LifeSong Blog

Extraordinary You

2010-12-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas one and all! Once again, I can’t believe Christmas is here. If you’re like me do ever think that Christmas can be overwhelming at times? What present do I buy? What do I wear? What to I bake? Do I have enough money? Will they be disappointed? Let’s face it we all have wondered one if not all these questions throughout the season.

I want to challenge you (me included) to stop going through the motions of Christmas and begin to really “feel” Christmas. What do I mean? I mean feeling awestruck that God would send his one and only son to this earth to eventually die a horrible death so that our sins would be forgiven. To listen to the Christmas story like a child in wonder. To love one another every day of the year and not just on special occasions.

What would happen if we really took action? We would stop feeling the grind of being ordinary to feeling extraordinary in His presence. Being a child of God is like being a child on Christmas morning. Waiting in anticipation….

Merry Christmas to all my extraordinary girlfriends!

Luke 2:4-14:

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Refreshed

2010-05-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Fresh off a women’s retreat, interestingly named Fresh Encounter, I found myself wondering why I had left so profoundly drained instead of refreshed. The retreat was truly a success; women were bubbling about church the next day and exclaiming how wonderful it was. I was truly thankful for how well the event had gone. The pinnacle of the retreat was when a group of us were praying together in a designated prayer room. Women were allowing themselves to express their hearts with such raw emotion. It was the vulnerability that God asks of us in James 5: 16 where it says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” You could feel His presence right there in the room. It was such a powerful experience that afterwards I had to go to my room for a few minutes to try to take it all in.
The next day as I laid down for a much needed nap I reflected on this feeling of depletion and why I felt this way. I thought back to the journey leading to the retreat and I heard his voice saying, “Haven’t I been with you every step of the way?” This was true; I let everyone know who would listen how I had felt His presence throughout the process and how easy the planning had been. He also said, “Didn’t you pray for Me to use you as I saw fit?” And in fact I did, the whole leadership team did. It finally dawned on me that the refreshment came leading up to the retreat. I normally would come into retreat feeling some stress of some sort but this time it was different. I was calm, I was clear, I was ready; I was there as His instrument. I was there not to be refreshed but to be a tool for His work to be done. It made me remember that I was not only made by God but also for God. Doing God’s work is sometimes difficult but the rewards can be lasting. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” As I nodded off to sleep a sigh of relief came over me.
Today, as I sit down to write thank you notes to all the leaders I continue to process the retreat; I suspect that I will for some time. Today, refreshed from the weekend, I’m thankful for a truly awesome experience. I’m thankful He used me in His way. I’m thankful He trusts me to care for other women. I’m thankful he allows me to question Him, and I’m thankful He loves me. Today, I’ll ask Him how He can use me again.

Rejoice

2010-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air and Mother’s Day is just around the corner. For someone who has not only lost her mother, but also her role model, Mother’s Day can be tough. My mother would be very upset if she thought there was a tinge of sadness in me; nevertheless, that feeling invades me at times. When it does, I choose to make them short lived and I choose to rejoice in the present. The Bible says, “Rejoice always . . . in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice,” Philippians 4:4. Sometimes it is not easy to rejoice or to give praise to the Lord, but that doesn’t change the command.

One of the many things I have learned from the Apostle Paul’s life is that he knew how to rejoice through difficult times. Rejoicing is praise. Rejoicing is thanking God that He is in control of our lives, even though it may seem that He’s not. The best thing to remember is if your heart is fixed on an attitude of rejoicing, nothing can stand in your way.

How can you keep your heart fixed on an attitude of rejoicing? One of the easiest ways is to write down everything that makes you rejoice. Here’s what I focus on:

A good laugh
My children’s laughter
A date with my husband
Smell of freshly cut grass
Sitting on the beach
The birds chirping
Being outside right before a summer storm
When something good happens to someone
When prayer is answered
A moving time of worship
A God who loves me despite me

My list keeps growing… We have so much to be thankful for, so Rejoice!

PS: Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms. I’m a mom and just that makes me want to rejoice!

Getting Your Prayer Groove On…

2010-03-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

We recently started Share & Prayer at church, a medium for women to meet and pray for church and individual needs. Since it’s inception I have spent a lot of time thinking of prayer and how it affects our lives. A lot of people ask the question, why pray if God already knows? Ultimately, God’s instruction to pray is clear in the Bible (Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”) but the overarching reason is to strengthen our relationship with Him and to trust Him in all things. This is the most intimate relationship you will ever have on this earth, so why waste it?

One thing that has convicted me the last year is the commitment to pray for others. How many times have you told someone, “I will pray for you”? Did you do it? Or did you do it after you remembered two weeks later? Let’s face it, we’ve all been guilty of this. This realization puts me in the category of mocking God’s provisions. Well if that doesn’t put me in my place then nothing will. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” This reinforces the need to go before Him and he will unleash His mighty power!

I have implemented strategies to improve my prayer life. Here are a few that may help you:

1. Get a cute little notebook to keep prayer requests in. This keeps me organized and allows me to track the person’s progress. When the prayer is answered I mark them off the list. Little notebooks allow me to take it everywhere. If you don’t have your notebook, write it down as soon as you get home.

2. Designate time for prayer. Okay, yes, I realize this is hard. But who says it has to be in a quiet place? (well yes, Jesus did but it’s doesn't always have to be in quiet place). If 12 o’clock is your time to pray, then take your notebook to school, work, the store or even on the treadmill. You can certainly get your groove on while grocery shopping.

3. Best advice: follow up on a prayer request right then and there with the person. Just say, “Can I pray with you now?”