Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A "Steadfast" Year

In my last post, I said I would discuss how God had shown me how to be "steadfast" in 2013. In my first post of the year, I defined the word as...
 "Someone can be steadfast in a belief, an effort, a plan, or even a refusal. Whatever it is, it means that the person will calmly hold firm to the chosen position and follow through with determination."

When I look back over the past year, I realize how He has lead me to stand strong,  to be steadfast, in all that came into my life. I had several hardships, disappointments, and struggles with worry. Below, I've listed many of those that I experienced and listed in my gratitude list how God led me to calmly stand firm.

 1,185 - My brother, coming home the first week of 2013, after being hospitalized for 3 months.(This one was a blessing after nearly losing him in 2012)
 1,225 - Having emergency surgery, due to torn cartilage in my knee. Specially trained therapists helped me get back the full use of my knee, after having surgery.
 1,259 - Moving our son out on his own.(A difficult day for me, but I also know he is becoming a young, responsible man.)
 1,264 - After many weeks of therapy, a day without pain in my knee.
 1,268 -A hard eucharisteo: texting with my son, who now lives 4 hours away.(The ache of missing him.)
 1,292 - A loving God who understands me, when I feel misunderstood!(My husband and I were in disagreement and struggling.)
 1,293 - A special friend, who also showed her love and compassion! (A dear Christian woman who encouraged me when I was feeling at my lowest.)
 1,300 -  My brother(read his story here and here), who was near death, just 2-4 months ago, is able to hold his first grandchild today! Thank you, Lord, for healing him!!!
 1,328 - The opportunity to have some good conversation about some deeper issues with my son.(After much prayer for him to turn his life over to God.)
 1,333 - In the midst of some(unspoken) hurt and heartache here at home, God still works in my heart.
 1,340 - A phone call from my son, who couldn't be with me for the first time ever on Mother's Day.(Oh, how I miss him!) 
 1,349 - Life can often be an uphill struggle...knowing that God walks with us every step...even when our legs ache from the steep climb up.
 1,357 - My knee feeling good enough to walk some trails with my friend.
 1,364 - Even when I'm feeling frustrated by other's unkindness or untruthfulness, that God provides me with patience and a kind spirit to the other person.
 1,378 - My hubby, initiating prayer time together in the evenings!(This was truly a miracle from God, after 26 years of marriage.)
 1,394 - A few rough days, but the Lord got me through.
 1,410 - Working with some awesome, caring people at my job.
 1,413 - Knowing that even if the clouds return and life is hard, I know God is still faithful and standing beside me through it all.
 1,432 -  Being able to show God's love and comfort to our neighbors, who recently lost a son. Taking a meal and sympathy card to them.
 1,433 -  Texting with my son, who still misses us now and then(as we miss him)! 
 1,450 - Knowing this: As Christians, we must live our lives in a way that stands out from others, to be like a light in this dark world, so we show others God's light. 
 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
(This one gives me chills, as it goes so well with my word for 2014, fervent.)
 1,469 - Thinking about how far my hubby and I have come over the past several months in our relationship...
 1,470 - One of the best things that has happened - having a regular prayer time together, that has continued!!
 1,484 - Even though I'm feeling a bit confused right now, trusting that God has a plan with the job situation that was offered to me a few weeks ago. (I thought I had made a decision, but the final decision hasn't been made, yet.) 
1,485 - Finding things to be thankful for(joy) in the midst of pain.
1,493 - For emotional dryness, as it leads me back to God!
1,494 - A heart that aches for the unsaved.
1,500 - Maybe it's just that my soul is restless for the place where I belong!!
1,514 - The Lord has been showing me where I can find joy, even when everything else may be dark and dismal. 
1,522 - Praying and trusting God to provide for and bless our son, as he pursues trying to get into the prestigious music program, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.(We recently were informed that they accepted his application and will be interviewed in February, the final step for admission.)
 1,527 - Praying on behalf of my son, who is the source of many of my worries.(God has been filling me with peace, when I start to worry.)
 1,535 - Feeling a love and closeness to my husband and son that can only be topped by a close relationship with Jesus!  1,536 - Knowing that God is in control, even though we may not understand why He allows certain things to happen.
 1,556 - Deep spiritual conversations with my son.(Still praying for a renewed commitment to the Lord in his life.)  
1,557 - His willingness to dig deeper to learn about God and truth.
 1,578 -the Lord, leading me in my current job and into the new year with a new position.

God has shown me so much, but mostly that I need Him in my life every day. He also has encouraged me to not be impatient, but to be steadfast in my beliefs and trust in Him to do all He has said He will do for His children. 

For 2014, my word is "fervent". Here is dictionary definition:
1. Having or showing great emotion or zeal; ardent:
2. Extremely hot; glowing.

I had a "Prayer For Steadfastness" that I shared in my post a year ago.  I want to share a "Prayer for Ferver" that was written many years ago by a well-known lawyer and philosopher:

 Prayer for Fervor
O Lord,
give us a mind
that is humble, quiet, peaceable,
patient and charitable,
and a taste of your Holy Spirit
in all our thoughts, words, and deeds.
O Lord,
give us a lively faith, a firm hope,
a fervant charity, a love of you.
Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation
and all dullness in prayer.
Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you,
your grace, and your tender compassion toward us.
Give us, good Lord,
the grace to work for
the things we pray for.  
--St Thomas More, 1478-1535
 
Maybe this is the year you need to be more "steadfast" in your faith. Or, maybe like me, you desire to have a more "fervent" heart for the Lord! On whatever path He is guiding you to walk, may you seek His will and find strength and determination to grow in your faith, to have a closer relationship with Him alone!!
 
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Saturday, January 4, 2014

"LiveLikeThat" - And My Verse/Word for 2014

It's strange, how I've had a word running through my mind for the past 2 months, thinking that it must be the word that God is leading me towards for 2014. That word was FERVENT. But, during the past couple of weeks, I've had other words strike me, as well. 

 I was a little perplexed, until I heard the song below...one I've heard before, but it hit me between the eyes this time. Yes, I have a word, but I have several words that also apply. Listen to this song and then let me share what the Lord has been working in my heart. 
I recently read a post written by Ann Voskamp on her blog (A Holy Experience) that really touched my heart, as well. Here is an excerpt. 
Steeped In Jesus:
"The most important skill to have in 2014 is paying attention to Jesus — nothing else is worth spending your one beautiful year on. Nothing will happen this year apart from Him. Nothing will be remade, nothing will be transformed, nothing will be satisfying apart from Him. Jesus is the only life I have. His shed blood is the only blood I have. His given heart is the only heart I have. His identity is the only real identity I have.

Just be with Jesus. Listen to Jesus. Rest in Jesus. Wait for Jesus. Be Loved by Jesus. Wonder over Jesus. Live through Jesus.

When who Jesus is overwhelms you — nothing that happens can overcome you.
Steep your soul in Jesus and nothing is too steep to overcome."

I love the idea of "steeping my soul in Jesus"! That truly describes a fervent heart!!

Then, finally I came across the verse below and couldn't believe that it had my "word for 2013" which was STEADFAST. By no circumstance, I believe the Lord led me to this verse, as it also had the word FERVENT in it.
http://thedailyverses.blogspot.com/2012/06/romans-1211.html

The Lord is giving me lots of words for this year, I think He may be teaching me a lot of things, which is exciting, but also a little scary. Most importantly, though, I think He wants me to seek to be more fervent for Him in all I do....in my prayers, in how I love others, and in my spirit. I will be talking about these in future posts. But for now, I have put together a word cloud that includes some of the words and phrases that the Lord also brought to my attention.



So, I guess you could say I have found my song, my verse, and my word(s) for 2014! Do you have a song, verse, or word for the new year? Let me know by posting it in the comments, along with your blog post URL, if you wrote about it.

(In the next post, I will be writing about how God has used the word I had for 2013...STEADFAST...in my life to grow in Him. Be sure to check and read it, too!!)
Linking over to these blog hops:
Faith Filled Friday (Missional Women)
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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A Year of Blessings

Hours away from another year and all I can think of writing about is all the blessings the Lord has provided in the past year. 
(I'm a little frustrated, though. I wrote half of this post, lost it, and had to start from scratch again. So, I'm cutting the length of it back quite a bit, as I've spent a lot of time on it already.)

Since I havn't added to my gratitude list in quite awhile, I decided to write some things over the last couple of weeks that I'm grateful for, as well as some favorite pictures and what I'm thankful for in 2013. 

1,561 - Being with family for Christmas.
1,562 - Bingo game gift exchange...a family tradition.
1,563 -  Bringing in another year with my hubby.
1,564 -  Being able to enjoy everything that goes with living on the lake.
1,565 -  The last of the Coots on the lake, right before it froze completely over.
 1,566 - Watching the lake start to freeze, as leaves blow over the top of the ice.
 1,567 - A bird nest in the neighbor's tree...a lingering sign of life before winter officially hit.

1,568 - All the beautiful scenery I've enjoyed on the lake. 

 1,569 - Animal life on the lake, so versitile!
 
 1,570 - Having great times with family and friends on the lake.
 1,571 -  Seeing my best friend!
 1,572 - Becoming a "great aunt"(She's 8 months old already!)
 1,573 - Tyler moved out of the house and 4 hours away to go to college.  
1,574 - Being able to visit Tyler 3 times.  

1,575 - Lots of great memories with my two dogs, Jet and Sophie. 
 (Unfortunately, she passed away on December 6th)

1,576 - My son coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas!    


1,577 - Got a new puppy on December 30th...a new family member for a new year ahead!

1,578 -the Lord, leading me in my current job and into the new year with a new position.
MY PRAYER FOR YOU THIS 2014http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266134659203629131/





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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Happy Holidays...Really?{Life Without Christ}

Hello, everyone. Today is my last in a series I've been writing for the Christmas season. Today, I've had to dig deep, as my thoughts lately have been very scattered and writing hasn't come easily for me. (Have you ever had that happen?)

One of my favorite Christmas movies is "It's A Wonderful Life" with James Stewart. I watch almost every year at this time. (I actually watched it last week.) The thing that intrigues me the most about this movie is the question that is presented.
"What would happen if you'd never been born?" 

Everyone who's ever watched the movie knows that this was the wish that the main character, George Bailey, made and his guardian angel, Clarence, decided to let George see exactly how it would have been if he weren't born. Ultimately, it reveals how great of an impact he made on everyone's life around him. Not only did he change other's lives for the good, but he also saved lives and impacted hundreds of people.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like for each of us, if Christ hadn't been born, died on the cross, and risen from the dead? I shudder at the thought of it! But, for just one moment, I would like us to think about it, because to many people who aren't saved, Christ was never born or nor died for their sins.

It is evident that without Jesus our world would be a different place than the one we have now. So here are some points:

Slavery
Although many committed Christians owned slaves in history, it was Christians who historians credit with being the primary force behind ending international slave trade. Two-thirds of the members of the American abolition society in 1835 were Christian ministers. Wilberforce, Charles Finney, William Lloyd Garrison, Edward Beecher, and Theodore Dwight Weld all battled to abolish slavery. John Gregg Fee, the evangelical founder of Berea College in Kentucky called out to God in prayer on his knees and said “Lord, if needs be, make me an Abolitionist.” (Gary Haugen, Good News About Injustice, pg 62-63).

 Children
In the ancient world, for example in classical Rome or Greece, infanticide was not only legal, it was applauded. Killing a Roman was murder, but it was commonly held in Rome that killing one’s own children could be an act of beauty. Through a higher view of life, it was the early Christian church that ultimately brought an end to infanctide.
The modern pro-life movement is largely Christian. This pro-life view has been true from the very beginning of Christianity.

Education
From the beginning of Judaism, from which Christianity is derived, there was an emphasis on the written word. But the phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in the Protestant Reformation. 

In his book Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul by J. P. Moreland traces the history of what has happened in relation to the Christian mind.
Moreland discusses the history of the pilgrims arriving to the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Pilgrims along with other American believers placed a high value on the intellectual life in relation to Christian spirituality. The Puritans were highly educated people (the literacy rate for men in Massachusetts and Connecticut was between 89 and 95 percent) who founded colleges, taught their children to read and write before the age of six, studied art, philosophy, and other fields as well. Evangelical scholars such as Jonathan Edwards were scholarly and well informed about other fields other than theology.

 Universities
All but one of the first 123 colleges in colonial America were Christian institutions. While these universities have lost their Christian identities, it is interesting to read the founding statements of these schools. Harvard, for example, was founded on this statement: “Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, John 17:3.”

The Printing Press
In order to promote Bible literacy, Christians have been leaders in education. This trend was accelerated with the advent of the printing press at about the same time as the Protestant Reformation. Many of the world’s languages were first set to writing by Christian missionaries in order for people to read the Bible.

Science
A theist asserts that the physical universe is not all there is. There is an infinite, personal God who created it, sustains it and can act within it in a natural and non-natural way.

 One of the most outspoken and prolific writers on the relationship between science and religion is physicist Rev. Dr John Polkinghorne. His website is here: Or, feel free to read up on former atheist Alister McGrath/Christian theologian, who holds both a DPhil (in molecular biophysics) and an earned Doctor of Divinity degree from Oxford. He is noted for his work in historical, systematic and scientific theology.To read more on this topic, see Nancy Pearcy’s article called Christianity is a Science Starter, Not a Science-Stopper.

 Compassion and Mercy
Both historically and statistically, Christianity has led the way to alleviate suffering in the world. Just to name a few of these organizations that continue to alleviate suffering in the world are Samaritans Purse, The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, World Vision, Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, United Methodist Committee on Relief, ChildFund International, Catholic Relief Services, Operation Blessing, Lutheran World Relief, Prison Fellowship Ministry, and Habitat for Humanity. Not to mention the countless of efforts by local churches and the hospitals that have been built all around the world.
I also recalled that Rick Warren had taken most of his profits from his best-selling Purpose Driven Life book (which 30 million copies worldwide) and directed it towards the global HIV/AIDS crisis.

Now I know I will hear the objection that people don’t need God to alleviate suffering in the world. And I know that there are humanitarian organizations that aren’t faith based. But to be honest, I don’t see any possibility of the end of Christian based organizations leading the way in doing everything they can to alleviate suffering in the world.
 
Work ethic
Principles that were always in the Bible were adapted by the American founders. Self-reliance and self-denial are the foundation of the famous “Protestant work ethic.” These doctrines are at the heart of our economic (and political) way of life.

 Free Enterprise
Anyone who doubts the relationship of Biblical ideas to free enterprise need only to note the stark contrast with communism. Communism is specifically an atheistic system that relies on the non-biblical notion that all men are good (thus will work for the common good). But communism has been an abject economic failure.

Literature
The Christian faith has influenced literature in such Christian writers such as Dante, Chaucer, Donne, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Dickens, Milton, and scores more.
 
Music
Had Jesus never been born, music would likely sound very different from what we’re used to. There may never have developed the cantata, the concerto, or the symphony. Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach were Christians who worked to honor God with their work. Bach, for example, signed all his works with Soli Deo Gloria (“Solely to the glory of God”).

Art
Art has likewise been magnificently impacted by Jesus. Classical Christian art tries to bring out the best of mankind–pointing us to a higher plane. Artists like Michelangelo used his paintings to honor Jesus. Incredible architecture in the beautiful cathedrals in Europe were built to honor Christ.

Here is a 8 minute special presentation on how Christ's birth affected all we have today. If you have some time to watch it, it is very informative (and a great resource of info. for those who don't believe in the importance of Christ's birth).
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlyjjchTlhI
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlyjjchTlhI
 Salvation and Hope:
Most importantly, without Christ's birth, He would not have lived among us, nor died for our sins, and we would not have the hope of eternity in Heaven with Him one day.
 
The unsaved, though, have no hope! For them, the Savior wasn't born in a manger, so long ago! Oh, how despairing and meaningless Christmas, (or the "holidays" must ultimately be for them. 

Throughout this Christmas series, I've emphasized how loving the unlovable people in our families, living generously, and being mission-minded are what believers are called to when we choose to celebrate this special day, Christ's birth!! Then, when those who have no hope, see our hope and joy, may they choose to give their lives to Jesus and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!!

 Had to share this song, too....A Baby Truly Changes Everything!!!

Sharing with you the Glory,
the Wonder, the Miracle
of this Holy Season.
Have a Blessed Christmas and New Year.
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