Shine your Light

Last Sunday during the service at the Church on the Hill, Pastor Jerry said something that really resonated with me.

"If you don't have time for people, they may get the feeling that Jesus doesn't have time for them either. Because you are a representative for Christ."

I've been really thinking about this since then and realized that I am at fault. I tend to be so encompassed in my own life that I don't take the time to stop and look at those around me. To see who possibly needs a comforting word, a listening ear, or even a shoulder to cry on.

I'm even guilty of this with my own kids. I get caught up in a project and their attempts to gain my attention go unnoticed, or I view them as a simple nuisance.

The other day my son was asking me several questions while I was working on a deadline for an article. I was only half listening to what he was saying and noncommittally answering him. Then like a bright light through the fog his next question shined. He asked, "Mommy, does God hear all our prayers?"

It was at that moment that I knew my deadline could wait. That the real deadline was talking to my son so that he didn't think God only half listened like I had been.

In the David Crowder Band song "Shine" the last verse goes:

"Shine Your light so all can see it
Lifted up, 'cause the whole world needs it
Love has come, what joy to hear it
He has overcome, He has overcome"

By making time to share Jesus with others we are shining His light. And He will always overcome.

(I wanted you all to enjoy the video of "Shine". Watch the story as it plays out; it's an amazing video and song. Enjoy!)

Mean Mom, Kind Mom

(from Proverbs31 by Lysa TerKuerst)

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

Yesterday we were driving back from the joy called the beach vacation. All total we logged over 20 hours in the car. It was family bonding at its finest.

So, this is what I hear from the backseat:

Ashley: "Mom, Brooke just licked my hash brown! Ewwwwww!"
Me: "Brooke, why would you lick your sister's hash brown for heaven's sake?"
Brooke: "Because my arm hurts."
Me: "Oh. Well that just makes complete sense."

There may have been 127 other instances where the soundtrack of my life was, "Mom...she poked me and she is on my side and she just spilled her drink and she took my book."

My kids were getting on the last good nerve I had and I could feel an emotional eruption bubbling to the surface.

Do you ever struggle with the mean mom trying to come out? Or the mean girl? Or the mean sister? Or the mean wife?
How is it I can be marching along to the sweetest tune and then veer off so suddenly into a bad attitude?

I wish there was one simple fix-it plan where if we follow three steps all tendencies toward emotional eruptions would vanish. But that's not reality. If all we needed to follow was a plan, we'd have no need to follow Jesus.

And ultimately isn't that what life is supposed to show us - that we need to follow Jesus? So what does Jesus say about this? He says we must do three things. But these aren't three easy steps. They are three attitude shifts of the heart.

He says we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).

Deny myself...
I have to look beyond the emotions begging to erupt and use self-control. I have to deny myself the momentary satisfaction of the quick comeback, the rude response, and the full out yelling.

Deny myself. It's hard. But it is the way with Jesus.

Then I must take up my cross...
My cross. Stop the blaming and finger pointing and wishing everyone else would change...and see my sinful reaction as a negative contribution to the problem at hand. I must take my issues to His cross and see my sin for what it is - sin. And I must be disgusted enough by my sin to truly want to do something about it.

Take up my cross. It's hard. But it is the way with Jesus.

Finally, I must follow Him...
Really follow Him. Follow who He is and how He is. I must close my mouth, pause long enough to let Him interrupt my eruption, and let His Spirit redirect me. Yes, my children need to be corrected but I can let the consequences scream so I don't have to. Only a calm mama can think of rational, reasonable consequences that instruct.

Follow who He is and how He is. It's hard. But it is the way with Jesus.

It's amazing how quickly my mean mom vanishes when I deny myself, admit my sin, and choose to let Jesus interrupt me.

Just don't be messin' with my hash brown if your arm starts hurting. Okay? I have to draw the line somewhere you know.

Dear Lord, please interrupt my natural flesh pattern today. I desire to change. I need to change. I realize and admit that I need You, Lord. Help me to stop the blaming and finger pointing once and for all. Help me to follow in Your footsteps today. I want to seek You with all of my heart. For I know that those who seek You will find You. Thank You for this promise. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Every Yes Involves a No

Written by: Glynnis Whitwer (courtesy of Proverbs31.com)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it." Luke 14:28 (NIV)

So, how are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions? If you are like many of us, frustration has set in. Maybe you are already behind on your read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. Are the numbers on the scale increasing, rather than decreasing? Did that goal to reduce television watching stop when American Idol started?

While we love to set goals, and dream of becoming a slimmed down, spiritually mature and more well-read version of ourselves, the living out of those goals is infinitely more challenging.

That's because every time we set a goal for ourselves, a more appealing alternative is presented. Have you noticed this phenomenon? Just as you decide to diet, someone brings you a plate of brownies they "baked just for you." As soon as you decide to get up early and pray, the cold weather makes it much more appealing to stay in bed. And that decision to stop gossiping gets challenged when some interesting news about your boss finds its way to your inbox.

Every good intention will be met with a challenge at some point. Without a plan, most of us will abandon those intentions, telling ourselves we knew we couldn't _________ (fill in the blank).

The reason this happens is we overlook the fact that every "yes" we say, requires a "no" to something else. Without that understanding, we operate outside of how life works, and underestimate the cost of achieving our goals.

Here's an example of what I mean. When you say "yes" to reading your Bible every day, you have to say "no" to the morning news or your favorite novel. If you say "yes" to teaching a small group of women, you'll say "no" to your favorite Tuesday night tv show, plus free time to prepare.

There will always be a sacrifice of something when we desire to move forward in an area of our lives. Goals are exciting. Possibility of change is alluring. Sacrifice is hard, but worth it in the big picture of our lives. In fact, it's the road Jesus called His followers to walk daily.

The resolutions you set at the beginning of the year have great value if they are helping you grow into a more disciplined, mature follower of Christ. However, if you feel like you've reached a plateau, or hit a dead end, perhaps it's time to evaluate if you've said enough "no's."

I invite you to remove the "New Year's" label, and reevaluate the goals you set in January. Recommit to them and consider what you'll have to sacrifice to make them happen. The good news about sacrifice is we serve a Lord who lived it out on our behalf. When we are frustrated with the cost of achieving our goals, we can always turn to the One who understands.

Dear Lord, I praise Yo u and thank You for sacrificing Your son, Jesus, so I could live forever with You. In light of that, help me keep my sacrifices in perspective. I ask for Your strength to fulfill the dreams and goals You have placed in my heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Friendships

Written by:Ellen Banks Elwell

Have you ever gone through a time in your life when you felt lonely but found it difficult to reach out for companionship? I have. At a period in my life when I felt depressed and discouraged, reaching out felt risky. I feared what might happen if I didn’t sense acceptance from the other person.

Philip Yancy and Tim Stafford see some good in this condition. They write, “I believe God created us incomplete, not as a cruel trick to edge us toward self-pity, but as an opportunity to edge us toward others with similar needs. His whole plan for us involves relationships with others: reach out to the world around us in love. Loneliness, that painful twinge inside, makes us reach out.”

With all the hustle and bustle of our schedules as moms, we have a fair amount of physical companionship-especially when the children are young. But it’s easy to feel lonely, even when there are lots of bodies in the room, if our soul hasn’t had enough opportunity to knit with a friend or companion. God built this need into us.

Think of the woman Jesus described who lost a silver coin and upon finding it rejoiced with friends. Or remember the widow ministered to by Elisha who was instructed to ask all her friends and neighbors for jars to hold the oil that was about to be miraculously multiplied. Asking her friends for their help may have felt risky and humbling, but I like to imagine the joy and excitement they all shared in the experience.

When we get to feeling lonely, we can present our need to God because he cares, sees, and provides. But we can also then call a friend or someone we’d like to get to know and put something on the calendar!

Father,

Thank you that you intend for us to need other people. Thank you that you understand our loneliness because you experienced it yourself when you lived on earth. May we do our part in connecting with others around us. Amen.

Thankful

A new feature to the blog will be a devotional. It will be posted once or twice a month and we will try to keep it related that months subject or holidays.

We would love any feedback so please feel free to leave a comment on any post!

Written by: Ellen Banks Elwell

There are many ways to thank God in prayer. Here are four forms we can use and model for our children.

1. Give thanks for provisions. Psalm 104:13-14 says, “You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the cattle. You cause plants to grow for people to use.” We can thank God for food, breath, strength, light, encouragement, protections, and many other provisions each day.
2. Give thanks in all situations. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 urges us, “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” One of my friends reminded me that the verse doesn’t mean to give thanks for all things but in all things. We may not be grateful for the problem, but we thank God for what he’s accomplishing in us through the problem.
3. Give thanks for what God is doing in people’s lives. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 Paul states, “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These are very specific areas of growth for which we can offer thanks – faithfulness, love, and hope.
4. Give thanks in anticipations of what God will yet do. Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Giving thanks to God for things yet to come indicates your trust in him.
   
   Offer thanks for provisions, in all circumstances, for God’s work in our lives, and in anticipation of what he will do!
   

Father,
Thanks for hope to keep going. Thanks that you are in control even when we feel off-balance. Thanks that you will be with us each day. Amen.

Good Mom, Bad Mom, Good Mom

The following devotion is from a wonderful website called Proverbs31.org. When I got this in my email last week it totally hit home and I new instantly that I wanted to share it with all of you. I hope it touches you as it did me.

Written by:Lysa TerKeurst

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

Devotion:

Good Mom?

Bad Mom?

Good Mom?

Bad Mom?

Do you ever feel as though you are the ping-pong ball in a heated match bouncing constantly between feeling like a good mom to a bad mom?

One minute I have a great discussion where my child finally gets it... GOOD MOM!

The next I get an e-mail from a teacher that lists the three parents who have yet to turn in that permission slip and I am on the list for all the world to see... BAD MOM!

I calmly handle the stresses of the morning routine... GOOD MOM!

But then during the afternoon homework session, my child's irresponsibility over a last minute project just about sends me over the edge. I find my neck muscles tensing and my voice rising... BAD MOM!

I make sure they pack something healthy for lunch... GOOD MOM!

The schedule falls apart in the late afternoon and I wind up feeding them sugar cereal for dinner... BAD MOM!

Sometimes I feel like that ping-pong ball mom bouncing from feeling good to bad. Yesterday morning I sat down at the kitchen table after getting everyone where they needed to be and cried. Sometimes having kids is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. Other days I feel like the task of parenting little people is driving me to the brink of craziness.

Just the other day I was processing some recent family things with my friend, Renee, over the phone. Suddenly a strange theme seemed to arise. I just started laughing. I told Renee that so many of my days seemed to tell the same kind of story... I was on the verge of a breakdown and then I spent time with Jesus and He made things better.

Renee quipped back to me, "Well, isn't that where most of us live every day?"

Not that we are on the edge of a breakdown, but we live in a place of utter dependence on God. I know as a mom, I live in constant need of His love, encouragement, wisdom, perspective, strength, patience, and grace.

Anything I do right as a mom is because of my constant dialogs with God.

Anything I do wrong as a mom is because of trying to do things in my own strength and slap wearing myself out.

That's where grace steps in. And I need lots of grace. God's grace steps in and says, “Lysa, you are doing better than you think. Stop bouncing from feeling good to bad to good to bad. In the good times, rejoice and thank me. In the not so good times, call out to me quickly."

And suddenly it occurred to me; with God I'm never a bad mom. I might be having a bad moment... or two... or seventeen. But a few bad moments do not define me as a bad mom.

God's grace is there to cover me. Teach me. And even in the middle of a bad moment, interrupt me, redirect me, and change me.

Forgiveness is there.

Love is there.

A second chance is there.

You are a good mom my friend even if, like me, you’ve had a few bad moments... you are the exact mom God knew your children needed. Let's live in that truth today.