The Day Has Come

I have dreaded this day for a very long time. Pre-school is upon us. Which means my baby girl is in the care of someone other than family or very close friends. She will now have outside influence coming from places other than home or church. Someone other than Brooks or myself will be teaching her new and exciting things.

I know it's just pre-school and I know it's just twice a week, but in my mind and eyes it all begins here. Next year she will be going to kindergarten and then next thing I know she will be graduating high school and then college and then getting married.

My mind is overwhelmed with so many emotions today. Have we done a good enough job teaching her right and wrong and how to act and how to be respectful and obedient? What is she falls down on the playground and skins her knee? What if someone else is mean to her and hurts her feelings? Who will be there to comfort and protect her?

Well more than likely all of this will happen at some point in time and this is where my faith has to be so big. Her loving, heavenly Father will be with her every step of the way. He will carry her and hold her hand when I can't. He will comfort and guide her throughout her new journey. It's so hard to imagine, but He loves her even more than Brooks or I do. She is right in the palm of her hand where she should be and He will never let her go!

Pray for us as we embark on a new journey today!

"I Hap-PEE!"

One of my favorite things to hear from my toddler's ever-growing vocabulary is "I HAP-PEE!" He has taken to randomly blurting this delightful phrase out when he is cuddled up on mine or Scott's chest holding us close. It's almost as if he is obviously more keenly aware of his own happiness when he is close to us. It is almost as if he is thanking us for letting him have this special time with us! In addition to melting my heart every time he says it, it made me think... When was the last time I told my Heavenly Father that I was happy? Do I take the time to thank Him for His presence in my life...to simply choose, for this moment to say that I am happy? It made me realize that in the midst of uncertainty, the one thing that is always constant in my life is that God is holding me close to his heart, hoping that I will realize and proclaim the joy that He has awaiting my heart. If I will just take the time to jump into my Father's lap, I too will be more keenly aware of my own happiness...something I know we all could use. Let's all decide today to say, "I HAP-PEE!"

~Laura

God Given Opportunity

Is everyone ready for another school year?

Last Thursday night I was invited to go with Braden to his "Meet the Teacher Night" to see his classroom. Of course I went along with Brandon, Terica and Braden as they found their way to his classroom and met his teacher. Everything was new for all of us. New school, new classroom, new teacher, new faces everywhere. We had no idea where to go or even who his teacher was until we saw a list on the door and looked for his name in the kindergarten class. Finally we found the list with his name on it, then we found the door to the classroom his teacher was in and finally met his teacher.

We have been praying all summer that he would find favor at this new school and I don't know why we were pleasantly surprised to find out that he had the teacher we would have requested if we had know when and how to do this. Also we found that his little friend Easton from Pre-School was in his class. Everything was working out great. As we introduced ourselves to his teacher, I told her I was Mimi and would be picking up Braden from school and before I got finished, she was asking me if I could come and read to the kids from time to time. She said that she loved to have grandparents involved in her classroom. I was surprised and immediately said I would enjoy being involved.

My mind instantly started to try to fit this in my already busy schedule. Then a calming spirit came over me and I started thinking that my heavenly Father was not only answering our prays for Braden that night but was also answering unsaid prayers for me also. God knew that I would missing spending time with Braden each and every day so He already arranged for me to not only spend time with him during his school year but to also have the opportunity to spend time with all his classmates. As Brandon put it I could have more grandchildren instantly.

I am looking forward to all that this new opportunity will open up to be able to show God's love to the children in this classroom. Still so thankful that God was looking far enough ahead to see that I would need this opportunity to fill my days during the school year. So thankful to have a heavenly Father that cares about who we care about and the things that we care about.

~Debbie~

Rely

Rely: Depend on with full trust or confidence.

Let me just say…this is exactly the response our God wants from us. To whole-heartedly 100% full-on rely and trust. Life is then not just livable it’s full of joy and peace.

This was most recently proven, once again I might add, on Monday…my son’s first day of Kindergarten. I knew that I would have to 1. Rely on His strength to keep my emotions in check (at least until I made it to the car) and 2. To trust that He would watch over my son. As the day progressed and my dependence on Him continued my heart was overflowing with comfort. Comfort from the fact that the little boy who has such a grip on my heart was in the unyielding grip of my Heavenly Father’s hand.

Over the course of my life and journey with Christ, my confidence continues to grow. He is so faithful and true and when given the opportunity will prove just that. Monday was just one of countless examples of His reliability in my life.

Ladies, take a moment now to meditate on and thank God for His presence in your life. It won’t take long for you to zero in on a situation where He proved Himself true. As you do, love on Him as He continues to love on you.

~Terica

Truth in Love

"Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ..." - Ephesians 4:15

If there is one lesson that God has been trying to teach me over the last season it is this one: to speak the truth in love. Many of you don't know me well enough to know how much I struggle with my interactions with other people. I am normally one of those sweep everything under the rug kind of people. You could say something that I have some MAJOR opinions about and still walk away from the conversation with no idea that I even disagreed with you, because I wouldn't say anything. Now, many of you are thinking, "Girly not voicing her opinions, I don't believe that for a second!" But its true. When we are talking about abstract things and theology and stuff like that I have no problem telling someone I disagree with them and exactly why, but when we are talking about real people and real situations I really struggle with speaking up and saying something even when the situation directly affects me.

But I have learned something here recently. That is that God knew exactly what he was doing when he put those two words together: Truth and Love. I have found that my instincts are to do one or the other but not both together. I often go with the all love approach and stay silent. I don't intervene with correction, "why go there? This is such a minor thing! No point in unnecessary drama over this!" I think to myself. But I have learned, recently, that when I do that, not only am I hurting the other person by not sharing with them my true feelings, but I am hurting myself. I have realized that the source of so much of my frustration is walking away from these situations with my own unresolved frustration. I am now all fired up, "Can you believe she did that?" or "Why in the world would he think that was a good idea!?" When I choose to not deal with people in truth, I tend to walk away with major frustration.

On the other hand, after many interactions like above, I get myself so frustrated by a particular issue that when I do deal with it I go with the all truth no love method and completely blow up. That does nobody any good as well. The other person is frustrated and angry, of course they are, they didn't even know that every time they talked about ________ that they were feeding the frustrated animal inside me. And I am upset and emotional.

But all of this could have been avoided. If I had spoken up about the little things that are tough to say when I had the opportunity and approached them with words of truth in love, I could have A) been a good friend (wife, daughter, coworker,etc) with a real, not fake relationship, B) walked away from the interaction with peace rather than frustration, and C) avoided a build-up of frustration that causes a blow up later.

For those of you that don't work in abstract, I will give you an example of this: A couple of weeks ago I was in the car with my mom riding home from a tennis match. My mom was venting about some frustration with my dad (her husband) that he seemingly ignored her serious feelings about a sensitive issue. She was very upset with him and just couldn't understand why he didn't act on her recommendations about the situation. I had a choice to make: I could smile and nod and escape the tough conversation, or I could speak up and tell her what I really thought about the situation in LOVE! I gently spoke words to help my mom realize that sometimes she overreacts to situations, and though she wasn't overreacting this time, it would be difficult for Dad to know that. You have no idea how hard it was for me to even lightly touch on the subject of someone else's flaws, especially my moms. But to my surprise, she took it so well: she immediately stated that she could understand that and it helped her to have some clarity on the situation. And when I got in my car to drive home I could just feel the weight of frustration lift off my shoulders. This conversation, that my mom probably doesn't even remember, was a huge personal win for me. I walked away with peace rather than being frustrated and rolling around in my head my true feelings about the situation.

Now Ladies, I am not promising that every time you attempt to speak the truth in love it will go perfectly for you, but I will promise that if you are carrying around a burden of frustration over your relationships with other people that there is a way to release that burden. I also want to say that the truth I am referring to here is your true feelings, not that every word and opinion we have in this life is THE TRUTH. I think that its important to realize that sometimes we are wrong, and that's sometimes even better because when we speak up in love we get to find out that there was no reason to be frustrated in the first place. In these times I am even more thankful that I spoke in LOVE because then I don't have to be embarrassed, I can just be thankful that I didn't carry around nonexistent frustration.

Ladies, I urge you to do some serious examining of your words. Its not fun to make these speech patterns become your 'default setting,' but it is so worth it when you get the peace on the other side!

~Laura

God's Glorious Creation

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1

Last week at this time I was sitting on my sister's back patio enjoying dinner in Denver Colorado surrounded by the mountain air and my most wonderful family. Yes, the weather was so amazing we actually got to eat outside without sweating pouring off of our forehead and into our food. It was perfect!!!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation, but more than anything I was reminded how glorious God's creation truly is and how often I take it for granted. The majestic mountains, the deep canyons, the colorful foliage, the rocky terrain, the flowing rivers, the cool weather, the fresh, mountain air, the smell of pine trees and rain, the grazing animals and most importantly the beauty of family.

As I sat back and took all of it in I kept thinking about a very simple, yet profound Bible verse. One we all know and the very first verse in the Bible. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." How anyone could ever argue that there is no God is beyond me. Take a look around you and you will see how amazing God really is. He formed and shaped the entire world and everything in it with his hands in only a matter of six days. That's just unfathomable.

I hope you all take in the beauty of the Lord's creation today. Stop and take a few deep breaths. Enjoy your loved ones and tell them you love them. Realize the beauty and majesty of God. Meditate on Him today and thank Him for the incredible world around you. He has created all of this to bring glory to His name and Oh how lovely it is!

Who are you in Christ?

Who are you? I'm Debbie, daughter to my parents, wife to Lee, Mom to Brandon & Terica Natalie & Clint and Brent & Stacy, Mimi to Colton Braden and soon Nolan. I am business assitant in a dental office, children's pastor, homemaker. But who am I in Christ?

In Judges God appears to Gideon and I see Gideon's responses look so familar to me. Starting in Verse 11, "Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

Gideon was hiding as he did his work from his enemies when God came to him. As Gideon cowarded from his enemies, God called him a mighty warrior. When Gideon said he was weak, God said to go in the strength you have. When Gideon saw himself as the least in the weakest clan, God spoke of a victory over his enemies. Needless to say eventually Gideon began to see himself through God's eyes and he became the mighty warrior that God first saw him as.

What about you? Are you hiding from your enemies(sometimes we are our worst enemy)? It is time we stand up and hear God's voice calling us His mighty warrior and go in the strength we have and realize that we are not alone. God is sending us and He will be with us as we face our enemies. God is simply looking for people He can work through and be glorifed through. As we step out and realize on our own we can do nothing, but realizing that through Christ all things are possible. When God says "go, I am with you" just get up and go and let God bring the victory.

I'm so glad that my distorted view of myself is not what God sees. He sees His creation, His mighty warrior, His chosen treasure. Lord help me see a glimpse of what you see in me and let me rise up and follow your plans for my life.

~Debbie~

Aha!

Have you ever had one of those “Aha” moments and then immediately following felt the weight of your revelation? This very thing happened to me while I was getting my nails done. As I sat across from the nail tech, she begins to open up about some very complex issues in her life. I’m listening intently and my heart is breaking for this petite woman whose circumstances weigh more than she does. As she is sharing these very real details of her life, I find myself wishing she knew how precious she is in my God’s eyes. How much He loves and desires her. That He fashioned her together. That these struggles she has were never meant to be faced alone. As my thoughts continue on they are abruptly halted with these simple words in my spirit…that is why you are here.

Aha! Of course! I desire so strongly for women to be set free from the hardships of this life that it is only fitting I meet Ann today. As the weight of my response lingered I asked the Lord to help me. What was I supposed to do? To say? My OCD kicks in and my mind begins completely overhauling my reaction to this overwhelming responsibility I now feel. Then…peace. I was simply told to open my mouth. Novel concept there, eh?

Ladies, you may never know the impact a few words guided by the Spirit could have on someone’s day let alone their eternity. The fear I momentarily felt is far better than the regret I could have carried letting that opportunity pass by. We are surrounded by people every day with problems that could put our issues to shame. They desperately need to know about the everlasting hope we have because of our God. We are not a part of an exclusive club but an all inclusive truth. Will you be God’s hands and feet? His voice to a world that is more eager to hear than we are willing to share.

My time with Ann is not over. You can bet I’ll be requesting her when I schedule my appointments and her name will be spoken in my prayers.

Now…go find your Ann.

~Terica

Immediate Obedience!

This is a perfectly timed word for me, Ladies. Priscilla Shirer is an up and coming women's speaker and writer that is so relevant its sometimes scary. As church staff, we often get asked where to find relevant women's teaching and studies. Well here is someone I can vouch for! Pick up any of her stuff! You won't be sorry! Enjoy!

~Laura

There Ain't No Shame In My Game

"For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.: Philippians 1:20-21.

I ♥ social media! Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and everything in between. It is all very intriguing to me for some reason. I actually look forward to finding out what people are up to throughout the day, where they might be going and what they are going to be doing next. Silly, I know, but as a stay at home mom this is the only contact I have with the outside world somedays.

As I was surfing the net the other day I came upon an article about a movie that was due to hit the theatres that upcoming weekend. They were promoting the hound out of this movie and I was already a little disgruntled about the subject matter of it. Then on top of that what the article was declaring infuriated me even more. So much so that I wanted to take it to my social media circle and proclaim my dislike for what I see becoming acceptable standards in the world today. But you know what? I didn't. I didn't because I was afraid I would offend someone or step on someone's toes. I had the perfect opportunity to use the social media to stand up for what I believe in and I didn't seize the moment.

Looking back at that moment now I am so disappointed in my lack of boldness to stand firm in my beliefs and what the Word of God clearly tells us is right and wrong. In my disappointment I remembered a quote I read on Twitter awhile back from one of my most favorite preachers ever, Steven Furtick. This quote is still teaching me a very powerful lesson. "Apparently it's en vogue to "apologize" for being a Christian. It's also pathetic. Never be ashamed to bear His name." I guess I fell into that catergory that day. Pathetic!!!

Standing up for what is right and turning your back on what is wrong is not always the easiest thing to do but it might be the most important thing you will ever do. Who knows? You may be the only light someone may see.

So today I make will make my own declaration & say to the world, "I proclaim HIS name, there ain't no shame in my game!" Will you join me?

~Kazia~

NewLife News

New Series This Weekend

TXT

The Bible is much more than a book of stories and rules from the past. It's rich with a relevant message God has for us today.

Join us as we discover how to engage with the Bible like never before and how to apply it to our lives each and every day.

August 15, 22, and 29.


Please Register Today

Life Impact Summer Lunch Distribution

Every year The Community Storehouse provides a paper-box stocked with basic, child-friendly food items to about 150-155 families per month. This may be an entire month's worth of groceries to some of these families.

NewLife Fellowship has been given the opportunity to partner with the Community Storehouse to help distribute food boxes to families in need. Please join us on August 26th at 5:30-8:30 pm as we share God's love by pouring into the lives of those in need within our community.

To help with this LifeImpact serving opportunity please register by clicking HERE.

His Strength Sustains

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The meaning of these verses have never been more real in my life. These last few days have been some of the most difficult I've faced yet I still stand. In my weakness He is so incredibly strong. That is the ONLY reason I still stand.

Today, we celebrate and say a temporary good-bye to a precious family member. My Dad's wife, DeAnna went home on Tuesday. This daughter's heart breaks for her father. The sense of loss he feels is at times unbearable. Yet, even through the most difficult of times we have an everlasting peace, unyielding comfort, an undeniable hope and an insurmountable amount of strength.

I am so thankful for my God. For His overwhelming presence. He has proven Himself once again. I have fallen in love with Him all over again.

Ladies, whatever you are facing DO NOT FACE IT ALONE. Our God is so true. His love so real. His strength so perfect and it sustains. Lean on and rest in Him. You will be oh so glad you did.

Much love,

~ Terica

Finish what you started in me, God

We just finished an incredible week as we set aside everything else going on and took time out to minister to children ages 4 through 5th grade. It was an amazing week to see each night the kids attending hear and most importantly through age-appropriate teaching, understand characteristics that God wants us to live by. Night after night I heard about the kids and even the volunteers that received from the teaching and as I set down to reflect on the last week I turned to Psalm 138(MSG) and began to dwell on the words of David. "Thank you! Everything in me says, Thank you! Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: Thank you! Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. (v1-3)

I had my daughter ask me, the middle of the week, if I was ready for Adventure Week to be over. I think she thought I would say yes - but without hesitation I said, not really because everyone was having such a good time and was not ready for Adventure Week to end. This scripture came to mind. (v 3) "I called out, you (God) stepped in, you (God) made my life large with strength." Not my strength, believe me I got tired and my body aches, but God's strength made me happy and content. And that's the awesome part!!! On my own I'd be weary and tired and give up - but with God my prayer is(v8): "Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal - don't quit on me now."

Women let's rise up and stop living in defeat, let's make this our daily prayer: "God finish what you started in me".

~Debbie~

Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

One of my old high school guy friends used to say that all the time....He thought he was hilarious, and almost everybody around agreed. It was his "I surrender" statement. Tonight I struggled finding words to admit my defeat to the world around me and found no better saying than this, "Stick a fork in me....I'm done!" I feel like I have been in the frying pan for far longer than any woman can come out without being burnt to the crisp on the inside and tired, worn, and weathered on the outside. When faced with just one more thing that I have failed at, I finally broke. I am done. I surrender. I am waving the white flag. But as I continued to spout out surrendering phrases I came across one that just didn't sit well with me: "You win." Who wins? Who am I really surrendering to. I don't think that I really want to come up with an answer to that. Probably because in the pit of my stomach I already know. I know too much about who the 'ruler of the air' is, about my great enemy that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. When things are made that simple, do I really want to be THAT woman. The one who trades my passions and purposes, and willingness to live for Christ, for a little bit of peace from the constant bombardment of the enemy. No I don't. Rather I will surrender to the only one I can trust to care for me enough to provide for me. Maybe surrender was the right reaction, I had just directed it towards the world and not towards Christ. Lord I surrender my will, my frustrations, my sleep deprivation, my ever-changing emotions, my needs, my words, and my time to you, because You can do more with it than I could have ever imagined.
Lord, Stick a fork in me...I'm done. Done doing things my way. Done moving before I hear you speak. Done expecting this world to hand me the fulfillment I can only find in you. I'm done.

~Laura

Over Stressed and Under Dressed

As women we often find ourselves in a constant state of stress out. The laundry, the dishes, the kids, the husband, the cooking, the cleaning, etc.... It's enough to stress anyone out. I, myself, often find myself over stressed and under dressed. I stand back and observe what's going on and realize that I haven't fully clothed myself with my armor. I have not properly prepared myself for the battles I am going to face throughout the day. God's Word instructs us very firmly to "Put on the full armor of God" so we are prepared to take a stand against anything that comes our way. So the next time you find yourself over stressed, make sure you are fully dressed!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full
armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of
peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on
all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be
alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." ~ Ephesians 6:10-18

~Kazia~

This Sunday @ NewLife

This week I have had the great pleasure of helping out at Adventure Week. I have never had the chance to volunteer because in the beginning my oldest was too young at the time to participate and then when she was finally old enough to attend my youngest was only 7 months old so it never worked out age or timing wise, until now.

This year I volunteered my time in the snack room. I toted my youngest around with me, which at times has been challenging, and served the kiddos snacks and drinks. This was probably the best room to work in because I filled them up with sugar and then sent them on their way. I have made lasting memories and hopefully a few new little friends.

We wrap up Heroes of Mega City this Sunday morning with a special family service. We will give everyone a glimpse into what each evening was like for the kids attending Adventure Week. There's also rumors going around of some very special musical guests. Please come support our precious kiddos as they share what they learned about all week and see the joy and excitement on their faces as they worship our Heavenly Father. Service begins at 10:15 am. Get there early and bring your friends and family. It will be a very special morning!!!!

Let the Children Come

Mark 10:14(NIV) says" ...let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "

This week at NewLife Fellowship we are holding our Adventure Week Program. We are taking this week and using it to pour into the lives of children. Everything we do this week is to show in words and actions God's love to the kids attending each night. I am surrounded by a group of teens and adults that are setting themselves and their agendas aside this week and unselfishly giving their time and talent to make a difference for eternity. They are following God's word. 2 Thessalonians 3:13(NLT) says "And as for you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good."
It is so exciting to see the smiling faces of the kids as they come in the door each night and are anxious to get started. I truly believe that this week will make a difference in lives, families, and homes. This only happens through an assortment of volunteers coming together each night with a desire to impact the lives of the children present. There is NO greater feeling than watching this happen. Whether through the dramas, songs, games or activities each night I can see the Lord's hand at work shaping and molding these precious children.

What is so amazing is that He is also working in the lives of the teen and the adult volunteers. Isn't that just like God? If we will lay down our life for others, He will raise us up to be more than we ever imagined.

~Debbie~

Think

Hmmmm…think, think, think. Oh, the innocent words of one honey loving bear, Winnie the Pooh. If only our thoughts could be so juvenile, so light hearted. But all too often, our train of thought steam barrels through being contemplative, serious and downright negative. Just the other day a few of us girls were talking about some things we knew we needed to be doing but just the thought of them, UGH! that’s all I’ve got to say.

For instance, I have had this impending goal of getting my tired tail out of bed in the morning and getting into a workout routine. Obviously there are many positive outcomes to such a habit. But needless to say, when the alarm goes off positive is nowhere to be found. I’m all too eager to hit snooze. The war between my mind and body has been victoriously won by the thing I want to do some good, my flesh. So, in discussing my total lack of gumption at the crack of dawn every morning, some very wise words were said. It was mentioned that instead of waking up and dreading the workout I should wake up and thank the good Lord I have the opportunity to wake up and work out. You see, my line of thinking needed a BIG adjustment. I had to shake off the negative connotations that I associated with my goal. I have to wake up from my sweet slumber with an attitude of gratitude and see myself achieving what I so desperately desire.

Take a minute and evaluate. What path do your thoughts often travel…dread or desire? Which one is stronger?

Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Lord, help us with our thoughts. Renew our minds so that we may learn and know more of you. Help us stop the freight train of negativity and focus on all that is good and pleasing and perfect in You.

Alright ladies, go and take action on what you have been putting off. Clean that house that you have so greatly been blessed with. Do that laundry that so graciously covers your body. Sit in that office chair beaming because you have purpose there. And while all is being done, meditate on the greatness of our Father.

~Terica

Today...

Today is a day of rest. But not the kind in which I lay around in my pajamas and watch tv. The kind where I decide that the concerns I have in my flesh are not going to rule my day. The bills that are not yet paid, the laundry that is undone, the work that is piling up on me, and my testy almost-two year old, will get dealt with as I have time today. But more importantly, my tasks will not rule me. Today is a day that I am going to stay in constant conversation with God. I will remain peaceful. I am making the decision right now that the ever-pounding tornado of frustrations, emotions, and to-do lists is going to have to answer to the cosmic pause button that God has given me the authority to press when I choose to come into his presence. Today the constant gasping for tainted air is going to stop, and I will breathe deep and enjoy fresh eyes on the situations that God has me in. I will enjoy a new perspective in which I know that God has ordered my steps and has me exactly where I am because it is part of a perfect plan to prosper me. I will view my world only through the filter that my amazing Father has completely set me up, but not to fail, to WIN! Today is a day to win...

I don't know what your today is looking like through your normal eyes, but I offer to share my pause button with you while you take a moment to let God trade out your view for His perfect perspective. Breathe it in......Ahh.....Change can be so good sometimes.

~Laura

Fluff and..... Fluff and..... Fluff and Fold

Secret's out, I don't always get my laundry folded right away. Ok, I never get my laundry folded right away. It's a flaw in me that drives my hubby batty. I fluff and re-fluff and re-fluff, with every intention of getting it folded, but most of the time I don't get it done until there is a clothing emergency and we can't find what we are looking for because it's in the dryer waiting to be folded. By now I am sure you have all figured out that I strongly dislike doing laundry. Actually it's not doing laundry that I dislike, it's what I have to do with it once it's clean that I don't like at all.

All of this laundry talk makes me wonder if this is how we treat our walk with God. We don't mind all the fluff. I'll be the first to admit it, I love the fluff! We want go to church and hear a warm, fuzzy message about how God still loves us despite our short commings, receive a reassuring pat on the back that everything is A OK and go about our merry little way. Only it doesn't end there. There is so much more to it than that. James 2:14-25 says it best.

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works."

Being a true Christ-follower requires more than simply saying "Yeah, I'm a believer." It requires you to seek His face, talk to Him, get to know Him through His Word, listen to what He is telling you and then go and tell others about Him. Sitting around waiting for the work to be done for you is no longer satisfactory. Don't delay, do it today!. Make your faith known, not just by what you say but also by what you do.

~Kazia~