by Angele Tanyeri
The Collyde Summit is a gathering of passionate believers in the NY, NJ, and PA area, who love Jesus and are convicted to become world changers. Collyde turned out to be a life-changing experience for me! To gather and worship in this way was profound. It also gave me a chance to ‘collide’ with individuals I may not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.
by Elise Daly Parker
So for pretty much the 30+ years my beloved and I have been married, we have been “working” on our finances. Initially, it was just a matter of trying to be responsible with our money and not get in over our heads with debt. Truth be told, our success was short term. Some of this was circumstantial – unanticipated life and salary changes threw us for a loop. But, really? We overspent.
by Kathleen Whittam
There is a nickname for people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter--a ChrEaster. My mom has long been a fan of the Christmas cactus, a plant that, oddly enough, blooms around Christmas as well as Easter. I started calling them a ChrEaster Cactus.
By Beth Stiff
I wanted to start from the beginning...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.~ Genesis 1:1-2
My focal point was going to be on the three words God says over and over again in the first chapter of Genesis: “…it is good."
He looked at all He created and said it was good. ~ Genesis 1:31
Starting from the beginning sounded like a good plan because I’m currently reading from the Book of Genesis and those three words jumped off the pages as I read. If we believe everything He said as truth, and he says those three words several times, I’m thinking those words are rather important. [Continue Reading...]
by Elise Daly Parker
Even if you don’t go for a big New Year’s Eve celebration, the New Year can mark a fresh start, a new beginning, a shift in focus. It’s a good time to take a look back at the past, and consider a vision for the year ahead.
Many people choose a New Year’s resolution or two… [Continue Reading...]
Submerged is the first Christian fiction book I’ve ever read and I enjoyed it. I honestly never thought about reading this type of genre because I figured it was going to be too religious. Would the style be more about what we Christians are always doing wrong or would it be a suspense thriller, as promoted. Talk about judging a book by its cover - shame on me. I’m happy to say, I was wrong. [Continue Reading...]
REFLECTION - A fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.
Have you ever taken the time to reflect on the beauty of who God is and the many ways He has shaped your life?
Recently, I felt a tug on my heart to take time to dig deeper into my relationship with God. I sensed God leading me to write a letter to my younger myself.
I have to admit, at first, I thought this was a great idea. Then, as I started journaling, I wasn’t so sure. I soon realized how hard this was going to be. Not necessarily because it was painful to look back, but because there was so much I wanted to share with this young, precious girl.
What is the purpose of reflection?
While it’s not healthy to live in the past, I have found there are times when the Holy Spirit prompts a time of reflecting back on my life. He’s at work in ways I may not recognize at first, but proves to always benefits me in the end. (Instead of the above sentence: I don’t always understand the purpose of the prompting, but this Spirit-led process always benefits me in the end.
In writing this letter to myself, God has taught me:
To See God More Clearly
Psalm 106:2 (NLT) | Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
As I looked back on my childhood, I experienced an eye-opening recognition of how God has loved, saved, rescued, healed, provided, protected, guided me throughout my entire life. Even though I have been through many hard experiences, knowing looking back I know that God was there for me through it all. It is a wonderful comfort.
To Encourage Others
Psalm 40:10 (NLT) | I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Walking down memory lane and having the Holy Spirit show me all the ways He cared for me, gives me great joy. That joy overflows to others as I share the good news of Jesus Christ and all that He has done for me. We all have a story to tell and our story is powerful…yes, even the good, bad, and the ugly!
To Forgive Others and Myself
Matthew 6:14-15 | If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
The Lord used times of reflection to reveal where that has been unforgiveness in my life. I have found out how important it is to forgive. Forgiveness frees me from the bondage of bitterness and pain, and closes the door that can allow the enemy access to my life. Sometimes we can easily see our unforgiveness; other times we have to ask God to show us. Regardless, unforgiveness holds us captive. Let’s not wait another day to forgive the offenses others have committed against us. We also need to forgive ourselves so we can be free.
To Remind Myself That Disappointments Happen…But God Is with Me
John 16:33 (NLT) | I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
The Bible is clear that we will encounter trials and sorrows even as Christians. There may be times that we have a life altering experience or endure a circumstance beyond our understanding. During those times we may be tempted to take our eyes off of Jesus. This is when reflection can be one of the most powerful tools we have, especially if we’ve written down our reflections. Not only can we read His Word and renew our mind with His promises, but we can also take out our journal and revisit what God has shown us about the past. This empowers us to fight, to praise, to worship Him in the midst of any circumstances!
Even though reflection typically happens at the end of December as people make resolutions for the New Year, we need not wait until then. Periodic introspection is beneficial. Doing this through writing a letter to my younger self helped me clearly see how far God has carried me in my past. I am encouraged knowing He will continue to carry me into my future.
Do you ever reflect back on where God has been in your life? Do you journal or write this down…or maybe even write a letter to your younger self? Tell us here.
Diana Jones is a compassionate wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She is passionate about sharing God's love and all that He has done throughout her life. She is also looking for opportunities to grow spiritually through reading, prayer, singing and being in fellowship with others. She is thankful for the opportunity share her stories here at Circles of Faith. You can follow her at Twitter.
My Recent Retreat Experience
I was thrilled and intrigued when I received the email from my stepsister Susie Minno inviting me to celebrate her 60th birthday by joining her for a day of retreat. What a unique idea! I’ve been to plenty of exciting, wonderful, blessed birthday festivities, but I knew this one would be a gift to all who could attend. I marked my calendar right away…
The day was bright and beautiful.
The retreat property included a large gracious home on sweeping grounds with a lovely pond, a vegetable garden, and sitting areas scattered around. We met in a large parlor, in a circle, and shared a bit about who we were. In-between reflection and journaling on our own, we returned to this sacred place to share. Much of our time was spent silently, alone, meditating on scripture, particularly:
Come to me!Matthew 11:28
There were also a few quotes, thoughts, questions; exercises we could use to direct our quiet time. I must admit, looking back on my journal (which Susie gave us as a special retreat gift), I see I was having a tough time settling down.
One of the exercises was to write a letter to God. And I had plenty to say. We were just three weeks away from launching Circles of Faith, so my mind was racing with To Dos, due dates, etc. Starting this new venture, I had so many questions, so many “what ifs,” so many hopes and doubts. This letter to God allowed me to pour out my heart and settle down.
Another exercise was a letter from God to me. This is what I recorded in my journal.
Dear Elise,
I am your lifeline. Take heart and rest in this, apart from me you can do nothing.
You can’t balance work, family, dinner, wants, and have tos.
You can’t have the marriage you desire.
You can’t rely on yourself to eat well, lose weight, and keep it off.
You can’t close your mouth when you want to open it.
You can’t love like me.
You can’t change the bad spending habits you’ve formed.
You can’t obey my command to love me and love others.
But here is the VERY GOOD NEWS…
You can do all things through Me. Everything I have purposed and planned will come to pass. What I have said, that will I do.
Have hope in Me alone. And rest assured, I love you with an everlasting love.
Stay close to Me.
Invite Me in to all things.
Start with Me.
End with Me.
This is rest.
Trust in Me.
I will never mislead or misguide.
I love you more than you can imagine…
I AM!
My response to God…
Oh God, I believe. Yet, help me in my unbelief! (Matthew 9:24)
Have you met with God recently? What is He saying to you? Let us know here.
*Elise's post was mostly written at the 60th Birthday Retreat Susan Minno shared on Circles of Faith, Wednesday, April 17. Click Here to read...
Elise has been married for 28 years and is mom to four mostly grown girls. She is a writer, editor, writing coach, and blogger. She believes we all have stories that matter--big life bios and small meaningful moments. Elise believes our stories are a reflection of God’s glory and are meant to be shared. They have the power to inform, reform, and transform. She loves God, familly, friends...and really likes travel!
I came to Christ at an early age, I remember praying with my mom at age six to ask Jesus into my heart. And, like many of us, I certainly wandered from the Lord and from my faith during periods of my life. It wasn't until after I'd gotten married and become a mother that my eyes were truly opened to the truth of Jesus and His love.
Watching my own children, loving them with such an intense love, I could catch a small glimpse of the love of my Heavenly Father. [Continue Reading...]
An Unconventional Way of Celebrating 60
I recently turned 60. Months before the date, my loving family and friends began asking me how I wanted to celebrate: a party, a weekend with friends, a trip, etc. Each was fun in its own way, and I considered them all. But when I finally gave myself permission to stop and consider—apart from any of these ideas—what my wish would be, I realized that what I longed for was something very different. I longed for time to be still, to listen for the voice of God; I longed for renewal.
The seeds of this birthday wish were planted eight years ago when I began my work as a hospital chaplain. As the sole Protestant on the Spiritual Care staff at a Catholic hospital, I learned—and continue to learn—so much from the godly Sisters and priests with whom I have the privilege to work. Perhaps most impressive for me early on was this: the Sisters were obligated by their communities to designate time each year for retreat. This, I must emphasize, was separate from their vacation days. It was considered part of the work; a requirement for sustenance and growth and fidelity in their vocation. How enlightened! The little bit I have tasted over the years of the benefits of retreat have only served to make me want more, but lacking a community or authority mandate….it hasn’t happened. Here, in the context of a milestone birthday when I felt free to choose whatever I wanted, was my opportunity.
I took the time to pray until this longing metamorphosed into a concrete plan that would actually serve as a birthday celebration.
As I prayed, the steps became clear.
1. Where—The meeting place would be a local retreat property run by the Sisters of Mercy.
2. Who to Lead—The leader I asked was a woman I’ve long admired: a Christian counselor and godly, prayerful woman who passed her 60th birthday milestone nearly 20 years before mine.
3. Whom to Invite—I felt strongly that I wanted to spend the day with women, but didn’t want to exclude men—especially those in my family, from the celebration. The solution was to spend the day with sisters, and in the evening, have a dinner celebration in our home with spouses, etc., included.
4. The biggest challenge—Do I invite only my friends with whom I share a faith? My like-minded sisters? Or, with full disclosure, do I invite all of my closest friends and let them decide whether or not to come to the Christian retreat and dinner, or just the dinner. In the end, that’s what I did, trusting the Lord to sort it out.
Following is an excerpt from the invitation that I sent to my family and friends:
I’m turning 60. As I’ve considered the options for marking such a milestone I realize that what I want most of all is time to be still; to trace the movement of God in my life over these past 60 years, and to re-tune my focus for whatever is ahead.
I want to know that this adventure of trying to live for God will only deepen and grow. I want to defy that still, small voice within me (and the huge, monstrous, deafening voice within culture) that relegates these years to a post-peak descent, sprinkled with occasional perks and graces. I want to know that this temporal existence—even and especially NOW—has the potential to explode beyond the boundaries I have drawn with my own subtle but potent (and fear-fed) values to stay safe, stay in control and look good while you’re doing it (with, of course, only a modicum of success at any of them). And I KNOW that “explosion” can happen because we follow Jesus—the unpredictable, uncontrollable, unsafe incarnation of love and goodness and truth and freedom.
So that’s what I want to focus on, but I don’t want to do it alone.
I want to have a “retreat” day. I want to invite my sisters and a few close friends…..
To my surprise, of the 15 women I invited, only one declined the retreat day.
It felt like heaven. Sitting in this holy, prayer-soaked retreat center with the women who mean the most to me in the world; knowing each one had worked hard to wrest this time from their busy schedules. For my Christian sisters, this was familiar territory. For those who may not be practicing Christians…what joy to see them all together!!! And, how brave of them to accept and open themselves to this new experience.
The morning began with Jessie—our facilitator—reading a well-chosen Scripture, inviting us to respond, then sending us out to enjoy the beautiful grounds in silent contemplation. That order was repeated throughout the day.
My greatest gift of the retreat:
I had stated in the invitation that I wanted to “trace the movement of God in my life.”
Little did I realize that so much of that that movement would be reflected in the faces of those women in the room.
My only complaint:
One day was not enough. Sharing in group time and over our meal was so sweet; sharing quiet together, even sweeter. We all left, I think, longing for more.
Perhaps that longing had something to do with the verse that Jessie chose to form the substance of our meditation that day. I offer it to you now:
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
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.
Susie Minno is a hospital chaplain living and working in Bucks County, Pa. She is married to David, and the mother of three adult children. Chaplaincy is a second career for Susie, and she is daily delighted and forever grateful that God surprised her with this calling so late in the game, granting a desire of her heart that she never realized she had. (Her hero of the moment is Mother Antonia, founder of the Servants of the Eleventh Hour.)
Blessedarethey which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Matthew 5:6
I sat on the deserted beach
watching the Gulf's waters rise and fall.
Hearing them pound the shore.
There was in my spirit a longing.
A craving.
An intense, deep hunger....
to find my Creator.
To talk with Him.
To hear His voice.
To sense His presence.
So jaded was life.
So tired was I....
of the chaos that surrounded my existence.
I searched for peace.
I longed for inward rest...
that would sustain me..
and not leave in the days to come.
I sat on the rock...
alone...
wind sweeping long hair,
drying quickly-falling tears...
almost as quickly as they fell.
How I longed to just fly away...
on its wings...
through the turbulent, stormy skies...
and be at rest.
I turned my face upward...
closed my eyes....
spoke with my heart.
My mouth didn't move.
Just my soul.
He heard....
sensed my hunger....
for Him.
He nourished my soul.
Dried my tears.
Brought calm.
I watched the sun set,
then disappear,
and melt into the waves.
I hesitantly climbed down from the rock,
wishing things were different, but knowing I was.
I was filled with His presence.
So, I could go on.
Since then,
God has led to greener pastures.
One thing has not changed.
I am still hungry.
As I prayed this morning,
I told God so.
I hunger for Him...every, single day.
In calm or chaos,
grief or joy.
Whatever the external.
My heart craves...
longs for...
seeks after....
God.
He fills me to the point of overflowing.
To the point of feeling I will never hunger for Him again.
But every day, the hunger is fresh.
Like I've never been filled before.
I need God.
I crave His presence.
When I feel separated from Him,
due to the stuff of life,
I sense a strong, inward tug...
to find a place alone.
Remember the children of Israel?
Their journeys,
trials, tribulations, and circumstances....
all recorded as natural types and shadows
of the spiritual lives you and I now live.
We can learn so much from them.
The 78th chapter of Psalms paints a vivid portrait
and gives their story in a nutshell.
At one point, they were wandering in the wilderness.
They were hungry, physically,
doubting God,
not believing He could feed them there...
surrounded by such desolation.
The foolishness of their doubtful words found in the 19th verse?
"Yea, they spake against God;
they said, ‘Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?’"
I call their words foolish because they knew what God could do.
He had already miraculously parted the Red Sea...
caused the waters to stand in a heap on both sides...
dried the muddy ground in the middle...
right in front of their very eyes...
and kept it dry until the last one
of their doubtful feet crossed over to the other side.
He had caused water to gush from a rock,
when they were thirsty.
He had rained down manna from Heaven,
when they were hungry.
How could they doubt what God could do?
Perhaps, due to circumstances beyond your control,
you are surrounded by spiritual desolation.
Wilderness.
Where no sustenance grows.
Can God feed you there?
Can He furnish a table?
Right there....in such dry conditions?
Yes, my friend!
He is the Creator, remember?
He made the world...
out of nothing.
To furnish a table,
with all the trimmings,
overladen with spiritually-charged nutrition,
is an easy task for God.
Even in the most desolate wastelands of your life.
You don't have to be seated in a pew
or in the midst of the sanctimonious.
On a beach,
in a church building,
in your living room,
in the car,
at the foot of a mountain,
on your knees,
flat on your back,
in the woods,
at the stump of a tree,
seated on a fallen log,
surrounded by unbelievers,
in the midst of persecution...
wherever you are.
He will come down...
right there...
whereyouare,
and He will furnish a table...
just for you.
It will contain an "all-you-can-eat" buffet.
Each time you go back,
you will find a fresh supply...
of goodness,
and everything you crave.
His creativity is endless.
He is the Creator.
He never runs out of ideas…
on how to feed your soul...
as long as you are hungry.
His table is spread.
He waits for you.
Just take His hand....
and follow Him...
to the table.
Comments? Click Here
Cheryl Smith is eternally-grateful wife to Kevin and homeschool Mama to Zachary. Daily walks with God, conversations with the Potter, peaceful married life, the beautiful way God still opens barren wombs and sets the solitary in families, homeschooling, aging parents, grief, family ties, & the endless joys of being in the center of God's perfect, abiding will...these things she lives and breathes and knows. These things she writes from her heart at Homespun Devotions at www.cherylsmithministries.blogspot.com.
photo credit: Paulo Brandão via photopincc
I picked up this book because I had read, and liked, the first edition. If you haven’t read the original book, here is a quick synopsis.
The original book (no longer in print), simply called Breathtaking , is a compilation of emails the author, Amber Payne, (then Metz) wrote while she was waiting for a double lung transplant. Only 19 at the time, Payne’s lungs had been so damaged by cystic fibrosis that she described her condition as, “trying to breathe through a straw.” [Continue Reading...]
This is the time of year when everyone needs to breathe a little fresh air.
Our hot-air-pumped suburban homes are stale and stuffy. They seem like they are suffocating under the weight of a long, long winter. With the first nodding needs of miniature daffodils and the first waving purple crocus blooms, I long to throw open the windows and simply let the house breathe.
The house is not the only thing that needs to breate. My soul feels that same weight of winter -- burdened and heavy with holiday expectations, claustrophobic winter nesting, and sunless days that seem to closet our soul's ability just to breathe.
I know...you think I'm going to get all preachy on you today. Well, I am, but not really. You see, the way I interact with God -- the way my soul grows -- it isn't very preachy. I grew up in church and I went to a Christian university and we still go to church faithfully. All added up? That is a lot of preaching. I get a little tired of preaching. Don't you?
What I don't get tired of are those moments when I can feel my soul breathe.
I don't know if you have had those moments, the ones when something lifts in your heart and you are simply at peace. You aren't crazy happy. You aren't even full of elation. You aren't necessarily joyful. You are just at peace.
For me, that peace is directly tied to the way God speaks through nature. Perhaps it is childish of me that I find God the most through His tangible, smack-dab-in-your-face gifts instead of His more lofty spiritual gifts. I just love the feeling of freedom when my soul breathes.
Perhaps you are wondering when I'm going to get to the point. I'm getting there I promise.
A few years ago, we had just moved to Pennsylvania and we were living in a townhouse. We were supposed to live there for a year, but I was a little baby and needed a garden and a place for the boys to run. Looking back, I know that, realistically, we should have stuck it out. Quite honestly, I knew I was being ungrateful in my heart, but I just couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the babies waking the other babies up because the quarters were too close. I couldn't stand the stark whiteness and "townhouse-i-ness" of it all. I couldn't stand the fact that my poppies bloomed 1/4" wide because they were being grown in pots that couldn't support them. I was tired of not having potatoes and tomatoes growing in my backyard. I was tired of not being able to paint walls and hang things on them. I was just a plain old baby about it all.
However, I am a little bit glad that I was a baby because we ended up with a house that lets my soul breathe.
I still haven't told you what I'm talking about.... Let me show you.
It is those places where sun glints through the plants like diamonds and that place where the sky goes on forever. It's that place where the green fills your eyes and then coats your veins and tumbles down into your heart. It is those moments when you breathe in the air and feel it giving you life. It is the country and the woods and the beaches and the ocean. It is the rocks and the grass and the trees and the sky. It is the place where God reaches out and can physically touch us. My soul can breathe when there is space, life, light, and growth. My soul can breathe when I can feel God.
Those photos? Those aren't of my home. They are of the [incredible] Rapid Canyon Ranch in Wyoming. The problem? We can't afford hundreds and thousands of acres of unbroken sky. We can't afford a home where neighbors are invisible. We can't afford a mountain.
However, we can afford a home that lets my soul breathe. Sometimes you have to get on your knees and look under the plants to see the way the sunlight glows through the leaves. A blanket and a baby and that view? Your soul can breathe. Sometimes it is looking in the right direction. Maybe you have a busy street in front of your home, but out back you can see rolling hills in the distance. You don't have to own those hills for them to grace your heart.
All that said...my soul can breathe now. If I wouldn't have been such a baby, my soul could have breathed in that townhouse, but I was too stubborn. I wanted grass and trees and room to plant. I wanted sky and breeze and trees to climb. I wanted to own my little piece of land and raise chickens and chase groundhogs.
It's understandable, but still childish.
I missed out on a few months of breathing because I was so busy worrying about finding a place to breathe.
Are you in a space where it feels like you can't breathe? Re-evaluate your space, add some life, try to embrace your space. You might try a few of mystyling tips to help. In any case, breathe. You can't live without it.
Amy Renea is a freelance writer and photographer based out of Hershey, PA. She lives with her husband, 3 boys, 5 chickens, and a feisty pair of bunnies on a couple acres in deer country. If you ever stop by, she'll have an iced sweet tea and sweet potato chips waitin' for you! You can find the bulk of Amy's work at A Nest for All Seasons. Amy is also a design writer for the award-winning Houzz.com, a designer for Crafts Unleashed, and contributes to various home and garden magazines.
This past week, my husband Josh and I were enjoying a lazy Sunday, hoping to get out into some natural surroundings at some point to enjoy the hints of spring in the air. We are done with the hibernation of winter, ready for warmth and sunlight.
Friends of ours called and said that they were taking a drive to the Lancaster area to see a wildlife area known for the migration of snow geese and tundra swans. Though I had plenty of dishes to do, blog posts to write, books to read, and so on, we decided to spontaneously hop into the car and go with them, seeking an outdoor adventure.
When we arrived to the reservoir where the geese where supposed to be, we saw thousands of birds in the distant sky, masses of white making waves in the air. We drove on to get a closer look, but alas, that was the only glimpse we got of the snow geese all day.
There were, however, around 100 or so tundra swans, gracefully swimming in the reservoir, and though they were still a ways off, we were able to admire them from afar. All four of us climbed a huge tree to get a better look. I have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve climbed a tree, and the ascent and descent were a bit more difficult than I can remember.
Though we missed the peak of the snow geese (55,000 or more in February), I did not miss the rejuvenation of being outside. I did not miss the crisp air and sunshine, the beauty of light and color, azure sky, rich blue water, golden fields.
Nature is good for my soul.
Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Sacred writings are bound in two volumes - that of creation and that of the Holy Scriptures. Visible creatures are like a book in which we read the knowledge of God.” Whether majestic snow geese or elegant tundra swans, hyacinths or crocuses, we understand God in new ways through all these aspects of nature. “To study the word of God is to study nature,” says Matthew Fox.
It becomes clear to me time and time again that God speaks to me, to all of us, through Creation. When we are in love with God, then ideally, we are loving Creation; we see the earth’s inherent worth and value. We become compelled to care for the earth in which we live, to live in a way that honors God and all that God created.
May we seek a greater understanding of God through Creation all around us.
When have you experienced God's presence in nature?
Micalagh Beckwith Moritz is a social worker, a writer, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a community member...continually learning how to do a better job at each of these roles. She is newly married (if under 2 years still counts as "new"!) and currently working as a school-based clinical therapist. She is always contemplating how to love others better and to enjoy the small things of life; to see God in everything...and everyone. Also important to note- she loves cheese, speaking French, and experiencing different cultures (whether in or out of the United States)! Micalagh blogs at Only Small Things.
photo credit: Rick Leche via photopincc
Zion is here.
Before you crack open your Bible and search fervently for the meaning of “Zion,” let me clarify. Hillsong UNITED has released their newest album, Zion.
Hillsong is a mega church based out of Sydney, Australia, with campuses around the globe, including London and New York City; UNITED is the worship band birthed from Hillsong’s youth ministry in the ‘90s. Now, they tour globally, leading worship with their original songs that are relevant to churches and Christians around the world. [Continue Reading...]
Last month we looked at how to revolutionize our relationships with our teenagers by "moving in the opposite spirit" or doing the opposite of what seems natural.
This month, I'd like to generalize this same technique for changing our relationships with friends and other family members as well. I have heard it said that relationships need to be renegotiated every three to five years. Things get stale, we get into ruts, the quality of our connections with friends and loved ones can always use an upgrade.
Managing Expectations
Sometimes we romanticize what life and relationships should be like. We forget connecting with people takes work and that we must examine the expectations we have for people and events. It helps to go into situations with our expectations rooted and grounded in reality: not the romanticized view that "we should all just get along" nor the pessimistic view that things will be tense or difficult.
Dealing with Offense
One of the key things that hurts relationships is criticism and its unfriendly cousins sarcasm and defensiveness. Being on the receiving end of one of these three lovely attitudes is definitely one of life's challenges.
Moving in the opposite spirit means we don't pick up the gauntlet that may have been thrown down through an insult or criticism. (Remember, through verbal communication, people are always telling us who they are, they're not defining us by their remarks.) So if someone makes a snarky comment and we don't "pick it up," then we’re free to respond instead of react. What's the difference? When we respond, we see the choices or options present in the interaction; whereas when we react we usually feel compelled to do something like get angry and hurl a criticism back, etc. In short, when we’re being reactive we have a very limited range of options.
It's in being able to press the pause button in the tense moment that we may find the freedom to move in the opposite spirit. Instead of attending to our feelings only, we choose to think.
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?
Sometimes it may be covert. A friend or family member may be negative or hostile. For the sake of my example, we'll say they're extending us the rope to argue with them. Alanon admonishes its members, "Just because someone extends you the rope (to argue, debate, or play the one-upmanship game, etc.) doesn't mean you have to pick it up."
Just because you may want to argue with me doesn't mean I need to engage. I was explaining this to my daughter recently and she said, "I think I know what you mean. Is it something like: it takes four lips to argue and two of them are yours?" Yes, that is exactly what it means! (I think she heard that on a TV show.) There's also an old proverb that says, "Be careful when you argue with an idiot. People passing by won.t know which one you are."
What Moving in the Opposite Spirit Isn’t…and Is
Moving in the opposite spirit is not being more patient although that would help. It's also not being a doormat--women particularly become fearful and angry if they think that's what’s being asked of them. It's more like the modern martial art of judo. Judo is translated "the gentle way." The strategies and techniques of judo rely on yielding to the oncoming force of your opponent. It is a disciplined sport that can be readily adapted to a very effective type of self defense.
Here's the bottom line: judo is a way of using the enemies power by yielding to it. Moving in the opposite spirit accomplishes the same goal! We sense the force of our verbal critic or angry friend, husband, or colleague coming our way. We sidestep the intensity of their emotions (or possibly attack) by yielding our own right to defend ourselves. That is not to say that we volunteer for abuse. It's more like a mindful (self-aware) approach to disarm the negative emotions of someone who is coming at us with negative intent. Maybe someone is being mean spirited about your cooking or your home or your kids. While I'm all for giving a petulant friend or colleague a little push back if some bad behavior is occurring, that's not the strategy we're talking about today. Today we're talking about disarming our critics by giving way to the aggression that’s coming our way. We sidestep their opposition, instead of resisting it or defending ourselves against it.
The Spiritual Aspect
We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with powers and principalities, Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:12. What does that mean? Sometimes we're going around in circles in our relationships trying to figure out someone or trying to figure out what’s going wrong or where the communication is breaking down. But sometimes the problem may be a spiritual one.
As I stated above, moving in the opposite spirit means dismantling that power of the enemy by yielding to it. Last month, I talked about the paradox of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. In the words of the old Johnny Mercer song, “Something's gotta give." When we move in the opposite spirit, we choose not to pick up the gauntlet that's being thrown down, but we do choose a strategy. This isn't passive at all. It's strategic!
Imagine what it would feel like if you wanted to give your husband a piece of your mind and in your fury you approached him with eyes glaring and steam coming out of the top of your head. Instead of saying something defensive, rude, or dismissive, he just sits down to listen to you! (I know some of you are thinking you may be in the wrong house with someone else's husband if that ever happened!). It won't be hard to imagine how differently that argument would go if you had your husband’s full attention. That is the basic essence of moving in the opposite spirit. It's doing the opposite of what people expect you to do. What a challenge!
Proverbs 14:12 says: There is a way that seems right in a man's eyes but it leads to destruction. The still small voice of the spirit warns us that our ways are not His ways, nor our thoughts His thoughts. His ways and thoughts are as different from ours as the heavens are from the earth (paraphrased Isaiah 55: 8-9.) Moving in the opposite spirit separates us from our natural or carnal reactions to life's challenges. Even our most precious relationships bring strife, stress, and trauma. We need to be prepared. As I quoted last month, "If I always do what I've always done I'm always going to get what I've always gotten." (Henry Ford)
When someone lays down the gauntlet to argue with us, we don't have to pick it up. International author and speaker Graham Cooke says, "If you meet an accusation with an accusation, you do the work of the enemy." One of the names of the enemy of our soul is The Accuser of the brethren. When we’re upset and react naturally or carnally, we’re yielding to a negative or soulish emotion and permitting ourselves to be used by the Accuser.
DO YOU WANT MORE INFLUENCE?
Do you feel stuck in a relationship where you'd like to have more influence? Permit that person to influence you and watch what happens. I sincerely want to challenge you to train for some judo-like emotional training. We have to pass the test, Beloved! For more on this type of emotional training, see Graham Cooke's book, Manifesting Your Spirit.
Your comments welcome HERE.
Susanne Ciancio, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Christian Counselor. She has been serving the Christian community as a professional Christian counselor in Essex county and the surrounding area since 1986. Beyond her private practice in West Orange, NJ she is involved in teaching, consulting, and pastoral supervision in various churches in the area. Click here for Susanne's website.
EDITORS NOTE: While Susanne can’t answer specific counseling-related questions, she welcomes your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about what kinds of topics you’d like to see addressed here at Circles of Faith. Click here to contact us
photo credit: ♥serendipity via photopincc
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Many of us focus on the seven last sayings of Jesus during Holy Week .
Now, on this day after Easter, let’s look at what Jesus said after his resurrection.
Jesus’ parting words before His ascension are found in three of the four Gospels and in Acts 1. These messages, spoken nearly two centuries ago, still have meaning for us today.
COMFORT
When Mary Magdalene finds Jesus’ body is missing from the tomb, she is dismayed. Weeping in grief and uncertainty, Jesus had only to say her name to soothe her (John 20:11-18).
When Jesus appeared before His other disciples, who were “startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost,” He bid them peace (Luke 24:36, 37). He assured them His death proved He had authority over heaven and earth (v. 18), and that He would be with them forever (Matthew 28:20). Jesus pledged to them life-long comfort, in the person of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8), fulfilling a promise he had made earlier (John 14:16-18, 26; 16:7-15).
Like Mary and the disciples, we too desperately need consolation for our anxiety, confusion, and sorrow. This same risen Savior cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We not only find solace in His words in Scripture (Romans 15:4), but also are strengthened by the Holy Spirit who remains active in every believer’s life (Romans 5:5).
COMMAND
Jesus issued only one directive before he ascended: The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20). “Go,” He said, “make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:48).
Jesus left us with a big task, one that is perhaps even a little scary and overwhelming. But when He gave the charge, He also supplied the power, again, through the Holy Spirit, through power from on high (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49). And therein lies the…
CHALLENGE
A pair of Jesus’ followers journeyed to the village of Emmaus that resurrection day, conversing about the amazing events. Jesus approached and asked, “What are you discussing together as you walk?” (Luke 24:16, 17). They incredulously wondered aloud if this stranger (they were prevented from recognizing him) was the only one who hadn’t heard the news. “What things?” Jesus prodded them (vv. 18, 19).
The two travelers related their bewilderment about the astounding happenings, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and what they signified (v. 19-24). “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Jesus chided them. “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (v. 25). And he went on to explain it all to them (v. 27).
Later, as they ate, the pair had their eyes opened, and they recognized the Lord, only to have him vanish (vv. 30, 31). “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” they marveled to each other (v. 32).
Jesus also confronted the remaining 11 of his closest friends: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!” (Luke 24:38, 39). He invited the skeptical Thomas to touch his hand and his side as further proof (John 20:27).
Seven of those men next saw Jesus at dawn by the Sea of Tiberias. “Do you love me?” Jesus asked Peter three times (John 21:15-17), perhaps to offset the disciple’s trio of denials of the previous week (John 18:16-17, 25-27). “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep,” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus countered over Peter’s protestations of love (John 21:15-17).
Then Peter learned how he was to die. Undoubtedly disturbed and upset, he gestured toward his fellow disciple John, and asked what his fate would be. “What is that to you?” Jesus rebuked him. “You follow me!” (vv. 21, 22).
Then Jesus’ followers had one final question before he left them: when are you going to make everything right here on earth (Acts 1:6)? “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority,” Jesus said, a reply that must have left the still-reeling believers even more puzzled.
Our challenges haven’t changed: we read Scripture, but don’t always know how to apply it; we struggle with doubt; we declare our love for the Lord and our fellow sheep, but fail to show it; we get distracted by what God’s doing in the lives of others to the detriment of our own walk with him; we want to know the whys and whens and hows, trying to take command of what rightfully belongs only to God.
Oh, that our hearts would burn like those two on the road to Emmaus! That we would “not see and yet believe” (John 20:29)! That we would “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles [and] run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1), instead of snaring ourselves in matters over which we have no control!
May these resurrection words stir us as they did the early church, so that “with glad and sincere hearts” we too will “praise God and enjoy the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:46, 47).
Comments welcome HERE...
Penny Musco is a freelance writer with a terrific family—husband, daughter, mom, two brothers, and an assortment of in-laws, nieces and nephews. Her first passion is living for God as His child, redeemed from my “empty way of life…with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). A second is being with her family. Creating stories, whether fiction or non-fiction, is a third. And then there’s travel, especially to places where she can get up close and personal with the natural world. Trekking through the national parks is the best way she's found to combine all four.
Penny blogs at Life Lessons From the National Parks. She can also be found at http://www.pennymusco.com and http://www.steal-away.com
It was the time of night where I like to settle into the hollowed out spot on the corner of the sofa, the one next to the lamp for reading and the table for setting down a cup of tea. Dishes washed and laundry folded, I sat down and anticipated an evening with a hot mug, a cookie or two, and complete control of the TV remote. I hung up my invisible “Mom Off-Duty” sign, and propped up my feet on the coffee table.
My son, lounging on the chair next to me, tried to engage me in conversation.
This is the same son who spent the last three hours challenging my authority, bickering with his sisters, and, truth be told, driving me a little bit mad. Deep down, I felt the warning light flash, “Do not engage. Off-duty. I repeat, do not engage.” He was minutes away from bedtime, and I was not prepared to go another round or five with him. Didn’t he see my sign? Apparently not, because he pressed more and more for an answer. I turned to look at him, and I could see his need sitting on the surface of his eyes like tears. He wanted more than a nod and a mumbled word or two.
He asked me what he is good at…
“Like, what am I really, really good at Mom? What are my talents?” and an answer like, “You’re really good at antagonizing your sister” didn’t feel entirely appropriate. When I looked at him, I saw the truth behind his question; his real need to hear who I think he is, apart from the bickering and the fussing and the constant admonitions for him to behave. I shifted from my hollow spot, to the floor near his feet. I looked up into his big brown eyes and I told him. I told him that he is smart and artistic—how he sees beyond the surface of things, to the heart of them. I told him his ear is gifted for music, and his head for numbers, and he’ll always read deeper, wider, and with more passion than any kid his age. I told him he is one-of-a-kind and a gift.
After he went to bed, and I sat down to my, now cold, cup of tea, I thought about how easy it is to remain disengaged and off-duty.
Motherhood often feels like a checklist, one that looks the same every single day.
Too often, my parenting focuses only on the tasks—those items I can check off as complete. But the work of motherhood isn’t simply about the baked chicken or the ironed shirts or the clean sheets. The true work of mothering happens when we pull ourselves out of the hollow places. The hard work gets done in the sitting by their feet with a listening ear, where mothering becomes less a series of tasks and more of an art.
Mothering is an act of creation that begins in the womb and continues in the heart.
We create a safe place where our children can ask the difficult questions and we give them the truth about who they are in our family, in this world, and in Christ. We paint and draw and build these truths into them like artists, and with an artist there is no such thing as off-duty.
Kimberly lives in Switzerland with her husband and favorite little people. She copes with life’s biggest questions by drinking lots of tea, writing, and God’s grace. You can find her writing at www.kimberlyanncoyle.com or tweeting @KimberlyACoyle.
My husband and I have been traveling back and forth to Pennsylvania to visit my mother-in-law who has been seriously ill. At 90 years of age, Nadine went into the hospital to get a pacemaker. Up until that time, she was a healthy, strong-willed person with a sound and alert mind, still able to drive her own car. Complications set in and she was eventually placed in a rehabilitation center.
Despite the fact that I did everything I could to please her, and to be the daughter that she never had, Nadine never accepted me. Her only son Michael, now my husband, entered the Navy when he was just 17 years old. When he was discharged, he decided to stay in Virginia rather than to return to his hometown. I met him two months later. Despite the timing, Michael’s mother blamed me for his decision, saying that I wanted to keep him away from her.
I liked Nadine immediately when I first met her!
She was very friendly and outspoken. However, she kept calling me Barbara. This lasted for approximately six months. Whenever I asked Michael why she called me that he would respond, “Oh don’t mind her, she’s just getting old.” I found out later that Barbara was Michael’s distant cousin and high school sweetheart, whom Nadine had wanted Michael to marry. Nadine told me that she thought the reason that Michael didn’t move back home was because of Barbara. Ok, so which is it? Is it my fault or Barbara’s?
When Michael and I became engaged, I showed Nadine my ring. She responded, “Why, that’s bigger than mine!” Her comment surprised me because it sounded like jealousy. This bothered me; I had a problem ignoring it.
Michael and I were engaged for about eight months when, one night, Michael said, “That’s it, we’re getting married tomorrow!” We eloped without telling anyone. When we arrived back home, we shared the good news with our parents. At a time when family was supposed to be happy for us, Nadine was devastated. She once again blamed me, this time for robbing her of seeing her only child walk down the wedding aisle in church.
It seemed Nadine didn’t like anything I did.
She didn’t like me having a job. Then, when I quit, she didn’t like me being at home. She didn’t like me teaching my children responsibilities (chores) around the house and she certainly didn’t like me raising my children in my newfound faith. She once shouted at me, “I don’t care what the Bible says! I only care what my church says!”
Nadine didn’t like the way I cooked food or cleaned the house. She certainly didn’t like the car I drove. She even stood in the hallway of her home, shaking her finger in my face, and told me that she didn’t care anything about me; she only cared about Michael. I had gotten to the point where I would become physically sick whenever we would make a trip to visit with her. I would try to talk my husband into leaving me at home, but he wouldn’t hear of it.
I prayed, “How long do I have to turn the other cheek Lord? How many times do I have to keep on forgiving her?”
Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) says "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.". That means that when the enemy of our soul comes to us and replays all of the horrible things that another person has done to hurt us, we are called to forgive them.
Forgiveness is a choice that each one of us has to make.
Over the years, I had developed the mentality that this woman was too big for even God to do anything with. But after spending time in prayer for her, I could see that she was hurting inside and desperately needed the unconditional love that many of us search for in life. God loves her and cares about her just as much as he cares about me. God gave me a compassion for her that enabled me to look at her through His eyes.
I made the choice to let go of all bitterness, resentment, and un-forgiveness that I had developed toward my mother-in-law over the years.
It was only when I began to pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness to be upon her that I started to see a change in her attitude toward me. By the time Nadine became sick, I was able to look at her and repeatedly think to myself, she’s not bigger than God, she’s just flesh and blood.
For the last six months, Nadine has allowed me to pray for her and she has even said the prayer of salvation with Michael and me. On a recent visit, she told me, “It’s nice that you pray for me like you do.” When I kissed her on the cheek and said, "I love you." she replied, "I know you do." On another visit Nadine turned to me and said, “I have accused you of many things these past years, but I was wrong.”My first thought at her statement was that of astonishment.My second thought was, “Why couldn’t this moment have come years ago?
If you’re having difficulty with your mother-in-law, begin praying for her today. Take the promises of God from the Bible and claim them for her. Remember, she’s YOUR mother-in-law. Don’t let the devil steal what belongs to you!
Post script:At 91 years old, Nadine died on February 25th, 2013.She will be missed by many people but especially by me.However, I know that I will see her again when I leave this earth to be with our Lord and Savior.
Martha has been married for 41 years and is a mother of 2 grown children, grandmother of 3. She has ministerd to children, ages 7-9, for 18 years. She also ministered for 9 years in Victorious Overcomers Support Group. Her body was healed of cancer and her marriage saved from divorce by the power & mercy of the One True Living God! She is the author of Unforgiveness, Cancer, and Healing coming out soon. Click here to follow her on Twitter.
Yelling at my kids to hurry up doesn’t get them to move any faster. Over-planning our days just over-stimulates everyone in our house. Planning meals is convenient … when I remember to thaw something in time to cook it for dinner. Too often I put chores and tasks before the people I love most.
The more I strive for perfection, the more likely I am to make an even bigger mess of our days, my attitude, and my kids’ moods. [Continue Reading...]
This past December, for the first time, I intentionally celebrated the Advent season with my children. In an attempt to have a more meaningful holiday, I followed along with Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands and participated in a daily devotional and craft with my little ones.
After seeing what a difference it made in the way my children viewed Christmas, I knew I wanted to do something special for Easter as well.
My friend Jennifer introduced me to the Easter Story Cookies. This is a great activity to do with your kids while pointing to Christ and the reason we celebrate this holiday.
You'll need:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Place pecans in ziplock bag. Beat the bag with a wooden spoon to break the nuts into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 9:1-3.
Open the vinegar and let each child smell it. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to vinegar.
Explain that eggs represent life; Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.
Add 1 cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know we belong to Him.
Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents purity. In God's eyes, we are purified because our sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts.
Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper lined cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matt. 27:65-66.
GO TO BED!
Explain to your children that Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. They too may feel sad since they can't eat the cookies right away. They will need to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.
Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Point out the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
Explain that on the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matt. 28:1-9
Download a printable copy of the Easter Story Cookie Recipe HERE.
With a background as an interior designer Kimberly has is unique in her ability to be both creative and practical; now a stay-at-home mom she still enjoys exercising her creative muscles. After God, her very active family is her top priority. Kimberly seeks to live a life that is spirit led with her husband Carl and their three young children in the NYC suburbs.
You can follow Kimberly in her journey to discovering the Sweet Spot of God’s success for her everyday life on her blog at Living in the Sweet Spot. or on twitter @kimberlyamici.Click here for her full bio.
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5
On St. Patrick’s Day, I can’t help but think of my beloved Grandma who traveled here, a young girl, barely 20, to the United States from Ireland 90+ years ago.
I wish I could talk to her today, but she is long gone. She died in 1972. There is so much I’d like to know more about.
What was it like for her to leave her mother and father in one country to join brothers and sisters in a new land that lay across the sea? To go to an unknown city, leaving behind the stone farmhouse in the country hills of Fermanagh, the only home she had ever known?
Was she scared? Excited? Did she feel courageous and brave…she surely was!
There are things I know about Grandma, but so much more I wish I knew.
When Grandma arrived here in the U.S., about 1920, she went to live with her sister in New York. I recall Grandma telling me she met her husband, Grandpa Daly, a.k.a. Charlie Daly, through her brother Patrick, who used to drive an ice truck back in the day when there were ice boxes.
I don’t know what Grandpa did for a living. I only know that he had difficulty keeping a job during the Great Depression. And, in fact, grew quite literally depressed from lack of work. Grandpa fell ill, was hospitalized, and never returned home. He died when my dad was 13.
Around this time, Grandma started working as, basically, an “Irish washerwoman” or “domestic” for wealthy doctors. Once Grandpa died, Grandma couldn’t keep her home and she and Dad moved in with one of the doctor’s families…living in the back rooms of the doctor’s office.
Dad was a good boy, but the class clown. He was being educated for free at St. Peter’s Prep School as a poor student of promise. Because of his antics, Grandma had to cry to the dean of students more than once, begging Dad back into the dean’s good graces…and allowing Dad to graduate by the skin of his teeth.
Dad went to St. Peter’s College at night, so he could earn money during the day. Eventually, he did not fall short of Grandma’s high expectations and belief that the only way up out of poverty was through education. Dad had a very successful publishing career and was most assuredly the apple of his mother’s eye.
Meanwhile, Grandma went from washerwoman to nanny of another doctor’s family. She worked hard, scraped by many times, and when she was too old to work anymore, at the age of 65, Grandma came to live with us. She walked with a cane due to a leg that had broken in two places and never healed quite right. Her hands were gnarled with arthritis and her back bowed in pain much of the time. She could barely see from the effects of macular degeneration.
BUT Grandma was the most thankful person I have ever met.
She was positive and encouraging. She was an advocate for…everyone. She prayed wholeheartedly for all she knew. In fact, when she could no longer do much besides help care for the crazy brood of five children that were the Daly Kids, prayer became her life’s work.
Whenever I picture Grandma, I see her in her big plaid buffalo chair in her corner of the sun porch in heaven. There is a line of people waiting just to share their prayer requests with her, knowing she is a constant, consistent, powerful prayer warrior.
Grandma had nothing of material worth…yet for many years she was everything to me. In the midst of my parents’ messed up marriage, Grandma was an anchor in the storm. In the midst of middle school insecurity, she was blessed assurance that I was loved. In the midst of my growing need for something bigger, surer, more certain, she was a glimpse of the Jesus she so loved, the God I have come to know.
Grandma never preached. She just lived…quiet, prayerful, sure, faithful. And she passed this legacy on to me.
I wish I knew when and how Grandma came to such strong faith. I will never know this side of heaven.
But I am thankful every day for her gift of faith that keeps on giving to me.
Is there someone who left you a legacy of faith? Someone who was a beacon of Light in your life, whose faith drew you to faith? Tell us HERE
photo credit: Randy Durrum via photopincc
Elise has been married for 28 years and is mom to four mostly grown girls. She is a writer, editor, writing coach, and blogger. She believes we all have stories that matter--big life bios and small meaningful moments. Elise believes our stories are a reflection of God’s glory and are meant to be shared. They have the power to inform, reform, and transform. She loves God, familly, friends...and really likes travel!
God calling...
Though I was born in New York, my parents are from Peru. I visited when I was young, but it had been 15 years since my last visit. I had no plans of returning anytime soon.
I didn’t anticipate that God would put a love and concern for others, especially abused children, in my husband’s and my heart. [Continue Reading...]
Recently I was watching a message by Joyce Myer. At the end, she had a video testimony of Danny Cahill. When Myer came to visit his church in 2006, he had a life-changing moment.
You may recognize Danny's name. He won The Biggest Loser in Season Eight. Before the show and before he heard Joyce Myer speak, Danny and Darci, his wife, were struggling financially, in their marriage, and family life. He was gambling and binge eating, which created chaos in his family. He ended up $45,000 in credit card debt and weighed 460 lbs.
The Way Out
One Sunday, Danny and Darci knew things had to change, but they did not know what to do. They prayed for God to show them the way. They went to church in the evening, and heard Joyce Myer speak.
She said, "The only way out (of bad circumstances or problems) is through. If you are running and hiding from something, it has power and authority over you."
Danny finally realized his addictions had power over him. The way through was to change his habits one step at a time. He paid off his debt by taking a second job, and tried out for The Biggest Loser in Season Seven. He finally made it in Season Eight. He lost the most weight of anyone on the show ever, and has kept it off for over two years now.
Routines Propel Us
We all have routines and habits we do every day. Some we have chosen intentionally, and others we do without even thinking. Routines propel us through our day.
How is your spiritual routine? What are your spiritual habits? Are you exercising your spiritual muscles each day to grow your faith?
God desires to speak to us each day and give us power through His living word. <-Click to Tweet
Most people think of routines as boring and ordinary. Yet, when I spend time in God's Word daily, He never ceases to amaze me. When I read His Word, even a passage I have read many times, I glean something new. I see it differently or God speaks to me.
Trusting Him
The word God has pressed on my heart for 2013 is trust. Recently, I read a Jesus Calling (Sarah Young) devotional as I started my time alone with God, and can you guess what it was about? Trust.
The verse for the day was, Trust in the Lord, with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you the path to take. [Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT]
While watching Danny's testimony, my heart resonated with Darci as she had watched her husband struggle for years with his weight and their finances. She asked God how she could help her husband, and God responded to her, “Do not do anything.” God asked her, "Do you trust me?"
God Reveals
Wow! I felt like an arrow had hit my heart. That was it! God has been asking me, "Do you trust Me?" for almost two years now.
Until that moment when Darci was talking, I was not sure why God kept asking me, "Do You trust Me?" Then I realized, I had not trusted God to handle situations in my marriage. I believed nothing would ever change, and it would always be this way.
God overwhelms me when He speaks to my heart so lovingly. He reveals His heart for me when He reveals His truths to me.
Keep Connected
My spiritual routine keeps me connected to God throughout the day. My spiritual life is exciting, because I am open to hear God speak through other people, books, and whatever means He chooses. God has spoken to me through music, through messages on church marquees or bumper stickers.
How can you change your spiritual routine?
What do you need to do differently?
Each morning many of us grab a cup of coffee or in my case, hot tea. I challenge you to grab your Bible before the newspaper or the morning show on TV.
It is my desire for every believer to have a thriving, growing, and healthy relationship with their Savior.
If you desire a more intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, read The Daily GPS ~ An Intimate Journey with Christ. Learn ways to grow closer to God, pray with intention, and seek to serve Him daily.
Click Here for The Daily GPS FREE download available on my website.
In what area of your life is God asking you, “Do you trust Me?” Let us know in the comments HERE.
Joyce Glass is a writer and speaker, and lover of God’s Word. She shares how people are living their life for Christ on her blog at www.thedailygps.com. She inspires believers to grow more intimate with Christ, and encourages them to live out their faith by serving Him.
Photo Credit: Joel Palmer at www.palmerphotography.com
