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3rd Impossible Thing I Believe Before Breakfast: God can talk!

July 30, 2012 / in Alice in Wonderland inspired, Encouragement, Faith, Perseverance, Uncategorized / by

When we began For the Girls International it was all very intimidating.  I knew that God had prompted the idea but I had no idea where to begin!

I remember one afternoon being so frustrated with trying to figure it out on my own. My head was swimming with ideas that weren’t really coming together.  In my frustration I decided to do what I usually do when I am overwhelmed or stressed out…

I went shopping!

As I was wandering around Pier 1 Imports I was praying in my head. Sort of thinking/praying. My thoughts were, “God if you want me to do this, I am going to need you to show me what I need to do.”

And then, in a split second, I had one of those moments where the rest of the world stands still and you can hear the angels singing the Halleluiah Chorus. There, in front of me was a display with four individual mugs with writing on them.  When I saw them they read like marching orders to me: DIG DEEP, GET REAL, THINK BIG, and DON’T PANIC!

Those four phrases became the building blocks of the journey that God was taking me on.  I had to DIG DEEP to really get to the core of who I am in Him.  He has called me to be more transparent about my life than ever before because real ministry happens when people GET REAL and share their life experiences with their real God.  He has challenged me to THINK BIG and I have to remind myself, “DON’T PANIC!” when I feel like I am in over my head (which is quite often!)

My point is that God will speak to you in your language and in your style right where you live.  He doesn’t speak to everyone in the same way. God knows me and he knows where to find me ~ even if it is in the mall! And He knows where to find you!

Sometimes His voice is still and small ~ sometimes His message is loud and clear but He promises to direct our path.

Ask him today to speak to you ~ you may be pleasantly surprised where and when He chooses to get your attention.

Isaiah 30:31
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

2nd Impossible Thing I Believe Before Breakfast: The word of God can make me grow.

July 27, 2012 / in Alice in Wonderland inspired, Encouragement, Faith, Perseverance, Uncategorized / by

Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ~ Matthew 4:4

Upon arriving home from work, my husband will often walk through the door and head straight to the pantry or the fridge claiming that he’s “starving.”  It always makes me laugh because he owns a restaurant!  He has total access to the most yummy chicken made in America (not to mention the waffle fries and milkshakes) yet he will go through an entire day surrounded by food and forget to eat! When I ask him why he didn’t grab something while he was working his reasons are usually that he was too busy or he got distracted.  Thankfully, he is not nearly as grumpy as I am when I don’t eat.

When I skip a meal I get very irritated. My blood sugar drops, I feel lightheaded and I can’t think straight.  I feel weak, I have very little tolerance and I am not a lot of fun to be around.   My husband has come to recognize the symptoms and will say, “Feed it!” indicating that I am acting like a monster. Once I get something nutritious to eat I become a much nicer person.

Sometimes we go through periods of life when we feel like we are dry and shriveling up spiritually and can’t think straight.  We have access to life giving sustaining spiritual nutrition at our fingertips but because we are busy or distracted we don’t eat!

These days there are so many ways that we can feed ourselves the word of God.  There are devotionals and bible reading emails you can have sent right to your inbox.  There are podcasts to listen to on our drive to work in addition to the good old fashioned paper copy of the Bible that we could and should pick up each morning (preferably before we start our day.)  We really have no excuse.

This is not intended to be a guilt trip, I promise, but we if we want to grow (and not become grumpy and irritated) we need to eat!

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight ~ Jeremiah 15:16

1st Impossible Thing I Believe Before Breakfast: There is a devil who can make me shrink.

July 24, 2012 / in Alice in Wonderland inspired, Encouragement, Faith, Perseverance, Uncategorized / by

Every one of us is called by God to be a champion to someone.  It may be a small circle of people in your home or city that you have influence over or you may be called to a larger platform or foreign country, but all of us are called to shine the light of Jesus and serve each other in love.  As we move forward to accomplish what God has called us to do it is inevitable that we will encounter opposition.

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

One of the greatest weapons the devil uses in order to discourage us is the temptation to compare ourselves to others.  As we look at the accomplishments, abilities and gifts of others compared to our own, we can often begin to feel small and worthless if we feel that we don’t measure up.

When God called Gideon to lead a major battle and defeat a huge army he immediately felt inadequate. There were many other men that were much stronger than he was, but God chose him and called him “a mighty warrior.”

Satan will try to throw as much doubt as he can at us to discourage us from becoming all that we were created to be but the word of God tells us in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil then he will flee from us.

Every morning as we begin each new day we must believe that there is a devil who wants to make us shrink so that we are ready to resist the lies, the accusations and the temptations he sends our way.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Eph 6:16

“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4

Six Impossible Things I Believe Before Breakfast

July 17, 2012 / in Alice in Wonderland inspired, Encouragement, Faith, Perseverance, Uncategorized / by

Last night For the Girls International had our Summer Girls Night Out and it was FABULOUS!!

We played upon a theme that has been rolling around in my brain (a scary place) for several months now.  It all started after I watched Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland.  The movie itself was entertaining and so creative (which I love) but it was the parallels to my spiritual journey that came bursting from the screen that really captured my attention. You can read all about it here…and here…and here !

Alice was the champion that the residents of Wonderland had been waiting for. She was very hesitant to accept the responsibility because she didn’t feel qualified or equipped.  When Alice decided to embrace her destiny she knew it would require going into battle to defeat the Jabberwocky.  This was no small task and the odds were not in her favor.  As she stood there with the hideous monster towering over her she said, “This is impossible” and the Mad Hatter replied “Only if you believe it is.”

Alice then remembered something her father had taught her and she said, “Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Then she lifted her sword and began to count them out loud.

This journey of life takes on so many twists and turns that at times it is hard to navigate.  At times God requires us to step out and overcome fear and obstacles in order to fulfill a calling or begin a new venture.  Sometimes we just need strength for the day to live victoriously and free!

There are things I need to believe every morning before my feet hit the ground if I am going to be able to handle all that life throws at me.  And so…

The Six Impossible Things I Believe Before Breakfast

1. There is a devil who can make me shrink.

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

2. The word of God can make me grow.

Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight

3. God can talk.

Isaiah 30:31
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.

4. Fear can disappear

2 Tim 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

5. There is a place called heaven

Psalm 27:13
I would have despaired had I not known that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

6. I can overcome!

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

In the next few weeks I will be expounding on each of these points.  So stay tuned.  You can subscribe to receive these posts directly to your inbox by putting your email address in the box that is in the top right corner of this page under Follow my Blog by email.

I love to interact through the comment section so comment away! I hope you are celebrating your MUCHNESS today!

Come away with me…

June 19, 2012 / in Faith, Family, Love, Rest, Stress / by

When Danny and I started dating (for the 3rd time)I knew that there was something different about him.  He had been so consistent in his pursuit of me that I knew I couldn’t just take our relationship lightly as I had with some of the other guys I had dated in between. And that scared me a little. So in order to avoid being alone with him and having to have any serious conversations I would always invite friends along whenever he asked me to go out.  He would come to pick me up and I would have a bunch of people with me and would say something like…”you don’t mind if they come along do you???”  He did, but he never said so.

Then one day he invited me to go lunch to a cute little town called Port Jefferson – on his motorcyle.

He was on to me! And he had taken measures to make sure he could get me alone. It was a defining date for us.  It was a time when we got away from the masses of people that I always surrounded myself with and it was just us – alone. At last he had my full attention. (I think he also enjoyed the fact that I had to wrap my arms around him and hold on tight as we rode- I know I did!)

I can go days, sometimes weeks, when the craziness of life pulls me away from time alone with God – time when He has my full attention.  The passage in Mark 6 describes a time when Jesus and the disciples were surrounded by so many people all the time that they couldn’t even carve out time to eat – I have had days like that haven’t you?

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

We need that time of rest alone with Jesus, when we can talk to him or maybe more importantly just listen.  I think sometimes He longs to take us away to a place where we can be alone just like Danny did when he wanted my full attention. (some things never change…Danny still needs to take me away on his motorcyle sometimes!)

I want to encourage you to take Him up on that invitation.  Get away from all the distractions – even the good stuff and find some time to just be alone with the one who loves you so much and wants that time with you.  You will find rest, even if it’s just some mental rest, and you will feel refreshed and ready to take on all that is waiting for you when you get back.

Wishing you rest today….

Love is patient, love is kind…

June 8, 2012 / in Family, Love, Marriage / by

June 8, 1985

Last night my husband asked me if we could have a coffee date at Panera this morning to start off our Anniversary day. After sitting across from him and feeling all warm and fuzzy because his green eyes still make my heart melt after all these years, I posted a comment on Facebook about him being “the most loving, patient handsome man in the world,” to which I got an overwhelming response of well-wishers ~ so sweet!

I also got a private message that reminded me that not everyone’s experience in marriage is as happy.

I met a man the other day that was commending me on the length of my marriage and said, “Wow you must have a lot in common.” Although Danny and I do have a lot in common, there are many more ways that we are different. Having things in common is not the reason we are still together.

Danny and I both come from backgrounds where our parents were divorced. That is our history. We made a decision going into our marriage that that would not be our story and that we would stop that cycle in our generation. It is that decision that we have fallen back on on the days that his green eyes were not making me melt or when his patience was being seriously tried by me.

The reason that our marriage works and I believe the reason that our love grows is simply because we have made God the center of it. When an issue comes up and trust me we have issues …we are both committed to going to the word of God to see what it says and we use that as a guide to direct how we handle the situation. More times than not it requires dying to our own selfish desires in order to put the other person first and it almost always requires forgiveness on one or both parts that comes only from God. We are two imperfect people trying hard to live up to God’s standards, failing miserably at times but offering grace (not always immediately!) to each other when we do. The day that either one of us stops doing this we are in serious trouble. Marriage is fragile – we know that and we guard it fiercely.

I would have to write a book in order to record all that we’ve learned in 27 years and although we are not the starry eyed 20 year olds that took our vows that rainy day in 1985, our love is deeper and stronger than it was then and it grows more every year.

It breaks my heart that this is not the story of every married couple and I know the only reason that it works for us is because we both share the same resolve. I have watched many people that I love dearly and respect tremendously try to fight for their marriage by themselves but it takes both parties being fully committed. I wish I had the answer of how to make that happen. What I do know is that even when things fall apart God heals and restores!

I thank God every day for the beautiful gift that He has given me in my marriage. It is my greatest earthly treasure (including my amazing children who are part of the package deal) but I also know without Him we’d be a mess!

The stunning Duchess of Cambridge

June 6, 2012 / in Encouragement, Faith / by

 “She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Proverbs 31:25

I was watching the coverage of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee yesterday morning. My Dad is from England and I lived there as a child, so the royal family has always fascinated me. Even though this four day celebration centered around the Queen, my attention, and most of the watching world’s attention, was drawn to the beautiful young Duchess, Kate Middleton.

Kate- Jubilee Celebration

The Stunning Duchess

When Kate married Prince William in 2011 she was immediately clothed with the dignity that comes with being a part of the royal family. It is evident that Kate takes her new position very seriously and to this point she has displayed incredible strength under the pressure of her new status and the constant media attention she attracts. We can learn much from this stunning young Duchess.

We, the bride of Christ have married into royalty. We are now clothed with the dignity of being part of the family of the King of Kings.  And we, just like Kate, have to make a conscious decision to uphold the reputation of our family. If we clothe ourselves with dignity and strength we can laugh without fear of the future!  I don’t think Kate spends a lot of time stressing out about her future ~ it is secure.  And so is ours!

Dignity and strength must be the foundational pieces of our wardrobe.  Just like we wouldn’t leave the house without our underwear (well, most of us 😉 ) we must, everyday, clothe ourselves with dignity and strength.

Dignity is a state of mind that comes from knowing who you are and who you belong to. We must know it and walk in it.

The strength part is more difficult and hard to muster up at times. But we have this promise that…”those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Ps.40:31) That word wait is not an impassive word it more literally translates to “those who put their hope in the Lord.” An action. Stir up your hope and strength will rise!

So girls, pull on your spiritual Spanx!  Clothe yourself in dignity and strength and be free to laugh without fear of your future!!

When people see you walking with that air of confidence they will want what you have! Let’s start a trend!

Necessary Weeding

May 29, 2012 / in Encouragement / by

My garden is growing in so well and I have been pretty good about weeding and tending to it.  All except for this one small area.  It is on the side of my house; a palm plant with spiky fan like branches. Last time I weeded there I got struck by the plant and had to deal with an itchy rash for over a week.

But it’s been nagging at me every time I walk by, so since I had nothing pressing to do yesterday I decided to take it on.

As I dug in and pulled back the branches so that I could get at the weeds and unravel the vines that were wrapping themselves around the plant, I thought about the times that I have had a weedy part of my heart that needed tending to.  At times I have let things fester too long because I didn’t want to put in the emotional effort it would take to deal with it. So I would just ignore it.  But just like the weeds, ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. I knew once I started digging in I might be there for a while.

In order for us to operate with maximum capacity to do the work we have been called to do we must create that clean space for healthy things to grow.

Just want to encourage you today to put some gloves on go to work tearing out the weeds. They are not going to go away on their own.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10

One body, many parts

May 24, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

This past weekend FTGI took a team of 10 women to NYC to join N.Y.S.U.M. (New York School of Urban Ministry) for their Extreme Makeover Weekend.

Our day at the shelter got off to a rocky start.  We were dropped off at the shelter and we offloaded the supplies that had been packed for us.  It wasn’t until after the van had left that we realized that we did not have the correct supplies.  In fact we had very little of anything.  (Our supplies eventually showed up but not until over an hour and a half later.)  On top of that, the shelter we were assigned to had fewer residents than we expected.  Disappointment and frustration began to creep in.

It was then that our team had to take a step back and really examine ourselves.  We had to remind ourselves that we did not travel all that distance so that we could feel good about how many people we served or how well we executed the plan.  In fact it was not about us at all!  It was about the precious women that were in our midst. It was about the “now” moment.  I was so proud of our team as I saw them come to that realization and take a giant step over themselves to reach out to the women that showed up.  And as they did, love broke through and before we knew it there was laughter being shared and and stories being told.  When the supplies eventually showed up, the pampering began.  As the beauty treatments were administered something even more beautiful was delivered. Hope.

The scheduled ministry at the shelters was the primary reason we went. The unexpected ministry that took place was what happened inside each team member’s heart as we were blessed and humbled by those we went to minister to!  And then, as if all of that was not enough, there was something that happened to us as a team that was and is priceless.

We were able to experience what Paul wrote about so eloquently in 1 Corinthians 12.  We were able to get a taste of what it means to be the “body” of Christ. Our challenge now is to remember that everyday we have the opportunity to use whatever gifts God has given to us to benefit those in need around us.  And when we do that, hope grows and love wins!

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

1 Cor 12:27

For such a time as this

May 15, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

There are certain phrases in the Christian community that are quoted so much that I almost feel like I’ve built up a sort of immunity to their potency, simply because I’ve heard them used so many times. 

“For such a time as this…” is one of those for me.

I’ve heard it used and quoted so many times that I have a tendency to let it go in one ear and out the other.  But yesterday morning I was reading the book of Esther and for some reason, as I read it in context, it jumped off the page as if I had never heard it before.  It moved from being a bit of a cliche (for lack of a better term) to being alive with power and purpose. 

Esther was an orphan being raised by her older cousin, Mordecai.  The king of their land, after being humiliated by his wife and basically dethroning her, was in search of a new queen.  The king’s advisers went to him with a proposal.  Their idea was to go to each province and gather the most beautiful virgins, bring them back to the palace, give them beauty treatments for a year and then let him pick the best of the best for his new queen.  Then I read a verse that made me laugh out loud.  It said:

“This advice appealed to the King, and he followed it.”

Um…. yeah??!! Can’t really imagine him refusing that one.

Anyway, Esther was obviously beautiful but the story tells us that not only was she beautiful but she had a great sense of humility about her which helped her to find favor with those around her.

To make a long story short, Esther was chosen to be the new queen.  The king did not know this but Esther was a Jew.  While she was living in the king’s court she learned (from Mordecai) that the king had approved a conspiracy to kill of all the Jews in the land.  Mordecai realized the timeliness of Esther’s recent placement in the palace and encouraged her to appeal to the king to save the lives of her people. But, (and this is a big BUT) in order to do this Esther would have to go to the king which was not permitted unless you were invited, admit her nationality, and risk her life of comfort and luxury in hopes that she could save thousands of lives.

It was at this critical decision making time Mordecai floated out this pivotal and emotionally charged question and said, “Who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther decided to rise to the challenge and  responded by saying, “If I perish, I perish.” Such courage!!

I’ve heard this phrase thrown around a lot but often without the gravity that it deserves.  This was not about Esther rising to some position of power and influence but actually the complete opposite. It was about Esther realizing that her position was really not about her at all but about the thousands of lives that would be saved.

There are a lot of people anxious to have a position of influence but would they still be willing if it meant risking every comfort that they know…even their life?  (I’m asking myself too…just so you know!)

Doesn’t seem as glamorous when you read it that way.  But what a beautiful display of courage to aspire to! The crown, the *bling*, the position, but along with it…the risk of total exposure.

Who are the people in your circle of influence you have been called to reach out to?  Would you be willing to risk total exposure if you thought it may save a life?

I would love to hear from you…feel free to comment 🙂

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