Jonah was trying to run as far as he possibly could to get away from God. Now this might seem silly to us because we know that God is everywhere, we can't run from Him, but if we are honest with ourselves sometimes we still try. How many of you are internally running as Priscilla mentions? I know I have on more than one occasion. How many times do I get caught up in the motions but my heart is far from God? Isaiah 29:13 says, "Then the Lord said, 'because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.'"
I don't want to be like that. As our culture says, I want to not only talk the talk but walk the walk. God doesn't want robots going through the motions, He wants our hearts! So sisters are you willing to do more than just go through the motions?
-Missy D
Monday, September 12, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Significantly Called
Have you ever felt insignificant? A wall flower, the girl that goes unnoticed or never invited to the party? I have. I could easily say that I have felt insignificant for most of my life. I've never done anything big. Never changed someone elses life in dramatic ways. Never felt significant.
I love that today's study is just for me, an insignificant girl living in Kansas in a very ordinary life. Mary, Esther, Rahab, Peter and even Jonah weren't anything special in this world. But in a moment it all changed. Each of them stood at a crossroads. One road lead to their planned path and the other was a divine intervention. Each man or woman had a choice to be independent or dependent on God. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that another book could have been written on those people that chose their own paths. The ones that remained insignificant.
"God's call and your willingness to obey make you significant."
There is hope for me, and for you! I may be living an ordinary, non-significant life today, but that can all change. "Lord, not my will but Yours be done." Sisters, eagerly await Him. We have a chance to let our stories begin, the story that will be told well beyond our lives. We have a chance to become significant!
~Andrea W.
I love that today's study is just for me, an insignificant girl living in Kansas in a very ordinary life. Mary, Esther, Rahab, Peter and even Jonah weren't anything special in this world. But in a moment it all changed. Each of them stood at a crossroads. One road lead to their planned path and the other was a divine intervention. Each man or woman had a choice to be independent or dependent on God. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that another book could have been written on those people that chose their own paths. The ones that remained insignificant.
"God's call and your willingness to obey make you significant."
There is hope for me, and for you! I may be living an ordinary, non-significant life today, but that can all change. "Lord, not my will but Yours be done." Sisters, eagerly await Him. We have a chance to let our stories begin, the story that will be told well beyond our lives. We have a chance to become significant!
~Andrea W.
Monday, September 5, 2011
I Am Jonah
Oh how true this statement is for me. The study of Jonah intrigued me because there have been several times I have told my husband, "I don't want to go to Ninevah". I don't want to get out of my comfort zone and if I do that person or people will probably not change or they deserve what they are getting so why do I need to try and help. Shame on me!
Priscilla opened the study with two points that really hit me. 1) interruptions are invitations from God to participate in something for Him and 2) am I putting more priority on my goal or God when I get frustrated with interruptions?
1) As she pointed out if Jonah could see his life as we see it in 4 chapters maybe he would have seen it as an invitation to participate in a supernatural event. Like Jonah we can't see our lives laid out from beginning to end we are active and writing the story as we go. Also like Jonah though we are given invitations from God to be a part of the story He wants for us. Do we say "I get it" or do we run in the other direction?
2) When I get frustrated with interruptions I am really telling God that my plan is better than His and a higher priority. What?! It sounds and looks completely ridiculous when you see it written down or hear it said but in truth that is what we are doing. As I mentioned in a previous post on the sell of our home I was not as patient as I should have been. There was the interruption in my life of having my house on the market for longer than I thought it should have been but exactly how long God wanted it. I put my goal of being sold in a week a priority over God's timing. How much better it was that it was God's timing and not my own! There are times when I am busy cleaning or packing right now and one of my boys wants me to look at something. This interruption can be seen as very frustrating to my packing schedule BUT this blessing from God wants to show me something important to him and I need to thank God for that interruption instead of getting frustrated.
She had an equation at the end of the study: Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
Significant Person + Significant Task = Divine Intervention
I defined it as when we are looking through our eyes we see mere interruption to the task at hand but if we try and see it from God's eyes we see it as an invitation from God to participate in His kingdom.
So, what are you placing at a higher priority your goals or God's will? It's easy to say God's will but are we living that way. I know if I am being honest with myself I have to say no, not 100% of the time. Let's all encourage each other to place the priority where it should be God's will!
Love you sisters!
~Missy D
Priscilla opened the study with two points that really hit me. 1) interruptions are invitations from God to participate in something for Him and 2) am I putting more priority on my goal or God when I get frustrated with interruptions?
1) As she pointed out if Jonah could see his life as we see it in 4 chapters maybe he would have seen it as an invitation to participate in a supernatural event. Like Jonah we can't see our lives laid out from beginning to end we are active and writing the story as we go. Also like Jonah though we are given invitations from God to be a part of the story He wants for us. Do we say "I get it" or do we run in the other direction?
2) When I get frustrated with interruptions I am really telling God that my plan is better than His and a higher priority. What?! It sounds and looks completely ridiculous when you see it written down or hear it said but in truth that is what we are doing. As I mentioned in a previous post on the sell of our home I was not as patient as I should have been. There was the interruption in my life of having my house on the market for longer than I thought it should have been but exactly how long God wanted it. I put my goal of being sold in a week a priority over God's timing. How much better it was that it was God's timing and not my own! There are times when I am busy cleaning or packing right now and one of my boys wants me to look at something. This interruption can be seen as very frustrating to my packing schedule BUT this blessing from God wants to show me something important to him and I need to thank God for that interruption instead of getting frustrated.
She had an equation at the end of the study: Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
Significant Person + Significant Task = Divine Intervention
I defined it as when we are looking through our eyes we see mere interruption to the task at hand but if we try and see it from God's eyes we see it as an invitation from God to participate in His kingdom.
So, what are you placing at a higher priority your goals or God's will? It's easy to say God's will but are we living that way. I know if I am being honest with myself I have to say no, not 100% of the time. Let's all encourage each other to place the priority where it should be God's will!
Love you sisters!
~Missy D
Friday, September 2, 2011
Courage Till the End
My sweet Sophie-girl had to have a lab drawn today, out of her sweet, tiny, never-before-punctured vein. It nearly broke my heart to tell her what was coming. She listened, and tried to understand as well as her 4-year-old mind could. I told her that when it began to hurt, she could not move her arm, no matter how much she wanted to. Then I drew her onto my lap and held her tightly against me. I watched as the needle penetrated her skin. I saw her eyes flicker first with pain and then with frustration and perhaps some confusion. Then the fat tears began to roll in buckets down her precious face. All the while, she held her arm perfectly in place while the technician drew a whole vile of blood from her arm. When it was over, she sat and cried on my lap for awhile, cuddled against me, before she hopped down from my lap and told the technician a quiet goodbye. Before we got to the lobby, she was all smiles (with the promise of a snow cone in her near future!).
What a lesson I learned today. My 4-year-old daughter’s courage was absolutely inspiring to me. How I long to follow exactly where God leads me – into uncertainty, threat of pain and sorrow – with no questions asked. All the while I will go believing that He will fulfill His promises – that He will work good through all things – and this is a necessary step in the story of my life! I want to know without a doubt that He is there with me, holding me, bringing me peace that passes all of my human understanding. And when it’s over… for that painful moment will one day end… I pray that I can move on into my future with a stronger heart, and more joy than ever before. For Christ has promised blessings if I follow Him. And He WILL make His glory known! Praise you, Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 3:6-8,10,12-14 “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert... That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’… See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”
-Kelly T
What a lesson I learned today. My 4-year-old daughter’s courage was absolutely inspiring to me. How I long to follow exactly where God leads me – into uncertainty, threat of pain and sorrow – with no questions asked. All the while I will go believing that He will fulfill His promises – that He will work good through all things – and this is a necessary step in the story of my life! I want to know without a doubt that He is there with me, holding me, bringing me peace that passes all of my human understanding. And when it’s over… for that painful moment will one day end… I pray that I can move on into my future with a stronger heart, and more joy than ever before. For Christ has promised blessings if I follow Him. And He WILL make His glory known! Praise you, Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 3:6-8,10,12-14 “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert... That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’… See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”
-Kelly T
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesdays in His word
The past few days have been a bit tumultuous in my household. This Mommy put her foot down and my little one no longer gets milk in a bottle or in her crib. Needless to say, she is not very happy. Bedtime used to be carefree and easy. That has become a fleeting memory. As I rocked her and sang a few songs last night, she snuggled in. She clasped onto me as her safe haven. When she realized that I wasn't, you could see her heart breaking. The tears rolled, the feet stomped and the cries began. I sat outside her room crying alongside of her. I hurt for her. While the cries echoed down the hall, I turned to His word.
Then I pray to you, OLord.
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
He is my refuge. He is my comfort, my place of peace. He is always there, not down the hallway, not even on the other side of the door. He is with me. He is my place of refuge. When I am hurting or not understanding, He is there. When any of us seek Him, we will find Him. We are so blessed girls. Only our Father can be a place of refuge. As moms we desperately want to be there for our children, but we cannot compare to what Our God can be. One day as my girl grows up she will come to know our Father, our Protector, our place of Comfort. Seek Him and you will find Him. Turn to Him and He will always be there.
~Andrea W.
Then I pray to you, OLord.
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
He is my refuge. He is my comfort, my place of peace. He is always there, not down the hallway, not even on the other side of the door. He is with me. He is my place of refuge. When I am hurting or not understanding, He is there. When any of us seek Him, we will find Him. We are so blessed girls. Only our Father can be a place of refuge. As moms we desperately want to be there for our children, but we cannot compare to what Our God can be. One day as my girl grows up she will come to know our Father, our Protector, our place of Comfort. Seek Him and you will find Him. Turn to Him and He will always be there.
~Andrea W.
Monday, August 29, 2011
God's Timing Not Mine
I know the saying God's timing is best and have said it to myself and others on several occasions. Lately it has been one that I have been repeating to myself maybe trying to convince myself it really is best. We had our house on the market last year for several months with no bites and finally realized that God was telling us No, not yet. So this summer we felt after time in prayer and discussions we would try again. We listed it and hit the ground running. We had several showings our first week and several people came through our Open House. So, I began to get excited even though I was trying to hide it. Surely we would have an offer soon with all those people coming through our house and only positive feedback. To no avail we waited and waited with no word and the showings stopped. This is when I began to start doubting whether or not we should just take it off once again. After time in prayer asking God to show me if we should take it off or not, we had a lady that was going to meet with her lender to make an offer. So, of course I got excited and wouldn't you know she disappeared. Although I began to get frustrated I didn't feel the move to take the house off the market. That's when it happened out of the "blue" last Monday we received an offer, I found a home on craig'slist that had dropped its price a substantial amount, there was an offer on the home but the realtor couldn't meet with the seller until the next day which gave us time to make an offer, our realtor was able to present the offer to the seller and Wed night our offer was accepted. Now if you told that story to someone they might say what a coincidence, I just smile and say no God's timing! I could never have created a more perfect time frame than He did and the only reason it worked was because of Him! Now I know that we haven't signed papers and received the keys but I feel this home is where our family needs to be next.
Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
Although I was anything but anxious for nothing I brought my requests to God time and time again. I knew that His time was best and that He would provide far more than I could ever ask or imagine. So, next time you are getting discouraged or frustrated with things not going quick enough or just the way you thought, remember God's timing is best and He will be faithful. Take your requests to your Father in Heaven who can do far more than you could ever imagine!
~Missy D
Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
Although I was anything but anxious for nothing I brought my requests to God time and time again. I knew that His time was best and that He would provide far more than I could ever ask or imagine. So, next time you are getting discouraged or frustrated with things not going quick enough or just the way you thought, remember God's timing is best and He will be faithful. Take your requests to your Father in Heaven who can do far more than you could ever imagine!
~Missy D
Friday, August 26, 2011
Use It or Lose It
After buying my kids snow cones during a visit to the zoo, we promptly sat down with our friends to enjoy the treat. Unfortunately the baby became increasingly upset in his "My morning nap was cut very short for this place" stupor, and the kids and I headed for the exit with snow cones in hand. My 2-year-old son, who was riding in the double stroller with the baby, was adamant that he should hold his snow cone while in the stroller. I could picture how badly this would turn out, but I allowed him the pleasure.
The older girls walked along beside me, happily munching on their snacks. The 2-yr-old, however, gripped his snow cone tightly to his chest, refusing to eat it. Each time I would stop and attempt to pry the cold mess from his little grubbies, the result was screaming and clutching the snow cone tighter, all the while spilling more red ooze down his shirt and onto his shorts, legs, arms, stroller, etc.
I found myself quite amused at his insistence that he hold onto that snow cone despite his absolute unwillingness to eat it. Then God brought this to my heart as a truth of our Christian lives. Aren't there many of us who do this very same thing with the blessed Holy Spirit? Upon receiving the Spirit in the refreshing waters of baptism, we clutch the Spirit tightly to our chests, just sure that someone is going to attempt to take him from us. Yet in our comfort of that understanding - "yes, I have the Spirit!" - we often choose to do nothing with him. And this allows us to be nothing but stagnant Christians, just making big messes of our lives all while ignoring the Counselor that God blessed us with to help us fight through those very messes!!
1 Thess 5:19 tells us not to "put out the Spirit's fire." The longer I allow the Spirit to be unused in my life, the less obvious His voice will be to me. Soon after that, He is gone. Now where would that leave me?
I will be praying today that you and I, my Soul Sisters, have clarity to hear the voice of the Spirit - that we will be strong enough in the Lord to go where the Spirit leads us- and that the more we listen, the stronger His voice will be to our hearts!
Love to you all, dear Soul Sisters!
-Kelly T
The older girls walked along beside me, happily munching on their snacks. The 2-yr-old, however, gripped his snow cone tightly to his chest, refusing to eat it. Each time I would stop and attempt to pry the cold mess from his little grubbies, the result was screaming and clutching the snow cone tighter, all the while spilling more red ooze down his shirt and onto his shorts, legs, arms, stroller, etc.
I found myself quite amused at his insistence that he hold onto that snow cone despite his absolute unwillingness to eat it. Then God brought this to my heart as a truth of our Christian lives. Aren't there many of us who do this very same thing with the blessed Holy Spirit? Upon receiving the Spirit in the refreshing waters of baptism, we clutch the Spirit tightly to our chests, just sure that someone is going to attempt to take him from us. Yet in our comfort of that understanding - "yes, I have the Spirit!" - we often choose to do nothing with him. And this allows us to be nothing but stagnant Christians, just making big messes of our lives all while ignoring the Counselor that God blessed us with to help us fight through those very messes!!
1 Thess 5:19 tells us not to "put out the Spirit's fire." The longer I allow the Spirit to be unused in my life, the less obvious His voice will be to me. Soon after that, He is gone. Now where would that leave me?
I will be praying today that you and I, my Soul Sisters, have clarity to hear the voice of the Spirit - that we will be strong enough in the Lord to go where the Spirit leads us- and that the more we listen, the stronger His voice will be to our hearts!
Love to you all, dear Soul Sisters!
-Kelly T
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