Mouths of Fire

I cannot express the sheer priviledge it is to be able to walk through life with such a strong group of women around me. The ways that they contribute to my life are beyond words. Well, technically it's not truly beyond words since with every post I am sharing a bit of wisdom that has been imparted to me at some point, but to be able to explain to the full extent how these women have changed my life and how they push me forward just can't be done. I have recently had the pleasure of meeting a woman who has a true gift for Scripture. She knows the perfect reference for anything you are searching for. I just love her for that. She has challenged me so much to study scripture and to pass it on to my children. She may think it's not a true "gift", but it has truly touched and changed me. This morning once again she used scriptures to change my mindset, to refocus my attention, and to begin my own personal journey of searching the Scriptures when it comes to the tongue.

"Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

I have shared openly of my struggle with my own tongue. I have challenged others, like I have challenged myself, to gentleness. I strive to remember that a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh words stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). How often do we allow ourselves to give in when our flesh is bowed up with pride, when our face is red with anger, when we feel that we just have to defend ourselves against something? We so easily give in to the harsh words that are seering into our tongue completely forgetting that we are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19).  



The tongue is like a match. Once lit it has the ability to completely destroy its surroundings (James 3:5), but it also has the ability to bring light. It is up to us what we do with our words because with our words we can bring life or we can bring death (Prov. 18:21). God created the world with His words while Satan used his words to tear it down (Gen 1-4). Whose example are we following?

Every relationship is built with words and the power of our words should never be underestimated. With our words relationships grow and flourish or with our words relationships can end. The greatest of our relationships we have here on Earth is that with our family. We should be guarding this relationship with everything we have to ensure this bond remains strong and united, but so often it is with those we should be guarding the closest that we feel the urge to let our tongue go.

I am the victim of amygdala hijack. As I shared in my gentleness challenge, I feel as if I turn into the beast from "Beauty and the Beast" almost like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How funny then that science would actually explain these feelings of anger that rise up in me almost without warning? The amygdala is the emotional center of our brain. When we are faced with a "fight or flight" situation (any situation that our brain perceives as a threat), the brain literally bypasses the cortex or the "thinking" center and goes directly to the amygdala. The hormones and adrenaline then coursing through your body make thinking of a solution impossible. Logical thinking and judgement are thrown completely out of the window.

Now that we are all coming to the realization that we all are victims of this dreadful Mr. Hyde take-over, now we can truly examine why God instructed us to be slow to speak and slow to become angry. Wouldn't it stand to reason that the Creator of the human body would understand the way that our brain is wired? Would you believe that all it takes for you to overcome amygdala is for you to literally, be slow to speak and slow to become angry? All it takes to overcome amygdala hijack is to take a deep breath and allow your brain a few seconds to send the information back to the cortex for you to actually rationalize the situation.

I love when science and Scripture align (which they do quite often if you pay attention). So the next time someone pushes our buttons or we are faced with a particularly stressful situation how are we going to choose to handle it? When someone lights a match with their words are we going to use our words to pour gasoline on the fire, or are we going to choose to snuff it out? We can stir up even more anger with our reaction or we can force that anger away.

"And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself" James 3:6. As my wise friend shared this morning, we need to be having fire drills with our family. We need to prepare ourselves and our children for how we are going to react when there is a fire in our house. It is not a matter of "if" these fires are going to come, but of "when". In fact, I foresee a lot of fires raging in my household as my children grow, become opinionated, and their hormones take over. I think we will all be wise to learn, and to teach our children, "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent." Proverbs 17:28.

You are my Everything.

When I was leading worship for our youth group, this was one of my absolute favorite songs to do. I cannot even say how many times I feel myself singing this out to God. How can we find ourselves in the presence of God and not be moved? He truly is all that we want, all we need, our everything. My hands are lifted up in praise to the God who was, who is, and who is to come! We praise you, Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth, for being absolutely, completely, 100% everything!

When people fail me, He is JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH "the Lord who is present" in Him I am never alone.
When I need Him to fight for me, He is JEHOVAH-NISSI "the Lord is my banner" in Him victory is certain.
When the trials have filled every aspect of my life, He is JEHOVAH-SHALOM "the Lord is peace" in Him there is sanity.
When there are doubts, He is EL-ROI "the strong one who sees" in Him there is comfort.
When I stray, He is JEHOVAH-ROHI "the Lord is my shepherd" in Him there is restoration and a clear path.
When I long to be everything He has called me to be, He is JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM "the Lord my sanctifier" in Him there is purpose and fullfillment.
When life seems too hard to bear, when I wonder who it is I serve, He is EL-ELYON, EL-SHADDAI, EL-OLAM "the most high God, God Almighty, the everlasting God" in Him there is no weakness.

Journey of James

I recently shared where I am in my Bible study, at a crossroads between the Word of God and the words of man. I shared my excitement with my newest Bible study and how I will be challenging myself to memorize the entire book of James along with women all over the country. So, here I go with my printed pages, my highlighter, and a mind ready to learn. I am giving myself five months to memorize it (give or take). That is a pace of one chapter a month. I chose the NASB version because I felt it was the easiest to speak and was still in keeping to the original text. Here is a quick comparison of translations. This month I will be memorizing chapter 1. I will go verse by verse, line by line. Feel free to join me if you want. I can't wait at the end of this journey to post myself reciting the entire book of James by heart!

James 1

Testing Your Faith

¹ James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

² Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹ But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

¹² Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

¹⁹ This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Though the sorrow may last for the night, hope comes in the morning...

Last night I was having one of those struggles that seems to reach into the depths of your soul. One of those struggles that seems to try to unwrap the binding God has placed on old wounds, that picks at the scabs of our almost healed heart, that pokes and prods and picks at all of our sore spots. The mistakes of the past mixed with the joy of the present and the hope of the future. It was one of those struggles that made me want to curl up in bed and not come out until it was over. One that made me want to just pray that it would go away, that it was just a bad dream. Praise God that as I woke up this morning I felt nothing but joy, nothing but peace, and nothing but hope. I woke up with this Psalm on my heart and on my lips. The Word of the Lord wrapped itself around me, covering me in truth and comfort. Sometimes it's almost silly how certain things can effect us, how they can make us feel so defeated. Sometimes I feel it's not even worth my time to dwell on it, but I cannot stop the flesh inside me from reacting so strongly. It is in those times when God binds, God heals, and God restores. So He will continue to work in me, to bring up in my life those things that are not complete, to comfort me in my weakness and show His strength.

Psalm 30

¹ I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
³ You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
⁴ Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
⁷ LORD, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
⁸ To you, LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
LORD, be my help.”
¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

God VS. Man

This morning, I posted about God's convictions on my life about reading Scripture rather than just reading man's view of Scripture. This afternoon, the affirmation and confirmation of that message was completed in my life! Amen! There has been a video going around Facebook. A video that has gotten a lot of Christians following it, saying they love it, sharing it with everyone. Honestly, until today I had not even watched the video. The video is entitled "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus." Just based on the title I KNEW that it was completely un-Biblical. Just based on the title I knew that it had been written by someone who was against "established religion" probably because he had gotten his feelings hurt by someone who claimed to be a Christian or because he saw such hypocrisy in the church that it made him hate Christianity. If only Christians really understood the way "feel good" faith really hurts those who are not believers, how it actually pushes them away rather than brings them to a true relationship with Christ. If Christians who preach grace above all else really understood the path of destruction it really takes. Preaching grace as an excuse to continue with your lifestyle, preaching grace to escape the conviction on your life, and preaching grace to make a sinner feel good about themselves so they want to become "saved" leads to nothing but false teachings like the ones presented in this video. Yes, watching this video, it's like you almost want to force yourself to agree with him because it sounds so good...

...actually, as I watched it for the first time it made me sick to my stomach. It made me sick knowing how many people have seen this video and are passing it around as truth (oh, how the great deceiver must be loving this one), knowing how it's just close enough to come across as true, but it's just not close enough to actually be truth. Click here to see a review that breaks it down line by line and why it is just not Biblical fact that is presented in this video (please take the time to read it). This is just proof of the harm that can come from listening to man's word rather than the word of God. Proof of the harm in getting caught up in something that sounds good, something that we know others will like, rather than truly comparing it to Scripture before we choose to actually listen to it. Actually, the man in the video himself after reading the review that I linked to above responded. Here is what he had to say,

"I just wanted to say I really appreciate your article man. It hit me hard. I’ll even be honest and say I agree 100%. God has been working with me in the last 6 months on loving Jesus AND loving his church. For the first few years of walking with Jesus (started in ’08) I had a warped/poor paradigm of the church and it didn’t build up, unify, or glorify His wife (the Bride). If I can be brutally honest I didn’t think this video would get much over a couple thousand views maybe, and because of that, my points/theology wasn’t as air-tight as I would’ve liked. If I redid the video tomorrow, I’d keep the overall message, but would articulate, elaborate, and expand on the parts where my words and delivery were chosen poorly… My prayer is my generation would represent Christ faithfully and not swing to the other spectrum….thankful for your words and more importantly thankful for your tone and fatherly like grace on me as my elder. Humbled. Blessed. Thankful for painful growth. Blessings."

The writer of the review had some amazing things to say about this young man,  and also about some things in our own personal lives here. I ask you to read that link as well! I have to say when it comes to this video (and everything else that circulates the social network) I'm right there with the author of these reviews when he says, "I like cool videos, but I prefer them to be true when it comes to doctrine." Amen. I hope the posts today have at least opened the door to the realization that a lot of the things we hear from man, although they may sound good, are just not Biblically accurate. And that, most of the time, we really do need to step back and actually search the Scriptures ourselves. Especially if we are going to be spreading someone else's words as Biblical truth. I'm sorry that this young man had to learn the hard way that no matter how many people are listening (or you expect to listen) you must ALWAYS make sure your theology is "air-tight". And, yes, I've made, and will make, these same mistakes, we all have. And, yes, there is grace to forgive us these mistakes. The problem is, grace does not cover the damage that this post has done to the Kingdom. The false information that it has led others to believe, the non-Christians that it actually pushed away due to the illogical statements of it all (just read the comments from non-believers about the video if you don't believe it pushed people away), the damage that it did to his own reputation when it comes to his future messages. Yes, grace does cover us when we make mistakes. Unfortunately, grace doesn't save us from the consequences our actions have on others.

 For another VERY good link about this topic you can also go here! Here is a little snippet of that post,

"Religion equals self-righteousness, moral preening, and hypocrisy. Religion is all law and no gospel. If that’s religion, then Jesus is certainly against it.

But that’s not what religion is. We can say... that’s what is has become for some people or what we understand it to be. But words still matter and we shouldn’t just define them however we want. “Jesus hates religion” communicates something that “Jesus hates self-righteousness” doesn’t. To say that Jesus hates pride and hypocrisy is old news. To say he hates religion—now, that has a kick to it. People hear “religion” and think of rules, rituals, dogma, pastors, priests, institutions. People love Oprah and the Shack and “spiritual, not religious” bumper stickers because the mood of our country is one that wants God without the strictures that come with traditional Christianity. We love the Jesus that hates religion.

The only problem is, he didn’t. Jesus was a Jew. He went to services at the synagogue. He observed Jewish holy days. He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17). He founded the church (Matt. 16:18). He established church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). He instituted a ritual meal (Matt. 26:26-28). He told his disciples to baptize people and to teach others to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). He insisted that people believe in him and believe certain things about him (John 3:16-18; 8:24). If religion is characterized by doctrine, commands, rituals, and structure, then Jesus is not your go-to guy for hating religion."

This is where I am in my life...Bible Study...

Lately, I've been feeling God's conviction...such a dreaded word...about my Bible studies. You may ask, what exactly would God convict me about when it comes to Bible studies? Yes, I was doing studies of the Bible, but even that can be done in a way that does not glorify God's will. It started out as just as a way to meet other women, for some time for the kids to play with other kids, for me to have some adult conversation. Then it turned into an easy way for me to have my daily quiet time. With daily lessons it was easy to get into the habit of my daily quiet time, it gave me something to look forward to, and it held me accountable since I had other people to talk to about it. It was great, but I started hearing God tell me, "You're not there yet." So I made sure I dug even deeper to the studies, making sure I read every Scripture that was listed with the text, made sure I did the study every day, and I was getting so much out of it. Yet again, "You're not there yet." So I began to pray why am I not there yet? What am I doing wrong? What do I need to do to get there?

A few months back some friends and I were talking, and one friend mentioned how excited people were when they handed out taped recordings of the Bible on a recent overseas trip. He told us how they would gather for hours to listen to the Word of God being read aloud to them. He said, "Maybe in church we need to just play the Scriptures aloud so that people will actually hear them, since they are not reading them." And I (well, I'm pretty sure it was God because I don't know why I would say anything like this) said, "Only if there's a Bible Study in there by Beth Moore or something. That's the only way they would even listen to Scripture." GASP. I know! I was just as surprised that it came out of my mouth as you are! I love Beth Moore, I love her studies and they bring me deeper into the Word. Why would I say that, especially about someone that I love so much, personally as well as professionally? Why would I say that about someone whom I quit my studies in college, prepared to leave family and friends, and was ready to begin my life in a completely different state, just to learn from her how to do what it is she does so many years ago? But, here I was, in a group of people, and I had just said that...out loud...yup, that's why it had to be God. The funny thing was, no one looked at me like I was as crazy as I felt for saying that. No one even acted like they heard anything as ground breaking as what I felt had just come out of my lips. A lot of them said, "You're exactly right." Then we continued with our conversation.

I'm pretty sure they didn't find it to be as earth-shattering of a confession as I did because they were not doing what I was doing. They were not depending on Beth Moore or other amazing, godly teachers to actually tell them what was in Scripture. They actually were reading the Bible on their own. They actually were studying Scriptures from their own perspective, not just a study on one aspect of certain Scriptures, they were actually asking God to reveal these things to them, and not for Beth Moore to reveal them. Don't get me wrong, Bible studies are great, but how do we study the Bible on our own without someone else telling us how to do it? Are we listening for God's revelation of Scriptures for us personally, or are we depending on what He has revealed to someone else to guide us? Am I studying God's word, or am I studying the word of someone else?

That led me to the place I came to last week. Feeling like I should maybe "give up" my Bible studies for 30 days and just purely study the scriptures. I felt like if I gave up my Bible studies then I would be totally dependant on the Bible, on God's voice to teach me, but I never had a peace about that thought. Like I've said in earlier posts, God speaks to us through peace, through affirmation, through confirmation. I just wasn't getting any of those things from this idea about a 30-day Bible study fast. I was confused if it was because I selfishly didn't want to give up my time with such wonderful friends, or if this idea, which could have so easily been something God was calling me to, was actually from the great deceiver. I decided to go to the new Bible study we started at church for our mom's group since I just wasn't feeling a continuous call from God on the 30-day fast. It is on James, so I figured that since it was focusing on a particular book of the Bible that would at least allow me to study the Bible rather than just doing a topical Bible study. But I soon learned that God would use this Bible study, and ironically enough Beth Moore herself, to fulfill this call to study the Bible itself.

Not to even get into all of the details the past several months that have been pointing me in the direction of studying Scripture, of committing it to memory, of digging so much deeper than I ever imagined, here is what is going on in the new Bible study we are working on that just brings to a conclusion all of the convictions God has been laying on my heart. The absolute most exciting thing about this Bible study is that my mommy friends all over the country have begun this study within a week or two of each other. To have women collectively studying and digging deeply into the word of God, and to be studying the same book of the Bible at the same time, I cannot even begin to imagine the party that is going on in Heaven and the anger that is going on in the heart of the deceiver. Not to mention the idea that women everywhere will be coming together to actually memorize an entire book of the Bible, it just gives me goosebumps. God has been calling me to something beyond just a Bible study and daily "homework" assignments. He's been calling me to dig into the Word and to memorize Scriptures, so imagine how shocked I was when we began discussing this new study and I learned that that was exactly what we would be doing! Of course it starts off like most of the studies we've done. It has the video of the teaching and the daily homework assignments. God does know me well enough to know that I need that for my daily discipline, and I believe Satan knows me well enough to know that if he was able to pull me away from this study that I would have fallen into a pit of despair and loneliness trying to study the scriptures on my own with no accountability (I'm so glad that I was able to recognize that God's hand was not in the doubts I had begun to have about this Bible study). But beyond the teachings and the daily accountability it goes deeper, and exactly into the areas I felt God leading me to.

After the videos and daily studies, is handwriting the book of James. That is something I had done as a child and throughout college. It is also something I have strayed from since having children because I got busy and once I started my studies I didn't even think of writing out more than the occasional verse. What a great reminder God has given me to continue to do the things that are so important to my walk, to continue through each new phase of my life, and to continue to diligently seek Him. In this study we are also given the opportunity to memorize the entire book of James as we study. What an amazing culmination of the convictions of God. And to participate in this with women that I love and who will hold me accountable is the greatest joy in all of this. I am so excited about this new study and I can't wait to continue this journey with such amazing, godly women who have supported me, guided me, and encouraged me through everything. But God's conviction about my studies (notice I said studies) did lead me to the place of having to leave one study. This study is leading me exactly where God wants me to be, whereas another study was leading me farther and farther away. It may sound odd to say that a Bible study would actually lead you away from God, but that is exactly what can happen, and it can happen for so many reasons.

I encourage you to really evaluate where your studies are leading you. What are you learning from them? Are you growing not just in your relationships with others, but growing in your relationship with God? When you finish your study can you sit back, look back on where you were before you started, and see God's handing guiding and directing you through it? And most importantly, where does your study line up with Scripture? Is it more the words of man (or woman) than the actual word of God?

A Call to Sing

Continuing on the journey about "me", I want to share one of my greatest passions. One that has nothing to do with the wife and mother in me, and one that has everything to do with the God who lives in me. Worship through music. It can literally change your entire perspective. It can make a sad spirit happy, an overwhelmed heart peaceful, and a hurting body refreshed. As a worship leader, music may be more a part of my life than most, so I'm sorry if some days it seems like I'm just taking the easy way out by posting music. It's just that, for me, music reveals so much of where my heart is at that moment. It's like the saying, "The eyes are the window to your soul," well, music is the window to my soul. I've been singing my entire life and a worship leader since high school. Leading at school, conventions, our church youth group. It was a dream, the opportunities that I had, the travel I got to do, and the people I got to meet. It's been a great aspect of my life, one of the greatest callings. To bring others into the presence of God, to be able to be so transparent, to be a part of such a personal aspect of someone else's relationship with God. To watch the faces as they cry out to God, to see the hands raised higher and higher as they try to get closer and closer to God, to see the tears as people receive forgiveness, peace, and joy that they know they do not deserve. There are times I have to just stop and bask myself in the presence of the Lord. In those times, getting just the tiniest glimpse into what Heaven will be like when all believers gather with the angels around the throne of God and cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy."

The greatest thing about worship is that it has absolutely nothing to do with you because it is 100% about God. Psalm 100 A psalm for giving grateful praise.¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. No matter what your day has been like, God is still God and He is worthy of our praise. There is never any reason not to worship God. He has granted us everything we have in our lives (James 1:17), He has provided us access to Him (John 3:16, 1 Peter 3:18, Psalm 23:6)

It is about sincerity. If my heart does not desire Him, does not desire to worship Him, does not desire to fellowship with Him, then it's just not going to happen.  Leading on Sundays for me is a reflection of my worship life throughout the week. Worship reflects where our heart is at the moment, there is no hiding our emotions. It is about welcoming the presence of the Lord, wherever you might be. Psalm 42 For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. ¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ³ My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ⁴ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. ⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God...If you have a minute to read through and reflect on the entire chapter of Psalm 42 please do. Even the spiritual giants in the Bible, like David,  felt and understood those moments when we feel so far from God.

I know it's not technically "leading worship" when it's on a blog, but here is my attempt. Join me in a song as I cry out to God...my heart's cry to Him! God, some times, most times, things are just too hard for us. We praise you and we thank you that You ARE and that You WILL. We ask you, God, to reveal Yourself to us in these moments, to wrap us in Your protection, to cover us in Your peace. What little we have left of our broken lives, we offer it up to You, God, to do with what You will...

The Great Deceiver

Tonight, as I was reading my babies their bedtime story, I suddenly remembered a status one of my friends had put up on facebook about the fall of man. It all started with a fable. Here's a recap of the story of "The Gingerbread Man"...

An old woman bakes a gingerbread man cookie. She lovingly gives him eyes, a mouth, a nose, and little buttons. She bakes him until he is perfectly done, but when she opens the door to the oven he jumps out and runs away. As he is running, he arrogantly cries out at everyone who tries to catch him, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." Finally, he comes to a river, something he knows he can't cross himself. A hungry fox is lying in wait, and offers to help the gingerbread man. He says, "Climb onto my tail and I will swim you across," so the gingerbread man does. But the water is getting too deep, so he says, "Climb onto my back and I will swim you across," so the gingerbread man climbs to the safety of the fox's back. The water begins to get even deeper, so the fox tells the gingerbread man, "Climb onto my nose and I will swim you across." Thinking he is safe, the gingerbread man does as he is told. They safely reach the other side of the river, but once they get there the fox very easily gobbles up the gingerbread man because he was right where the fox wanted him. And as the story said, "That was the end of the gingerbread man."

You probably see where I'm going with this. The old woman representing God, our loving creator, the gingerbread man is us, arrogantly running from Him to control our own lives, and the wolf representing the great deceiver himself. I love this story because it represents exactly how it is that Satan works. He is not the little devil sitting on our shoulder while the angel is on the other. "If Satan can trap and deceive our parents that walked in perfection, Adam and Eve, what makes you think he can't trap and ensnare us?" And we are not even going to get into how he had deceived the other angels who were cast from Heaven with him before man was even created. Let's just take a minute to let that settle in. Take a minute to really turn it over in your mind, in your heart, let it's words do a work in your life. When I first read this I thought, wow, I never thought about it that way before, then it began to speak to me in many different ways. How many times, when we are walking spiritually with God do we feel "protected"? Yet, Adam and Eve walked physically with our Creator, they spoke with Him face-to-face. They were still deceived by Satan. They had spiritual perfection, a sinless, physical relationship with God. Exactly what God designed us for. And yet, when Satan came to Eve she did not recognize his deception. And here we are, sinful, separated from God, surrounded by false teachings in our churches, surrounded by Christians living everything but a Christian life, but certainly we are smarter than Satan. Aren't we? Satan was able to turn angels and God's own perfect, sinless creation against God. Where do you think we fit into all of this? Are we beyond the deception of the Great Deceiver? Do we recognize the things that Satan has gotten his hands into? "Be smart, recognize the bait and the hidden hook. Renew your minds..."You can read through the Fall of Man in Genesis 3:1-24. The thing that strikes me most about Satan's deception of Eve was how he used God. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it (NIV) God created food for us, to nourish us, for our enjoyment. And, surely, He wants us to be like Him? Right? Do you know what the Scriptures say for every aspect of your life? Not just what you have been taught. Do you know what they truly say? Do you know what God's will is for your life? Not just what you feel. Do you know what His will actually is?Would you be able to recognize Satan if he came to you, not in darkness, but as an imitator of the light?

Ephesians 6:10-18
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

I Will Wait On You

Those who know me, know this has been a month of waiting for me. After 30 days of constant pain, bouts of paralysis, extreme headaches, not even being able to get out of bed most days, searching for answers and not getting any, many hospitalizations and doctors appointments. Now here I am on day 9 of waiting for test results, still not being able to use my hands completely, feeling myself on the verge of another flair up of whatever has been going on, I just want to scream. And, in fact, I will scream. I will scream out on the top of my lungs that I will wait on the Lord. Just in case He needs to be reminded that I'm waiting, and that I will continue waiting. That no matter what is going on I will find my hope in Him. If you live near me, don't be alarmed if you hear the echos of this song bouncing off of the trees...

Isaiah 40:28-35

²⁸ Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Where is Your God?

Psalm 42

¹ As the deer longs for streams of water,

so I long for you, O God.

² I thirst for God, the living God.

When can I go and stand before him?

³ Day and night I have only tears for food,

while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,

“Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking

as I remember how it used to be:

I walked among the crowds of worshipers,

leading a great procession to the house of God,

singing for joy and giving thanks

amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

Biblical Blogging

On my blog hopping ventures, I recently ran across the blog of a man who stated, "The problem with Christian bloggers is that they all begin to think they are 'Billy Grahams'." And when several began to agree that it is a problem that many Christians are beginning to view themselves in this light, I say it is a problem that all Christians don't see themselves this way. What is it about Billy Graham that makes him more "capable" than any other Christian? As Bible believers we should all have the same message, and we all have the same call on our lives to share this message. The only thing that set Billy Graham apart is the sheer numbers that God drew into his path. Well, guess what, as a blogger God has the ability to draw millions into your path every day. You are literally preaching to the entire world! You are accountable to God for every word you preach, or don't preach. You are responsible for sharing the message of God, for sharing it rightly, and for sharing it with as many as God brings into your path. Your calling is the same as that of Billy Graham, and don't underestimate that.

...So pastors must preach the Word, even though it is currently out of fashion to do so (2 Tim. 4:2). That is the only way their ministry can ever truly be fruitful. Moreover, it assures that they will be fruitful in ministry, because God’s Word never returns to Him void; it always accomplishes that for which He sends it and prospers in what He sends it to do (Isa. 55:11)... If you share the message with the masses read this article and remember as you write that it is not about you and all about Him.
Biblically-Anemic Preaching: The Devastating Consequences of a Watered-Down Message

Living upRIGHT in an upside-down world

It's especially hard in this day and age not to notice how like-minded Christians and non-Christians are becoming. Obviously, if we as Christians are to have the "mind of Christ" how can our standards line up so closely with those who have not chosen to follow Him? We immerse ourselves in this culture. Watching the same movies, reading the same books, listening to the same music, going to the same places. We quote scripture to back up these choices, "to be in the world," claiming that that is what we are doing, that we are in the world while denying that we are really of it. So how can we really be in and not of? It really is all about denying ourselves, and accepting the mind of Christ. Dying to ourselves daily, and picking up our cross to follow Him Luke 9:23. So how can we use Facebook, a website that in even the best of times promotes vanity, Pinterest, a website that promotes greed and envy, and Google, which provides so much information at the click of a button with no filter to sift through it all, with the mindset of Christ.

These sites, like money, are not "evil" in and of themselves; rather, it is what we choose to do with them that sets us apart. Do you see Facebook as an opportunity to witness or to show off? Do you use Pinterest as an opportunity to be creative, find fun activities for your children, enrich your life, or do you use it as a way to think of all the things you do not have but wish you did? Do you Google with a filter of Scripture, or do you accept whatever information you find as truth? Do you rely on your self-help books or do you rely on THE Book? Do you need advice on finances? Did you know there are over 800 scriptures covering the topic of money? Trouble with your marriage? Why not seek what the Creator of marriage has to say about it? And there truly is no better guide to parenting than the one written by our perfect Father. What book can better tell you what to do with your life than the book written by the One who is the meaning of life? Not to say we should not listen to the godly counsel of others. God intended for us to encourage, teach, and hold each other accountable, but He did not intend for us to worship each other's opinions, to seek first our friend's experiences, or to keep our Bible on the shelf while fervently studying someone else's opinion of the Scriptures.

The only way we can live upright in an upside-down world is to take captive every thought, turn over the desires of our heart to God, adopt the mind of Christ, and seek Him in everything that we do. And we need to hold each other accountable as the Scriptures tell us to. We need to allow grace for those who are not yet mature in their faith, but we need to make sure that these claims of "Christianity" are not damaging the Kingdom of God. We need to grow each other up in the Word, and we need to separate ourselves from the teachings of this world. We need to immerse ourselves daily in the study of Him. We need to start recognizing the difference between upside-down and right-side-up.

Where Do We Go For Inspiration?

One of the things I love about Facebook is noticing the trends among my friends' posts. It amazes me the "familiarity" they all have! One of these trends is the new "inspiration" quotes people have been posting. I look at these and think to myself, "What in the world do they think is inspirational about that?" But over and over and over these get posted on people's walls. These quotes are "touching" lives, "changing" opinions, "making a difference" but they are all so...WRONG...some more obvious than others, some great on the surface, but one thing they all have in common is they fall so very, very short. Here's the one that really made my heart cry out inside of me

What if the words we find so "inspiring" are wrong?

Oh, how I wish everyone had the freedom to realize the deception of these words. Perhaps the reason I had such a strong reaction to these words is because of the recent events surrounding this blog (esp my first post). The personal attacks for my beliefs, the rift it has caused in certain relationships, the fact that it has shed light into areas that I had been able to keep covered in darkness and ignore. But through all the harsh words, the tears, and perceived truths that were being revealed as lies, God began to reveal this falsehood to me. The lie that had been planted who knows when. The lie that what others feel or think about me should effect my beliefs, my happiness, my view of myself. Enduring weeks of constant attacks from someone who felt my beliefs were "harmful to mothers" who felt it was a sign of "mental instability" who took it as a "personal attack on her" was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. Then to have certain other "Christians" in my life side with her had cast me into a state of insecurity. This lie that had been planted in my heart that if someone is "hurt" by my words then my words must be wrong, the lie that if others "disagree" with me then I must be wrong, the lie that my beliefs should be influenced by others opinions of the "truth". Lies, lies, lies. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ 2 Corinthians 10:5.

 Here is a small snippet of one of the countless messages received and how God was able to use it for postive in my life...

"You just aren't using your gifts. No one will hear your message if it's oozing with judgement and condemnation...you are turning people off left and right. Have you received any positive feedback on your blog--at all? I am positive you are totally lying. I know several women that have told you that parenting is hard and that it's not okay to say it's not -- strong Christian women that are devout. And your blog has five followers as of today. I'm a mental health clinician and when you're ready to admit that you need help, I hope you seek it. Lying (even to strangers) is not only an unhealthy habit, but being untruthful is preached against in the Bible. I really can't say anything else to you, but I am terrified of people on the edge like you and I'll continue to watch you in order to protect my family."

It makes my heart race and tears well up in my eyes to even read this again, to think about the other messages, to think how she (whom I have never met) and others (some of whom I have) have tried so hard to not only change what I believe, but put an end to my sharing it. The accusations of judgement are the worst since anyone who knows me, knows that my heart is so far from that. But as my pastor helped me to realize these attacks had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with my actual content, there was no truth behind the words that were being thrown at me. It is all about their feelings, their problems, their misconstructions and defenses, their misunderstanding of the truth. I pray no one has to endure such criticism, such personal attack for sharing their beliefs, such pain as I did through this, but if you do I pray that you can remember what it is that God was able to scream through my pain...My beliefs are not dependant on your view of the truth, my opinion of myself is not based on what you think about me, my happiness is not dependant of how you treat me! I know that this was God speaking into me because it was the last thing that was going through my head at the moment. Do not listen to the world when it tells you that your "attitude is based on how others treat you." Cling to the promises we have in Christ, hold on to His truths, use Him as your source of inspiration and you will not be led astray.

No More Excuses!

Too busy to have some daily time in the Word? Not enough time to memorize Scripture? Do you go to bed with a million more things on your to-do list? Do you have trouble staying focused on the good things? Not anymore!!! Here are some great finds to help keep you on track!

These chore planners are downloadable and printable from your computer (no need to add more to your shopping list!) and, of course, there's an app for that too! Not only does this keep your chores organized and include space for meal planning and appointments, but it also includes daily scripture readings so you can read through the Bible in a year! FABULOUS and for $4 you can't say no!

I don't know about you, but the last time I memorized scripture was during Vacation Bible School! So let's kick it up a notch and do it BIG! Would you believe me if I told you you could memorize an entire book of the Bible? 2 verses a day for a year, and you will know the book of Colossians here's a handy print out to keep you on track!

Do you have a hard time remembering all of the blessings God has given you? Print out one of these cute sheets every week or use your own notebook! Just write 7 things everyday that God has blessed you with. Simple, easy, life-changing!

Need help keeping your budget on track (or making one)? There's something here that should help with that! This site has more budget info than I can list!

Need helpful mom tips?  This site has great random tips for moms. After all, it is the name of her blog! And of course my friend Amy Bayliss has tins of great stuff on her site as well!!!

Do you have any handy resources you absolutely love? Feel free to share!

Whose Powers Do You Put Your Trust In?

This list was sent to my email from one of my Bible Study moms (evidence of why we should be surrounding ourselves with encouraging, godly women!) What a perfect reminder of who we are in Christ and the calling we have as mothers!!! I linked up the verses, so make sure you look them up when you get a chance.

"SUPER" WOMAN

1. Does
2. Tries to impress others
3. Controlled by an agenda
4. Self worth is found is her accomplishments
5. Peace is found in the "perfect" environment
6. Discouraged by failure
7. Expects perfection from herself and others
8. Teaches her kids to be good
9. Frustrated with her lack of Spiritual Fruit
10. Does things with her children
11. Her perspective is based on what is seen
12. She chooses quantity of activities

ABIDING WOMAN

1. IS (Psalm 46:10)
2. PLEASES THE LORD (Eph 5:10, Prov 29:25)
3. CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (Gal 5:22-26)
4. SELF WORTH IS FOUND IN AN ACCURATE VIEW OF WHO SHE IS IN CHRIST (Eph 2:10)
5. PEACE IS FOUND IN JESUS IN THE MIDST OF ANY STORM (Is 26:3)
6. FAILURE REMINDS HER THAT GOD'S STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS (2 Cor 12:9-10)
7. SHE PRACTICES GRACE WITH HERSELF AND OTHERS (Eph 4:32)
8. SHE TEACHES HER KIDS TO BE GODLY (Prov 22:6)
9. SHE ABIDES IN CHRIST AND BEARS MUCH FRUIT (John 15:5)
10. SHE BUILDS A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER CHILDREN (Deut 6:6-7)
11. HER PERSPECTIVE IS BASED ON WHAT IS UNSEEN (Col 3:2)
12. SHE CHOOSES THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY (I Cor 13)

I think it's pretty obvious hands-down who the true super woman is!!!

God has a personal message for you..are you listening to what He has to say?

Being a Christian is not a one time choice. It is not just about a prayer, a walk down the aisle, or even trying to make the "right" decisions rather than the "wrong" ones. It is a relationship. It grows, changes, and becomes complete as we continually seek God. Salvation is only the first step on our journey as a Christian. If you desire a relationship with God, you should hunger and thirst after Him. You should focus on the facts of God and strive for a knowledge of who He is. The same as we strive to learn about those things we are interested in, the same as we desire to spend time with those we love, the same as we desire of others let us desire even more to pursue our relationship with God!

Only 1% of professing Christians read their Bible daily. What a wake-up call that we are not living our lives as Christians to the full potential we are given. We are called to not only be "saved" we are called to be disciples. A disciple is "one who learns." How are we to know what our faith is based in if we do not have a concrete understanding of the Word of God? How can we defend our beliefs if we do not even know what they are?

Psalms 1:1-4 says "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law (teachings) of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." We are called to meditate on the scriptures day and night and surround ourselves with people who are meditating on the Word also.

Psalms 119:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." How are we to commit scriptures to memory and be able to recall them when necessary if we are not studying them? 2 Timothy 3 speaks such truth about the importance of studying, committing to memory, and living out the scriptures. Look over the chapter (it's short, only 17 verses so it won't take long!) when you can, but right now I want to focus on 16-17 "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." What a clear message about the purpose and importance of scripture! We are to study the scriptures to learn His ways, to see the wrong in our lives and to be able to correct it, and to grow in righteousness. All of this is to prepare us to live our lives as Christians.

The most important aspect to daily studying the scripture is the personal aspect of Scripture. Do not just rely on the teachings of scripture from your pastors and group leaders.

A) Not all pastors teach Biblical truths. It is very easy to treat the Bible like a buffet by picking and choosing which scriptures "fit" your personal belief system. 2 Timothy accurately describes many of today's teachers. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn aside from truth and turn aside to myth."
How are we to know what is true versus what is masquerading as truth if we do not study the scriptures in whole to judge the scriptures in context? How are we to learn God's truth if we do not allow Him to speak it to us in personal study and prayer?
B) God wants to meet us where we are. He desires to speak life into our circumstances through His Word. Every day we need to approach God with a heart that resounds Psalms 119:18 "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderous things out of your law." My personal study of scripture is what has revealed the most to me. God knows where I am at in each season, and He knows what it is that I need to learn to get through that season.

Do not let the fear of not being able to understand the Word discourage you. Remember I John 2:27 says "But the anointing that you received in Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in Him." If we abide in Him and are seeking out His revelations it will be revealed to us. Matthew 7:7 says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened."

As Christians our most important resource is the Bible. We need to be seeking to know God more every day and the easiest and most crucial way to do this is through scripture. Take time each day to hear the words God has for you! Just as you set aside time each day to strengthen your relationship with your children, your spouse, and your friends do not forget to set aside time to strengthen  your relationship with your Creator!