The Word: Week 4

I consider myself a pretty good driver.  I'm sure my husband would add that I have a bit of a heavy foot.  But I'm (basically) a good driver.

I used to drive a school bus and through that training I learned to look all around me while I'm driving.  I usually noticed if someone is slowing down way up ahead, or if there's a car not paying attention and weaving out of their lane... I'm usually aware.

But I do have this one fault.

I can't look away for a minute.
Wherever my eyes go, my car goes.
If I look out the right window, my car steers right.  Every time. 
I've heard that NASCAR racers are told that if they start spinning out of control, not to look at the wall - because wherever your eyes look that's where you'll end up.
I don't know if if that's true or not for everyone - but it's sure true for me.

Listen to the Word of the Lord.

Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life. Put
away perversity from your
mouth; keep corrupt talk far
from your lips. Let your eyes
look straight ahead, fix your gaze
directly before you. Make level
paths for your feet and take only
ways that are firm. Do not
swerve to the right or to the left;
keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:23-27

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you."
Ever think there's a scripture written especially for you?  Well this one is for me.

Fix your eyes.
Don't swerve to the right or to the left.  Keep your gaze on the One you're following.
If you don't you'll be off the path before you know it.


And I love how this passage begins.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

If there's anything we need to protect, anything we must guard, it's our hearts.  If everything else in our lives comes from within, it's pretty important that what's inside is in good shape.  What goes in must come out.. so we have to guard what goes in.  All the while, keeping our eyes straight ahead.  Fixed on the goal.  Looking at Him.

I've been reminded

Today I've been reminded of how important it is to have friends and to know they are lifting you up in prayer.  Sometimes we have things going on in our lives that bring so much stress and anxiousness to us that it's hard to know how to even pray.  What a blessing it is to know that I have others around me saying the things I can't think to say.  Asking God for His blessing, His favor, His healing, His help. 

Today I've been reminded that when I tell someone I am praying for them, I need to stop.  That minute. And do it. 

They are counting on me.  

I know.  Because today I've had people remind me they're praying for me. 

And I'm counting on them to keep their word. 

A reminder that we all need each other. 

I knew. 
But it's real to me today.

The Word: Week 3

I write these things to you who
believe in the name of the Son of
God so that you may know that
you have eternal life. This is the
assurance we have in approaching
God, that if we ask anything
according to His will, that He hears
us – whatever we ask – we know
that we have what we asked of
Him.
1 John 5:13-15

What a promise. 

Not that we get everything we want.. but that if we ask all things, in accordance with His will, He hears us -- and we have what we ask of Him. 

In other words, we have His will.

Which may not always be what we ask for. 

What a relief to know that the One who knows far more than we know, and sees way further down the road, promises to give us what is best for us.  We have to trust Him. 

Well, this little boy turns 17 today. 
I don't know how in the world it's possible. 
I have no idea where the years have gone. 
But it's true. 

He is  s e v e n t e e n.

Happy Birthday Brock. 

You are, without a doubt, one of the deepest joys of my life. 
I couldn't be more proud of you.

Your life verse is ringing in my ears this morning.

Don't worry about anything.  

Instead, pray about everything.  

Tell God your needs and don't forget to 

thank Him for His answers.  

If you do this, you'll experience God's peace, 

which is far greater than the human 

mind can understand.

Phil 4:6-8

We have trusted God for a lot of things in these 17 short years.  

I'm thankful you're learning to trust Him on your own. 

Why God chose me to have the privilege of being your mom, I'll never know.  

I am the luckiest woman in the world.

week 2 in the word

This weeks' scripture with our family is from John 10:3-5. 
Here it is:

The watchman opens the gate for
him, and the sheep listen to his
voice. He calls his own sheep by
name and leads them out. When he
has brought out all his own, he
goes on ahead of them, and his
sheep follow him 

because they know his voice. 

But they will never
follow a stranger, in fact, they will
run away from him because they
do not recognize a stranger’s
voice.

Have you ever received a phone call from someone and they started talking to you like you should know who they are?  They sound a little familiar but you can't put a face with the voice? 
I have.
I try to ask questions to keep them talking long enough for me to figure out who they are.  It doesn't happen very often - but when it does, I feel like I turn into a temporary detective.

I have a friend (who happens to also be my sister in law) I talk to often.  The minute I hear her voice I know who she is.  She can just call and say my name and I know it's her.  But that's because we have a history.  We talk all the time.  I know what she sounds like.  I can pick her voice out of a crowd.

I think my question is this..

If Jesus called you today, would you recognize His voice?  

Have you talked - have you listened -  to Him enough lately that He would sound familiar? 

I feel like this is one of the most important things I do as a parent:  Help my children learn how to know God's voice. 

There are so many things shouting at us in this world. 

When we're deciding where to go to college
when we're stressed and don't know where to start
when we wish we knew if "that girl" is really who God has for us to share life with
when we don't know whether to take the job
when we're faced with big decisions,  His voice is the one we want to recognize. 

He is who we want to hear.

I want to help them understand how to learn what God sounds like to them.
I want to teach them that if we spend time with Him, listen to Him, get to know Him, we won't confuse His voice with others. 

When we have well meaning friends
good pastors
great parents...

We should never confuse the voice of the majority with the voice of God.

His is the voice to lead us. 

little change. big difference

We've lived in our house 7 years.  When we were about to move in - at the end of a long, overdue building process, pendant lights in our kitchen were the last things we chose.   It was at the end of a lot of work and an exhausted budget.  I believe I remember saying "I want the least expensive pendants that will match everything else... let's just finish."  We got something.  Had them hung.  And they've been fine.

But I've wanted to change them for a while.  So.. I did!

So here's the before.... 

and here's the after!

a great difference with just a little change..

don't you think?!

The Word: Week 1

Our family made a decision that we are going to study scripture together this year.  Our son leaves for college in just 18 months [ u n b e l i e v a b l e ] and when he leaves home we want to be sure he has the promises and commands of God hidden in his heart.  

So we put together a collection we're going through together.

[ if you'd like a copy of our book for yourself, let me know.  I'd be happy to share. ]

This weeks' verse is Hebrew 4:13.

We talked about it one night this week over dinner...what all it means.  It's pretty deep.

For the Word of God is living and active. 

Sharper than a double- edged sword, 

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, 

joints and marrow; 

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

Nothing is all creation is hidden from God’s sight. 

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of 

Him to whom we must give an account. 

So here it is:

The Word of God is alive.

It is working.

And it is sharp.

It is so focused and so sure that it can separate your soul and your spirit [which to a human is really the same thing].  

It can divide your joints and your marrow [they are part of each other, so this would not be an easy process].

It sees your heart. 

It doesn't just hear what you say, or see what you do --  it sees why you say it and what your intentions are when you do it. 

Did you know there isn't anything in this whole wide world that God doesn't see?  So when we think we're hiding something or no one will ever know what we did, we are, in a word,  w r o n g.   

God sees it.  

Every.  raw.  bit.  of.  it. 

Everything in our lives is laid bare before Him and one day, we will stand before Him [all of us]. 

Face to face.  

And we will have to answer for the things we've done.  

Now, this can all light you up with fear if you really think about what it means.  

And I suppose, in a way, it should.

But think about it this way.

The Word is God.

He is alive.

He is working.

And He is sharp.

He is so focused and so sure that He never has to second guess why you said something or what your intentions were when you did something.  

He sees your heart.  

He knows you.  

When everyone around you seems to be against you and see the worst in you, He sees the best.  

He knows when your intentions are pure.  He sees when your attitude is right.

There isn't anything that's hidden from Him.  

And that even means the GOOD you do.  

When you show a random act of kindness, He sees.  

When you take care of those in need, He sees.  

When you do what's right when no one is looking.  

        There is someone looking.  

                     He sees.

One day, we will all have to stand before Him.   

And when we do, we can rest easy knowing that if we have been giving an account to Him on earth for the things we have done and said, our slate will be clean.  

Clean.

So this week, I'm thankful for Him.  The Word.

I'm thankful that He sees my heart and knows my thoughts.

I hope He's pleased with what He sees.

  

Ahhhhh.. Music

So I'm in the middle of a 30 day challenge - with my son. 

I'll admit I really am a fickle K-LOVE listener.  If you don't know, it's a nation-wide Christian radio station, that broadcasts throughout the country on different stations.  It's great and all - I just sometimes want a switch.  I was listening one day after Christmas and they issued a 30 day challenge.  30 days to listen only to KLOVE - 30 days of Christian music only.  So I took the challenge. 

This morning on my way to work Chris Tomlin was leading me in worship.  Amazing Grace.  My chains are gone. 

You know, there are a lot of different types of gifts.  Lots of things God can give us to use.  Mine is music.  I don't know why He chose to allow me to be able to sing but He did.  For years I sang in musicals, for competitions, in church, in funerals, in weddings, for parties - pretty much anywhere you hear music, I've sung there.  But for the last 7 years or so, my car has been my stage.  I miss singing "in public" sometimes - but the truth is, the audience in my car always likes me.  They always think I sound good.  And they are so forgiving if I forget the words or miss a note. 

Another great thing about my car [I mean, my stage] is that I can openly, freely worship.  Have you ever just let loose and sung at the top of your lungs.  You know, to the point that your voice almost cracks.  That was me this morning.

My eyes were completely full of tears and I sat in the parking lot at work before I came in  -- and I was belting it.  It's a good thing no one drove in to the space beside me - they'd have thought I was losing it.

I had - and have - so much thankfulness to God for His gift to me.  The gift of music.  The gift of being able to praise Him so completely and fully in this way.  And I love that no matter what I ever sound like to the human ear, my sound is beautiful to Him.  It is a sweet sound.  A sound of praise where He dwells. 

What a privilege it is to praise. 
And thanks, K-LOVE for the 30 challenge.  It made a difference in my praise today.

Happy New Year

It's twenty-dozen! 

Here's to a healthy, organized, creative, growing, loving, thoughtful, meaningful, memorable year.