Here's something refreshing...

My apologies for a couple of post this last week. I got on my soap box a bit. I get a little passionate about somethings...things that hold people back - I get a little excited and just want to squash 'em.

On another note, I randomly decided to read the Book of Ephesians this morning...I was eating it up like I was at a gourmet smorgasbord! Good stuff.

When I came to the verses 1:16-20 - I thought "WOW! That is refreshing!!' We all need to hear something like this more often so I thought to serve you up a morsel of what I ate this morning:

...(I) do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...

I bolded that middle part because I was got excited when I read that. Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians to strengthen the believers who were in Ephesus. I also love the unity that Paul speaks of.

What if we were to go to others and pray for them that "God would give them the spirit of wisdom & of revelation" more? What if we were to pray more for others? The more we bear eachother's burdens, and the more we pray TOGETHER...the closer we will grow and achieve more unity.

That bold part of the above verse is my prayer for you. I pray that you will know the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance. What if we walked with more confidence because we were convinced of 'the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe'? Amazing stuff would happen in our lives, right?

It's when we catch the vision of His calling, His glory, His power, and receive wisdom & revelation that we will be more passionate for Christ. I think that's what I want to be known for most - my love, passion, fire for Christ.

I don't want people to remember degrees, financial successes, that I finished P90X ;) ...I want people at my funeral to all say the same thing:

Jennifer was on fire for Christ!

That's my goal: to be more passionate & on fire for Christ! How 'bout you?

Following MAN leads to YOUR fall...

How often do we see this? Man's eyes are on man - not God. When that man/leader falls, people fall away as well.

When man disappoints, people are devestated. This ought not be.

There is freedom in Christ. Why do we find ourelves in bondage to man? Serving God is good, refreshing, an honor. Serving man is exhausting and leads to burnout & bad attitudes.

Which brings me to a question -

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BURN-OUT IN OUR CHURCHES?

I'm sure it's a combination of different things. One thing I've seen is people signing up because of who the leader is asking them. They feel obligated by their relationship to the leader(s). God gives you strength to do what HE calls you to. Another reason may be that people who are called to serve ARE NOT answering the call...and so, so many other feel the pressure to pick up the slack and take on too many commitments.

Which brings me to the next questions -

WHY AREN'T PEOPLE ANSWERING THE CALL TO SERVE?

Could it be that they are either NOT putting themselves in a place to hear God's call? Or they hear Him, but they're just disobedient?

Which leads me to ask:

WHY ARE SO MANY DISOBEDIENT TO THE WORD OF GOD,

THE CALL OF GOD, GOD'S VOICE?

Could it me they have no idea how good God's love is? They don't know of the rewards and blessings that await them. Maybe they don't really pursue a relationship with their Creator, their Master, because they're unknowingly judging God by the judgmentalness of His followers.

Which leads me to ask -

WHY ARE SO MANY BELIEVERS JUDGMENTAL?

God is the Judge, the righteous Judge. Our job as believers/followers of Jesus are to love people and accept them so that they are interested in who Jesus is. If you are the billboard of Christ, are you attracting people to God or repelling them with your unloving, judgmental attitude? God is love, so we should be people of love, right?

Lessons to take away:

• Never put man in the place of God.
• Live to love and please God - only!
• Serve God when & where He calls you and needs you!
• Don't be a judgmental Christian - that's an oximoron!

We are all at different places in our maturity in God. And sometimes the drug addiction has to go before we can get down to the layer of judgmentalness. But stay alert on how you treat the lost and unsaved. Don't judge them for their lifestyles, they just haven't experienced God's forgiveness and goodness to want to change yet. And you repel them with your critical words - don't let them misjudge God by your lack of acceptance. Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are. So accept people for who they are and then, spend time praying for them, encouraging them, and speaking life over them. This is what will attract them to our Lord & Savior!

What does this have to do with serving man vs. serving God? When we serve God, we are living to please Him, we repeat what we hear HIM say. When we serve man, we adopt that fallen man's opinions and attitudes which are usually not as life-giving, promising, and loving as God's Word. So - do as God calls you to.

And if man disagrees w/ you, hand him over to God to deal with. When your heart's aspirations are to live for God, seek His face daily and you are filled up with the joy of the Lord, the Spirit of God...you can't really God wrong. God does not change and shift like man. What God says is the standards for life. His Words are life! So follow God with all your heart and never waver in pleasing Him. You will lead many more to Christ by doing this, than by following man and trying to please man.

And keep in mind, man is sinful. He's not perfect. When you get stuck in the trap of pleasing him, you will hurt others in the process. And when man falls, disappoints, breaks agreement with you...you will be left plumeting down a well with confusion, unknowing to how to restart your service to God. You will feel as though you are in the wilderness. And you are. You got off the right path for your life when you followed man down the trail and took your eyes off the One who knows the way.

Final Words:

Follow Christ. Love Christ. Aim to be like Christ - you can't go wrong there!

Amen? Amen.

What you put in - is what you get out!

I'm working on this project right now and so with it, I am reading a couple of books and I came across this illustration today.

It speaks of being a cup, are you going to fill yourself with 'water of the world' - murky, dirty water? Or will you fill your glass with living water from the Word of God, clean, pure water that 'you can offer to others'?

In the last 2 weeks, the stations are all going out on my radio. And of course it's my Christian stations  KDUV 100.1 & Air1 89.5 that goes out first...and my fave KAXL 88.3 was still strong until yesterday. Why is it that my life-giving, edifying, positive stations go out first? Hmmmm, right?

So without CDs in the car, I turn to an old one that I used to listen to KELLY 95.3....and then scanned over to 93.1 & 94.1 - wow! As I listened, I thought, no wonder everyone is depressed, discouraged, discontent in their marriages, their lives...these stations sing of heartbreak, infidelity, promiscuity. There's some motivation for kids to go have sex too soon...the music they listen to is glorifying the 'bumpin' & grinding'. :(

Let this fact strike you as it did me: 

what we put in ourselves is

what those closest gets from us!

So do you truly put the Word of God in your mind & heart daily, so that your family and close friends can be ministered to? See, your pastor is not the one solely responsible to minister to your family, you are. They are your responsibility.

Be responsible & be open to the Word changing your heart, your mind, and your desires so that you can lead your family to a place of peace in God's presence.

Quote Jeremiah 29:11 often. Don't ever let it be a cliche!

Read 2 Chronicles 7:14: "...and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and trun from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Why do we wait until it almost

too late to humble ourselves?

So today, I want you to look at what you listen to on the radio and then look at your attitude immediately following. Try one of those Christian stations and then see how your attitude is.

Same with T.V. - Three & 1/2 Men is/was a funny show....but think about the images it puts in your minds...Not pure to say the least. Filter what you see.

One thing I pursue are things, relationships, books, friends, situations

that are edifying, life-giving, positive.

Proverbs 22:24,25 says: Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.

Think about it - and then ask yourself: Am I that hot-tempered man/woman given over to anger? If so, what can you do today to change that? Refer to 2 Chronicles 7:14 & go from there. :)

Proverbs 31 Wife

Yesterday at my MOPS meeting, we had an amazing marriage counselor there to share "What Men Wish We Knew" ...as their womenly companions. Good stuff!

Some of the things he shared was from Dr. Eggerichs' book "Love and Respect"...and his final illustration reminded me of whatI read in "Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti". Both great books that any couple should invest time into reading.

And then he shared the Word w/ us on what the Bible calls us to do & so I find myself, again reviewing the Proverbs 31 wife...

Here are my notes as I read from Proverbs 31:10-31 this morning...what is God calling me to do & be?

• v. 11, 12: We earn our husbands trust through our respect for them.
• v. 13: She is a hardworker - "works w/ her hands in delight".
• v. 14: She provides meals for her family - feeds them well.
• v. 15: She is up early ("while it is still night") to take care of her family, no hittin' the snooze button.
• v. 16: She is wise with money and investments. I bet she was disciplined w/it.
• v. 17: She strengthen her arms...I won't interpret this as "she does P90X...although, that would be good for some :) - she was not one of leisure and physical laziness.
• v. 18: She lasts all day long. She is strong enough & self-sacrificing enough to make it to the end of the day.
• v. 19-20: She reaches out to the poor and needy. Gives to the broken/those w/out.
• v. 21-22: She makes sure her family is dressed well - she handles the laundry! :)
• v. 23: Her husband is well known, more reason to be his respectful supporter.
• v. 24: She's working again...making linen & supplying belts. Hardworking mentioned again.
• v. 25: Strength and dignity - strong-minded, respectable herself.
• v. 26: Wisdom and kindess comes from her. Wisdom is sparce these days.  :(
• v. 27: "does not eat the bread of idleness" - laziness is a no-no. There are things to be done for "her household" - she gets up, gets going, and gets the job done @ home TOO!
• v. 28 - the rewards of all this hardwork and ambition: blessings from her kids, praises from her husband.
• v. 30: The KEY: charm & beauty is "deceitful & vain" - AND FLEETING!!!

***MOST IMPORTANTLY: a woman who fears the Lord will be praised!!!!***

• v. 31 - Her works will bring her praise in the gates...(where her husband was known, who sat w/ elders v. 23)

I always love reading this because it confirms some things to me:

1. The goal in life is not 'live on vacation'. It's not about who can do less...God calls us women and wives to work hard. Check out Titus 2:3-5 - there God calls us to be WORKERS AT HOME. Do a word study on laziness, slothfulness.
2. It is God's heartbeat throughout the Bible to 'take care the least of these'...we always need to remember the poor/hungry/homeless.
3. We must, must, must be good stewards over our finances. This is another area to show our husbands "RESPECT" - by doing what we "should do" w/ the $$$$ that they work so hard for.
4. She was wise. Do you pray for wisdom? James 1:5 says: But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously....it will be given to him. If you ain't got it - ask for it. It's God's will that we be wise women!
5. Our wisdom, hardwork, dignity, and strength will bring our husbands honor. Strong-minded is what I get. JESUS said to "let your yes be yes & your no be no" in Matthew 5:37. No double-mindedness (plus this really drives our husbands crazy, that's probably why God put that in there is for us when we want to go back & forth & change our minds. Right women? Do a word study on contentment to help you in this area.)
6. My favorite part: she was a woman who FEARED the Lord...and not like a kid who winces as his parents' yell in fear of being hit...but a child who knows what his dad says...a child who listens...because they know their dad's way is the best way. See God's way is best - His Word - the Bible is to be the absolute authority in our life. Not people's opinion, not what society approves, but WHAT GOD SAYS is the final ruling...and we need to submit to that.

So with that...if Proverbs 31 is God's Word, why not honor Him and our husbands and purpose in our hearts to be a Proverbs 31 wife.



Yes, this will take discipline.

This will take you telling your flesh to wake up early, no to things you want (not need), and doing what is right and what is necessary for your marriage and family to succeed.

See in v. 25 - "She smiled at the future" - her hardwork and dignified lifestyle of wisdom was her investment to honor God and her husband. Her hardwork would pave the way to a bright future - because when you do things God's ways....you get God's results.

Study this on your own...and pray and ask God what He is specifically calling you to do!

God bless!

The Thorn in My Flesh

I am nobody really. That's how I see it. My life B.C. is nothing to proud of.

Shameful outside of Christ really.

I am who I am today because of the work of God in my life. His healing, transforming, and help. It's only Him that I can boast in - nothing of my own works. I have only got to do what I've done for Him because of His personal involvement in my heart and mind.

As I read in my devo today, there was a verse in 2 Corinthians 12 that took me to Paul's story of the thorn in his flesh. I chuckled because just yesterday, I shared w/ my mom just what my thorn is.

See, I have a thorn in my flesh that can so easily take over my thoughts and actions. It really could jeopardize the comfort of my life, IF I were to allow myself to follow those thoughts and desires.

I know what it is. God knows what it is. And it is the #1 reason why I stay so close to God. I always know that I'm not spending enough time with the Lord when this temptatious thought pattern wants to weasel it's way into my mind and heart.

My remedy: praying hard for God to remove the desires/thoughts.

And then committing to being proactive by staying close to God.

This is why I am always encouraging people to talk to God regularly and be honest and transparent with Him.

I know He can hear our thoughts, but our outward prayer really helps us hear our own need for Him.

So today, what is the thorn in your flesh that is weakening you? God is there to listen to you and help strengthen you.

He will show you relationships, habits, places that cause you to stumble. He will give you self-control as you spend time with Him. It's up to you to show up to pray/talk to Him, read your Bible, and then follow His leading.

You really can do all things through Christ Jesus - Philippians 4:13

SO GO FOR IT!

How I'd pray for someone struggling w/ addiction....

Recently I've put my focus on trying to pray with people more often. So often we have friends and loved ones pour their hearts out to us...and we walk away saying, "I'll pray for you..." But what if we said, "Let's pray now!"?

After praying for some, they ask me how I learned to pray the way I do. I'm sure it came from having a prayer partner for a few years, it came from serving at my church as a prayer counselor up front at our youth service, it came from people calling into the church asking for prayer...all that to say, it came from praying a lot, for a long time. However for me, I think I could do so much better, but for others, it's just what they needed.

So this morning as I journaled my prayers (which I have done now for about 10 years), I thought, what if I blogged a sample prayer of how I would pray for someone...

Let's see, the sample subject we'll use has an addiction of some kind. I'll pick that since so many around us struggle w/ this area, whether it's caffeine, food, drugs, alcohol, porn, sex, pain killers (Norcos, Oxycodons, etc.), texting/iphones, and now internet in general.

(Many can disagree w/ me, but take one of those things away for an hour, a day, a week & oooh - you'll find that you are grumpy w/out it...and can't wait until you get it. Try it!)

So let's say I was going to pray for a friend who was struggling w/ an addiction, here's how I may pray:

Lord, I lift up my friend to You and I am so grateful for their transparency with their struggles. I pray that You would honor that and supernaturally get involved with this addiction. I pray Lord that first You would begin to physically heal them from their addiction, move inside their body and wherever that hunger comes from I pray that you would take away the physical need. Then Lord, I pray that You would reveal the emotional or spiritual need that they are trying to fill with this stuff. God, if they are lonely, reveal that to them. If it is depression, I pray that You would heal the depression and quickly give them direction on what to do and where to go for help for it. I pray Lord that where there is brokenness that You would mend it. God, is there broken relationships and unforgiveness that needs to be healed? Let there be healing there. God is there resentment they are harboring that they need to release to then allow peace to flood their heart? I pray Lord that whatever my friend needs to do to get right with others, You would give them the power and humility to do so. And Lord, I ask that You would forgive them for this addiction, and be the great Physician right now. God have mercy on them and remove the guilt and shame that keeps them far from You. I pray that today You would take authority over this addiction and you would bring my friend into a close fellowship with You. Show them Your love and concern for them. Remind them that You have a plan and purpose for their life and that You can help them get out of this rut. Remove the yoke of addiction on them and bring them into victory. God, I claim that my friend will be healed of addiction. I claim that their marriage will succeed. I claim that their kids will serve You despite this. I claim an awesome testimony of healing and redemption in their life today. I rebuke the lies and schemes of the enemy in the name of Jesus. I rebuke the work of the devil in my friend's life and command the enemy to flee. All authority is given to You Lord and I pray that the devil would submit and leave. And I ask as my friend is now open to Your work in their life God that You would usher in quickly and move in a powerful way to woo them and cause them to fall in love in You Jesus. I pray that they would desire a close relationship with You. I pray they would honor You with their life, their time, their money, their relationships, and what they put in their body. Remind them, their body is a temple for Your spirit to dwell. Help them long to abide in You. And Lord, when they seek you out, please be quick to answer to confirm their faith in you. In fact Lord, grow their faith in You. Reveal Your sovereignty to them. And reveal Your merciful love and grace. God, You are so so good and I know You have already began to move to answer this prayer. Give my friend eyes to see You and ears to hear You, in Jesus name, amen.

Whoo...I had a picture in my mind of someone right now and this was my prayer for them actually.

Jesus came to set the captives free and

He needs us who love the captives,

 to intercede for others until

they are interceding for themselves.

If you are reading this, and you are the one w/ the addiction, just plug ME where I say 'friend'. Call out your addiction by name too. Call it out! Name what it is you want God to take away and pray hard.

I think that by nature, I articulate myself well...because by nature, I am a talker. However, I believe it's through specific requests that we put God's name on that when that very specific thing happens, we know that we know it was God. It makes it more personal the more in depth you get, the more transparent you get with the Lord. He already sees all and knows all. Just acknowledge Him in this way and let your relationship with Him flourish!

If you have hate, resentment, anger in your heart...call it out by name - so that when that one particular thing that held you in shame is GONE - you can thank God for His goodness and deliverance.

Prayer like this takes time. We cannot expect deliverance by a one minute, half-hearted prayer. You need to set time aside...get a journal to take notes of things that come to mind, come to heart, and as you pray...pray thoroughly...ask God to anoint your prayers...ask Him to show you what needs prayer...you'll find that by allowing yourself time to connect with Him, your deep concentration will usher the Spirit to begin to reveal things you never saw before. And your prayers will become more specific and spirit- led.

Try it and email me when you get that answered prayer - flexyourselfjen@yahoo.com!

Bad case of MONEY-ITIS!

For the grace of  God has appeared,

bringing salvation to all men,

instructing us to deny ungodliness

and worldly desires and to live sensibly,

righteously and godly in the present age,

looking for the blessed hope and

the appearing of the glory

of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Titus 2:11-13

What's with the trend of believers chasing stuff? Worldly desires....Another version says, "worldly passions".

People who are void of the Holy Spirit are always seeking to fill that void with stuff. (I blogged about that last week, search for "Stuff" in the search bar on this page to see if this is you.)

Let's define 'worldly desires/passions' a little further...

•  worldly: (greek: kosmikos) - meaning: having the character of this present corrupt age
• desire: (greek: epithymia) - meaning: craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust 

Refer back to the verse...Here Paul is instructing 'the church' - the body of believers to "Deny ungodliness". Now it is our goal, those who follow Christ that we be godly, that our light shines before men in such a way that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

• ungodliness - (greek: asebeia) - meaning:  lusts or desires after evil things.

What is it that you are pursuing that is worldly, forbidden, evil? For some it's downright obvious, black & white stuff like: drugs, pornography, extramarital relationships. But some miss the mark by the mere lack of self-control and discontentment.

It is apparent that our nation's economy is in a crisis because of all the wants! All the overspending on stuff. Remember in 2007 when prices of homes went off the charts...and where are your neighbors who 'refinanced' to buy cars, trucks, boats, RVs, fancy vacations???? They've been foreclosed on and had to move on.

Check this verse out:

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,

and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith

and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:10

How many brothers & sisters in the Lord DID you have that are now missing because of their pursuits of money. God really used this verse in my life long ago while I was in the real estate industry. See, there is where you will find many people working 12 hours a day...for what? So they can have the fancy suits, fancy cars, fancy homes...all at the price of NOT seeing their families.

A thought occurred to me yesterday:

What's up with people going to church JUST

to network for business/money-making reasons????

I do my best to NOT promote my business at church. (Which is a good thing...read on.)

Remember when Jesus came through the temple, tossing over tables - "driving out those who were buying and selling in the temple"....what did He say:

"Is it not written MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'?  But you have made it a ROBBER'S DEN".

How do I receive that? Don't sell your Shakeology at church! If they want it, let them seek you out...but DON'T CORNER PEOPLE AT CHURCH TO BUY SOMETHING FROM YOU. (period)

What other evil comes from money? Jealousy. Resenting those who have more and so you go on pursuing more. How about fraud? Like real estate tycoons jacking up prices of homes and having family buy them to make more money and more money. Think about it...we all know believers who have gotten caught in the trap, don't we?

I don't think people start out with intentions to forfeit their values, their family, and God's Word in the beginning. But a little bit of nice stuff, leads to the want and need for more, then more...and soon, people break the rules to get more...and then what? They end up losing it all!

This is just one of the many reasons why the Lord instructs us not to chase 'worldy desires/passions'. We end up chasing money...and we end up losing more than we bargained for. This is why Titus 2:12 calls us to live sensibly.

What is that? Sensibly is living with a sound mind, soberly, temperately, discreetly. Opposite of discreetly: flashy, show-off right?

It's my heart's desires that the body of Christ grow in maturity and shine in front of their unsaved friends and family through their contentment, generosity, and sensibility.

But godliness actually is a

means of great gain

when accompanied by contentment.

1 Timothy 6:6 



Turning down the "ANXIETY"

Looking at a "Stay-at-home Mom" many husbands would think:

"What is there to be stressed out about?"

Then they add the forbidden adage: YOU DON'T WORK!

Personally I have struggled with the whole 'stay@home' gig ever since I had my near 5 yr. old. Has nothing to do w/ my kids...just the lifestyle change of going from working 40-50+ hours a week (for 10 years) to being at HOME - ALL DAY EVERYDAY! Yes, talk about emotional ups & downs while I try to figure out what my 'job' is, right? In fact, being the compulsive list-maker that I am....I made lists for those things too!

Add some sleep deprivation to the equation from having an out-of-control asthmatic, and then adding a newborn to the mix in 2010...yes, you get a sleep-deprived, stressed momma.

And I will admit that I become easily overwhelmed by my own lack of discretion over my time. My husband asks, "Why do you say yes to everyone?"  Because I feel that if I say 'no' and don't get out this cave, I get a bit on edge, if you know what I mean.

It is not healthy for my mind and soul to stay home, day after day...I need people. I need to talk.....to adults. Otherwise, I nearly spontaneously combust! My high-energy needs somewhere to go...and when it doesn't I become a 'high-anxiety' mom! :(  Yet, if I commit to go-go-go...guess what I become again by overcommitting. It's one of those crazy cycles I am trying to find balance for.

Since I'm naturally a problem-solver, I have been looking at my life and finding where I can unplug the "anxiety". It's a household word these days unfortunately. Many people need medical assistance with it. It's a very real, physical thing that takes place in the body. But before I reach that boiling point, I'm searching my life and looking for what needs to go to make for a better, peaceful, more pleasant/balanced mom.

So what is my solution? (Confession time!)

1. I've been weaning myself off the caffeine in the last week - yes, I too never thought I would see the day. I was drinking, in the morning - 8 cups of coffee...8 cups = 8 scoops of coffee. Each day I have decreased my 'dosage' by 1 scoop. And I'm proud to say that I am down to 1 scoop of regular coffee & 1 scoop of decaf this morning (and yes, I did get up at 5:15 a.m.). I quickly cut out p.m. caffeine on day 1 which was usually tea, sometimes green tea, and sometimes more coffee. (Probably got to this point from all the sleep I've lost since...ooooo....Daniel was born in 2007.) The thought occurred to me that the caffeine (in the dosing of 8 cups) probably really sets me on edge first thing in the morning...THIS IS IN MY CONTROL...so I'm getting myself out from under the control of the caffeine. This will leave my body at more peace.
2. Now I am trying so hard to not say "YES" to everything. Everything is the keyword here. There are times I need to say YES...but not always. This is sooooooo hard for me because I love helping people. Because our world is so high-techy, people are so consumed w/ their inboxes that they don't see those within arm distance reaching out to them in need. I, on the otherhand, have such heart to see people overcome, reach their goals, grow, change, get saved, grow closer to God, etc...I too often drop what I am doing for THEM...leaving my kids to entertain themselves - NO BUENO! The kids get whiny, I get stressed out and bam - meltdown!....THIS IS IN MY CONTROL...In order to have happy, satisfied kids who don't throw fits for mommy's attention, (leaving me overwhelmed & mad at myself/guilt-stricken) - I must detach myself a bit to the world outside my home, to be more available to my kids! This will bring me peace of mind and harmony to my home.

These seem to me 2 things that I can work on now today, this week!

Let me leave you with this verse and what I saw that I had never put together before:

.....THE LORD IS NEAR. Be anxious for nothing...

Found in Philippians 4:5, 6

I read it: Be anxious for nothing because the Lord IS near!

Finally....the rest of verse 6 - but through prayer & petition make your requests known...sometimes that process of prayer leaves me more stressed out then when I started...Yes, I know...there's more to it of why and how. But in a nutshell, sometimes when I go to pray over something that is stressing me out...I get more stressed. Sorry.

But the light bulb went on this week for me:

But because the Lord is near...He is in arm's reach - I do not need to be anxious for nothing. See, being anxious, fretful, and worried leaves us vulnerable to trials and temptations (read this in John MacArthur's commentary).

How often do we want to binge on cookies when the baby is crying, the noodles are boiling over, the phone is ringing, and your oldest just wrecked his bike in the backyard? AAAAAAHHHHH! Right?

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

I do pretty well at spending time with the Lord in the morning...my attempts to get filled up for the day. But I must stay mindful of His omnipresence throughout my day.

Time for accountability:

1. I must be responsible to get plenty of rest to not need my caffeine jolt in the a.m.
2. I must remind myself that it's my privilege to raise two mini-men of God for the future generations.
3. I must embrace selflessness and not give into the self-pity party of 'what about me?'
4. My relationship with my husband must be the most important human relationship I have.
5. I must be a peaceful/pleasant wife overflowing w/ "soothing, comforting, supportive" love to my family.

I know I can do these things because:

• "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)
• "MY God will supply all my needs according to His riches..." (Phil. 4:19)

So what's the mini-goals:

1. Get off the caffeine.
2. Stay committed to the time I've given my kids.
3. Run on time for my kids and husband.
4. Be diligent with my time & be a worker of my home (leaving it in order).
5. Fulfill my hearts desires of being available to my family above and beyond others.
6. Check my calendars and kids' love tanks before I say 'yes' to others.

When I do these things, I will (hopefully)

reach the ultimate goal of:

Turn down the anxiety/stress &

turn up the peace & harmony in the home!





Got "STUFF"?

We've all got "STUFF"? Don't we?

Some more than others. Men and women have different kind of STUFF.

Why do we gather so much STUFF? Don't think I'm talking to you? Read on...

To Women:

Look in your closet...seriously, how many pairs of shoes does one person need? And then some have a purse to match the shoes...or just a giant collection of purses. Right?

Some have a giant collection of jewelry. Some fancy/expensive...some costume.

Some have a knick-knack collection. Or some just never let go of anything and have a home full of clutter. You go get more stuff when you don't even use what you have...right?

Could stuff = clutter?

To Men:

Really, how many i-products do you need? At some point they all do the same thing right? What you can do on the ipad, you can do on your iphone...and what you can't - you can do on your mac...right?

And how much sports memorabilia do you need? Guns? Vehicles: truck, jet ski, boat, atv, etc.? You can only drive one thing at a time...why do you "need" so many of the same thing?

ALL OF YOU:

Look in your cars - stuff! Look at your offices - stuff! And then...look at the stuff YOU are collecting for your kids - YIKES! (I am guilty too!)

When you feel like the walls are closing in on you...do you ever think to stop getting more stuff? And get rid of some? (Remembering not to replace it?)

Here's my concern and question for you:

What is the void that we are trying to fill w/ all that stuff?

• Voids in our lives.
• Voids in our relationships.
• Voids in our marriages.
• Voids in our spiritual walks. 
• Voids in our career.
• Voids in our children (that we could've prevented had we not been collecting stuff). 

When we turn to STUFF, collecting it, searching/shopping for it, trying it on, trying it out...our minds are distracted away from what we are lacking within ourselves...and  with those around us.

If you're a 'victim of stuff-itis' - listen to this:

But whatever things were gain to me,

those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

More than that, I count all things to be

loss in view of the

surpassing value of knowing

Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and count them but rubbish

so that I MAY GAIN CHRIST!

 (emphasis mine) - Philippians 3:7, 8

My challenge is for you to go look at all your stuff. Look at what you have. Look at the duplicates. Look at the 3 pairs of brown boots...besides the buckle, are they really that different? Besids the size, is your ipod much different from your nano?

Now before you start acquiring more of stuff...and more expensive, and more elaborate stuff...I want you to stop and...

• Look at your heart.
• Look at your relationships.
• Look at the things in your life that may be void of peace, joy, and completeness.

Search until you find what is truly lacking in your life and go to God about it. Get to the root of it. Could the real answer be that your life, heart, relationships are void of CHRIST.

And I'm not just talking to those who don't even know Christ...I'm talking to the ones who do, but instead of having a rich, life-giving, powerful relationship with Him...you're turning to stuff for fulfillment instead of Jesus..who said "Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest..."

The STUFF will never be enough. You think: if I just get this, if I can just buy that, if I can just drive this, if I can just go there....the list goes on and on and on..."IF I CAN JUST________________, then ___________."

No - if you can just GAIN CHRIST in all His splendor...then you will _______________.  Do a study John 15 for more self-discovery.

Discontentment is expensive and never fulfilling. Go to God to fill that void that your are attempting to fill with stuff. Then and only then, will you be satisfied, content, fulfilled, and complete.