April 8, 2018  by

How to Escape Your Impossible Situation

Have you ever gotten yourself into such a mess that escaping the situation seemed impossible?  I sure have, more times than I can count.

If you have, too, I bet you’ll relate to this story. 

After an event where I was speaking, Eliza* approached me with a simple request for prayer to feel God’s love again. She had gotten into something she wasn’t proud of and her shame was heavy.

I asked if she’d confessed this issue of ugliness to God. She had, but the shame remained and the temptation to return to her junk was strong.

We prayed for her to experience the love of God. When we finished praying, I asked how she felt. “I have peace,” she replied.

“Peace is good, but you didn’t come for peace,” I reminded her. “You came to feel the love of God. To be free of the shame and truly know God loves you, right?” She nodded weakly.

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April 1, 2018  by

Sin Is Delicious … and Addictive

Sin is delicious. I wish it weren’t so, but it is.

I work with so many women who get caught up in things they never dreamed would hook them.

Prescription drugs. 
Alcohol.
Lies and deceptions. 
Overspending and debt.
Co-dependancy.
Pornography.
Abusive relationships. 

When I met with *Carolyn, she couldn’t even look up at me, but finally, she took a deep breath and started.

“I’m having an affair with a married man. We met at work and over the course of conversation and cocktails and compliments, I found myself taken in by him. At first, it was just so nice to be noticed. Not just for the way I look but for my brain and my ideas. He listened to my dreams and my problems. He helped me get promoted.

Now here I am. Three years into a relationship with a married man who will never divorce his wife. Hiding the truth from my family and friends, swallowing the pain and guilt, pretending everything is great. I’ve tried to break it off, but I keep going back.”

 

I stared at her. Why would a beautiful, educated woman get into this mess?
Because sin is delicious.

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March 25, 2018  by

Follow Directions To Get The Results You Want!

 

Are you an improvisor or do you follow directions to a “T”?
I lean toward following the directions just because I’ve had so many failed improvisations.

Like the time my party host said, “Just bring one of your fabulous desserts.”
I flipped through my favorite recipes and decided on applesauce spice cake.
Feeling adventurous, I substituted stewed prunes for half the applesauce.

Girls! Bad plan.

I mixed and stirred and smashed and whisked, but those darn prune skins held together in my batter like little black footballs.

I should have followed the directions.

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March 4, 2018  by

Goodness, God! What are you up to?

God’s faithfulness doesn’t always look like I think it should.

There have been many times that I looked to the heavens and asked,
Goodness, God! What are you up to? 
Can you relate?

 
Like you, I’ve had several callings or commissionings from God.
He called me to be his own.
Hurrah!
He called me to be a wife and a mom.
Hurrah, hurrah!
He called me into workplace.
Ok! Hurrah!
 He called me into full time ministry.
Yahooooo! Hurrah!
 
Even when faced with obstacles and obstructions,
I trusted those callings were from God. 
 
But … Though I am confident of the calling,
I still run into road blocks and detours.
I have to remind myself of God’s faithfulness.
 
The journey to trust God never ends.
 
Like all journeys, some parts are smooth and easy and

other parts or rocky and hard. 

Do you need a reminder that God is worthy of your trust?
 
Look no further than your Bible.
Noah was called to build an arc to escape the coming flood.
He trusted God for 120 years.
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February 26, 2018  by

Are You Confused About Prayer?

I was very confused about prayer when I first started to follow Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew that I was supposed to pray but I wasn’t sure how … or even to whom I should address my prayer. I knew there were three persons of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but I wondered Which one do I pray to? I sure didn’t want to offend one person of God or bring down God’s wrath on myself for doing it wrong!

How could I get the answers I needed?

I was in a small Bible study group with some pillars of our church. When they prayed it sounded like they were reading from a hymnal! I wanted to pray like they did! However, I didn’t want anyone to know how ignorant I was! 

In the end, I had to ask for help. I screwed up my courage and asked the oldest and grayest of them to teach me about prayer.

She explained, “What one person of God knows, they all know. It doesn’t matter which person of God you address your prayers to.”

She suggested I start with a memorized prayer like the one in Matthew 6. I still pray the Lord’s prayer frequently, but since then I also developed a prayer model to help me keep my prayers fresh and fervent.

I call it the T.R.U.S.T. Prayer Model.

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February 11, 2018  by

How Do You WANT To Belong?

Have you ever been invited to join a group and just didn’t think you’d fit it?

Maybe you felt inadequate. Maybe you didn’t think you’d measure up or you’d be embarrassed or it would be awkward. Maybe, you wanted to avoid conversations about your past or your current situation.

Maybe you’re just too busy to get involved with one more thing. When your proverbial plate is so full you can’t see the pattern on the edge, you can’t add one more thing.

Maybe you have your hands full of your own stuff, and you just don’t want to hear about other people’s problems. Maybe you’ve decided you don’t like the people in the group.

Of course, you’d never say that out loud, but you might think it.

For whatever reason, you want to pass …

How do you change your thinking so you want to belong? 

I talk about that reluctance to join in this week’s video.

Click on the video below to watch it now.

It might be as simple as trusting that the person who’s invited you loves you and wants to be with you.
It might be that you feel God prompting you.
Often, you’ll find that you’ll benefit and be a benefit.

What is God calling you into and is he doing it through an invitation from a friend?

Father God, You invite us all to belong. Overcome our fears and doubts about whether we’ll fit in or if we are good enough. Amen. 

 

 

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February 5, 2018  by

Reset Your Faith To Trust God

How do you reset your faith to trust God with your circumstances, your kids, your job, your past and your life?
I can help you with that. 

If you’d rather watch a video than read this, you can see it if you click here.

My hubz, Dave (or Mr. 4-Ever as we call him) and I spend a ton of time in the car. While he drives, I read, play video games, write on my laptop, gaze out the window or nap. I don’t have to stare at the road looking for hazards, because I trust Dave to do that.

Driving with, … oh let’s call her “Mary” is an entirely different story.
I’m on high alert because Mary is forever running over the rumble strips on the highway.
She fiddles with the radio, checks her phone and yells at other drivers.
It’s exhausting to be in the passenger seat.
I can’t trust her driving.

The key to trusting God is to know him.
To know his character and his heart.
To know he is competent and that he has your best in mind ALWAYS!

How do you do that?

The first way to get to know God is to stick your nose in his big book – the Bible.

Read the accounts of God’s faithfulness to his people. They trusted him in the direst or most peculiar of situations. Then you will begin to see that what was provided for some is possible for you.

Now before you tune me out about reading the Bible, let’s talk about how to make it fun, valuable and effective. There are LOTS of ways to make it interesting.

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February 1, 2018  by

Are You A (Lonely) Control Girl?

Remember the Beatles song, “Let it Be”?
That is great advice for control girls.

When we try to control situations, it rarely works out the way we want for very long.
When we try to control people, they grow weary of the micro-managing and the criticism and their inability to measure up or satisfy the demands of a control girl.

Eventually, friends and even family check out physically or emotionally.

The good news is, the solution is easily accessible.
Embracing God’s love for YOU releases the need to control every one and everywhere else.
It lets you love people as they are, for who they are, not what they do or don’t do.

There is a great example of this is this video.

 

Click on the image to watch it now.
Run time 2 min. 34 sec.

 

 

Prayer: Father, I know that I need to let it be. Give me the assurance of your love so I don’t try to hijack from others. Fill me with your love so I can love others. Amen 

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January 25, 2018  by

Are You A Gracious Receiver?

I’ve heard it said that giving is better than receiving.
I have no doubt.

It’s WAY easier to be a giver!

Being a receiver is hard!
It’s embarrassing!
And it makes me feel like I’ve failed.

Why else would I need a hand up much less a hand out?

I’ve learned to be both a generous giver and a gracious receiver.

I talk about it in this video.
See if you agree.

Click on the image to watch the quick little video.

God, you are the creator and giver of all things. Let me accept you gifts to me with humility and thankfulness Amen

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January 19, 2018  by

God Watches Over You!

God watches over you even when it doesn’t feel like he’s there.

Have you ever felt that way?

I had to share this woman’s journey to trust God in a very difficult time of her life.
She believed in God, but needed help to TRUST him more.

Watch this 2 1/2 minute video. Click on the image below.

When it feels like you are all alone, remember you are not.
You have a God who loves you and wants you to trust him.

God, I know that I am always on your mind and in your view. Let me see where you are at work. Bolster my faith as I trust you more and more. Amen

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

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