Playing at My Father's Table

I attended a woman's Bible conference this past Saturday and it was fabulous.

I am still processing all the information I received. One item in particular though, I picked up and started running with when I got home:

The idea to "play in God's Kingdom."

It's funny, the night before the conference I had a time of fellowship with some ladies in my local Bible Study group. We each chose a card and had to answer the question on the back.

One question I grabbed was, "What do you enjoy most about your day?" My very first thought was reading my Bible so I said it. But as I thought about it more, I realized while I like to read my Bible everyday, I couldn't really say I enjoy doing it. Sad but true.

The next day at the conference--not by coincidence but by God's grand design--I was introduced to the world of Bible Journaling. What is Bible Journaling you ask? Well, let me tell you.

Bible Journaling is a way to meditate on God's word and enjoy doing it.

It's really hard for me to sit down and focus on one verse. My mind tends wanders somewhere else; no matter how much I want to sit and read a verse, I get distracted by what is going on around me.

Bible Journaling helps me focus.

It gives me something to do with my hands while my mind is focused on the verse. How so? First, I prayerfully consider a verse God has put on my heart, then I find it in my journaling Bible. (Side note here: I received a journaling Bible five years ago but wasn't really sure how to use it. I did take a few notes in it on occasion but was overly worried I would write in a space I would later want to write in and so I didn't use it too much.)

Bible Journaling is a tool to meditate on a verse and then visually show it ... in your Bible.

Check out this entry I made on Colossians 3:12-14:
(Okay, I admit, it's not just one verse but these verses are all connected and I wanted to include them all.)

After you prayerfully choose a verse to focus on, you read the verse again. This time paying close attention to any words that stand out.

For me I saw: put on, chosen ones, beloved, above all, love

Next you take the words you zoned in on and ask yourself, "What would this look like?"

Looking at my list, I realized it's the beloved chosen ones are who are being asked to put on those attributes so I decided to draw a princess--because as a daughter of the Risen King that is exactly what I am. I choose purple for the dress because it's a royal color and I added "LOVE" in the crown because the verse says, "above all these put on love." Now, while the attributes to put on were not in my list of words that stood out to me, I still really wanted to include them, so I knit them on her dress. Lastly, I added yellow rays around her to try to show the holy and beloved aspect a little more.

Just like that I spent an hour meditating on one verse of the Bible without getting distracted.

But you know the best part?

I enjoyed that full 60 minutes.

Grumbling Transformation

I caught myself grumbling in the grocery line last week. 

I'm not a huge fan of grocery shopping to begin with and I went right before lunch. So after stocking up my cart as I trekked through the store I started to unload them onto the checkout counter with my stomach was growling. As I put item after item up on the counter I thought, "I can't stand grocery shopping. I still have to put all these away when I get home before I can eat!" 

I get irritable when I'm hungry, my friend. 

But after I thought that I immediately realized I was thinking about the wrong things. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I was hungry and unhappy that I still had to put my groceries away; I choose to brush those thoughts away and focus on the positive like:

• I am getting groceries to make food to take care of my family.
• I have the money to pay for the food on my list. 
• There is one store I can go to to get all my food. 
• I can eat some food when I get home. 

I was reminded of Philippians 4:8 which says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." 

As we continue into this Thanksgiving season, I challenge you to redirect your thoughts when you catch yourself grumbling. Instead of focusing on the negative, look to the positive. 

Doubts Can Drown You ... If You Let Them

A Prayer For You

Father God,

You need only speak and it happens. 

When we consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made us a little lower than the angels, and crowned us with glory and honor. You made us rulers over the works of your hands and put everything under our feet. 

Thank You for loving us so much, that you sent your one and only Son to die for us so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. 

You yourself go before us and you will be with us, God you will never leave us or forsake us, help us not to be afraid or discouraged. For you did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity but of POWER, LOVE, and SELF-DISCIPLINE. 

Whether we turn to the right or to the left, open our ears so we will hear your voice behind us saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” 

In Jesus Name I declare this, amen. 

(Genesis 1. Psalm 8:3-6; John 3:16; Deuteronomy 31:8; 2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 30:21)

The Gracious Patience of God

God is graciously patient. 

It amazes just how patient He is with me. I tend to try to use my limited human understanding and apply it God, assuming He will be frustrated with me because that's how I would feel if I were Him. This is silly of me. God cannot be put into a box. 

Let me show you a little bit of God's gracious patience with me with a condensed version of how He is growing me this year.

There is a women's Bible Study I regularly attend and it is fabulous. At the beginning of the year, every lady is asked to fill out a "Sister Form" with contact information plus a special section at the end for special gifts. When I first attended this Bible Study in January, I deliberately that "special gift" part blank ... because I knew if I filled out my gifts “they” would ask me to help and I was all set. 

But even so, God started planting seeds for me to help with this Bible Study Group on that very first day. God showed me a small need and within my first 15 minutes after coming through those doors, I thought, “I could help with that.” 

Fast forward a couple months, God prompted me to share about how the Evangelism study I was in had been influencing my life. So I shared about how I tend to be like Gideon from Judges 6. I trust God can do anything He says He can. . .but sometimes I have trouble believing He wants to use me to do it. I was approached after my speech and was given an application to apply as a lead volunteer on the Board for this Bible Study. 

I prayed about it for a week, but God in His gracious patience, knew I wasn’t ready yet and through multiple confirmations, He told me to say no.  

When the new Board of volunteers was announced in May, I was really happy to see who God had chosen. . .but at the same time, I felt sad. When I saw the selected five all standing up there together, I felt sadness that I wasn’t up there with them.

I was shocked by this feeling and I did a little prayer right then and said, “God! I know you told me to say no to apply for the Board but then why do I feel sad that I am not up there?” I was reminded, “There is a season for everything.” I accepted that but didn’t think too much more about it because I did not want to think about potentially having that much responsibility in the future. No, thank you. 

Now in June, the selected President of this Bible Study Group, asked me to pray about joining the Board. My first reaction was to say no because I felt I was needed as a volunteer more in my church, but I agreed to pray over it and get back to her with an answer.

 As I was praying, God reminded me of that seed He planted in my heart in January and I was encouraged to take a role on the Board, so I accepted. 

For the next weeks, I would get together with the Bible Study President to discuss, well, Bible Study items. One day in August, we got like usual --but this time she also had a special request for me. Just as she started to explain this request, before she gave me any details, I heard God, loud and clear, “You are going to say yes.” And I’m little taken aback and start to wonder, “What is this I am saying yes to?” But before I can even finish reciting that question in my mind, God continued and said, “She is going to ask you to be President.” 

I’m not kidding, when I say I’m a like little Gideon. Even though I knew she was going to ask me to be President my heartbeat sped up as soon as she said it. And as she went over some of the duties, I began to doubt (does God really want me as President?). 

Are you starting to see why I say God is graciously patient with me? God spoke clearly to me and I still doubted. 

Have you ever been in an intimidating situation where you felt like you were out in the middle of the water way over your head? This is a little like what I was feeling. 

There’s a story in Matthew Chapter 14 verses 22-31 about when the disciples are in a boat during a crazy bad storm and they see what they believe to be a ghost walking on the water. They were terrified and Jesus spoke to them and said, “Don’t be afraid! Take courage, I am here.” Then Peter called out to him, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 I’m a little like Peter too, but thankfully God is there waiting for me to call out so He can lift me up. 

Now, as I was praying and getting used to the idea of becoming President of this Bible Study, I was reminded of what I had been asking in my prayers. There is a song called Oceans by Hillsong United, and I would sing that as a prayer to God. The part that really resonated with me goes, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger.”

God showed me, I could stay where I was comfortable serving this Bible Study OR I could choose to trust Him and let Him answer my prayer to take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, but first I had to answer His call step out of the boat and say yes to becoming President. 

Ephesians 2:10  says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God called me to be President of this Bible Study this year. 

I am God’s handiwork ... and so are you. 

God has already prepared an assignment specifically for you to fulfill. If you are anything like me or Gideon or Peter you might doubt what God is calling you to do. It happens. The important thing is to not let your doubt drown you or distract you from God’s purpose for you. 

Cookie Cutter Conviction

For my eldest's birthday I made my first ever decorated sugar cookies and if you have never decorated cookies, let me tell you it takes a large measure of patience.

By the time I decorated the 3rd cookie, I wanted to give up. I was stressed because every frosting line I attempted was not perfect; but instead of quitting, I asked God to help me finish.

Yes, I prayed to God to help me with something small like decorating cookies. 

But you know what? The Bible says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions and with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:18a) And because I took the time to pray, God gave me insight into my real issue: I was needlessly stressing myself out trying to make something perfect that was not intended to be perfect in the first place. 

I don't know why I have the desire for a cookie-cutter type perfection (and not just for cookie decorating) but this weekend I made the opportunity to talk with God as I decorated these cookies and it resulted in me asking God to help me let go of my desire for perfection. 

When I finished, I found I actually enjoyed the cookies better with their little mistakes. They weren't boring carbon copies of each other, but each one a little different ... and that's what made them interesting and special. God showed me there is beauty in imperfections.  

Is there anything in your life causing you stress? Could it be due to unrealistic expectations you are forcing on yourself? Take some time and ask God for help--no matter how small or trivial you think the problem is. He wants to help; you only have to ask.