothes hanging in your closet. Put on your tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. Then, look in the mirror and see the shining star God has made you to be. Strut your stuff girl! God is watching, and so is someone who needs to see Him through you!

Progress..Where Does It Need to Be?

Progress! It is a good thing. Yet, so often we are so down on ourselves that we are blinded to our own progress. Do you think maybe it is because we are striving so badly for perfection instead? Do you think that we are looking so deeply for perfection that the progress just becomes oversight?

Let me just give you an example. I have been so discouraged that my posts to SHINE haven't been more frequent. I know I have a busy schedule, etc., but I just feel so inconsistent. I want to do it ALL right. So as I was looking around on the blog to make some the changes that need to be made, I realized that I have made 65 posts since 2008. That doesn't seem like much, but the cool part of it was that the number has increased. It hasn't been a lot... but it has been more each year.

2008= 20 posts

2009= 24 posts

2010= 25 posts... and the year isn't over yet.

You see, God so generously showed me that I AM MAKING PROGRESS!

Now, there are a million things that I need to grow in. I need to be more disciplined. I need better motivation. I need more energy. I need to be better organized. Oh yes, I have made progress in each of those areas, I see now... but I haven't attained a level I where am content yet. And, each of those areas spill over into my spiritual life.

Here is something God showed me the other day. We get so busy trying to do EVERYTHING that we never focus on one thing long enough to master it. We are all so should I say, "spiritually ADD," that we hop from one area to another without ever finding victory in any.

The one area I think God wants me to work on is consistency... isn't that funny considering my worries with this blog! However, I prayed that God would show me the one area that needs work where all the other areas will fall into place... and CONSISTENCY was it for me.

So, here is my request as well as a challenge for you. Please lift me up in this area. THE REQUEST: When you think of me, see me, see a post, see the word SHINE anywhere... lift up a prayer that God will help me find consistency. THE CHALLENGE: Ask God what the one area is that you need to focus on. Then, when you figure it out, post it here so that we can keep each other lifted up in prayer.

I would love for us all to look back at this post at the end of the year and be able to use it as a measuring tool of the progress God has done in our lives! What is your need? Let's lift each other up and remember that it isn't about perfection, it's about the progress!

Another God Name: Coach

I am a Facebookaholic. My favorite way to keep up with friend is to go to my home page and see what everyone is doing. Many times this not only helps me stay in touch with my friends but know how to pray for them. Often I will get encouragements from a quote or inspiration someone has posted.

Yesterday my heart was blessed as I watched our pastor sending posts every 15 minutes or so on how his daughter was doing through labor. He was the picture of a proud father and soon to be grandfather. He was making updates via twitter. This is a rundown of how it went:

“I'm at the hospital now. Worth, my grandson will be here soon. Pushing starts any minute now.”

“The Dr. just came in and said she would come back in 30 mins and have her start pushing then.”

“Pushing is on but the Dr is trying to decide if she will continue or take a break. More to come...”

“I'm so proud of my girl! She's doing awesome!! And Coach Mel is rockin' too.”

“It is on like Donkey Kong! He'll be here soon.”

“7lbs, 2oz, 21 inches long with a head full of hair.”

“Check out my grandson!” with a link to his twitter photo account.

You could just hear the excitement and pride in his voice. Obviously he was there right by his daughter’s side every step of the way. As I read his posts God gave me a vision of how He is with us.

You see, I have seen our pastor’s daughter over the past few weeks and she has been the typical “ready to pop” woman in expectancy. I remember those days.. just waiting! And then the moment for delivery comes.. so exciting, but a true effort. Painful! Exciting! Exhausting! At some points you just want to quit and have the pain over. If I hadn’t had coaching while I was in labor, I don’t know I could have made it through so successfully.

Now back to my point, as I saw our pastor’s excitement, I was reminded of God’s excitement and pride in us, His children. When He births something in us, sometimes the process is long and exhausting. Sometimes we just want to give up. But our FATHER... our COACH... is right there by our side giving us strength. Sending out updates to those who care about us so they can remember us in prayer. He is excited as we PUSH through toward His calling. He is proud as we birth the beautiful gifts He has given us. He is RIGHT BY OUR SIDE every step of the way giving us encouragement.

What are you about to birth? What has been developing inside of you? Is it time to PUSH and let God hold your hand as you labor toward delivering the beautiful gift inside of you? Let God hold your hand. Let Him be your Coach. And let Him brag on his child and the wonderful job you are doing!

Wasted Library

A dear friend and I have been working on a project that requires quite a bit of research. One of the things we have been doing is searching the goodwill and bookstores for hidden treasures of books on the subjects we are working on. We have been amazed at how many books we have found with extraordinary content. The most amazing things about the books is that most of them look as if they have never been touched.

Some of the books we have found have a bit of highlighting in them. Many of them have had the owners' name written in the front. A great deal of them will have a note, greeting card, or even a picture tucked away and forgotten between the pages. Still, many of them seem to have just been part of a wasted library and finally handed off to a bargain or thrift shop.

We decided that we would make an inventory of the books we have between us. That way we have an idea of all the resources we have. As I sat last night typing up my inventory, I realized that I have a wasted library as well. Many of the books on my own shelves are untouched, barely read, and sitting waiting to inspire and enlighten me. What a waste!

This morning God spoke to me about another "wasted library" in so many of our lives. This library is contained in one book and has a the best resources available to us. Are you following me yet? How many of you have access to this amazing library, but yet are letting it waste away? Yes, I think you know what I am talking about... it is YOUR Bible! Are you pages worn out and highlighted? Or, do you just have your name written in it to show you own access to it just in case you need it? Do you use it to tuck away special notes, pictures, and even obituaries of special people? Is your library in use?

God really pricked my heart this morning about this amazing resource that is so readily available to us all. It is full of romance, drama, self-help, motivation, mystery, action, history! Yet, we are letting this wonderful library He has given us go to waste! I challenge you today... open up this beautiful book and see what inspiration is there waiting just for you!

Take time right now. Grab your Bible. Close your eyes. Ask God to show you a beautiful story. Open your Bible. Discover the story God has for you today. No more wasted libraries!!!

Blind Faith

I was driving down the interstate a week or so ago... listening to my praise music and having my morning conversation with God. My Daddy (God) and I were having this discussion on how I really did believe Him, I just didn't trust my own judgement in knowing WHEN it was Him talking and when it was my own thoughts and desires.

I have struggled in my christian walk in the area of knowing God's voice. I want so passionately to serve God and to do His will that I get so wrapped up in the possibility of missing His will, it is almost like I can't even discern it. I have recently learned in a class I am taking at church that one of Satan's best weapons is demonic oppression. Now that isn't some big evil demon looming like a black cloud over you and some of you may think. Demonic oppression is when Satan uses your own voice to condemn you with the things that used to be true about you or you believe to be true about you. WOW... boy, that makes me think about what they say about you aren't crazy for talking to yourself, but it's when you answer yourself that we get worried!

Anyway... so obviously Satan was trying to oppress me. He knows that I WANT to hear God's voice. He knows that I was hearing God's voice. He knows that I was going to listen to God's voice. So now, his only option in order to keep me oppressed was to confuse me with my own voice, wondering if I was really hearing God or if it was Christina talking.

So, here I am driving along talking to God about just learning to believe Him. (You see my issue isn't believing He CAN do something, it is believing that He WANTS to do it for me.) I was trying to convince God that it wasn't an issue of faith. "I trust you God. I really do!"

THEN CLOSE YOUR EYES!!!

"What? Close my eyes Lord? Are you crazy? I am driving! There is a tractor trailer on each side of me! I will let you drive me Lord... but I would be INSANE to close my eyes! What if I drove off the side of the road? What if I wrecked? What would people say? I can just hear my mother now. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?"

IF YOU TRUST ME AS MUCH AS YOU SAY YOU DO CLOSE YOUR EYES!!!

Do you see what was happening? God wasn't wanting me to close my eyes physically, although, if He had told me to close them... He WOULD have taken care of me. Here is what God wanted me to see. He doesn't want me to sit in the passenger seat as He drives me through life. That's too easy.. that really isn't faith. I KNOW God knows what HE is doing. What God wants me to do is take the wheel of my life. He wants me to let Him sit right there in the passengers seat. Then, he wants me to sit there, put the car in drive and drive. There are times, He is going to say, "CLOSE YOUR EYES CHILD AND LISTEN TO MY VOICE. I AM GIVING THE DIRECTIONS NOW." Can you imagine having SO much trust in someone that you would drive a car on the interstate with your eyes closed and trust that they could get you to your destination safely?

What is it that you are dealing with today? Do you have BLIND FAITH? God is right beside you. He wants you to know His voice. He wants you to trust HIS voice. If you can trust a GPS to give you the best route to a destination why now use your spiritual GPS ... God Plain & Simple! He WANTS you to drive. He just wants you to listen to Him and be able to close your eyes and trust His direction.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He WILL direct your paths." Let God direct your paths today. Have enough Blind Faith to know it is Him.

SHINE Challenge: Day... I HAVE NO IDEA

Yes, it is pitiful! You haven't heard from me in over a week and I really don't know what day of the challenge it is. 

Have I completely dropped out of the challenge? No, I am still reading. But as always, I am going to be honest... I have fallen so far behind. I haven't read every day. And, I have let so many other things that aren't important take up the time I should have spent with God. Am I the only one? Do you do this too? Is it just part of being human?

You know we are on a journey. We are not going to find perfection until we end up at the gates of heaven. One thing I have found with my Heavenly Father is that He is so forgiving and merciful. He wants us to just commune with Him. 

I was thinking about my youngest daughter this morning and it really convicted me in my spiritual life and my relationship with God. Every morning, before she will go get ready, she MUST have her "mommy time". She jumps up in bed with me, wraps her arms around me, and snuggles up close. It is normally followed with a big kiss and lots of I love you's. I absolutely ADORE this time with her. I miss it when something happens that we aren't able to have this special time in the mornings. It is one of the most precious treasures I will ever have.  And, one thing is for sure... whether it is for 2 minutes or 2 hours..... I treasure this time with all my heart and definitely am assured of my daughter's love for me.

I need to start my day with some "Daddy Time." Every day I need to snuggle up close to my Abba Father and relish in His love. If it is a 2 minute prayer of thanksgiving for the day, or a 2 hour pow-wow about all that life has that troubles me.... HE RELISHES THAT TIME WITH ME!

How many people do you know that just honestly want to give you their undivided attention 24/7? Are you like me and at times crave the attention of someone who truly loves you? Don't forget that someone is right by your side. He is just waiting for you to spend some "Daddy Time" with Him.

No, I am not doing great on my challenge... but I do intend to complete it. More importantly than that, I plan to spend a little bit of  "Daddy Time" with my Heavenly Father EVERY day! How about you?

SHINE Challenge: Day 7

I can't believe a week has passed already! How are you doing with your reading?  I have been reading everyday, but once you fall behind, it seems almost impossible to catch up. Especially when you don't make it a priority. I need some encouragement to stick with it. Is anyone else feeling that way?

It isn't that I don't want to read... cause that I am enjoying so much! I think it is more the guilt of actually seeing how many things I can end up putting before my time with God. It can be very discouraging to realize that you could be putting forth a better effort to keep a commitment to God.

I just want you to know if I don't post in the next day or so, it isn't that I am not reading or I have given up. Apparently, someone opened my phone bill and didn't put it in my mailbox until late today and my bill is OVERDUE. Ugh! So first thing in the morning I have to hope and pray I get to it in time.

I want each of you to realize something that I am showing you the perfect example of... it doesn't matter what it is... if you are trying to do something for God, every distraction will suddenly appear in your life to throw you off track. Be prepared for that. Take on the full armor of God and plunge forward! (I am preaching to myself, by the way, if you haven't noticed.)

I look forward to hear what God is showing you through your reading! Let's keep encouraging each other.

SHINE Challenge: Day 6

And the downward spiral begins! Yes, the one thing I have promised to do is to be real with you through SHINE. It is now almost midnight and once again, I have not COMPLETED my allotted reading or made a video to post.

Today has been a very lazy day, so there really are no viable excuses. I did spend my morning in devotions. I read quite a bit of the challenge reading, but did not complete where I "should" be today. God showed me some neat things in my regular devotions that were very personal. I was able to spend some time in prayer that I normally tend to rush. So, I guess I am just still playing catch up to the schedule to complete my reading in the 90 days.

I don't want to let any of you down. I could have read everything tonight. I spent time on the computer.. yes FARM TOWN  conveniently has become addictive about the time this challenge begun. IMAGINE THAT!?!?! But don't think I sat on that all day. (Let me just justify myself a bit.. LOL) 

I was able to spend some one-on-one time with each of my kids today. I was discouraged because one-on-one time tends to become "let's argue about something" time with a teenager. But, God is helping me to take a deep breath when I would otherwise like to wring his (the teenager's, not God's) neck. 

So why didn't I finish? Well it is always interesting how something new comes along to take your attention when you are trying to do something for God. I just didn't prioritize my time like I should. I wonder if any of you struggle with that? It isn't that we consciously think someone or something else is more important than God, our time with Him, or our commitments to Him, but before we know it... the time has slipped away and He no longer ended up the priority on the list.

As I finish out this day, I hope to catch up on my reading so I won't be overwhelmed today. I also plan to really lay out this issue before God and ask for His help in making those moment decisions to put Him first. I think the thing to remember is that God just wants some time with us on a personal level. He wants us to love Him and make time for Him. Let's all try to do better at that this week.

God bless and let's keep shining! 

SHINE Challenge: Day 4

Day 4, only 86 more to go!!! I honestly am surprised to stay on track this long. I have always been bad at making commitments. PLEASE start leaving comments and let us know how you are doing. The more you participate, the more it will inspire us all to keep going.

Remember, this isn't a competition. We are here to encourage each other to keep the faith and grow closer to God as we learn more about Him in His word. Keep up the good work.

SHINE Challenge: Day 3

OK.... I am tired! And NO, I haven't completed my reading yet... so what's the deal? Watch this video and find out more:

Repeat Offenders

Are you a repeat offender? Do you look down on those who are? You know, it is very easy for us to look at the lives of others and see all the areas where they continue to screw up. I know I have been guilty of looking at someone else and wonder how in the world they can continue to mess up over and over again in the same area... all the while, I do the exact same thing. 

Or maybe you are like me and just can't seem to forgive yourself when you struggle or slip in a specific area. "I should do better than that." "How can I claim to be a Christian and still struggle in that area?" "How can God forgive me when I continue to make the same mistakes?" "I'll never be what God intended for me to be!"

As I have started this 90 day reading challenge, it has been so exciting to see things that I had never really noticed before. I knew about Abram telling Sarai to say she was his sister when they were visiting Egypt; but I didn't realize this happened at another instance.  Abraham and Sara were actually repeat offenders. Later on in Genesis 20, Abraham and Sarah do the same thing with King Abimelech.

You know, I wouldn't have thought as much about this, except this instance was after God's covenant with Abraham. It was after their names had been changed. This was after Abraham believed God's promise and it was credited to him as righteousness! You see we aren't talking about a sinful man here. We aren't talking about someone choosing to live in sin. We are talking about a man who later on in the book of Hebrews is exemplified as great man of faith. 

Are you a repeat offender? Do you feel like you have fallen short and may never amount to anything because of your struggle with a particular sin? Does Satan try to convince you that you may as well give up?

If you are struggling with your own inadequacies, I want you to go and read the stories of Abraham in the Bible. Look at the ups and downs of his life and his obedience. Even after all this, Abraham is a considered a great man of faith. His story continues to be an example even after all these years. You are only as inadequate as Satan can make you feel.

If you are a repeat offender, take hold of your circumstances today. BELIEVE GOD, just like Abraham, and continue serving Him. Don't let Satan's lies keep you from finding strength in the faith of trusting God to forgive.

We all have areas where we struggle with sin. If you don't

SHINE Challenge: Day 1

Well, this post may not be on by midnight, but my reading was completed today. I can't wait to share some insights tomorrow. Maybe some of you will even beat me to it. Thanks for viewing and you join our cause on facebook now too!

Looking back

Let's not even talk about how long it has been since my last post. If you are learning anything about my humanity, it is that I am NOT very consistent. Good thing I am not getting paid to be routine with this... boy would I be in trouble! We'll talk about what God just said to me about that another time... Man is He good at convicting us in a heartbeat!

Facebook has been a great way for so many of us to WASTE hours and hours! Do I hear an AMEN? But, the one nice thing about it is finding old friends. This week a dear friend from elementary school found me. It is amazing how we can just pick up right where we left off. I am not so sure her husband is glad she found me, cause I think she may have woke him up laughing at my report of some past shenanigans. We were able to give each other a little history of all the things that have happened to us: marriage, kids, what we are doing, spiritual life. It was so nice to feel that connection again.

As we were talking about some things, talk of our past mistakes and orneriness came up. I know, I know... it is so hard to imagine me being ornery! (Did you just roll your eyes?) Anyway... it brought to mind an important lesson. The statement was made about wishing we could go back and change those mistakes.

So many people waste time dwelling on their past mistakes. Why did I do that? How could I be so stupid? Whether the mistake was 18 years ago or 18 minutes ago, we seem to carry that weight with us forever. God has given me such a peace lately about my mistakes. Yes, there are times I wish I could change them. I wonder how much happier I would be. I wonder how much more successful I would be. I wonder if!  But IF I had been different, I wouldn't be the person I am today and no one can tell if that would be a better new me or a worse new me.

God is so generous in His love for us that he "works all things out for the glory of those that love God." - even our mistakes, our regrets, and our failures! That isn't an excuse to keep on failing, but it is a freedom to move forward and stop dwelling on our past.  

You know what is so cool about Jesus? He is better than those old friends we find on facebook. We can start back right where we left off with Him... and we don't even have to catch up. He knows everything that has happened in between our mistakes. When we take the time to come back and get back in touch with Him, He is right there to start right where we left off.

I don't know where you are today. But if you are living in a "What if I would have..." state of mind. You need to quit looking behind and start thinking about what you can do with your life now. You know, my mistakes are the things that seem to make my testimony the most real-not just to other people, but to me. Start letting God show you how He is working the "mistakes" in your life out for good. You may just be surprised to see all God can do with a little ole  "failure" like you and me!