Have you ever been so thirsty you feel like your tongue might stick to the roof of your mouth?
I'm going to tell you yet another embarrassing Gena story.
When I first moved into my apartment complex I started taking long walks. It's a really big complex with lots of lakes and trees, it's really very pretty. So I'm out there one morning enjoying the scenery, praying and singing and as usual not paying much attention to my surroundings.
I had a bottle of water with me and it wasn't until the water was gone that I realized I had no idea where I was. Did I mention it's on 500 acres and all the buildings look exactly the same?
I was out there for hours trying to figure out how to get home. It was getting hotter and hotter and I was getting more and more thirsty. The fact that I was lost seem to make me even thirstier.
I was too embarrassed to call someone and tell them I was lost in my own apartment complex. Those of you who know me would not be surprised.
When I finally got home four days later, just kidding I wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
When I finally got home I told my daughter I was dying of thirst which of course was an exaggeration.
It did get me thinking about being thirsty and what do I really thirst for.
I looked up the word thirst in the New King James Bible and it gave me 31 verses so it's obviously a condition God uses as an example for us.
Jesus uses the physical condition of thirst and takes it to a spiritual level. For example:
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
In the book of John Jesus meets a woman at a well that is obviously there for water.
John 4:13-14
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus is basically telling us that all the things we look for in the world to fill us will eventually leave us thirsty again. No person or thing can fill the void in our soul that was designed to be filled by the Lord.
There's something important I want to point out to you.
Because we live in a performance driven world we tend to put the same dynamics on our relationship with the Lord as we do with job performance.
We can easily get caught up in the “if I do enough for God He will give me more” type of thinking.
I'm not talking about being obedient to God's word, I'm talking about always trying to do better or do more things to gain more love or favor from God.
It's great to allow the Holy Spirit to mold your life to look more like Jesus but you can't possibly DO anything to make God love you more.
For example there are times in my personal walk with the Lord that I have no income and I live on complete faith. When I say I have no income I mean no income. No child support, welfare, food stamps, unemployment or disability.
During these times I sometimes feel like I need to be serving God as much as possible because I'm not going to a worldly job and I miss the part of Him wanting me to take some of this freed up time to thirst for Him.
Let's pick up where we left off in John.
John 4:15
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
This living water is free, there are no performance stings attached.
Do we ask for this living water from Jesus? Do we even know what living water means?
Do we wake up and think I need to drink in some of what God has to say to me before my feet even hit the floor? Do I rush home to spend time with the Lord before I play video games or work in the garden or whatever you do at the end of your day.
My daughter has four dogs. I call one of them the beast but her name is Aria. When she comes in from outside she makes a mad dash for the water dish. She will literally knock you down if you get in her path. She will then slurp up the water so fast and loud like she hasn't had a drink in days.
Can you imagine if we were that thirsty for a relationship with God?
If we actually knocked everyone and everything out of the way to get to Him.
God was so thirsty for us He freely gave His son and we sip Him when we have a need or life blind sides us. We sip Him when we hit rock bottom and there's no place else to turn.
We eventually get back on our feet and have a sense of false security and start drinking all the lies the enemy tell us. Things like if you work hard enough or look good enough or know enough of the right people you won't thirst again. You can lower all kinds of things in the world's well but you'll always bring up an empty bucket.
God's not telling us we have to be Bible scholars or we have to do enough charity work or give away enough money He just wants us to be thirsty for Him and allow Him to take care of all our needs.
John 6:35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
We may flippantly use the phrase I'm so thirsty I could die but don't for one minute take for granted the fact that Jesus IS so thirsty for you He did die.
In a way you have to die too. Die to selfishness and greed, die to it's all about me and I'm number one. Die to I and think about we.
Thank you Lord it didn't end at your death! We serve a risen Lord a Holy God and a powerful Holy Spirit! How thirsty are you for living water?
Gena's Jewels Keeper of The Testimony available on Amazon
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
What's In A Name?
It never ceases to amaze me that when the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you something new the Lord keeps putting it in your face til you get it.
I for one am glad He does cause I tend to be a bit slow.
I was reading the book of Nehemiah and when I got to chapter 7 there was a long list of names. I started reading the list and my mind would go from a name to, I wonder if I have any emails than back to a name to, I wonder if any ones on face book.
I decided since I could not stay focused on the names I would just skip the rest of the chapter and move onto something more interesting.
A few days later I had to drive somewhere that was going to take a while so I looked through my CD's so I could listen to something in the car.
I found a CD of the Bible I forgot I had. I got it at a flea market years before and never listened to it. I didn't have my glasses on so I didn't know if it was Old or New Testament but it didn't matter, it couldn't hurt to hear whatever book it was.
Guess what? I pop in the CD and it starts right at Nehemiah 7! Right where I left off, the list of names.
I just started laughing because you and I know there is no such thing as coincidence.
I asked the Lord “why do you want me to listen to the names? What's in a name?”
This is what the Holy Spirit showed me, again we had to start off slow.
He said you recently went to your son and grandson's graduation and when you got there you were given a program. What was the first thing you did?
I did what everyone does I looked for my son and grandson's name.
I did the same thing at Anthony and Amanda's graduation from high school and college.
I made sure their names were there then proudly showed them to whoever was sitting next to me.
Seeing their name was the only reason I took the program.
I remember when Anthony was going to Full Sail and his class made a movie that Anthony directed and Nathanael got to play a part in. When it played at a small theater I took a picture of the marquee and at the end of the movie starred at the screen to see my boy's names on the credits. Even though they went by really quick I knew they were there.
You do the same thing right?
When you go to the movies you may not watch the credits but let's say someone you knew was in the movie Avatar would you wait to see his or her name?
Would you not tell everyone you knew they were in the movie? Of course you would. We get a sense of pride and ownership when someone we care about is recognized.
This was the thought process the Holy Spirit was showing me.
Now as I have told you before I am not a Bible scholar so what I share with you next is the Gena version of the book of Nehemiah. This is not a history lesson in any way. With that said.....
Nehemiah was a cup bearer and an influential man to King Artaxerxes. He heard the walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt and he wants to return there to make that happen. The King gives Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.
When we get to chapter 7 the wall has been rebuilt. The city was large and spacious but there weren't many people living in it.
Verse 5 Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:
Then you get the whole list of names and number of people that I skipped over.
What I skipped over was a very important list. The list of people whose names were written down were the Isrealites who had the right to settle in these rebuilt towns. They were from the original tribes proved by the genealogy records.
If you or I were there and we wanted our rightful place in the city finding our name would be pretty important right?
So now I got the first point but then the Holy Spirit taught me something even more amazing, I love when He does that.
He reminded me there's another list, what the Bible calls the Lambs book of life. On this list is all the names of God's children who will be allowed in His city otherwise known as Heaven.
Here's where I need you to stretch your thinking....
I was always taught your name had to be written onto the list to get into Heaven.
How that happens is to repent, which Webster defines as: to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.
After you repent you ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life and your name gets written in the Lambs book of life.
Are you with me so far?
Well like I said when the Lord is trying to teach you something He will put people, CD's or whatever He wants in your path to show you a truth.
Next lesson. I went to dinner at a friend's house and we ended up talking about this very scripture. Arthur, a real scholar of the Bible, showed me that I was just regurgitating what I had been taught but not what the Bible actually says.
Stay with me....
I was taught your name was added when in fact the Bible says everyone is already on the list because we all belong to God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20a Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;
There is NOTHING you can do to get on the list however, where our part comes in is we have to decide to stay there.
I'm going to stop there because Arthur (the one who showed me this) also showed me that I didn't have the correct definition of repent.
When I do something wrong I go all the way :)
Repent in the Greek is metanoeō - meaning to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider.
Now if I repent, change my thinking, I accept that I am no longer my own. I was purchased by Jesus when He died on the cross and was raised to life.
OK so now I understand I am not my own I belong to Jesus but I decide not to have relationship with Him. I don't want Him to be Lord of my life because I don't believe this message then my name gets taken off the list. My decision.
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh,the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
You can only blot out something that's already written down.
Arthur reminded me what the Holy Spirit has been telling me for a while.
You have to read the scriptures for yourself so the Holy Spirit can reveal things He wants you to understand.
The genealogy records will show you belong to Christ so you have the right to keep your name on the list in the Lambs Book of Life.
You have first right of refusal to the Kingdom of God!
Now what's so important about a name? Everything!
I have decided to keep my name on the list and I pray you will too.
This jewel does not give justice to Arthur's teaching. I would strongly suggest you go to www.kingdomlifeministry.com/ to obtain the original message. Arthur is a Spirit filled believer that God uses in an amazing way.
I for one am glad He does cause I tend to be a bit slow.
I was reading the book of Nehemiah and when I got to chapter 7 there was a long list of names. I started reading the list and my mind would go from a name to, I wonder if I have any emails than back to a name to, I wonder if any ones on face book.
I decided since I could not stay focused on the names I would just skip the rest of the chapter and move onto something more interesting.
A few days later I had to drive somewhere that was going to take a while so I looked through my CD's so I could listen to something in the car.
I found a CD of the Bible I forgot I had. I got it at a flea market years before and never listened to it. I didn't have my glasses on so I didn't know if it was Old or New Testament but it didn't matter, it couldn't hurt to hear whatever book it was.
Guess what? I pop in the CD and it starts right at Nehemiah 7! Right where I left off, the list of names.
I just started laughing because you and I know there is no such thing as coincidence.
I asked the Lord “why do you want me to listen to the names? What's in a name?”
This is what the Holy Spirit showed me, again we had to start off slow.
He said you recently went to your son and grandson's graduation and when you got there you were given a program. What was the first thing you did?
I did what everyone does I looked for my son and grandson's name.
I did the same thing at Anthony and Amanda's graduation from high school and college.
I made sure their names were there then proudly showed them to whoever was sitting next to me.
Seeing their name was the only reason I took the program.
I remember when Anthony was going to Full Sail and his class made a movie that Anthony directed and Nathanael got to play a part in. When it played at a small theater I took a picture of the marquee and at the end of the movie starred at the screen to see my boy's names on the credits. Even though they went by really quick I knew they were there.
You do the same thing right?
When you go to the movies you may not watch the credits but let's say someone you knew was in the movie Avatar would you wait to see his or her name?
Would you not tell everyone you knew they were in the movie? Of course you would. We get a sense of pride and ownership when someone we care about is recognized.
This was the thought process the Holy Spirit was showing me.
Now as I have told you before I am not a Bible scholar so what I share with you next is the Gena version of the book of Nehemiah. This is not a history lesson in any way. With that said.....
Nehemiah was a cup bearer and an influential man to King Artaxerxes. He heard the walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt and he wants to return there to make that happen. The King gives Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.
When we get to chapter 7 the wall has been rebuilt. The city was large and spacious but there weren't many people living in it.
Verse 5 Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:
Then you get the whole list of names and number of people that I skipped over.
What I skipped over was a very important list. The list of people whose names were written down were the Isrealites who had the right to settle in these rebuilt towns. They were from the original tribes proved by the genealogy records.
If you or I were there and we wanted our rightful place in the city finding our name would be pretty important right?
So now I got the first point but then the Holy Spirit taught me something even more amazing, I love when He does that.
He reminded me there's another list, what the Bible calls the Lambs book of life. On this list is all the names of God's children who will be allowed in His city otherwise known as Heaven.
Here's where I need you to stretch your thinking....
I was always taught your name had to be written onto the list to get into Heaven.
How that happens is to repent, which Webster defines as: to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.
After you repent you ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life and your name gets written in the Lambs book of life.
Are you with me so far?
Well like I said when the Lord is trying to teach you something He will put people, CD's or whatever He wants in your path to show you a truth.
Next lesson. I went to dinner at a friend's house and we ended up talking about this very scripture. Arthur, a real scholar of the Bible, showed me that I was just regurgitating what I had been taught but not what the Bible actually says.
Stay with me....
I was taught your name was added when in fact the Bible says everyone is already on the list because we all belong to God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20a Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;
There is NOTHING you can do to get on the list however, where our part comes in is we have to decide to stay there.
I'm going to stop there because Arthur (the one who showed me this) also showed me that I didn't have the correct definition of repent.
When I do something wrong I go all the way :)
Repent in the Greek is metanoeō - meaning to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider.
Now if I repent, change my thinking, I accept that I am no longer my own. I was purchased by Jesus when He died on the cross and was raised to life.
OK so now I understand I am not my own I belong to Jesus but I decide not to have relationship with Him. I don't want Him to be Lord of my life because I don't believe this message then my name gets taken off the list. My decision.
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh,the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
You can only blot out something that's already written down.
Arthur reminded me what the Holy Spirit has been telling me for a while.
You have to read the scriptures for yourself so the Holy Spirit can reveal things He wants you to understand.
The genealogy records will show you belong to Christ so you have the right to keep your name on the list in the Lambs Book of Life.
You have first right of refusal to the Kingdom of God!
Now what's so important about a name? Everything!
I have decided to keep my name on the list and I pray you will too.
This jewel does not give justice to Arthur's teaching. I would strongly suggest you go to www.kingdomlifeministry.com/ to obtain the original message. Arthur is a Spirit filled believer that God uses in an amazing way.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
If You Ask He Will Tell You
My friend Courtney invited me to a summer Bible study and I thought it would be a good idea for me and my daughter to do together. There were a few different studies available and I figured we would pick one when we got there.
The morning of the study I woke up and the Lord gave me the word Aquarius. Being the spiritual person I am I broke into song “ uh-kwair-ee-uhs, uh-kwair-ee-uhs ” I knew right away God was not talking about me singing.
I decided to look up the word and the first meaning was about a zodiac sign and again I knew that wasn't what He wanted me to see so I went to the next definition.
In this one it talked about it being a zodiacal constellation but the part that hit me was it said it looked like a man pouring water out of a bucket and I knew right away that was it.
The Lord wanted me to know He would be pouring out the Holy Spirit on the Bible study. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get there and see what God was going to do for me and the other ladies of the group.
When Jess and I got there we listened to each leader share what their study title was and what it was going to be about. The first two shared and although they were good studies I knew they weren't the ones we were supposed to be in.
Then it happened, the third woman got up and started talking about Forgotten God a study by Frances Chan on the Holy Spirit.
I knew instantly this was the one, you know Aquarius.
Quite honestly I had been feeling like I was in a dry spell in my spiritual walk so I figured God would use this to help me get through it.
Let me stop here and show you a couple of verses on the Holy Spirit.
One of His jobs (yes He is his own person) is to give us the power to live the way God tells us to. He also convicts us (your conscience) when we are going off track.
John 16:8
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
1 Thessalonians 1:5
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.
The following day I asked the Lord to fill me with more of the Holy Spirit and I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me more with His conviction. They both answered......
WARNING! Gems I have told you before if you ask God to show you something He will, so be prepared.
I wrote a status on my facebook; when you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things to you about you, you might as well just start on your knees...that is where you will end up.
It started immediately, if you had me on a pedestal in anyway my confession will set things right.
First confession. I had made a flippant comment to my son during a phone conversation. Like I said I was in this dry spell and I was getting kind of negative.
I told my son I was being negative and probably shouldn't be talking at all. I should have taken my own advice hence the next facebook status, “One of the worst taste in your mouth is when you have to eat your own words.”
I had made a flippant comment regarding someone else and it got back to her and she called me on it. She wrote me a message on facebook about what she heard I said.
It gets worse. The first thing I did was call my son and blast him for telling anyone what I said. Can you believe this! I'm blaming him for my sin!
I know I can't believe it either, who is this person???
I had to apologize to my son first for running my negative mouth and second for blaming him. Did I mention I hung up the phone on him???
Now the hard part, I had to write back the person I wronged who by the way I totally respected for coming right to me with the situation.
I explained to her that I was obviously a butt head and gave my opinion where it was not needed or asked for. I was truly sorry because my flippant remark hurt another person, not just any person but one of God's children.
Worse than that I had grieved the Holy Spirit.
I wish I could tell you that was the only thing the Holy Spirit revealed to me but it wasn't.
He showed me a few days earlier I had made a flippant comment to a friend about someone else in joke form. They didn't know it but He did and again this grieved the Holy Spirit.
Because it's not in the best interest of this person I won't apologize to them personally. It would only hurt them and cause them harm they don't deserve however I did have to confess my sin to the friend I said it to and shared with her what the Holy Spirit said.
He reminded me if your joking about something that would hurt a persons feelings, especially if it's about something they are seriously struggling with it is obviously not funny.
He asked me how I would have felt if someone joked about something that hurt me to the soul. Need I say more?
These were a couple of things I had not dealt with. What I mean is when I knowingly mess up I immediately ask God to forgive me, accept the forgiveness and move on, but there are times we sin and don't realize it right away.
That sin still needs to be dealt with. If you ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there's anything you need to deal with.... He will.
I really felt awful and got on my knees and asked God to forgive me and thanked the Holy Spirit for loving me enough to show me things that were clogging up my flow with Him, hence my feeling of a dry spell.
It's not God or the Holy Spirits intent to make us feel bad it's just the opposite. They want us to get rid of anything that will keep us from feeling great.
I encourage you to do a Spirit check every once in a while and even if you don't have to make things right with one of your friends or family you may have to make things right with God and that's always a good thing.
We are all living our lives one day at a time and we need to help each other in this journey as much as possible. Our strength to do this successfully can only come from the Holy Spirit.
So there you have it Gems, if you ask He will tell you. Ask the Holy Spirit if there is any sin you need to deal with so you don't end up in a dry spell.
And just for fun sing out “ uh-kwair-ee-uhs, uh-kwair-ee-uhs”
The morning of the study I woke up and the Lord gave me the word Aquarius. Being the spiritual person I am I broke into song “ uh-kwair-ee-uhs, uh-kwair-ee-uhs ” I knew right away God was not talking about me singing.
I decided to look up the word and the first meaning was about a zodiac sign and again I knew that wasn't what He wanted me to see so I went to the next definition.
In this one it talked about it being a zodiacal constellation but the part that hit me was it said it looked like a man pouring water out of a bucket and I knew right away that was it.
The Lord wanted me to know He would be pouring out the Holy Spirit on the Bible study. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get there and see what God was going to do for me and the other ladies of the group.
When Jess and I got there we listened to each leader share what their study title was and what it was going to be about. The first two shared and although they were good studies I knew they weren't the ones we were supposed to be in.
Then it happened, the third woman got up and started talking about Forgotten God a study by Frances Chan on the Holy Spirit.
I knew instantly this was the one, you know Aquarius.
Quite honestly I had been feeling like I was in a dry spell in my spiritual walk so I figured God would use this to help me get through it.
Let me stop here and show you a couple of verses on the Holy Spirit.
One of His jobs (yes He is his own person) is to give us the power to live the way God tells us to. He also convicts us (your conscience) when we are going off track.
John 16:8
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
1 Thessalonians 1:5
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.
The following day I asked the Lord to fill me with more of the Holy Spirit and I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me more with His conviction. They both answered......
WARNING! Gems I have told you before if you ask God to show you something He will, so be prepared.
I wrote a status on my facebook; when you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things to you about you, you might as well just start on your knees...that is where you will end up.
It started immediately, if you had me on a pedestal in anyway my confession will set things right.
First confession. I had made a flippant comment to my son during a phone conversation. Like I said I was in this dry spell and I was getting kind of negative.
I told my son I was being negative and probably shouldn't be talking at all. I should have taken my own advice hence the next facebook status, “One of the worst taste in your mouth is when you have to eat your own words.”
I had made a flippant comment regarding someone else and it got back to her and she called me on it. She wrote me a message on facebook about what she heard I said.
It gets worse. The first thing I did was call my son and blast him for telling anyone what I said. Can you believe this! I'm blaming him for my sin!
I know I can't believe it either, who is this person???
I had to apologize to my son first for running my negative mouth and second for blaming him. Did I mention I hung up the phone on him???
Now the hard part, I had to write back the person I wronged who by the way I totally respected for coming right to me with the situation.
I explained to her that I was obviously a butt head and gave my opinion where it was not needed or asked for. I was truly sorry because my flippant remark hurt another person, not just any person but one of God's children.
Worse than that I had grieved the Holy Spirit.
I wish I could tell you that was the only thing the Holy Spirit revealed to me but it wasn't.
He showed me a few days earlier I had made a flippant comment to a friend about someone else in joke form. They didn't know it but He did and again this grieved the Holy Spirit.
Because it's not in the best interest of this person I won't apologize to them personally. It would only hurt them and cause them harm they don't deserve however I did have to confess my sin to the friend I said it to and shared with her what the Holy Spirit said.
He reminded me if your joking about something that would hurt a persons feelings, especially if it's about something they are seriously struggling with it is obviously not funny.
He asked me how I would have felt if someone joked about something that hurt me to the soul. Need I say more?
These were a couple of things I had not dealt with. What I mean is when I knowingly mess up I immediately ask God to forgive me, accept the forgiveness and move on, but there are times we sin and don't realize it right away.
That sin still needs to be dealt with. If you ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there's anything you need to deal with.... He will.
I really felt awful and got on my knees and asked God to forgive me and thanked the Holy Spirit for loving me enough to show me things that were clogging up my flow with Him, hence my feeling of a dry spell.
It's not God or the Holy Spirits intent to make us feel bad it's just the opposite. They want us to get rid of anything that will keep us from feeling great.
I encourage you to do a Spirit check every once in a while and even if you don't have to make things right with one of your friends or family you may have to make things right with God and that's always a good thing.
We are all living our lives one day at a time and we need to help each other in this journey as much as possible. Our strength to do this successfully can only come from the Holy Spirit.
So there you have it Gems, if you ask He will tell you. Ask the Holy Spirit if there is any sin you need to deal with so you don't end up in a dry spell.
And just for fun sing out “ uh-kwair-ee-uhs, uh-kwair-ee-uhs”
Thursday, June 3, 2010
PAJ
This is the title Amanda, my oldest daughter, has given herself. It stands for Pride and Joy. I don't remember exactly when it happened or what prompted it but it definitely happened.
I think it was when she was a young teen, she will be 29 in October. She just decided one day that out of the four children she was my pride and joy.
She not only proclaimed it to me and her brothers and sisters but she added the disclaimer, the title is not transferable.
Anytime she did something nice for me she would look at her siblings and say “that's why I'm PAJ.”
The same theory worked the opposite way. If she did something I didn't like and I brought it to her attention she again would look at her siblings and say “it's OK I'm still PAJ.”
The funny thing is the other kids would complain to me that they wanted to be PAJ and would get upset when Amanda would flat out say “NO.”
Any time they did something really nice for me and I told them how much I appreciated it they would say “so am I PAJ now?”
I would remind them that I did not give Amanda this title, she did.
It is truly the funniest thing.
Recently my youngest son did something really nice for me and said “I'm PAJ now right?” This kid is 18 years old!
My oldest son still makes sarcastic comments when he's annoyed with his sister and will end with “I guess it's OK cause she's PAJ.”
If Amanda hears this she will just stand there nodding in agreement grinning from ear to ear. This only fuels the fire.
Of course they are all my pride and joy don't they know that?
I read a story about this woman who had a bunch of kids and the interviewer asked her if she loved one child more than the rest and she said yes. When asked which one she said the one who needs the most love at the time.
What a great answer and how true it is.
There was a disciple in the Bible named John that got the PAJ thing only he referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Same theory different title.
John 13:23
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him
John 19:26
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
John 20:2
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
John 21:7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
John 21:20
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.
No where does it say Jesus named John this so we must assume John named himself. I love this guy!
It must have driven the other disciples crazy that he always said that.
He doesn't even use his name, just the disciple whom Jesus loved. Can't you just hear them around the fire “Oh there's John the disciple Jesus loves bla bla bla.”
If John messed up I can just see them running to Jesus to let him know and offer to take over the title.
I can just hear John like Amanda saying “it's OK I'm still the one Jesus loves.”
Of course Jesus loved all His disciples as He loves all of us but there were probably times He loved one more, just like that mom said.
I have a habit of telling people I'm Jesus favorite and I truly believe that.
Friends of mine have bought me things like book marks or coffee mugs that say “I'm God's favorite”
The great thing is even if I mess up and people run to God to tell on me it won't change the fact that I'm still His favorite.
My goal in life is to get everyone to feel the same way.
If we understood how much God loves us it would take so much pressure off of us and we could start living with the freedom God intended.
Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Message Bible:28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Don't get me wrong, it's like Paul said in the Bible this does not give us license to sin, that would be a slap in the face to the Lord.
What it does give you is peace to know when you mess up God still loves you and He will help you get back on track with the help of the Holy Spirit.
There are times when you need to feel God's love more than others and those are the times I think He loves you the most.(I am still God's favorite)
So I'm giving you permission today to give yourself a new title. Be creative and announce it to your world. Get crazy and post it on Face book! Make bumper stickers or stationary!
It can be anything you want however please note, The disciple whom Jesus loved and PAJ are taken.
I think it was when she was a young teen, she will be 29 in October. She just decided one day that out of the four children she was my pride and joy.
She not only proclaimed it to me and her brothers and sisters but she added the disclaimer, the title is not transferable.
Anytime she did something nice for me she would look at her siblings and say “that's why I'm PAJ.”
The same theory worked the opposite way. If she did something I didn't like and I brought it to her attention she again would look at her siblings and say “it's OK I'm still PAJ.”
The funny thing is the other kids would complain to me that they wanted to be PAJ and would get upset when Amanda would flat out say “NO.”
Any time they did something really nice for me and I told them how much I appreciated it they would say “so am I PAJ now?”
I would remind them that I did not give Amanda this title, she did.
It is truly the funniest thing.
Recently my youngest son did something really nice for me and said “I'm PAJ now right?” This kid is 18 years old!
My oldest son still makes sarcastic comments when he's annoyed with his sister and will end with “I guess it's OK cause she's PAJ.”
If Amanda hears this she will just stand there nodding in agreement grinning from ear to ear. This only fuels the fire.
Of course they are all my pride and joy don't they know that?
I read a story about this woman who had a bunch of kids and the interviewer asked her if she loved one child more than the rest and she said yes. When asked which one she said the one who needs the most love at the time.
What a great answer and how true it is.
There was a disciple in the Bible named John that got the PAJ thing only he referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Same theory different title.
John 13:23
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him
John 19:26
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
John 20:2
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
John 21:7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
John 21:20
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.
No where does it say Jesus named John this so we must assume John named himself. I love this guy!
It must have driven the other disciples crazy that he always said that.
He doesn't even use his name, just the disciple whom Jesus loved. Can't you just hear them around the fire “Oh there's John the disciple Jesus loves bla bla bla.”
If John messed up I can just see them running to Jesus to let him know and offer to take over the title.
I can just hear John like Amanda saying “it's OK I'm still the one Jesus loves.”
Of course Jesus loved all His disciples as He loves all of us but there were probably times He loved one more, just like that mom said.
I have a habit of telling people I'm Jesus favorite and I truly believe that.
Friends of mine have bought me things like book marks or coffee mugs that say “I'm God's favorite”
The great thing is even if I mess up and people run to God to tell on me it won't change the fact that I'm still His favorite.
My goal in life is to get everyone to feel the same way.
If we understood how much God loves us it would take so much pressure off of us and we could start living with the freedom God intended.
Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Message Bible:28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Don't get me wrong, it's like Paul said in the Bible this does not give us license to sin, that would be a slap in the face to the Lord.
What it does give you is peace to know when you mess up God still loves you and He will help you get back on track with the help of the Holy Spirit.
There are times when you need to feel God's love more than others and those are the times I think He loves you the most.(I am still God's favorite)
So I'm giving you permission today to give yourself a new title. Be creative and announce it to your world. Get crazy and post it on Face book! Make bumper stickers or stationary!
It can be anything you want however please note, The disciple whom Jesus loved and PAJ are taken.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Valuable Remodel
My friend Cathy owns her own business and I went to work with her the other day. She does custom window coverings and she was going to measure a house.
My idea of custom window coverings is whatever I can nail to the wall that won't fall down. Don't tell Cathy but I have been known to use bed sheets in a pinch.
The home was in an established area with one house more beautiful than the other. We pulled up to this awesome home with it's stone staircase leading to this grandeur entrance , I couldn't wait to see inside.
I expected to see the life styles of the rich and famous crib when we opened the front double doors. As the door opened I was surprised to see that the whole place was being torn apart.
The carpet, wall units, doors, the entire kitchen and for Cathy's sake the window coverings. Everything was being changed.
I assumed the decor was beautiful when they bought the house but it obviously wasn't to the new owners personal taste. So they hired a decorator that I'm sure showed them many drawings until they found what they considered perfect.
I wondered why they didn't just build a house from scratch and not waste all that money. I thought about it for a few days and then the Lord showed me that we are very much like that house.
We are all born (become a house) into sin.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
When we get to earth our owner is satan, that may freak you out but that's the truth. The good news is while we were still sinners God sent His son to purchase us and offer forgiveness of sin. You can put your house up for sale and have a new owner, Jesus Christ purchase you.
The outside of that house was fine. The foundation was good, the location was great it just needed some remodeling to the new owners specifications.
When we accept Christ are sins are forgiven and that's great but if all we take from God is forgiveness we will never grow.
Forgiveness should just be the first step. After we are purchased the remodeling should start. We shouldn't want to have the same decor as our old owner.
We may need some walls torn down. You may need to change your view of God or better yet your view of how God sees you. We may need to be gutted out right down to the foundation. But like that house your foundation is good because you were created in the image of God.
Remodeling isn't an easy job and it can't be done alone. When I walked in that house there were guys doing construction in one room and painters in another. There was a man looking at the electric and of course the designer and Cathy looking at the windows. The thing is each group was doing their designated room.
One guy wasn't responsible for the whole place.
It's the same with us we have to do one room at a time. If you start tearing yourself apart all at once it can be very defeating.
Sometimes we don't want to take on the job of remodeling because it will be too much work. Sometimes it's because we don't want to see what's behind a wall.
It may be a bigger job than we want to tackle so we decide our house looks OK the way it is.
For example one time I decided to pull the molding off of a wall in my kitchen and on the other side was a bunch of mold. (no pun intended) A part of me wished I left the molding alone but that mold would have gotten worse and eventually become a health hazard to me and my family.
Just like sin we think if we're getting by we can just pretend it's not there but eventually it will cause damage. You can't continue to make bad decisions and not expect them to damage you at some point.
Another reason we don't like to remodel is if you redo the kitchen then the living room looks outdated and if your gonna fix the living room you definitely want your bedroom redone and so it begins.
We can get overwhelmed if we try and work on every room at the same time, you need to do one room at a time. It may take a long time to get all the work done but in the end your loving your new place.
It's the same with us . We have to tackle one thing at a time so we don't become overwhelmed or worse yet think we're not fixable.
The men at this house were doing all the big jobs first then they'll come back and do the smaller ones. It won't be too hard for them because this is what they do for a living. They are trained professionals and because of that the owner doesn't have to know how to do the work he just needs to know who to hire.
It's the same for our house. We tear down the walls of despair, discouragement, anger, rejection whatever your old owners foundation is built on.
Then you get the design of your new owner, Jesus, and start remodeling each part of your life to His personal design.
You don't have to do it on your own or even have to know how you just have to make the decision to start remodeling.
This remodeling is a life time project but like I said once you start working on the big job like realizing you need forgiveness of sin it gets easier and easier.
Don't take the chance of foreclosure or even worse being condemned.
The enemy will try to condemn you so you won't want to move forward. He'll make you think the general condition of your house is no good so there's no reason to try.
The Holy Spirit will convict you in a specific area so you can tackle one room at a time.
Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Get a Bible and start reading the blue prints of how your life (home) should look
Ask Jesus to be your interior designer and let's bring up the value in our homes.
My idea of custom window coverings is whatever I can nail to the wall that won't fall down. Don't tell Cathy but I have been known to use bed sheets in a pinch.
The home was in an established area with one house more beautiful than the other. We pulled up to this awesome home with it's stone staircase leading to this grandeur entrance , I couldn't wait to see inside.
I expected to see the life styles of the rich and famous crib when we opened the front double doors. As the door opened I was surprised to see that the whole place was being torn apart.
The carpet, wall units, doors, the entire kitchen and for Cathy's sake the window coverings. Everything was being changed.
I assumed the decor was beautiful when they bought the house but it obviously wasn't to the new owners personal taste. So they hired a decorator that I'm sure showed them many drawings until they found what they considered perfect.
I wondered why they didn't just build a house from scratch and not waste all that money. I thought about it for a few days and then the Lord showed me that we are very much like that house.
We are all born (become a house) into sin.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
When we get to earth our owner is satan, that may freak you out but that's the truth. The good news is while we were still sinners God sent His son to purchase us and offer forgiveness of sin. You can put your house up for sale and have a new owner, Jesus Christ purchase you.
The outside of that house was fine. The foundation was good, the location was great it just needed some remodeling to the new owners specifications.
When we accept Christ are sins are forgiven and that's great but if all we take from God is forgiveness we will never grow.
Forgiveness should just be the first step. After we are purchased the remodeling should start. We shouldn't want to have the same decor as our old owner.
We may need some walls torn down. You may need to change your view of God or better yet your view of how God sees you. We may need to be gutted out right down to the foundation. But like that house your foundation is good because you were created in the image of God.
Remodeling isn't an easy job and it can't be done alone. When I walked in that house there were guys doing construction in one room and painters in another. There was a man looking at the electric and of course the designer and Cathy looking at the windows. The thing is each group was doing their designated room.
One guy wasn't responsible for the whole place.
It's the same with us we have to do one room at a time. If you start tearing yourself apart all at once it can be very defeating.
Sometimes we don't want to take on the job of remodeling because it will be too much work. Sometimes it's because we don't want to see what's behind a wall.
It may be a bigger job than we want to tackle so we decide our house looks OK the way it is.
For example one time I decided to pull the molding off of a wall in my kitchen and on the other side was a bunch of mold. (no pun intended) A part of me wished I left the molding alone but that mold would have gotten worse and eventually become a health hazard to me and my family.
Just like sin we think if we're getting by we can just pretend it's not there but eventually it will cause damage. You can't continue to make bad decisions and not expect them to damage you at some point.
Another reason we don't like to remodel is if you redo the kitchen then the living room looks outdated and if your gonna fix the living room you definitely want your bedroom redone and so it begins.
We can get overwhelmed if we try and work on every room at the same time, you need to do one room at a time. It may take a long time to get all the work done but in the end your loving your new place.
It's the same with us . We have to tackle one thing at a time so we don't become overwhelmed or worse yet think we're not fixable.
The men at this house were doing all the big jobs first then they'll come back and do the smaller ones. It won't be too hard for them because this is what they do for a living. They are trained professionals and because of that the owner doesn't have to know how to do the work he just needs to know who to hire.
It's the same for our house. We tear down the walls of despair, discouragement, anger, rejection whatever your old owners foundation is built on.
Then you get the design of your new owner, Jesus, and start remodeling each part of your life to His personal design.
You don't have to do it on your own or even have to know how you just have to make the decision to start remodeling.
This remodeling is a life time project but like I said once you start working on the big job like realizing you need forgiveness of sin it gets easier and easier.
Don't take the chance of foreclosure or even worse being condemned.
The enemy will try to condemn you so you won't want to move forward. He'll make you think the general condition of your house is no good so there's no reason to try.
The Holy Spirit will convict you in a specific area so you can tackle one room at a time.
Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Get a Bible and start reading the blue prints of how your life (home) should look
Ask Jesus to be your interior designer and let's bring up the value in our homes.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Love Language
Many of you may have heard the phrase “love language.” Gary Chapman wrote a book called The Five Love Languages. If you have not read it I suggest you do. The five love languages are broken down by Mr. Chapman as words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch.
I think we possess all five of them; however one may be needed more than the rest depending on what’s going on in your life at the time.
When my kids were younger and all lived at home it was very difficult for me as a single mom with no help. An act of service was a huge love language for me. If someone mowed my lawn or helped clean the house without me asking I was beyond thrilled. Now my love language would lean more toward quality time. Don’t get me wrong I always love gifts so feel free to shop for me any time! Speaking of gifts let me tell you about my Mother’s Day.
I had an absolutely great Mother’s Day! How my children expressed their undying love and gratitude to me was not expressed the same way.
If you have more than one child you know one kid can be so different from another and mine are no exception.
I was blessed to have spent the day with all four of my children and this is the usual scenario from them.
My oldest son will usually get me a card and flowers on his own or if he’s with my oldest daughter they will get them together and then my oldest daughter will add a little something just from her. My youngest daughter always gets a card and something special whether it’s bought or made. Then there’s the third child… I only get a card with his name on it if he gets the youngest before she seals hers and he adds his name to it. If he’s not there when she buys the card he’s out of luck. He was out of luck this year.
I have been known to guilt him into doing some kind of chore for me on Mother’s Day but it usually involves an argument. This child is also capable of going the longest period of time without any contact between us so the no Mother’s Day token can be hard for me to handle.
Now you may be thinking I’m publicly dissing my son and any proper parenting article will tell you I’m doing a bad thing.
When has that ever stopped me?
I have wondered if he was switched at birth. How can a child of mine not know how important gifts, no matter how small, are to our family? How long has this kid known me?
We do have things in common. He has a gift for communicating in writing and we have the same wild hair and same color eyes. The truth is although my third child is the most different of the four children he’s also the one I have learned the most from.
Here is the point I want to share with you.
I got the card and flowers from the older two and my daughter made an awesome dinner. My oldest son also washed my car and gave spontaneous compliments through out the day. My youngest also got me a card and bought me a special gift. Child number three? Notta….
I could have made him feel like crap and compared him to his siblings or just got ticked off and wrote him off the rest of the day. That was an option. Other moms would have sympathized with me and agreed he was inconsiderate BUT I decided not to. Remember every reaction we have starts and ends as a decision. That reaction would have just made us both miserable.
Truth is I knew he probably was going to be empty handed so I decided to give him an out. I did let him know doing something on his own would have been nice however, he could still redeem himself. I gave him the envelope from one of the cards and told him a personal note would be accepted and appreciated.
By the end of the weekend he handed me the envelope with a sweet sincere hand written note on it. This is what it said:
“I’m so glad that I have such an amazing and strong woman as my mom. None of us would be the people we are today without your wisdom and love guiding us along through the years. I’m so thankful to have you in my life; all of our lives have been blessed because of you. I love you mom.”
Hang on I need a tissue.
Remember this is not about comparison on which kid said or did the best thing. I loved everything all 4 of my children did for me; it’s about the language of love.
If I had slammed him I would never have gotten this beautiful note that he had to take time to think about and write.
His love language is physical touch so if I were mad at him I definitely would not have been expressing my love for him with hugs and kisses.
We always have a choice in how we react to each other. I think it’s important for us to know the love language of those we are closest to whether it’s a spouse, child, or good friends.
Satan loves to mess with our emotions so let’s not give him any ammunition.
Jesus freely gave us all five love languages. We get words of affirmation from the Bible, quality time if we spend time reading and praying. Receiving the ultimate gift of salvation, meaning a place in Heaven with Him, because of His act of service on the cross for us. And last but not least we get physical touch here on earth when we become the hands and feet of Jesus and love on each other.
Don’t just expect your love language be the love language.
I think we possess all five of them; however one may be needed more than the rest depending on what’s going on in your life at the time.
When my kids were younger and all lived at home it was very difficult for me as a single mom with no help. An act of service was a huge love language for me. If someone mowed my lawn or helped clean the house without me asking I was beyond thrilled. Now my love language would lean more toward quality time. Don’t get me wrong I always love gifts so feel free to shop for me any time! Speaking of gifts let me tell you about my Mother’s Day.
I had an absolutely great Mother’s Day! How my children expressed their undying love and gratitude to me was not expressed the same way.
If you have more than one child you know one kid can be so different from another and mine are no exception.
I was blessed to have spent the day with all four of my children and this is the usual scenario from them.
My oldest son will usually get me a card and flowers on his own or if he’s with my oldest daughter they will get them together and then my oldest daughter will add a little something just from her. My youngest daughter always gets a card and something special whether it’s bought or made. Then there’s the third child… I only get a card with his name on it if he gets the youngest before she seals hers and he adds his name to it. If he’s not there when she buys the card he’s out of luck. He was out of luck this year.
I have been known to guilt him into doing some kind of chore for me on Mother’s Day but it usually involves an argument. This child is also capable of going the longest period of time without any contact between us so the no Mother’s Day token can be hard for me to handle.
Now you may be thinking I’m publicly dissing my son and any proper parenting article will tell you I’m doing a bad thing.
When has that ever stopped me?
I have wondered if he was switched at birth. How can a child of mine not know how important gifts, no matter how small, are to our family? How long has this kid known me?
We do have things in common. He has a gift for communicating in writing and we have the same wild hair and same color eyes. The truth is although my third child is the most different of the four children he’s also the one I have learned the most from.
Here is the point I want to share with you.
I got the card and flowers from the older two and my daughter made an awesome dinner. My oldest son also washed my car and gave spontaneous compliments through out the day. My youngest also got me a card and bought me a special gift. Child number three? Notta….
I could have made him feel like crap and compared him to his siblings or just got ticked off and wrote him off the rest of the day. That was an option. Other moms would have sympathized with me and agreed he was inconsiderate BUT I decided not to. Remember every reaction we have starts and ends as a decision. That reaction would have just made us both miserable.
Truth is I knew he probably was going to be empty handed so I decided to give him an out. I did let him know doing something on his own would have been nice however, he could still redeem himself. I gave him the envelope from one of the cards and told him a personal note would be accepted and appreciated.
By the end of the weekend he handed me the envelope with a sweet sincere hand written note on it. This is what it said:
“I’m so glad that I have such an amazing and strong woman as my mom. None of us would be the people we are today without your wisdom and love guiding us along through the years. I’m so thankful to have you in my life; all of our lives have been blessed because of you. I love you mom.”
Hang on I need a tissue.
Remember this is not about comparison on which kid said or did the best thing. I loved everything all 4 of my children did for me; it’s about the language of love.
If I had slammed him I would never have gotten this beautiful note that he had to take time to think about and write.
His love language is physical touch so if I were mad at him I definitely would not have been expressing my love for him with hugs and kisses.
We always have a choice in how we react to each other. I think it’s important for us to know the love language of those we are closest to whether it’s a spouse, child, or good friends.
Satan loves to mess with our emotions so let’s not give him any ammunition.
Jesus freely gave us all five love languages. We get words of affirmation from the Bible, quality time if we spend time reading and praying. Receiving the ultimate gift of salvation, meaning a place in Heaven with Him, because of His act of service on the cross for us. And last but not least we get physical touch here on earth when we become the hands and feet of Jesus and love on each other.
Don’t just expect your love language be the love language.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Small Group Habit
There's something really special about being a part of a small group of believers. It's a time when you meet with like minded people and share your struggles and triumphs. It's great to go to church and worship but in a small group setting you can have intimate conversation and truly get to know one another.
Another benefit of it is I think it really ticks off satan because he's into isolation when your down so he can fill your head with a bunch of lies and there's no one there to set you straight.
I am currently in another small group because like life the people and places change. We were sharing something last night and my friend Roxanne suggested I write a jewel about it so, here it is.
I will start by telling you the golden rule of small groups, "what's said in the group, stays in the group” so I will just share my part.
We were talking about our families and the dynamics of them. As you all know my relationship with my parents was and is challenging. We talked about how our families made us feel when we were young and how some of those feelings have been dragged into our adulthood.
I went through a really tough time especially after I became a mother and could not understand my parents interaction with us. I could not imagine doing or saying things to my children that were said to me and my siblings.
I remember one day just crying out to God that I wanted a “real” relationship with my mother. I remember Him replying so clearly. He told me I had two choices. A: accept my mother the way she was and understand she wasn't with holding she just wasn't capable to give what I needed. Or B: I could end my relationship with her and my father.
This may shock you but I chose B. Our relationship so was so damaging to me emotionally that I needed to just stay away from my parents for a while.
During that time I allowed the Lord to fill the void I had in my heart. I also gave God an opportunity to let me see myself through His eyes and not my parents. It was a very healing time for me and quite honestly I would not be able to take care of my parents with love now if I didn't do that healing time then.
As always God knows exactly what needs to be done for all of us.
Before when I looked at my parents I didn't want to resemble any part of them but now when I look at them with healthy eyes I realize I have some good qualities that I inherited from them.
My mother was always a very independent person and thought nothing of driving from New York to Florida by herself and this was forty years ago. We moved quite a bit and my mother always made sure we were in a nice home and decorated it to be comfortable.
My father was a very hard worker and even if he wasn't there emotionally he was there financially, which is more than I can say for a lot of men today. He took great pride in his work and had two full time jobs until he retired. My dad had a nursery in our back yard and people came from all over to buy Fast Eddie's trees because they knew my father would take good care of them before and after their purchase.
I learned to take the positive qualities of my parents and make that the soil of my life, the foundation if you will. I then built my life on that foundation and added to it.
I remembered the things in my childhood that brought me the most pain and made sure not to duplicate them in my children's life.
Honestly people often comment on what a great relationship I have with my children. It wasn't an accident. I poured myself into my children and made them a priority. I ask God for wisdom constantly and read the Bible to learn how to be a good mother. I'm not perfect just ask anyone of them :) but I try my best.
I told my oldest son when he had his first child always say your sorry because you WILL make mistakes and always say I love you. Keep God in your life and the rest will work out.
Feel free to use this recipe for your own life.
The Lord knew how important it was to surround ourselves with positive people that He even made it a command for our good.
Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:22-25 (The Message)
So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
The big day of course will be the day He returns for us but until He gets here He wants us to have a spiritually and emotionally healthy life.
Being with my group of ladies I am able to share what I went through and encourage someone who might be going through a similar situation now. I also get the wisdom of other ladies in the group who see things totally different than I do.
My youngest daughter is in my group so I get to hear her thoughts that she doesn't always share with me one on one. Be prepared if your in a group with a family member to hear situations where you are the problem....
We need to hear what God says about us and filter out what the world says. The wold can be really loud yelling things to you that are not in your best interest.
On a cool night I like to sleep with my window open and last night was one of those nights. The problem is it's so noisy outside I always have to get up in the middle of the night and shut the window. Last night as I got up I thought to myself, it's amazing how much noise gets in such a small amount of open window. The Lord spoke to me right there and reminded me it's the same way with the window to our soul. If you leave it open just a little bit to negative thoughts and words it will get really loud when it hits your heart and mind.
You may be thinking why do you leave the window open if you know your going to get up in the middle of the night and shut it? Good question, some where in my mind I think this night will be different and I won't hear the outside. Hmmmm funny how we think we can play with truth. Shut the window!
One way you can shut the window is to be in a small group setting. If you go to church ask if they have groups in place. If they don't or you don't go to church, be the small group.
Open your home to friends of like mind and like the Message Bible says be encouraging love and help each other out, spurring each other on.
Like the writer of Hebrews says, let's make meeting together a habit.
I want to give a special thank you to the women who made me part of their small group over the years, Betty, Suzan, Jane, Courtney & Cathy. The list will continue until the day Christ returns!
Another benefit of it is I think it really ticks off satan because he's into isolation when your down so he can fill your head with a bunch of lies and there's no one there to set you straight.
I am currently in another small group because like life the people and places change. We were sharing something last night and my friend Roxanne suggested I write a jewel about it so, here it is.
I will start by telling you the golden rule of small groups, "what's said in the group, stays in the group” so I will just share my part.
We were talking about our families and the dynamics of them. As you all know my relationship with my parents was and is challenging. We talked about how our families made us feel when we were young and how some of those feelings have been dragged into our adulthood.
I went through a really tough time especially after I became a mother and could not understand my parents interaction with us. I could not imagine doing or saying things to my children that were said to me and my siblings.
I remember one day just crying out to God that I wanted a “real” relationship with my mother. I remember Him replying so clearly. He told me I had two choices. A: accept my mother the way she was and understand she wasn't with holding she just wasn't capable to give what I needed. Or B: I could end my relationship with her and my father.
This may shock you but I chose B. Our relationship so was so damaging to me emotionally that I needed to just stay away from my parents for a while.
During that time I allowed the Lord to fill the void I had in my heart. I also gave God an opportunity to let me see myself through His eyes and not my parents. It was a very healing time for me and quite honestly I would not be able to take care of my parents with love now if I didn't do that healing time then.
As always God knows exactly what needs to be done for all of us.
Before when I looked at my parents I didn't want to resemble any part of them but now when I look at them with healthy eyes I realize I have some good qualities that I inherited from them.
My mother was always a very independent person and thought nothing of driving from New York to Florida by herself and this was forty years ago. We moved quite a bit and my mother always made sure we were in a nice home and decorated it to be comfortable.
My father was a very hard worker and even if he wasn't there emotionally he was there financially, which is more than I can say for a lot of men today. He took great pride in his work and had two full time jobs until he retired. My dad had a nursery in our back yard and people came from all over to buy Fast Eddie's trees because they knew my father would take good care of them before and after their purchase.
I learned to take the positive qualities of my parents and make that the soil of my life, the foundation if you will. I then built my life on that foundation and added to it.
I remembered the things in my childhood that brought me the most pain and made sure not to duplicate them in my children's life.
Honestly people often comment on what a great relationship I have with my children. It wasn't an accident. I poured myself into my children and made them a priority. I ask God for wisdom constantly and read the Bible to learn how to be a good mother. I'm not perfect just ask anyone of them :) but I try my best.
I told my oldest son when he had his first child always say your sorry because you WILL make mistakes and always say I love you. Keep God in your life and the rest will work out.
Feel free to use this recipe for your own life.
The Lord knew how important it was to surround ourselves with positive people that He even made it a command for our good.
Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:22-25 (The Message)
So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
The big day of course will be the day He returns for us but until He gets here He wants us to have a spiritually and emotionally healthy life.
Being with my group of ladies I am able to share what I went through and encourage someone who might be going through a similar situation now. I also get the wisdom of other ladies in the group who see things totally different than I do.
My youngest daughter is in my group so I get to hear her thoughts that she doesn't always share with me one on one. Be prepared if your in a group with a family member to hear situations where you are the problem....
We need to hear what God says about us and filter out what the world says. The wold can be really loud yelling things to you that are not in your best interest.
On a cool night I like to sleep with my window open and last night was one of those nights. The problem is it's so noisy outside I always have to get up in the middle of the night and shut the window. Last night as I got up I thought to myself, it's amazing how much noise gets in such a small amount of open window. The Lord spoke to me right there and reminded me it's the same way with the window to our soul. If you leave it open just a little bit to negative thoughts and words it will get really loud when it hits your heart and mind.
You may be thinking why do you leave the window open if you know your going to get up in the middle of the night and shut it? Good question, some where in my mind I think this night will be different and I won't hear the outside. Hmmmm funny how we think we can play with truth. Shut the window!
One way you can shut the window is to be in a small group setting. If you go to church ask if they have groups in place. If they don't or you don't go to church, be the small group.
Open your home to friends of like mind and like the Message Bible says be encouraging love and help each other out, spurring each other on.
Like the writer of Hebrews says, let's make meeting together a habit.
I want to give a special thank you to the women who made me part of their small group over the years, Betty, Suzan, Jane, Courtney & Cathy. The list will continue until the day Christ returns!
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