Tag Archives: women

Bibles in September

07 Friday Sep 2018

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September is one of my favorite months, and yet also one of my saddest.  My beautiful momma, Helen Marie,  passed away five years ago, this September 19th. This month has always been so full of new beginnings, fresh fall air, pumpkins and fairs. And I love them all!   But deep in the recesses of my mind and heart, there is always this twinge of pain, beauty, nostalgia and want.  I truly miss her every single day. And I don’t think there is a time when I am not thinking of her, her laugh, her beauty and her love of God.  She taught me how to read, study and love the Bible, and I have several of her bibles filled with notes and journaling.

This week, I decided to buy a new Bible. Not that I needed one, but I wanted the one I gave to someone so that when we read together, we are reading the same version.  And I realized that I didn’t have NIV.  I probably have every other version, haha, but not NIV.

So while I was reading yesterday morning, and turned to the front of the Bible and put my name and date in and then stopped.  I heard God say look at the date again. September 2018.  Then look at the bible you bought last year. September 2017. Now go to the next one. Guess what it said? September 2016.   I realized that every September I had been buying a new bible.  The same month my mom passed away.  Then I felt the Spirit tell me ever so sweetly that it is honoring of my mom. That every September as I have been buying a bible, it was building on the foundation of my mom’s love of the Word and my love of the Word. She would love the bible I just bought, filled with flowers, colors and study notes

I sometimes have felt so guilty for not getting to her graveside much, or putting flowers on for every occasion, But this was so much better.  A bible that keeps us connected through God’s word. A Bible that is the Living Word that she now sees everyday, and I read everyday. Instead of empty vases, I now have Bibles that are marked and highlighted, just like hers.

I hope I am explaining this correctly.  It was such a powerful AHA moment for me, and I wanted to share so that maybe, just maybe it would bless someone.

This is the Bible I purchased. The NIV Women’s Study Bible. Isn’t it a beaut!

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unglued.

13 Thursday Jul 2017

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Have you ever felt like you are coming unglued? unhinged? In other words, becoming broken. Again. I use the word unglued because God has glued my brokenness many, many times, but for some reason it feels like maybe the glue isn’t holding.

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Now I know that sounds bad. Like what God has fixed isn’t holding. But in truth, God fixes and it is finished. Unless.

Unless we begin to pick at the glue.

The enemy is such a sly little bugger that before you know it, your glue starts to lose its effectiveness and you feel the effects.

Jennie Allen in her latest books Nothing to Prove talks about “If I were the enemy, I would” and then she list many things. Good things, but things that slowly over time cause us to feel unloved, alone or distract you with good things, social media or even ministry.

Then little by little you begin to feel and long for the times when you felt accepted, important or loved. Every photo that pops up on your feed causes you pain and confirms that “they like them more than you”, or “you will never be as good as her”, or “you have nothing to say”

A piece of glue begins to peel away leaving an exposed crack.

The enemy is very good at seeing that peel and he begins to rip away at it.

And we let him.

He is such a jerk!

But this is me.

Over time when we neglect any relationship, it will go away.  I remember an old poster in the dentist office “ignore your teeth and they will go away”.  It’s the same for our relationship with people, family and most importantly God.

When we try to keep the glue holding by ourselves and not allow our relationship to turn the glue into a sold adhesive that will never crumble, we begin to feel the same issues that cracked us in the first place.

It’s always hard to admit or to even realize that it all comes down to “In the beginning God…”. God spoke and it was finished. God breathed and it was created. God fixed His gaze on you and said I will complete what I started in you. But we have to let him. We have to take our vessel and all its cracks and broken pieces and let Him glue us.

How? The only way I know to have relationship is to be with someone. We have to be with God. Intentionally spending time with Him so he can reveal and heal at the same time.

How? Being honest. Admitting that we are lonely or we have used Facebook as our God.

We find time for everything else that is important to us, but we neglect the One that is omnipresent in us. Who alone can only heal and bring wholeness to us.

For most of us, it isn’t even a sin issue that causes the glue to dry and peel. It’s those little distractions that the enemy tricks us into believing so easily, and we convince ourselves and others that we are fine. Nothing is wrong. We are just fine. But we aren’t. Deep inside we are hurting.

Today I feel a little unglued.

But I know who holds the bottle of glue.

 

 

 

STumbLing

30 Friday Jun 2017

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First, my apologies for not writing much lately. I have been in a season of rest and restore. Spending time with my new little love Owen Davis. My first grandchild! And I have just been contemplating the Love of God in my life, nature and through the Word.   It was much-needed and I feel a sense of peace that I have never felt before.

I have been reading Romans this summer. Really reading and letting it sink in deep to my heart. But I’m stuck on Romans 9:32b

They stumbled over the stumbling stone. (NIV)

I think I have stumbled,  or am stumbling.

How many have stumbled over God? Over Jesus?

Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. (MSG)

 

How many times are we going to go sprawling, tripping over Jesus to do good projects?

Look at these definitions of Stumbling:

Verb (used without object), stumbled, stumbling.
1.to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.
2. to walk or go unsteadily: to stumble down a dark passage.

3. to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one:

to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.
4. to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech(often followed by along).

5. to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, or across):

They stumbled on a little village.
6. to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief.
verb (used with object), stumbled, stumbling.
7. to cause to stumble; trip.

8. to give pause to; puzzle or perplex.

Noun:
9. the act of stumbling.
10. a moral lapse or error.
11. a slip or blunder.

Now,  read them again and use the verse and think of Jesus.

They (we) struck our foot against something, in our efforts to do something, we proceeded in a blundering manner.  stumbling-block

How often have we not looked to or at Jesus, stumbling over our own projects, ideas or thoughts?

Maybe it is just me. But I don’t want to be so busy or focused on doing, that I literally stumble over the One I think I am doing something for.

Maybe we need, or I need to slow down enough to see what Jesus IS doing and join Him there, not look for what He HAS done and try to repeat it.

Maybe we need to spend more time with Him as our Cornerstone, so that we don’t stumble over Him in our hurry to be famous.

Maybe we just need to stumble into Him and not over Him.

Today, I am stumbling.

One Day Legacy | Song of Solomon

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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I am so excited to share with you the first book in the One Day Legacy series!

Song of Solomon!

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My passion is to help people learn to love and pray the Word, and begin to seek God first. God showed me that what I read in the bible is prayer.  So I wrote a little bible reading journal to help you discover and journey like I did. Document your spiritual journey as you learn about our Father God, His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Reading the bible is like reading a relationship in prayer with our Father. But let’s face it we all struggle to find time to read or keep up with journaling and praying. Where do we start? How do we enter into a praying life with the Word? So, I wrote combining study and reading of the word with personal journal reflections as prayer, using the acrostic P.R.A.Y. It’s called One Day Legacy, because each day we are creating a legacy for ourselves and for others. My prayer is Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…(Colossians 3:16)

This book has been on my heart for quite some time, and Song of Solomon is one of my life’s teachings that I share often.  I really pray that as you read, write and pray through the books of the bible that your relationship with God and His Word deepens.

 

You can purchase at:

 

 

 

The Lord is near…

22 Monday Feb 2016

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….to all who call on Him.

This is usually how we end this verse. We encourage people saying “God is near”. And He is. But not near as in a vending machine, that when I am hungry, I plug some cash and get His presence.

I think this is what happens when we read the Word for a quick fix or to find a verse to fit an argument, or like a band-aid. We just cut and paste a verse to fit my or any situation.

What would happen if we read the whole verse from Psalm 145. Or actually read the whole Psalm 145 ?

You would have a better understanding on why and how He is near.

Lets again read verse 18 (which often we only read the first line)

The Lord is close to all who call on Him,  yes, to all who call on Him sincerely.

From another translation is reads:

The Lord is near to all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him in integrity.

What is my point?

In our prayer life, we know that God is near. From all of His attributes we know that He is omnipresent and omniscient. There is never a time when He isn’t near me.

But how He responds to that nearness with me, depends on how my heart attitude is. It says with sincerity, or with integrity.

Just like our physical posture can dictate, so can our heart posture. For example it isn’t magical to stand during worship or kneel during prayer, but it does do something to my heart posture to kneel, stand or even raise my hands in surrender.

I think most times we begin to demand things, like “God you are near me, so do this and that NOW”.

Can you just hear the arrogance in that ?

Then, we are so very disappointed that God didn’t do what I just told him to do. Loudly. Because I probably screamed at Him like a spoiled child.

When my heart comes to Him sincerely, with integrity, other versions say “call on Him in truth (without guile), that is showing a posture of understanding that He is God. And I would have known that if I read the entire psalm 145.  Just saying.

He is near when I come to Him in Truth. What is truth ? The WORD.

It tells us in the Word, that the Word is the spirit of truth. I can come to Him when I am coming speaking truth in my heart, because His Word of truth is what I am declaring from my heart.

The Lord is near to all those who call on him, with sincerity of heart, with integrity, without guile, but in Truth –

Do you see how that changes things?

I can know and feel His nearness by how I chose to receive His nearness. I receive it by knowing it, declaring it and allowing His nearness to take me even deeper in walking out that integrity and sincerity.

If I am just screaming out that God is near, and I want Him to do what I say, I probably won’t feel His nearness. Why? Because if I have to tell or demand God to do something, I am saying that I know more than Him, which makes me a god telling God what to do. As if He is waiting in Heave for me to tell Him what to do.

To be a person of the Word, we have to really read all the Word.

The Word backs up the Word. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

It’s a promise and God keeps His promises. He is obligated to and by His Word.

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perfume, soap and hope {five minute friday}

10 Friday Jul 2015

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This is a story that exposes a part of my life that I never thought was a big deal. But God has a way of even making the small things HUGE lessons.

Hope. I do have hope. I have always had hope. But now my hope has taken a turn and has been mixed with trust and a little repentance.     Hope painting

We (our house church) have been studying Nehemiah – (which I highly recommend that everyone reads and studies) and this past week was on how he dealt with finances, and finances and leadership. How he steward’s his finances.

I really have been dealing with this in my life lately. How am I stewarding finances. Basically for me (and probably many reading this) the overspending and over splurging using that darn JCP or Kohl’s card. That Kohl’s cash is like a drug to me !

I know that God has been pushing me to give them up, and stop using them – but it appears my hope was in the plastic instead of the listening.

So I began the process of surrendering my will in the shopping arena to God. Repenting of over spending, greed, thinking I needed something I really didn’t. I really didn’t have hope that I would ever get or purchase things I wanted or needed. {insert eye roll here}

It is funny how when I was at the mall, I really wanted to just go buy those pesky soaps at Bath and Body – it was a sale for Pete’s sake !!  When would I ever get to purchase 7 for $25 again ??? But I walked past.

Then walking through Kohl’s seeing designer perfume on clearance – I immediately thought I NEED PERFUME – and for all intent and purpose I really love perfume, and have been out of ‘good’ perfume for a while. Come on – you know what I mean !

I even had items in my hand at both stores. They were on sale people ! Who doesn’t love to save money and who doesn’t love a sale !

But I didn’t purchase.

Instead of buying, I actually began to sell some things that I didn’t need any longer.

So I actually told and shared with our church that night about how we don’t even realize how much our finances are either honoring God or not – and I was not honoring him with my spending. Of course my husband was smiling, and I wanted to smack that smile….but I am a nice person, so I smiled back.

Here is where my hope story grows.

A sweet couple brought items from their home they didn’t to share with us at church. I looked in the box and thought, eh, nothing I really want there.

Then after church (after I shared) I looked back in the box and there was a brand new – not open  bottle of perfume. NOT KIDDING. And a NEW bottle of Bath and Body hand soap. I AM NOT making this up ! It really was there – and I knew that it was a lesson from God.

IF we truly put our trust and hope in Him, for every area (even the areas that we think we did, but didn’t, so do ), if we give Him our will, lay down our guilt – He immediately responds.

How Great is our God ? !

How merciful !

He is waiting for us to give Him every area so that He can fill us and actually show us what hope looks like.

cute_heart_shape_empty_perfume_bottlesFor me hope looked like a new bottle of perfume. (do not despise the day of small beginnings)

What does hope look like to you ?

 

 

what seed are you eating ?

26 Tuesday May 2015

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I have been dieting my entire life. Today the scale did not lie. It showed my over indulgence or addiction to cakes, pies and desserts.

So I hit the pavement again this morning, pondering the book I just read by my friend Joyce Tilney called “Why Diets don’t work – food is not the problem”   ( http://www.whydiets.com/ ) and I was hit with a revelation that I want to share with you. Take it,  join with me or laugh and leave it.    book-cover-front-e1359421292739

It’s not what food we eliminate or take away from ourselves, it’s about the food we DO eat and put into our body. When we focus on what we cannot eat, we enter into a poverty/diet mindset. And you will always want what you cannot have – look at the Israelites – didn’t they crave the ‘choice food’ from Egypt, but God had a super food for them in the desert.

I heard God tell me it was all about the seed. What seed are you putting into your body ? Is this seed going to produce a good fruit in you ? Is this seed going to produce 30, 60 or 100 fold of good fruit in your body. You see, this is a Godly principal, not just a financial principal. So what seed I put into my body will produce that fruit. So if I am putting the seed of sugary sweets, it will produce the effects of that seed.

If I put good seed in, I will produce good fruit.

Hmm..

So do you see what I am thinking, learning and hearing ?

It isn’t about a diet, (and I highly recommend Joyce’s book – it is filled with powerful words from the WORD ) it’s about seed.

What seed are you eating ?

what seed are you producing ?

It isn’t about taking away, it’s about putting in. Putting in the good seeds of food into our body.

Maybe you want to join me ?

I am willing to go through Joyce’s book with you and deal with what seed we are struggling with – to have a physically and spiritually healthy body –

I would love to hear your thoughts and if you want to join me !

 

Rise. {five minute Friday}

22 Friday May 2015

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rise.

when you hear the word rise, what comes to your mind?

rise up. rise again. the sun rises. rise above it.     summer-morning-sun-rise

that last one really hits me.

rise above it.

I feel like it is time that we as the body of Christ rise above it.

rise above what ?

life ? situations ? judging ?

how about rise into ?

the sun rises each and every day – no matter what. after every battle, every storm, every attack. the sun continues to amaze us each and every morning and it rises into the sky and brings hope, healing and light.

what if we did that ?

what if each morning we would rise into – the things of God ?

what if we would rise above the raff that we find ourselves in ?

what does that look like ?

for me it looks like going lower. lower into the word, lower on my knees, lower on my agenda.

the word tells us that humble ourselves, that He would raise us up – He would lift us – He would cause us to rise.

is it possible that so many of us are tying to race to be the on the highest rise that we are missing the whole point ?

my prayer for you this morning is that you would rise into the depths of God –

rise into your bible

rise into your prayer life

rise into your compassion for others

rise into the very Son that has already risen.

 

proverbs 3+1=4 / 2 = 2 – 1 = 1

22 Wednesday Apr 2015

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it really just comes down to 1.  in any relationship or marriage or parenting, it really comes down to 1. one person.

in any relationship that I am in, I am always responsible for the 1. me. but to the ONE, Him.

even in my marriage – I can’t have a vibrant marriage if I am always neglecting me.

now before all the haters throw hate. let me explain.

I have been reading and hear so much about the proverbs 31 woman. how each of us a women, wives, mothers and friends are to esteem to become this women from  proverbs 31. she has been called the perfect woman, that we are all to try to be.

So we have seminars and books on how to be the perfect proverbs 31 woman, with lists and logic on how to be this ideal wife, mom, woman –

but I can’t. even on a good day. I cannot be her.

It is not in my DNA to be perfect.

as I was reading yet another book for women, and how we can be happy and  serve our husbands to even more happiness by serving him his favorite meal, I really just started to laugh. when I asked my hubs what his favorite meal was his response was – ‘whatever you cook that I like’  – well that narrowed it down.

I really failed in the cleaning department. in fact every time I do some type of cleaning I hear my self quote – “she does her house well’ – what does that even mean ?

Is my house worried about not being cleaned ? are my carpets crying out to be swept ?

in fact my husband laughed as I was telling him all the things I am to do as a proverbs 31 wife and he said, I just want you to be you…and if you kiss me like you mean it – even better.

so why am I writing this?

well, I am in my 40’s and I am seeing this surge again like I did when I first got married to be this perfect wife – submissive, quiet, meek, cooks, cleans, dresses like a gap model, never trips, spills or swears.

so, what do you do if you are the opposite of that ?proverbs 31 woman

I would rather spend hours in my bible then in the kitchen.

I would rather meet for coffee then make sure the socks are color coded.

in order for submission to work, I have to know the mission. what is the mission of our marriage ?

and really should each of us be in the same mission, to love God fully and to love others intentionally ?

so in the 1 it comes down to, is me, but me and THE ONE – Him –

I am under His mission ?

am I loving

am I seeking

I am responsible for me, and my relationship with God first – not with the proverbs 31 women. (and here is a secret – she never existed )

I must be the me that He created me to be – and to live that me out to the fullest that He gave me freedom to be –

Proverbs 31 isn’t about how to be a perfect woman – it’s about living a life focused on the 1 who is

I think if we focused  more on Him than the on how to fold and organize the laundry we would be that woman of strength –

why? because it’s His strength anyway !

If we focus on Jesus and the Living Word, then our words would be filled with wisdom and faithful instruction because it would be in our hearts – not just posters on the fridge to mock us

so be free my friends to find the woman that God created you to be –