Do You Need a Talking To?

Don't you just love it when God give you a spiritual "talking to"? It's kind of like when a teacher would call you out in front of the class and point out something you were doing that you weren't supposed to? Or is it?

My God is so tender and loving. When He admonishes me, it is so direct (cause He knows that is the kind of girl I am), yet so loving and kind! This morning as I was praying about my day and some areas where I have really been struggling to accept the actions of other people, He once again, gently spoke to remap my thinking.

"Do you know the plans I have for ___________? Could it be that you are secretly wanting them to fail?"

"OH NO GOD! That isn't what I meant at all. It's just that why do things work out for those that seem to constantly be doing wrong or messing up? It just doesn't seem fair!" (Do you detect my little bit of whining there? I didn't until I just typed it!)

"My baby girl! Was it fair that I let you come back to me after the things YOU did? Is it fair that I am making a ministry out of YOUR failed life? You do not know the scheme of my plans. You do not know how I am going to gain glory. You don't know that I have planted you here for a VERY SPECIFIC purpose. Sometimes the gain of those who don't deserve it can be the gain of those who do."

Ouch!!!

BIG OUCH!!

Sometimes God has us planted in places we don't understand. I think of a plant I have sitting in my kitchen window. You know I haven't even really planted it yet. It is sitting in a mason jar of water. I can't tell you HOW long it has been there. But I have left it in that jar, partly because I am ADD. But the other reason is that I am looking for JUST THE RIGHT pot to put it in. I want to keep it in the window. I want to see it every day as I wake up. But, I want to find just the right pot that is made especially for THAT plant.

The roots on that plant have grown, just as my roots have been growing...but... it isn't root bound yet. There is still room to grow.

Are you looking at other people and thinking it isn't fair that they seem to keep screwing up and STILL reaping rewards? Is there someone you know who is really making some BAD spiritual choices, and deep down, it "gets your goat" to see those choices seem to somehow pay off for them? Or maybe you feel like you are ready for your pot?

Remember, Isaiah 58:8 says, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." He has a bigger plan. We have no idea the scheme of things in His plan.

Boldly Love On God at the Next SHINE Event!

Hello ladies! Where in the world does time go? Man, how did this month fly by and I haven't even sent out an update about the next SHINE get-together! I know with this late notice, many of you may not be able to make it... but "consistency" is the area God is working on in my personal life.

So get ready to have a great time with our wonderful sisters and SHINE!!!

This month we are going to meet at my house... GOD HELP ME!!! Or maybe I should say, "GOD HELP THEM!!!" My house is ... well it is my house, my mother would probably flip her lid if she thought I was going to invite company into it. And to be honest, a few of you may think, "What was she thinking!?!" when you come. BUT...............life is life and this is me and I am trying to do better and it takes time... yadda, yadda, yadda! No more worries, just do what God is wanting me to do!

Ok, now that that is out of the way:O)  This month we are going to learn how to BLOG: Boldly Love On God!!! And yes, that is going to be the lesson; but.... I am also going to be giving a little Blogging 101 lesson as well. For our activity this month I am going to help any of you that want to, set up your very own BLOG!!! What better way to Boldly Love On God than to share your testimony!! A blog is the perfect way to practice.

There is so much I want to tell you all, but this isa crazy busy week! So, I will leave it at that! I will have at least 3 computers available and any of you who have laptops, PLEASE bring them. I have wifi and you can get online and get those creative juices running! The event will be Saturday the 28th at 5 pm at my house. If you have to work or can't make it right at 5, don't let that stop you. There will be so much going on, you can drop in whenever you want.

There will be some LIGHT snacks. Don't know what yet, this is one of those can't wait till payday kind of weeks, so I am going to be creative! It may be bologna sandwiches or it could be something fancy. I just haven't decided yet! Just come expecting to have a good time and enjoy the presence of good, godly fun!

I love you all! If you POSSIBLY can, it is always nice to know who is and isn't coming. It just helps me plan a bit. So.. RSVP's are great, but if you don't get to it, don't EVER let that keep you from coming on and joining us!

God bless you.. remember to BOLDLY LOVE ON GOD this week!

Revelations

Please don't sigh! I know when many hear the word "Revelations" they think of the last book of the Bible that is so difficult for many to understand. It has been said that it is the most difficult book to decipher. This may be true, but I want to look at the word "revelation" and what it means. While doing this, it may actually give you some insight on howto actually understand the book of "Revelations" as well.

Our N-house cell group at church has been studying the book of Galatians. I am so enjoying Bible study and not only relishing the new insights God is giving me, but the wisdom of my brothers and sisters in Christ as they read as well.

One of the ways God has been helping me to dig deeper into His Word is to actually go back to the Greek and Hebrew to discover the true meanings of various words and how they are used. This has been so interesting. So many things have a totally different intention, or at least broader meaning than we gather by quickly reading through the scripture.

These are the verses that struck me: "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." -Galatians 1:11-12

How did Paul know the TRUE gospel? By revelation!

Now if you are like me, you probably read this and think like I did. Ok, so Paul knows that it is a true gospel cause Jesus showed it to him... he revealed it to him. God was like, "OK man... I want you to get it straight. Here is the true gospel... it is right here. I am showing it to you. I revealed it, it had nothing to do with you."

Let me share with you what I found by doing my digging:

The word "revelation" is the Greek word apokalupsis . It's actual definition means : appearing, an uncovering, revealed. It is from the word apokaluptó which means: to reveal, to uncover. Do you see that there isn't one definition to this word? It is a two fold meaning.

Here is what God showed me in this study. A revelation is two fold. #1 Appearing which was an act done by God and #2 an uncovering which was Paul’s searching for. Even the root word is two fold: uncover (I must do) and reveal (God must do).

When God truly reveals Himself to you, or when He reveals something about His word...you will get the most revelation from it when you have actually be searching for the answer. When I dig deep and try to uncover the true meaning behind the scripture, then God reveals what He really wants me to see and know.

Are you asking God for revelation on some area of your life today? Are you reading the Bible, let's just say maybe Revelations, and need to understand it better? Do you need "Revelations" in your life today?

Maybe it is time to stop waiting on God to just "magically" appear and reveal while you sit around and wait. Maybe what God is wanting you to do today is look deeper, uncover a few things for yourself so that when He does reveal something to you, you will know it is truly a revelation from Him.

It is amazing what can be revealed to you when you join forces with God and really make an effort at uncovering His Word and His will for your life!

Apple of God's Eye

You're the apple of my eye! You've heard it before. And if you have grown up in church I know you have been told that you are the apple of God's eye as well. But what does that really mean? We al know from the context of how the phrase has been used over and over again that it represents favor. But why?

If you were able to attend the last SHINE event, you already have some insight on this phrase. We were amazed the more and more we learned about this old phrase as it gave us a new meaning to God's love for us. Let me just share...

Moses talks to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 32:10 as he tells them how God has cared for them. Then, in Psalm 17:8 David asks God to keep him as the "apple of the eye" and guard him. And in Proverbs 7:2 we are told to keep God's commandments as the apple of our own eyes.

So what exactly is the apple of the eye? The Greek word used for "apple" is actually the same word for pupil. So when God tells us to guard his commandments like the apple of our eye, that means as we would protect our pupil.

Let's look and see what is so important about the pupil and why we need to protect it. Look at these interesting facts and spiritual symbolisms for the pupil.

• The pupil gets wider in the dark, but narrower in the light.
• When we are walking in the light (of Jesus) our path becomes narrower, but when we are walking in darkness... the way is wide.

• The larger the pupil, the more light can enter.
• The "larger" we grow in Christ, the more His light is able to enter.

• The pupil of the eye is the hole or the opening of the iris, through which the rays of light pass, and falling upon the retina, there depict every object in its natural color, as upon a piece of white paper.
• The more we allow God's light to shine on our life, the more we are able to see things as they really are (in their natural color).

• The pupil allows light to the retina where the image of the visual world is. The retina is like a film camera.
• What is showing on the films of your life? How much of God's light are you letting in?

• The pupil dilates in response to extreme emotional situations like fear and pain.
• Isn't it easy to shrink in our faith/confidence in God when we are dealing with extreme emotional situations as well?

There are many other facts that we discovered and shared about the pupil, but the one most interesting fact was found after our event. It is so interesting and such an example of God's love for us, that I have to share it.

The original Hebrew for this idiom was 'iyshown 'ayin (אישון עין), and can be literally translated as "Little Man of the Eye." This is a reference to the tiny reflection of yourself that you can see in other people's pupils.

[You are the Apple of God's Eye:

You are the Little Man(or Woman) of His Eye]

When God Looks at You, He Sees the reflection of himself! That was His plan. That is what it means when you hear that you are the apple of His eye. Now here is the hard question... ARE YOU? Can He see His reflection on your life? Are you mirroring Jesus?

God loves us so much. We are the apples of His eye.. but He also wants us to hold His commands as the apple of our eyes as well. Let's think about the wonderful love God has for us and learn to have a love relationship with Him. He promises to love and protect us as the apple of His eye, and we must love right back by protecting His commands as the apple of ours.

How Do You Feel?

How do you feel? Do you feel like a Christian? I woke up this morning and I don't really "feel" like a Christian. What is a Christian supposed to feel like? I guess that is a pretty good question. Shouldn't a Christian "feel" happy and joyful? Maybe a Christian should "feel" successful, animated, ready to tackle the world? Is it ok for a Christian to "feel" tired and lifeless? Can a Christian "feel" depressed? What's wrong with me if I am having those feelings? What's wrong with you if you are having those "feelings"? Does it really even mean something IS wrong?

I can honestly tell you that I don't know the answer to most of those questions. GASP!!! I know someone in ministry that doesn't know the answer to the questions we have. (Feel my sarcasm there.) As I was praying over that question, I decided to do a search on the word "feel" in the Bible. I checked my trusty BibleGateway and searched for the word "feel" or derivatives of it in the NIV. Do you know I only found the word "feel" 26 times? And the amazing thing about it is, I checked the word "know" as well... it was listed 1161 times!!

So what does that have to do with anything? I think it is something for us to think about. We get so hung up on "feeling" like a Christian.. or NOT feeling like a Christian, that we forget it isn't about how we feel, but what we know. 2 Timothy 1:12 puts it all in perspective for us. It says:

"...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

Are you feeling BLAH today? Are you questioning your salvation because Satan is sitting there lying to you? Are you hearing a whisper in your ear that says, "A Christian shouldn't be THAT tired!" or "A Christian wouldn't be depressed."? WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN FEEL LIKE? Quit worrying about how you should feel and bank on what you KNOW! If you have asked God to forgive you for your sins; if you believe in Him and that Jesus died on the cross for you; if you want to hand your life over to the control of the Holy Spirit... then just rest in KNOWING that you are a Christian. KNOW in whom you BELIEVE and be CONVINCED that HE is able to GUARD what you have entrusted to HIM. You may feel bad, but you can KNOW He is in control of your life today! Don't rest in what you FEEL, rest in what you KNOW!

Centered

Centered... focussed... balanced... all words an ADD woman like me can't seem to get a grip on. Finding the peace of being in the center of God's will, focussed on His direction on my life, and balanced between spirit living and flesh living seems more of a battle than anything else.

Lately I have been under a lot of stress. Probably a good amount of it is self-induced, but nevertheless, stress is stress! I spent the entire night itching for no reason. I tossed and turned. My mind ran endlessly on the things going on in my life. Should I have done this? How do I know the right decision about that? Where should I go? Wonder if I would have done something differently, would things be different? You know how it is.

As a dear friend on facebook sent me a "Praying for You" message, God showed me something. I have been so stressed out about the fear of NOT being in the center of His will. I battle between worrying if something is God's will or just something I personally would like. Is it the Spirit leading? Or is this a fleshly desire? My balance, focus, and peace is totally destroyed.

What God showed me is pretty simple. Instead of being in an uproar about being in the center of His will, I need to just allow myself to rest in His hand. Now I am not saying I don't want to be in the center of His will; but if I am resting in the center of His hand.. then I am also going to be in the center of His will.

Being a who God wants us to be, isn't as difficult as we make it out to be. We just have to rest in God. He sent Jesus to be our Savior. When I think about being in the center of God's hand, I have this visual that just brings me to tears. I think of Jesus and the nail wholes in His hand. If I am in the center of His huge hands... I am sitting right in the scars of the holes in His hands. I can almost see the skin of his hands as a wall around me. I wish I could describe it as beautifully as I see it. Such a place of protection, yet a place to constantly see the pain He bore to love us.

Today... why don't you try to be centered. Quit working so hard to find the center of God's will and just rest in the center of His loving nail scarred hands.

Follow Through

I can't tell you how good it feels to follow through. I posted a video earlier this evening even though I hadn't done my daily reading. I felt horrible. I didn't feel like reading and I knew my body was just exhausted. Do you ever feel like that? There is something you KNOW God wants you to do; but you are just so overwhelmed, tired, or even distracted that you find it impossible.

You know. A lot of times we make a commitment and then when we feel like we can't follow through we just give up. Tonight... I wanted to give up on my challenge. Just as I was being honest in my video about how I felt, I began to be charged about keeping my commitment. Was I still tired? YES!!! Did I still need to rest? YES!!! Did I have to make adjustments to my evening? YES!!! 

Here is what I want you to think about. We make lots of commitments in our lives. We make family commitments, work commitments, commitments at church, and commitments to God. I think sometimes we make so many commitments and get so overwhelmed with trying to follow through, that we kill ourselves and come to resent the very commitment we made.

As I thought about the chore of doing my reading tonight, I almost became angry that I had made another commitment knowing there was NO WAY I would ever be able to read this much in such a short time period. The more angry I became (and it was a self-anger) the worse I felt and the more I felt like giving up.

Now stop a minute and think. God loves us! What good is reading through the Bible in 90 days or anything else we may commit ourselves to if in the long run we resent it?!? It was ok for me to rest first. It was ok for me to have my kids fend for themselves for supper. It was ok for me to just go on to bed. It was ok for me to know my own limitations.

Here's where the commitment comes in. If I would have just done all those things and disregarded my commitment, THEN God would have been disappointed. But... I just had to find a way to make adaptations. I had to work a little harder at following through. I had to set my alarm for 10:30 to get up. I had to STOP pushing snooze. I had to get up out of the bed. I had to sit in front of the air conditioner to stay awake to read at first. I HAD TO MAKE AN EFFORT! and WANT to keep my commitment... even through the tough part.

You know what the coolest thing about it was? I ENJOYED IT!!!! I read my allotted pages in record time because I was enjoying so much. I even laughed out loud at some of the stories I read tonight! And to be honest, even though it is midnight, I may keep on reading. God's Word is becoming so interesting... even the genealogies!

I know this commitment isn't easy. Any commitment you make to God is going to be a challenge. WHY? Because Satan hates to see us keep our commitments to God and make Him happy! Keep hanging in there. Don't give yourself freedom to fail. As I laid down I prayed that I would have the will power to get up when my alarm sounded. I also proclaimed out loud the Word of God, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Nothing defeats Satan more than speaking the Word of God against him.

It is time to Follow Through. Keep on reading and keep on SHINING!

Growth Spurts and Growing Pains

Growth is so amazing. We have a tomato plant my daughter brought home from school growing in our sink. Yes.. in our sink. I am very lazy and haven’t planted it outside yet. So, it is in a tiny little pot sitting in our sink. It has been amazing to watch it grow.

The girls thought it was so cool as I would turn the vine away from the sun in the morning only to find it growing right back in that direction by the end of the day. It has been cool to watch it start to wilt on the days I forget to water it, then come back to life after it gets a few good gulps from watering. Today we saw the first few buds pop out. It seems like it just grew over night.

I could say the same about my kids. My son, now taller than me, seems like he has grown 6 inches in the past year. I guess that may have something to do with why it feels like he is eating me out of house and home at times. I look at pictures from just a year or so ago and wonder what happened to my little boy. My little boy looks like a man. He likes the idea, but mama isn’t exactly thrilled when 16 year old girls ask for him to stop by and visit them at work.

On the other hand, my baby girl has been crying at night. Her feet hurt and the middle daughter complains of her legs hurting. We all know of these infamous “growing pains.” I remember spending nights as a little girl rubbing my legs because the hurt so bad from the bones and muscles stretching with growth.

Growth does amazing things to plants, teenage boys, and pretty little girls. Growth also does some neat things to this mama’s spiritual growth. Funny… I have growth spurts and lots of growing pains in my spiritual growth.

This week has been full of growing pains. I have had to face feelings, emotions, and circumstances that have just been downright painful. I have had to “put on my big girl panties” -as a good friend calls it- and deal with life. Sometimes these things are spiritual and sometimes they are just part of life in general.

One thing I have learned is that no matter what you are facing in life, if you are a Christian, it is going to carry over into your spiritual life. What I have to realize is that these pains are part of the growth process. Just like I tell my little girl when she cries with her legs at night, there isn’t much I can do about it, it is just part of growing up.

I was enlightened about growth spurts too. Just like that plant in the window that withers when it isn’t getting watered. If I am not drinking from my fountain of life, I get weak and puny. But, as I begin to grow, I get hungry. I have realized that just as my 13 year old son eats and eats when he is growing, I grow and grow when I am eating from God’s word. The more I am feeding on scripture, the faster I seem to grow.

Growth is an amazing thing. It doesn’t matter if you are a little plant stuck in a kitchen sink, or a huge oak in a forest of trees. If you have the right water, food, and sunlight… you are going to grow! Sometimes that growth happens in quick spurts, and sometimes that growth is painful. The thing that matters is YOU’RE GROWING! Take a few minutes to enjoy where you are at in your own growth process today.

Welcome to SHINE

Remember the song we sang as little girls? "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine." It is time for us to start letting our lights shine!

The burdens, trials, and tribulations women face are "hiding us under a bushel," a bushel of busyness, exhaustion, responsiblities, hurts, rubble from broken lives and sin. Life is piling up on us and we are not shining through the load.

SHINE is a God given vision that has been years in the making. This is a ministry for real women. This is a place for you to be whoever you are in the moment, perfect or not. SHINE is here for you to share your stories; help each other understand and deal with current and past issues; inspire those around you; nurture those who are hurting; and educate yourself not only on God's direction in your life, but how to succeed in every are of life so you can SHINE for Him.