Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
"How are you doing?" she asked. "I heard
about the death of your grandmother and have been thinking about you."
My eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as I recognized my friend
Melanie's voice on the phone. She's a friend I dearly love, but we live
long-distance and don't stay in close touch.
I told her about my sadness, but also my joy
over the fullness of my grandmother's life, and we continued to catch
up on old friends, kids and church. I started to wonder when we'd get to
the reason for her call. Finally, there was a pause, and she explained
that she needed to go back to her work day in a minute.
I was stunned. That was it?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A Time to Pray
"Never stop praying." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
GUILT. Many Christians I talk to equate this word with their prayer life, and I can relate.
I used to feel guilty. People would ask me to pray, or I would volunteer to when I heard they were going through something difficult. With a heart of compassion, I'd reply, "Oh, I'll pray for you!" And I fully intended to. But then I'd forget ... get busy ... say that to five other people ... and often never get around to doing it despite my good intentions.
I'd put off praying in the moment, in favor of waiting until I had a big chunk of time. Then life would happen and that chunk of time wouldn't materialize. By the time I carved some out, I couldn't remember all I'd intended to pray about.
One perception I had was that I needed to spend a lot of time in prayer in order to do it "right." I thought short prayers wouldn't have much power or impact. Then I noticed something that shifted my thinking. In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching about prayer. He says, "When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask" (Matthew 6:7-8, CEV).
GUILT. Many Christians I talk to equate this word with their prayer life, and I can relate.
I used to feel guilty. People would ask me to pray, or I would volunteer to when I heard they were going through something difficult. With a heart of compassion, I'd reply, "Oh, I'll pray for you!" And I fully intended to. But then I'd forget ... get busy ... say that to five other people ... and often never get around to doing it despite my good intentions.
I'd put off praying in the moment, in favor of waiting until I had a big chunk of time. Then life would happen and that chunk of time wouldn't materialize. By the time I carved some out, I couldn't remember all I'd intended to pray about.
One perception I had was that I needed to spend a lot of time in prayer in order to do it "right." I thought short prayers wouldn't have much power or impact. Then I noticed something that shifted my thinking. In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching about prayer. He says, "When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask" (Matthew 6:7-8, CEV).
Sunday, July 31, 2011
As We Worship
This song is soooo amazing! You can feel the
power of God as you listen & pour out your heart in song to the
Lord! As it plays on the home page, HEAR it, don't just listen to it! Allow the words to minister, in melody, to your soul! The lyrics are below :-)
If anybody is hungry for the rain & the presence of God, just lift your hands, invite Him in. Holy Spirit, we say to You that You are welcome here! Have Your way in the midst of Your people!
Holy Spirit, we're calling on You; we are asking you to send the rain.
When we worship in spirit & truth, something happens that we can't explain: Lord, as Your presence fills this place, demons tremble; kings bow down! Lives are changed at the sound of Your Name!
As we lift our voice in praise, Lord, we pray: let your glory fill this place. As we bring this offering, Jesus we crown You as Lord and King as we worship!
If anybody is hungry for the rain & the presence of God, just lift your hands, invite Him in. Holy Spirit, we say to You that You are welcome here! Have Your way in the midst of Your people!
Holy Spirit, we're calling on You; we are asking you to send the rain.
When we worship in spirit & truth, something happens that we can't explain: Lord, as Your presence fills this place, demons tremble; kings bow down! Lives are changed at the sound of Your Name!
As we lift our voice in praise, Lord, we pray: let your glory fill this place. As we bring this offering, Jesus we crown You as Lord and King as we worship!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Now Faith Is
Faith is so amazing & God just won't let me get
away from it! The foundation of the world was created by faith! We are
saved by faith! We believe in God, whom we cannot see, by faith! God,
not a man that He should lie, says that we should eat, breath, drink,
sleep, meditate on day & night & live by every word that
proceeds from His mouth & because we know that it is impossible to
please Him without faith, WE HAVE TO HAVE IT!!
TO MY BROTHERS IN CHRIST (LUKE 7:2-9):
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
TO MY BROTHERS IN CHRIST (LUKE 7:2-9):
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What is a Friend...
John 15:13 ~ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
What makes a good friend? Someone who runs errands for you when you're sick? Who takes your kids off your hands when you need a break? Who sits with you over a cup of coffee and listens? Someone you can count on to see the latest chick flicks with you? Someone who challenges you to be a better wife, mother, and follower of God? In each of these examples, we see friendship taking an active form. As I have studied the Bible, I see three instances of friendship in action. In Job 2:11-13 we see how Job's friends came to help him as he faced hardship. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar dropped everything to go comfort their friend - even if it was just to sit silently beside him. They knew that just their presence and willingness to listen would comfort him. Then, in Job 42:10, after Job prayed for his friends, God blessed him with twice as much as he had lost!
In Acts 24:23, even though it was ordered that Paul be kept under guard, his friends were permitted to take care of his needs, which they did. Acts 28:15 shows us a glimpse into how just the sight of trusted friends can encourage us. Paul's friends heard he was coming so they traveled a great distance to greet him. For Paul this was a huge blessing. Sometimes just knowing someone is willing to make an effort on your behalf will put wind in your sails. I love that Paul first thanked God for his friends. I want to remember, like he did, that friends are a gift from God.
What makes a good friend? Someone who runs errands for you when you're sick? Who takes your kids off your hands when you need a break? Who sits with you over a cup of coffee and listens? Someone you can count on to see the latest chick flicks with you? Someone who challenges you to be a better wife, mother, and follower of God? In each of these examples, we see friendship taking an active form. As I have studied the Bible, I see three instances of friendship in action. In Job 2:11-13 we see how Job's friends came to help him as he faced hardship. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar dropped everything to go comfort their friend - even if it was just to sit silently beside him. They knew that just their presence and willingness to listen would comfort him. Then, in Job 42:10, after Job prayed for his friends, God blessed him with twice as much as he had lost!
In Acts 24:23, even though it was ordered that Paul be kept under guard, his friends were permitted to take care of his needs, which they did. Acts 28:15 shows us a glimpse into how just the sight of trusted friends can encourage us. Paul's friends heard he was coming so they traveled a great distance to greet him. For Paul this was a huge blessing. Sometimes just knowing someone is willing to make an effort on your behalf will put wind in your sails. I love that Paul first thanked God for his friends. I want to remember, like he did, that friends are a gift from God.
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