Eat Pray Love

I watched this movie, Eat Pray Love, with my husband recently. The main character goes on this year long, self-discovery journey and lands in a different location around the world for each part. Neither of us liked it very much, but the scenery was beautiful. It definitely made us want to go to Rome one day.

Real life in our house doesn't allow for a year long journey, but every day does! Every day we have an opportunity to eat, pray and love with the ones we're surrounded by.

Eat-Our daily journey usually culminates at the dinner table each night. Our children are still fairly young, so we can have a family meal almost daily. It's a good time for us and much conversation happens around the table. We've been intentional about making this work, but I know it won't last forever.

Pray-This is probably the weakest link of the three parts for us. We talk about people, things or situations that we need to pray over, but we don't necessarily pray for them together. Prayer is such an intimate thing I think that it is hard sometimes to have others hear us. We feel like we're listening in on a private conversation. Thankfully God hears us, and so we pray individually.

Love-Every day as a work at home Mom, I can love my family quite easily. Whether it's by doing the laundry, cleaning the house or making a good meal, serving my family is loving them. Making our home a warm, safe place that builds their confidence and encourages them in their life is a blessing.

Make every day count. Be intentional about eating, praying and loving with the ones you're surrounded by.

Here and Now...There and Then

Have you ever done something knowing it would be good for you, but all the while feeling your stomach turn? Your hands are trembling and your palms are sweaty. You keep taking deep breaths hoping that your body will calm down. That was me a couple of months ago as I began leading a group of ladies through "Here and Now...There and Then." It's a lecture series on Revelation by Beth Moore.

Now I know that any time spent in God's Word will be good for me, but I was a wreck with worry over this particular one. My friend, Kelli, and I lead this community group together. We decided last summer that Revelation was what God was calling us to offer this Fall. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I had never led any Bible study on Revelation. Frankly in the 20+ years of teaching and leading Bible studies, I never wanted to. It scared me and made me quite uncomfortable. There was just too much that I didn't know or understand. Too many questions and a lot of "I don't knows."

God had a different plan. We had been praying for God to bring new ladies to our group; ladies who weren't in a Bible study anywhere. And He did, of course He did! I think this was the biggest group we've ever had and I didn't know the majority of them. Funny how God does that. I had seriously sweaty palms now, but we were already committed. So we started and to paraphrase a famous movie line, "He had me at Hello."

Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

After reading that verse I was no longer afraid, but ready to receive all that God wanted to teach me and show me through this series. Even if it meant having more "I don't knows" to say, I wanted to read and hear every word of Revelation. So I dug my heels in and went through every chapter. Rest assured I have seriously more questions than answers now. But that's o-k, because I also have a bigger picture of who Jesus is now.

In the final chapter Jesus calls himself the "Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." He began all this and He will one day end all of this. However, what struck me the most was from the beginning of Revelation to the end, He fights for us. Jesus is our Advocate-from creation to the completion of His Kingdom, He's fighting for us. Nothing that happens in my life or yours occurs without His knowledge. He's our one true Advocate, here and now, there and then.

Ever wanted to study Revelation? Go ahead, get your blessing. I got mine!

Escape Clauses

Wikipedia defines an escape clause as "any clause, term or condition in a contract that allows a party to that contract to avoid having to perform the contract." In other words, it's a way to get out of doing what you promise to do. Some might say a loop hole! God's Word is full of His promises to us. Praying those should be easy. However, lately I find myself praying with escape clauses.

For instance, I'm praying for a friend who has been sick for quite a while. It's nothing terminal, but just nagging and bothersome. I know God is our healer. So I pray and ask God to make her healthy, but then I add, "If you don't, please help her to endure with understanding and grace." I'm praying for another friend whose husband needs a job. I know God is our provider. I ask God to give them a job, but then I add, "If you choose not to, help them to be wise and make good choices." Obviously God does not need my escape clauses, but I pray like He does. Do you? I want to be a prayer who believes God. Period.

In John Ortberg's book If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat, he says "But I want trust to be stronger. I never want the no of fear to trump the yes of faith." That's good stuff! (Take a moment and read it again.) The escape clauses I'm praying are out of fear. Fear that God may not answer the way I want Him to. Fear that I may be embarrassed or that I've somehow failed to have enough faith. God is Faithful and True. I can trust Him and so can you. God help us to pray that way from now on. Amen.

Stubbornness

"They're not going to listen, so why should I bother?" I've said that statement hundreds of times. It's very frustrating when you try to convince someone of the right thing to do, but they are stubborn. They won't listen. I'll just be wasting my time.

I read a very similar story in the book of Ezekiel this week. God calls Ezekiel in chapter two to speak to the Israelites. The Israelites are described as rebellious, obstinate and stubborn. Ezekiel is not to be afraid of them or what they say. I think this may have very well been Ezekiel's WHY BOTHER? moment. Seriously, he knows they're not going to listen, they're not going to like him and will probably threaten him. The key is found in verse 7. It says, "You must speak my words to them…." God's words are healing, transforming, convincing, freeing and truth. It's not about what Ezekiel would do, but what God wants done.

Left to my own choices, my words would irritate and aggravate a situation also. Today I'm not going to be stubborn either, but do exactly what God asks of me-share His word and His truth.

"It is the same with my word, I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to." Isaiah 55:11NLT

Safe Mode

Do you replay conversations over in your head? I do, all the time. And I bet if you’re reading this today, you’ve pressed the rewind button a few times yourself.

Usually it’s the conversations that hurt my feelings, cause me to feel insecure or make me mad that I repeat. Like the Aunt who says, “Boy you’ve gained weight! They must feed you well in college.” Sadly I've been out of college for a FEW YEARS and I still remember that! UGH. Or it might be the friend who says, “You can’t do that. You wouldn’t be good at it.” I’ll spend hours trying to “spin” the playback into what I should have said to get back at the other person or how I could have presented myself differently for the outcome I wanted. The problem is they’ve moved on and I’m the one spinning around and around and getting nowhere. I begin to question my self-worth and my abilities.

Recently my computer had the nerve to do this to me. It’s a machine for goodness sakes. However, it decided to not respond the way I wanted it to. I was in the middle of working, typing away and it froze! All of a sudden the keyboard stopped working, the screen turned blue and then these words appeared, “...beginning dump of physical memory.” Seriously, I thought to myself, this cannot be good! I panicked and desperately tried to figure out how to stop it. Eventually I realized that something in one of the links that was loading was tainted, maybe even corrupt. My computer automatically recognized it and in order to maintain the integrity of my work went into a “safe mode.”

Don’t you wish we could do that? When someone hurts our feelings, says something that scars us, or an old painful memory comes back, why can’t we just “dump it”, and go into a “safe mode”. For me, dumping the words isn’t easy. Sometimes every part of me would like to just battle it out. That’s not healthy, and mostly it’s just my stinking pride. But I have figured out ways to go into a safe mode and not do the old drill of rewind, play, rewind, play. My safe mode is found in my relationship with Jesus Christ and knowing who He says I am.

Today if you’re struggling with letting go of some hurtful conversations, find a Bible and look up these verses. Try committing them to memory and replaying them in your head. Your safe mode will quickly become knowing the truth of who you are in Christ.

You were created by God–Psalm 139:13 “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” MSG

You are loved by God-Jeremiah 31:3 ‘God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love and more love.” MSG

You are forgiven-Colossians 1:14 “God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.” NLT

Devotion

Remember the song, "Hopelessly Devoted to You"? Yes it's the one by Olivia Newton John in the movie Grease- Sandy pining away for Danny. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. O-k, not necessarily the song, but what it really means to be devoted.

In Matthew 4 when Jesus calls the first disciples, they were going about their daily business of fishing. Peter and Andrew were casting their nets fishing. James and John were with their father in a boat. The passage says they immediately left everything and followed Jesus. This always leaves me puzzled and asking several questions. Who took care of their family? What happened to their fishing boats and nets? What did their parents think? Scripture doesn't readily address these thoughts of mine. However, I've come to realize it's about devotion. These men were devoted to Jesus. Jesus didn't want or need their resources or abilities. He wanted their commitment to follow him. Period.

Devotion is defined as profound dedication. It provokes thoughts of intention, passion and pursuit. Jesus wants that kind of relationship with me and with you. I find it easier at times to offer him my abilities, my strengths or even my checkbook. A friend said to me this week, "Sometimes it can be so much easier to do something for Jesus than to be with Jesus." To which I replied, "Amen sister!" We talked about how readily we will take a meal to someone or send them a note, but will be slow to sit with Jesus and pray for them.

Obviously food and words of encouragement are useful tools in God's kingdom. Necessary some might say. The question I've been asking myself is am I devoted to those abilities and resources or to the God who gives them to me?

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Look What's Coming Soon!