Thursday, January 20, 2011
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Jumping off a cliff?
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Jumping off a cliff?: "Good morning to all of you! What a beautiful day the Lord has made! This morning as I took my kids to school, I was blown away by the..."
Jumping off a cliff?
Good morning to all of you! What a beautiful day the Lord has made!
This morning as I took my kids to school, I was blown away by the beauty all around! Everything looked so peaceful. The trees and bushes twinkled and sparkled in the sun! Magical, just magical!
Okay, as you know, I'm a very sensitive person! And at this point in my juncture, I feel God in pretty much every thing that I see and do! Today was no different! God has been teaching me to see the beauty in everything. Of course there is always going to be bad and dark areas in our lives. But not letting that block our vision of the beauty that God has made, is a very important step!
The beauty of the trees this morning reminded me of one of the first experiences that I had as a Christian. God had been dealing with me in a lot of areas in my life and had put a friend in my path who loaned me the book "A Love Worth Giving" by Max Lucado. Okay, so here I was, totally mesmerized by God's true love, and walking very early in the morning. I had all those "I'm alive, yoohoo!" feelings and my body was on fire for God! And the stars in the sky, man they were so beautiful, and I realized that God had made them for me! You too! God was so BIG! And I was small, like a child. Even though I was a wife and mother, an adult, I acted in childish ways. I had to grow up. Be what God had intended for me to be. I had to quit following the crowd or even what my flesh wanted, and do what was right. In every single situation. Now, I will tell you that I have failed miserably. But instead of blaming others, I turn the finger around to myself! Because I can choose.
I have mentioned that it's high time that we all got radical. Well, I still stand by that.
I have been lied to. I have been manipulated. But it's my own fault.
When children do something wrong and say "well, so and so did it!" what do we say?
We say "if they jumped off a cliff, would you do it to?" We say right is right and wrong is wrong!
But as we reach adulthood, we say gray. Things become fuzzy. We inject feelings, past hurts, excuses, and reasoning into the equation. Instead of searching for truth, integrity, and self control, we jump off the cliff with everyone else.
Okay, so what am I getting at?
I guess, no, I know that I must make a decision. Take the road of least resistance or the narrow road that leads to ultimate peace and happiness.
But first we have to wrap our minds around the fact that following God's way of true life does not mean that we wont ever be able to have fun. That we'll never have anything that tastes good. No it doesn't mean that at all. What it means is balance. Taking responsibility, respecting ourselves and others, doing what is right even when we don't feel like it. It was never meant to be easy. But that's the beauty of it.
The roads are icy. It's cold. Maybe you get the winter blues. But with out the cold and ice we wouldn't have such beautiful scenery. The sparkle. Snowmen. Sledding. Hot chocolate. With out the icky stuff we wouldn't appreciate the special, unique "stuff" all around us! Or in us!
So you and I can be the twinkling in the world! We can choose to shine. Let Jesus shine through us! By deciding to do what is right. In the cold, in the dark, by doing what is right, not perfect, but striving for it though, we can help change someone else's cold and dark point of view!
It's hard to change. Thank goodness we have a wonder, powerful, loving, and forgiving God, who can do what we can't.
I am accepting God's ways and throwing the rest away. Please join me, we can change the world!
I mentioned Max Lucado's book earlier. It's really a great book! It's a radical look at love. It helped me to get past myself and see what "love" is and how to use it! I highly recommend it.
Okay, I'm done. I'll get off my soap box, until tomorrow!
Peace to all of you! Have a great day!
Blessing~Becca
This morning as I took my kids to school, I was blown away by the beauty all around! Everything looked so peaceful. The trees and bushes twinkled and sparkled in the sun! Magical, just magical!
Okay, as you know, I'm a very sensitive person! And at this point in my juncture, I feel God in pretty much every thing that I see and do! Today was no different! God has been teaching me to see the beauty in everything. Of course there is always going to be bad and dark areas in our lives. But not letting that block our vision of the beauty that God has made, is a very important step!
The beauty of the trees this morning reminded me of one of the first experiences that I had as a Christian. God had been dealing with me in a lot of areas in my life and had put a friend in my path who loaned me the book "A Love Worth Giving" by Max Lucado. Okay, so here I was, totally mesmerized by God's true love, and walking very early in the morning. I had all those "I'm alive, yoohoo!" feelings and my body was on fire for God! And the stars in the sky, man they were so beautiful, and I realized that God had made them for me! You too! God was so BIG! And I was small, like a child. Even though I was a wife and mother, an adult, I acted in childish ways. I had to grow up. Be what God had intended for me to be. I had to quit following the crowd or even what my flesh wanted, and do what was right. In every single situation. Now, I will tell you that I have failed miserably. But instead of blaming others, I turn the finger around to myself! Because I can choose.
I have mentioned that it's high time that we all got radical. Well, I still stand by that.
I have been lied to. I have been manipulated. But it's my own fault.
When children do something wrong and say "well, so and so did it!" what do we say?
We say "if they jumped off a cliff, would you do it to?" We say right is right and wrong is wrong!
But as we reach adulthood, we say gray. Things become fuzzy. We inject feelings, past hurts, excuses, and reasoning into the equation. Instead of searching for truth, integrity, and self control, we jump off the cliff with everyone else.
Okay, so what am I getting at?
I guess, no, I know that I must make a decision. Take the road of least resistance or the narrow road that leads to ultimate peace and happiness.
But first we have to wrap our minds around the fact that following God's way of true life does not mean that we wont ever be able to have fun. That we'll never have anything that tastes good. No it doesn't mean that at all. What it means is balance. Taking responsibility, respecting ourselves and others, doing what is right even when we don't feel like it. It was never meant to be easy. But that's the beauty of it.
The roads are icy. It's cold. Maybe you get the winter blues. But with out the cold and ice we wouldn't have such beautiful scenery. The sparkle. Snowmen. Sledding. Hot chocolate. With out the icky stuff we wouldn't appreciate the special, unique "stuff" all around us! Or in us!
So you and I can be the twinkling in the world! We can choose to shine. Let Jesus shine through us! By deciding to do what is right. In the cold, in the dark, by doing what is right, not perfect, but striving for it though, we can help change someone else's cold and dark point of view!
It's hard to change. Thank goodness we have a wonder, powerful, loving, and forgiving God, who can do what we can't.
I am accepting God's ways and throwing the rest away. Please join me, we can change the world!
I mentioned Max Lucado's book earlier. It's really a great book! It's a radical look at love. It helped me to get past myself and see what "love" is and how to use it! I highly recommend it.
Okay, I'm done. I'll get off my soap box, until tomorrow!
Peace to all of you! Have a great day!
Blessing~Becca
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Life in the New Year?
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Life in the New Year?: "Good morning, to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! Wow, we made it! The holidays are now sweet memories and we are ready to..."
Life in the New Year?
Good morning, to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! Wow, we made it! The holidays are now sweet memories and we are ready to face the new year! Now, to decide, life or death?
In the Old Testiment, God gets mad! He gave us so much! For one, the world. And two, everything we needed to survive and be happy. On top of that, He loved (still does) us. Can you imagine the hurt that God felt when Adam and Eve ate from the only tree that He said not to! And frustration! Here He made us in His image, provided everything we could ever need and we strayed! And it didn't take us very long to do it, either.
You know, at this very moment, we could all be sitting around, doing a little gardening, naked, with not a care in the world. Living in peace, love'n each other, heck, love'n life - every minute of it! Kids playing and us not worrying about new snow boots or underwear or what they will eat for lunch. But here we are! Maybe in the hardest times of our lives!
But there is hope!
There is hope and there is a promise!
But we must answer the call!
God spoke through Moses, saying, "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this , you will live. . . and the Lord your God will bless you. . . . but if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen,. .. . . then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. . . Today I have given you the blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing your-self firmly to Him. This is the key to your life." (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
My goodness! What to do? Well, think about this! Heaven and earth are your witness to the choice you make. If you are to choose to live for yourself, do what you want with out any regard to how it will affect those around you, decide to be disrespectful and neglect responsibility, then you choose death. And your actions will certainly affect those who care for you, maybe bringing death to them also.
See, it's taken me along time to understand this, but this isn't a game! The mistakes we make that don't bear fruit of guilt or remorse, it's like spitting on everything and anything that God has brought into our lives! Let me share this again: wrong attitudes keep us from God. Our pride. Not someone else. Us! This is where respect and responsibility come into play.
Do you honestly think you'll get tomorrow back? I know this seems crazy, but I felt that way. Oh, I'll do it tomorrow, I would say. Or I'm going to be able to do that later. Then my twenties were gone. Now, after not appreciating what I had then and maybe lost, I'm am determined to take the time to live and love and be so thankful for what I have. I'm choosing life. The life that only God can give me!
We have a choice. And what ever choice we do make, it will be hard. But if we choose the life choice - we will have peace, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I did not not mean a life with out pains and struggles. But the right choice will make us brave and strong. The right choice will free us from anything that is holding us back. God will have our backs! Anything is possible with God!
God is so great to us! My brothers and sisters, we are blessed!
This year let's make it our duty to share this love with everyone we come into contact with! Everyone! Hold the door open. Smile at someone who is grumpy. Sincerely ask how someone is doing. Slow down and think of those around you! Make time to read the good book! Laugh! Have fun! And invite others to have fun also!
Life or death.
Be moved, my brothers and sisters, be moved! Choose the life God has intended for us! Live each moment to the fullest for our Lord. And don't be discouraged, I know that there will be times when we just can't, we're not perfect. Then take that time to be still and listen for God.
Make the choice and really live!
Well, that's all I got today! Happy New Year to you all! Hey, let me know how things are working for you. If you've seen a change in some aspect of your life because of our Lord and Savior, please share! Our stories help to encourage others!
May the Good Lord bless and keep you! And have a wonderful day! And remember that you are wonderfully made!
Blessings~Becca
In the Old Testiment, God gets mad! He gave us so much! For one, the world. And two, everything we needed to survive and be happy. On top of that, He loved (still does) us. Can you imagine the hurt that God felt when Adam and Eve ate from the only tree that He said not to! And frustration! Here He made us in His image, provided everything we could ever need and we strayed! And it didn't take us very long to do it, either.
You know, at this very moment, we could all be sitting around, doing a little gardening, naked, with not a care in the world. Living in peace, love'n each other, heck, love'n life - every minute of it! Kids playing and us not worrying about new snow boots or underwear or what they will eat for lunch. But here we are! Maybe in the hardest times of our lives!
But there is hope!
There is hope and there is a promise!
But we must answer the call!
God spoke through Moses, saying, "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this , you will live. . . and the Lord your God will bless you. . . . but if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen,. .. . . then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. . . Today I have given you the blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing your-self firmly to Him. This is the key to your life." (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
My goodness! What to do? Well, think about this! Heaven and earth are your witness to the choice you make. If you are to choose to live for yourself, do what you want with out any regard to how it will affect those around you, decide to be disrespectful and neglect responsibility, then you choose death. And your actions will certainly affect those who care for you, maybe bringing death to them also.
See, it's taken me along time to understand this, but this isn't a game! The mistakes we make that don't bear fruit of guilt or remorse, it's like spitting on everything and anything that God has brought into our lives! Let me share this again: wrong attitudes keep us from God. Our pride. Not someone else. Us! This is where respect and responsibility come into play.
Do you honestly think you'll get tomorrow back? I know this seems crazy, but I felt that way. Oh, I'll do it tomorrow, I would say. Or I'm going to be able to do that later. Then my twenties were gone. Now, after not appreciating what I had then and maybe lost, I'm am determined to take the time to live and love and be so thankful for what I have. I'm choosing life. The life that only God can give me!
We have a choice. And what ever choice we do make, it will be hard. But if we choose the life choice - we will have peace, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I did not not mean a life with out pains and struggles. But the right choice will make us brave and strong. The right choice will free us from anything that is holding us back. God will have our backs! Anything is possible with God!
God is so great to us! My brothers and sisters, we are blessed!
This year let's make it our duty to share this love with everyone we come into contact with! Everyone! Hold the door open. Smile at someone who is grumpy. Sincerely ask how someone is doing. Slow down and think of those around you! Make time to read the good book! Laugh! Have fun! And invite others to have fun also!
Life or death.
Be moved, my brothers and sisters, be moved! Choose the life God has intended for us! Live each moment to the fullest for our Lord. And don't be discouraged, I know that there will be times when we just can't, we're not perfect. Then take that time to be still and listen for God.
Make the choice and really live!
Well, that's all I got today! Happy New Year to you all! Hey, let me know how things are working for you. If you've seen a change in some aspect of your life because of our Lord and Savior, please share! Our stories help to encourage others!
May the Good Lord bless and keep you! And have a wonderful day! And remember that you are wonderfully made!
Blessings~Becca
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Hope and Faith
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Hope and Faith: "Good morning to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! What a beautiful morning here in the sandhills of Nebraska! This will be my la..."
Hope and Faith
Good morning to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! What a beautiful morning here in the sandhills of Nebraska!
This will be my last blog until after Christmas. I will be computer free for about three days!
Yesterday, I wrote about my new life resolutions. This is how I plan on taking back my world from satan. It's my choice to live or die. I choose to live.
I am choosing to live a honorable and righteous life. One that is full of patience, kindness, love, grace, gratitude, forgiveness, and most of all, repentance.
And I'll do this knowing that it is God working in my life.
He has made the changes that needed to be changed. He is the One working and stirring in me, wanting me to keep pursuing Him.
It's not me.
And so, in order for these spiritual qualities to take root in my soul and heart, I must have confidence and faith.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1.
How can we be confident that something we want is going to happen, especially if all of our hopes have been dashed?
How can we risk believing that the life we hope for is waiting for us around the bend?
the Bible tells us that the key is in the nature of the who we look to.
We are told that "anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him" Hebrews 11:6.
If we see God as One Who is reaching out to help us, we will be more eager to look for Him. If our faith has not matured to that point yet, we can ask for help.
One man came to Jesus asking Him to help his young son who was afflicted by a demon. He said to Jesus, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.' 'What do you mean, "If I can"?' Jesus asked. 'anything is possible if a person believes.' The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:22-24). We can start by asking God to help us have more faith. Then we can ask Him for the courage to hope for a better future.
Jesus was sent to give us a future.
The new year has almost arrived. Many of us in the past have made countless new years resolutions and have failed.
So how do we keep our hopes up that we can be successful?
By faith and trust. Remember God has a plan for us.
His plan is more than our usual new year resolutions. His involves real character changes as well as life style changes.
He's not concerned with our pant size. But why we can't love ourselves and be healthy and happy with this wonderful and beautiful body He has given us.
He's not really concerned with our dreams of owning a new car. But as to why we are in financial ruin and have not been faithful with the money He has given to us.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1.
Our faith and trust comes from a process of learning and spending time with our Lord.
And in that process we learn that true freedom and happiness is in obeying God.
When we admit our ways are not working and let God take charge, we come in alignment with Him and His ways.
That's the beauty of it.
Obeying and receiving, they go hand in hand.
Also, when we follow His plan for our lives, we realize what is actually important. We realize that God knows what we need and what we can handle, and takes care of us.
He is such a wonderful and beautiful God!
So as you enjoy your family gatherings and all the wonders of Christmas, don't forget to celebrate your opportunity to take back your life from satan.
God sent His only begotten son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.
To give us the chance to reclaim our world!
And as you make your new year resolutions, keep in mind the end. Keep in mind what's really important and what you plan on explaining to our Father when the time comes when He asks, "What did you do with the life My Son died to give you?"
Choose to live, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
God bless you and keep you as you travel here and there. Peace be to you in what ever comes your way!
Merry Christmas!
Blessing and love to you, my friends ~ Becca
This will be my last blog until after Christmas. I will be computer free for about three days!
Yesterday, I wrote about my new life resolutions. This is how I plan on taking back my world from satan. It's my choice to live or die. I choose to live.
I am choosing to live a honorable and righteous life. One that is full of patience, kindness, love, grace, gratitude, forgiveness, and most of all, repentance.
And I'll do this knowing that it is God working in my life.
He has made the changes that needed to be changed. He is the One working and stirring in me, wanting me to keep pursuing Him.
It's not me.
And so, in order for these spiritual qualities to take root in my soul and heart, I must have confidence and faith.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1.
How can we be confident that something we want is going to happen, especially if all of our hopes have been dashed?
How can we risk believing that the life we hope for is waiting for us around the bend?
the Bible tells us that the key is in the nature of the who we look to.
We are told that "anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him" Hebrews 11:6.
If we see God as One Who is reaching out to help us, we will be more eager to look for Him. If our faith has not matured to that point yet, we can ask for help.
One man came to Jesus asking Him to help his young son who was afflicted by a demon. He said to Jesus, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.' 'What do you mean, "If I can"?' Jesus asked. 'anything is possible if a person believes.' The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:22-24). We can start by asking God to help us have more faith. Then we can ask Him for the courage to hope for a better future.
Jesus was sent to give us a future.
The new year has almost arrived. Many of us in the past have made countless new years resolutions and have failed.
So how do we keep our hopes up that we can be successful?
By faith and trust. Remember God has a plan for us.
His plan is more than our usual new year resolutions. His involves real character changes as well as life style changes.
He's not concerned with our pant size. But why we can't love ourselves and be healthy and happy with this wonderful and beautiful body He has given us.
He's not really concerned with our dreams of owning a new car. But as to why we are in financial ruin and have not been faithful with the money He has given to us.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1.
Our faith and trust comes from a process of learning and spending time with our Lord.
And in that process we learn that true freedom and happiness is in obeying God.
When we admit our ways are not working and let God take charge, we come in alignment with Him and His ways.
That's the beauty of it.
Obeying and receiving, they go hand in hand.
Also, when we follow His plan for our lives, we realize what is actually important. We realize that God knows what we need and what we can handle, and takes care of us.
He is such a wonderful and beautiful God!
So as you enjoy your family gatherings and all the wonders of Christmas, don't forget to celebrate your opportunity to take back your life from satan.
God sent His only begotten son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.
To give us the chance to reclaim our world!
And as you make your new year resolutions, keep in mind the end. Keep in mind what's really important and what you plan on explaining to our Father when the time comes when He asks, "What did you do with the life My Son died to give you?"
Choose to live, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
God bless you and keep you as you travel here and there. Peace be to you in what ever comes your way!
Merry Christmas!
Blessing and love to you, my friends ~ Becca
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Good day to you all, my brothers and sisters in Ch...
Healthy Soul, Healthy Heart: Good day to you all, my brothers and sisters in Ch...: "Good day to you all, my brothers and sisters in Christ our King! I pray that peace and joy are with you today! Here we are. Thr..."
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