Daily Blogs

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The Benefits of Slowing Down

There’s something magical about an evening at home. I like to putter around the house and put things away just so. 

Knowing that I have no time frame makes everything more enjoyable.  

I don’t even take my coffee to go much (only when absolutely necessary).

Coffee is a leisurely drink, one to be enjoyed slowly and to be savored with every sip. 

If I can’t sit down and eat my meal in peace, I’d rather wait. Eating in a hurry makes me sick. 

Of course, there are times when slowing down is not possible. I’m not delusional or rebellious when things must be hurried along. 

It’s just that life is hard to enjoy at lightening speed…

Why does everything have to move so fast?

As I putter around my little place, it’s nice to stand back and simply thank God for my blessings. 

  • My fridge is full. 
  • My bed is cozy. 
  • I have running water and that includes hot water, too. 

I can’t stop adding my blessings up! (But I will or else this will be a never ending post.)

Slow down. 

Walk around your house and property.

 Thank God for His abundant provision. 

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Minor Delays

Putting things off doesn’t  make them easier…

For instance, take this post:

I had wonderful intentions to get it up sooner, but then decided to wait. 

Bad idea. 

My evening took an unplanned turn and here I am at a quarter to midnight writing about procrastination. 

I’ve read that it’s good to have 5-10 posts ready in your queue. This is sounds like heaven to me because, much like heaven, I have yet to arrive. 

My favorite Christian song right now is “One post at a time, sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from you!”

Daily blogging is fun. 

Is it challenging?

Absolutely. 

Are there days you talk about a lack of planning?

Yes. 
  

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A faith that can rest 

My hometown bank is awesome. There are bigger and better banks, yet the personal service makes staying with them worth it. 

On Monday I called to have a problem with my account straightened out. 

The branch manager told me not to worry about the issue because he was personally handling it. 

I still called back today to make sure everything was squared away, which is when the manager said:

“Thanks for the call, but I’ve got this.” 

In that moment, the Lord said to me, “I feel the same way when you ask me for help and then check back in. I’ve already told you that it’s being handled.”

How many times do we ask the Lord about the same situation ad naseuam? 

I do it a million times a day! 

God’s not mad when we come to Him again and there are times when it’s appropriate–there is a Bible verse that says to put God in remembrance of His Word–but His quiet comment echoed like this:

Where’s your faith?

There is great peace in knowing God is your provider. You can rest, catch your breath, with the assurance that He won’t leave you hanging. 

The example that resonates most with me is resting in a hammock. Nothing beats the coziness of a hammock in the shade. It’s the best place to relax!

God’s often telling us to put our faith in Him and relax. 

Our response is often wringing our hands, staying up all night, and asking God a million times when He’s gonna move. 

His response?

“Thanks for the call, but I’ve got this.”


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Know the enemy

I don’t think about Satan much…

He gets too much air time already. Why should I talk about him or think about him more than necessary?

In my Angels & Demons class today, though, we went through a list of all the names of Satan in the Bible. 

Names, as Mr. Kirk pointed out, show us the character of an individual. People back in Bible times were much more intentional in naming their children.

They would probably be shocked if they saw this list of celebrity baby names: 

  • Rainbow Aurora
  • North West
  • Elsie Otter
  • Apple
  • Rocket Ayer
  • Bluebell Madonna

And there were more on the list I found, but I’ll let you Google it.

We talked yesterday about how names are important, so I kept thinking about this fact as our class ran through the list of Satan’s names.

I know some are reading this post and thinking, “Why ever read about Satan? Who wants to study about him?” 

If names give us clues about character, then it’s good to read through the Bible and see what it says about Satan character.

He’s a liar, deceiver, destroyer, accuser, bully, defeated, jealous, prideful…

All of this information is supported by scripture to let us in on who we’re dealing with as an enemy. We have authority, of course, but we need to know what and who we have authority over.

I’m not one that thinks there’s a demon in every doorknob or that Satan is the only reason people act stupid (sometimes people just make stupid decisions and have to live with the consequences). 

But Satan is working hard to keep unbelievers in bondage. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Just be aware that there’s a lot of things happening all around you, things that you don’t even see.

Spiritual warfare is real.

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Hello, my name is…

I’m sorry…what’s your name again?

We’ve all forgotten someone’s name before and it happens. 

Do you feel bad when you do?

I want to remember someone’s name because names are important. 

And knowing someone’s name is not about kissing up to men and women “more important” than you. 

We need to know names, to call people by their name, because it’s key to their identity. 

Christine Caine is a teacher and founder of A21, an anti-human trafficking organization. She was abandoned in a hospital, unnamed and unwanted. 

She was assigned a number instead.

This is hard to imagine…

 The first thing the angel told Mary–after “By the way, you’re to be the mother of the Son of God”–was what to name the baby. (We obviously know it’s Jesus, right? Good. I was getting concerned.)


Jesus was and is always available to those who call on His name.

His name…

Above every name,

Powerful over all sickness and disease,

And every scheme of the devil. 

Did I mention that He knows your name, too?

He calls you by name and knows everything about you. 

In an age where you can “know” someone without having to take the time to get to know them, intentionality in our relationships is important. 

What if Jesus only knew us from Facebook or Twitter? 

Oh yeah…I read your posts all the time. Looks like you had a great time at such and such with so and so. 

Thankfully, Jesus knows us and made a way for us to know Him and Father God. 

Loving and knowing others like Jesus loves and knows us requires more depth, more intentionality on our part. 

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The Power of Jesus in Us

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

My friend, Pastor Gwen Dreger, of Celebration Life Church in Surrey, British Colombia, Canada is in Tulsa this week!

I saw her Facebook post earlier today and was able to go hear her preach at Higher Living Fellowship. 

She taught on the power of Jesus living and moving in and through His children. 

Jesus is the Word of God and because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every Christian, the Word–Jesus–becomes flesh in you and me. 

We are one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Christ in us is the hope of glory!

This reality is sometimes too much for me…

He adopted me as a daughter and commissioned me to work alongside of Him in this world and the world to come. 

All I can do is say thank you, Jesus!

I was so encouraged by Pastor Gwen. She prayed over me, my studies at Rhema, and the calling of God on my life to serve Him in missions and ministry. 

Another thing she prayed over me was the book inside of me that tells of all the mighty deeds God will perform through me…

Wow. What a testimony to the love of God and His redemptive work in my life.

I am thankful for Pastor Gwen and her friendship over the last several years. 

God is using her mightily in Canada and I look forward to what He has in store for Celebration Life Church this year!

 

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Thoughts on Manor House 

I checked out Manor House from the library. 

If you’ve ever watched Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs then you’d probably enjoy this show. 

It’s a reality show where a group of people volunteer to live for 3 months following 20th century Edwardian societal rules. 

The upper crust live the high life, but the staff? They’re struggling to cope under the strain of the workload. 

It’s hard for me as a young person in the 21st century to understand the rigors of the working class at that time…

Imagine working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for pennies per hour (servants were paid a lump sum per year).

Of course, times were different and that was a decent wage. The servants were also given shelter and food everyday, which was better than most people enjoyed. 

I appreciate history; however, I’m so glad to live in the 21st century!

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Laundry Mat Fun

Hanging out at the laundry mat with my friend Brittany. 

So cool to be able to talk with the customers and get to know them. 

Working for a ministry is a great, but I miss being with the general public. There’s less chance of a facade in conversation. 

Oh! I’m doing great! Praise the Lord!

If this is really the case, that’s awesome.

Most Christians, though, are less likely to be real because looking spiritual is highly praised. 

For me, I don’t care about much about keeping up appearances. No one buys that balogna anyway. 

Back to the laundry mat…

It’s cool to see where Brittany works. She’s good at her job and the customers talk with her a lot. 

Plus, this is the nicest laundry mat I’ve ever seen! 

Anyway, it’s time for me to sign off and get back to hanging out!

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Farewell, American Idol!

I’m watching Jennifer Lopez on the American Idol finale…

Does this woman ever age?!?

It’s weird to think that a show that started back when I was a kid is going off the air. 

I was 12 years old when American Idol first came on!

When Kelly Clarkson won, I remember thinking that this show was going to change our culture. 

And I was right…

My 12 year old self at least one good idea. Who knew?

Breaking into the music industry was much harder before singing competitions became big. Now YouTube makes it much easier, yet singing shows are popular. 

Will another show come out? 

Or will The Voice become more popular?

A lot of great singers came from Idol (along with several duds) that are still influencing the music industry. 

Yes, this whole post is me rambling about a TV show…

Just weird to think that I’ve lived long enough to see something phase in and out. 

Probably won’t be the last time. 

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Seeing the Truth

Do you know what I love about God?

His ability to see past our current state in order to focus on who we are, who we can be, in Him. 

Jesus, God’s son and the perfect picture of His dad, was really great at seeing the best in others. 

  • I think about 12 unlikely guys trained to be ministers. 
  • I think about the Samarian woman with her long list of broken marital relationships given a fresh start. 
  • I think about the demon possessed man who was set free and then led the whole town to Jesus by sharing his testimony. 

2 Corinthians 5:15-16 says:

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 

As Christians, we are to look past what our eyeballs see. 

Homeless?

Atheist?

Druggie?

Prostitute?

Gay?

Alcoholic?

Prisoner?

I hope we see past these labels because that’s not what God sees when He thinks of these men and women. 

All He sees is potential because Jesus came to give us life. 

Yesterday we talked about life unlimited. 

Guess where that life comes from?

A relationship with Jesus Christ where all who accept by faith the gift of salvation are given a new life.  

I am convicted of my own lack of vision. There are times all I see is the label, which is the lie that keeps men and women bound. 

I am praying for my spiritual eyes to be opened everyday to share Jesus and see Him do great works in the lives of the once hopeless. 

I encourage you to do the same.